Chamonix Bike Blog

Tag: Lift opening

What, where, when. 2014 lift openings

In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of mountain biking (Tennyson was a keen early mtber, award yourself 10 smug points if you got the reference), lift accessed mountain biking at that, but where?

Well here’s a list of when Chamonix’s lifts open (probably, subject to usual CdMB changes) and some other options for nearby if that’s too long to wait.

Le Tour: 14^th June

Flegere: 14^th June

Brevent/Planpraz: 14^th June

Prarion: 14^th June

Bellevue: 14^th June

Tramway du Mont Blanc: 14th June

Grand Montets: 28^th June

Vallorcine: 28^th June

And beyond the valley:

La Thuile, 28th June : http://www.lathuile.it/homepage.asp?s=E

Portes du Mont Blanc, 5th July : http://www.combloux.com/en/activities/summer/pass.html

Tignes / Val d’Isere, 28^th June (more than an hours drive, but the lifts are free again): http://www.tignes.net/en/summer-sports/free-and-unlimited-activities-252.html

Grand Massif haven’t released their dates yet, but probably 5^th July: http://ete.grand-massif.com/plans-d-ete

Pila, Dates not up, but probably 21^st June: http://www.pila.it/en/holidays/tariffe/tessere-a-punti/ *update Aosta-Pila lift only open weekend of 14/15 June then full area opening from 21 June.

Aosta valley shuttle riding, April: http://aostavalleyfreeride.com/freeride-bike-out-season.php

Portes du Soliel also doesn’t have dates up, but likely some lifts open from 14^th June with the full area open for the Passportes on the 27^th-29^th June: http://en.portesdusoleil.com/summer-lifts.html *update! Les Gets is open the 2 weekends before it’s full opening on the 14th

Verbier, weekends only from 7^th June, then all week from the 23^rd June: http://www.verbierbikepark.ch/horaires_fr.php

La Saleve, 10^th April: http://www.saleveautrement.ch/Pratique

Dorenaz, never stops: http://www.dorenaz.ch/dorenaz/transports

14/04/2014
Last minute panic lift riding/local races for local people

“The nights are fair drawing in” I’ve heard no-one say recently, but it doesn’t change that at the end of the month, most of the alps’ lift operators start to stop putting the 50 centime pieces in the chairlift machines and going down needs you to consider getting up first.

Here’s a list of the closing dates for our nearby lifts, along with a couple of beacons of hope for us:

Chamonix

VALLORCINE: 1st Sept

GRANDS MONTETS: 8^th Sept

PRARION: 15th Sept

BREVENT: 15^th Sept (then Oct 19^th to Nov 3rd)

FLEGERE: 15^th Sept

LE TOUR GONDOLA & CHAIRLIFT: 22nd Sept

BELLEVUE: Never really opened…

TRAMWAY DU MONT BLANC: 29th Sept

Nearby

Grand Massif, started closing on the 25th, all done by 31^st Aug

La Thuile, 1st Sept

Portes du Mont Blanc, 8th Sept

Tignes / val d’isere 1st Sept (still FREE up till then!)

Pila, 8^th Sept

Portes du Soliel starts closing the weekend of 1st September and is mostly closed by the 9^th, except Champery which keeps going to 6^th Oct

Verbier, 27th Oct (if weather’s ok, and sometimes only at weekends)

And have a google for

St Luc, Dorinaz, La Saleve, Aosta Valley Freeride….

The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that the pictures here have absolutely nothing to do with lift accessed riding. This is because I stretched the ulnar collateral ligament of metacarpophalangeal joint (or hurt my thumb as I previously knew it) a few weeks ago and am in a cast for another few weeks yet. So instead of riding my bike, I helped out Chamonix Bike Rentals in the latest of their Tuesday evening mates races.

The courses are generally downhill oriented XC in style, though I’m hoping to be back on the bike for a pump track challenge evening, and your 5 euro entry gets you a beer in the Pub afterwards and a random chance to win a prize for the shops shelves, Nukeproof bars, grips, energy gels and body armour all featuring in the after-race giveaway. Give Spencer a shout in the shop or visit the website for more, contrary to the post title, you don’t need 6 toes on each foot to enter. Congratulations also to Nina from the shop who took part in her first “real” race at the weekend there, the Les Menuires Enduro, and came second!

