Tag Archives: Le Fayet

Feel the serenity.

Posted on 27th August 2018
Now THIS is where it gets interesting.
Two days on bikes playing around the Fiz range. Some huts, some climbs and some cracking descents. All that way just to pick up some content...
Posted in Chamonix ride , tagged , , , ,

Link up

Posted on 28th September 2014
There was a lot of spot the rider shots from today.

Want to know what the next big thing’s going to be in mountain biking? Look at other mountain sports; skiing, snowboarding, mountaineering, fell running. Trail centres are a bike only thing? Snowboarding went crazy for snowparks in the mid 90’s. These newfangled “enduro” bikes that are fairly light up hill but a virtually DH bikes on the down? Skiing’s been doing the fat touring ski and DIN 16 touring binding for ages*. Big days out linking your favourite trails….

OK, so we’ve been doing that for a while too, but mountaineers got there first. With the concentration of hardcore climbers … [Read full post]

Posted in Chamonix ride , tagged , ,

Bikes on a train, and other forms of mechanical uplift.

Posted on 15th June 2014
Today I am mostly liking green

Lifts are open, no more pretending that pedalling uphill is worthy and good.

An opening party was being held at Le Tour with demo bikes, drinks and rumours of new trails, so we headed in the opposite direction to Les Houches.

It seemed a fairly popular choice and it was surprising to see just how much the main DH track wore in over the course of the day.

Not having big bikes in addition to our normal bikes with their mere 160mm of travel, slack angles and huge brakes, Lorne & I rode a few laps of the Prarion front … [Read full post]

Posted in Chamonix ride, Trail conditions , tagged , ,

Tricot two

Posted on 5th October 2013
Would this view tempt you into finishing lunch and getting back on the bike?

Who said September’s the best month for mountain biking in the alps? I did, and I submit this last week as evidence. Stable weather, cool temps, blue skies and quiet trails. We’ll just ignore the snow of a fortnight ago if that’s ok with you.

Last big day off the Chamonix lifts for the summer, where to go and what to do. Well THE Les Houches classic ride from last summer was the Col de Tricot down to Le Fayet. None of us had repeated it since so we figured, why not?

If I’m honest, the weather was a wee … [Read full post]

Posted in Chamonix ride , tagged , ,

3.10 is the magic number

Posted on 13th September 2013
Ridgeline. Putting the "pic" in Epic

And why is it the magic number? Because that’s when the last tram leaves Le Fayet for Bellevue, but I’m getting ahead of myself, back to the start.

Every spring I start with the intention of riding all 10 bike friendly lifts on the Chamonix lift pass in a day, and every autumn arrives without me having done so. It’s a trickier challenge to complete than it first appears as the window to get it done is pretty small. Most of the good riding from the lifts is on trails off limits during the July & August bike ban, and … [Read full post]

Posted in Chamonix ride , tagged , , ,

Who’s way?

Posted on 7th September 2013
"Who's trail" Not a bad start to the ride.

Five weeks is a loooong time to be off your bike in a Chamonix summer! In the past bikes have given me plenty of broken bones (which did generally heal) and scars (that chicks were disappointingly uninterested in) that have kept me away from sports for longer, but 5 weeks with what is basically a sore thumb has been pretty annoying. Still, thanks to the excellent work of the consultants and surgeons at Chamonix & Annemasse’s hospitals, and the brilliant physio from Neil at Clinique du Sport (what percentage of Chamonix residents go through their doors every year?) I can … [Read full post]

Posted in Chamonix ride , tagged ,

Escape from the valley

Posted on 24th June 2012

The trails straight above Chamonix are amazing, but generally steep and tech, with roots and rocks abounding. After some pretty wet weather had passed through it seemed a better idea to ride some more flowing singletrack whilst the rocks and roots dried out. We headed down the valley past Vaudagne and out to Servoz to start the long road climb up to the Lac Vert car park. The views help take your mind off the legs and the promise of a rest at the fountain in the middle of the road at Le Mont keeps you going. Alas, the fountain … [Read full post]

Posted in Chamonix ride , tagged , ,