21/08/2013
This ‘n’ that

After a spring of moaning about the cold and snow, the sun’s come out and it’s got dry and hot. So instead now everyone’s moaning about it being too hot and dry. On the plus side, the +30 degree temps, blazing sunshine and a bit of warm rain has put a fair dent in the snowpack and things are starting to get a bit easier to ride up high.

Conveniently most of the valley’s lifts have opened for the summer season now, which has saved us from having to actually exercise in the heat, instead we can just enjoy a sauna for 5 minutes then cruise down the hill.

This seems like as good a place as any to try and clarify what’s happening with the lifts and bikes in the valley this summer. After all manner of rumours that bikes will only be allowed on this, that and the other lift, official word from Compagnie du Mont Blanc is:

Mountain bikes will be allowed on ALL lifts other that Montenvers, Aiguille du Midi, Index chairlift and the upper stage of Grand Montets. So far so good, but there’s a twist (or 2)….. First, at the Tramway du Mont-Blanc, bikes are only authorised on the first and last tram of the day during low season, and first and last 3 trams during July & August (and at other times if there’s space and you’re nice to the lift staff). Second, the old “Cham’sport” lift pass is no more, replaced with the 17euro “bike pass”, which sounds great, but unfortunately this pass only gives you access to the Charamillon & Autannes lifts at Le Tour (ie, the front 2 lifts, NOT Vallorcine) and the Prarion lift at Les Houches (ie, NOT Bellevue, which is closed due to fire damage anyway, and the Tramway du Mont Blanc) and nowhere else. If you want to ride any of Brevent, Flegere, back of Les Houches, Grand Montets, you’ll have to stump up for the Mont-Blanc Multipass at 54euro. Or live here and have a season pass. Or push. Your choice.

In better news, it looks like the railway is actually going to open on the 29^th of June, it’s been announced on the local radio and everything, so fingers crossed that evening riding is about to get a lot easier, as well as getting back from the various routes off Le Tour and Les Houches.

Enough of the future, what of the now? This week we’ve been mostly riding the lifts, Les Houches, Brevent & Flegere. The trails are still fairly quiet and there’re not too many walkers around so it’s been good to make the most of it, ride some classics and do a wee bit of exploring. The photo’s can do the talking though.

Get out there and make the most of it before the bike ban kicks in at the end of the month!

27/06/2013
Forever delayed…

I’m beginning to sound like a stuck record (or best-of album), but this blog’s here to give y’all an idea of riding conditions and trails around Chamonix, so I can only say what I see!

Yes, winter is STILL in force in the Chamonix valley.

I’ve been back in Scotland for a wee visit (where I got to ride the excellent new Commonwealth Games track at Cathkin Braes, good work guys. Almost made me wish I was back working in Glasgow. Almost) and had expected that upon return to Chamonix the sun would be shining, the air warm and the trails dusty.

No.

It was snowing in town, with it lying on the ground just a few hundred meters higher. The only thing for it was to get the skis back out the cave and go ride some powder.

In the meantime, the valley tracks such as the Petite Balcons, Trois Gullies etc and clear, and it’s only really been a dusting of snow below 1800m so the slightly higher trails will be fine too, just wear more than shorts and a t-shirt!

With a brief window of sunshine ahead of a forecast 60-100cm of snowfall below 2000m in the next 24hr, a group of us met outside Chamonix Bike Rental in Cham Sud to go for a wee spin round the valley.

Following the petite balcon sud across from Brevent to Les Tine gives a nice chilled out xc ride, and the trails were surprisingly dry. We headed back into town through Les Bois where the weekends XC race has worn in some of the smaller tracks through the trees nicely, plus the in-run to the dirt jumps has been reinstated too. If only any of us could actually do dirt jumps anymore…

Another result of the winter that won’t end is that road cols are struggling to open (not great if you’ve got a road bike) and that Les Gets has had to postpone its opening due to too much snow. Which, in the absence of much riding to write about, seems as good a link as any to give you the opening dates for the uplift around Chamonix. Start planning your roadtrips now…

Chamonix:

PRARION: 15^th June

BREVENT CABLECAR: 15^th June

LE TOUR GONDOLA & CHAIRLIFT: 15^th June

PLANPRAZ GONDOLA: 15^th June

FLEGERE: 15^th June

BELLEVUE: 15^th June

TRAMWAY DU MONT BLANC: 15^th June

GRANDS MONTETS: 29^th June

VALLORCINE: 29^th June

And surrounding area :

Grand Massif, 6^th July: http://www.grand-massif.com/les-tarifs

La Thuile 7th July : http://www.lathuile.net/datapage.asp?id=200&l=3&s=E

Portes du Mont Blanc, 29th June : http://www.combloux.com/en/activities/summer/pass.html

Pila, 22^nd June: http://www.pila.it/en/holidays/tariffe/tessere-a-punti/

Portes du Soliel 15^th June for daily, weekend only from now, maybe (not last weekend!): http://en.portesdusoleil.com/summer-lifts.html

Verbier Weekends in June (when the snow melts) and daily from 6^th July: http://www.verbierbikepark.ch/

28/05/2013
Time gentlemen, please

It’s been raining, some of the trees in the valley have started to yellow and town’s filling with ultra-runners, it can only mean one thing: the summer’s coming to an end, and the lifts shut down till the snow comes.

The Chamonix lift closures are staggered across the next 2 months:

VALLORCINE: 2^nd Sept

PRARION: 2^nd Sept

BREVENT CABLECAR: 2^nd Sept

LE TOUR GONDOLA & CHAIRLIFT: 9^th Sept

GRANDS MONTETS: 9^th Sept

PLANPRAZ GONDOLA: 16^th Sept (then Oct 27^th to Nov 7^th)

FLEGERE: 16^th Sept

BELLEVUE: 23^rd Sept

TRAMWAY DU MONT BLANC: 23rd Sept

What’s not mentioned is that the Vallorcine DH track, & gondola for bike uplift, closes for the season on Friday due to the Ultra Trail races, so anyone wanting to hit every lift in the valley in a day better get cracking. If you’re looking for a race to end your Chamonix biking season then conveniently the Club des sports de Chamonix have organised a 24hr VTT race in the valley over the weekend of the 22nd/23^rd September. For more information click

Outside of the valley, lift closing days start from the end of August and by October Champery & Verbier are pretty much your only choices (though Brevant’s back open again by then, which is nice.)

Grand Massif, started closing on the 26th, all done by 31^st Aug: http://www.grand-massif.com/ete/accedez_tarifs.php

La Thuile 2^nd Sept : http://www.lathuile.net/datapage.asp?id=41&l=3

Portes du Mont Blanc, 2^nd Sept : http://www.combloux.com/en/activities/summer/pass.html

Tignes / val d’isere 2^nd Sept (still FREE up till then!): http://www.tignes.net/en/summer-sports/free-and-unlimited-activities-252.html

Pila, 9^th Sept: http://aostavalleyfreeride.com/index.php with desarpa bike mass dh the weekend after 15^th/16th http://www.piladh.eu/en/desarpa-bike/

Portes du Soliel starts closing the weekend of 02nd September and is mostly closed by the 9^th, except Champery which keeps going to 7^th Oct: http://en.portesdusoleil.com/summer-lifts.html

Verbier 17th Sept, then weekends till 20/21^st Oct (if weather’s ok): http://www.verbierbikepark.ch/

As for conditions in the Chamonix valley at the moment, the complaints about the temperature and lack of rain have been answered and there’s been a few days of drizzle and a day of torrential rain. My friend Claire had come over for the weekend to get a break from the Scottish summer in Chamonix, fortunately she packed the goretex.

The skies cleared up on Sunday and, despite a cold grey start, the quick drying trails at Le Tour ensured normal summer service was resumed. The weather is still a bit cooler than it’s been of late, so things are not drying quite as fast as before and as a result there’s lots more grip on the trails. The natural trails are still very busy, though with the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc being at the weekend, the pedestrians are generally moving faster than the cyclists so it’s not the same problem, and in one week it will all be different…

28/08/2012