Skip to main content

Old trails, new riding

Le Tour Balcon and Merlet


I think 26 Inch is dead. Or is it just 2014 Season mountain bikes in general that are so good?  I've ridden a rocket ship today that kept speed on some of the roughest trails in Chamonix Valley.  Sure Jared Graves would still be much faster than me on his 26", but I had fun scaring myself on a "trail bike".

An old girl meets a new girl in the Massif
This is the beginning of my fourth summer in Cham and I started on a classic trail down from Le Tour towards Argentiere, the Petit Balcon Nord.  There's still a few patches of snow around, but mostly the trails are dry buff, and fast, but that's cos of the bike right?  

Just before dropping down at the crossroads above Argentiere I decided to turn left.  There are a few trails up there I've not ever ridden.  I've meant to get up there however the right time has eluded me.

My new Nukeproof Mega AM Pro 275 is longer than my downhill bike so the trail back down with about 20 switchbacks was perfect training.  Enduro roll's around the corner's of yet another perfect Chamonix trail that you have to search out!
Switchback training in the fall line


Pre enduro roll around the corner
Switchbacking by the neve (hard-snow)

Grand Montets closed for skiing on Sunday and rather surprisingly (i.e: efficiently) for Compagnie du Mont Blanc, they've already got the builders in to start work building the new Gondola.
All the old chairs lined up in the GM carpark, which way up?
After a weekend away ski touring it was a bit of a struggle up to Merlet this afternoon.  I utilised that big 42tooth on the back. Wow, the descent was amazing, but that was the bike right?  Well yes and no.  The Merlet descent into Chamonix is a real classic featuring fast rooty and rock sections, some switchbacks and loamy straights.  Though the bigger 27.5" wheels did skip over the rocks and roots much better than my DH bike does.  Not once did I feel it stalled due to my bad line choices.  The Mega is just a bit longer than I'm used too so my corning is a bit slow.  A good time to overtake me on the inside!
Cham trail ribbon
Cham tech

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What guides do between work in the peak of July

Summer is here, and after fantastic spring riding in Southern France and then all over Valais, Aosta and Haute Savoie with good friends it's been time to get back to summer guiding, taking hikers around the Tour du Mont Blanc circuit.  There's much worse things to do, but with three weeks off the bike I was itching to get back on some trails. With a carefully planned week between tours I was excited and made some plans to hit up some classic lines, and some new stuff too. It's mid July now, so in Chamonix valley you have to think carefully about where to go to miss the crowds, and to avoid going on the bike ban trails (July & August).  Luckily it's still easy to find quiet trails in nearby resorts, or to simply drop round the back of a hill away from the frontside lifts. It went a little like this: Day 1- La Thuile with Wayne of newly qualified French legal mountain bike guiding service  Chamonixmtb.com  . Enduro race venue at it's best, rough and raw.

Provence Posing

Early spring road trip with Team NL The Dutchies had work to finish before they'd start the mammoth 14 hour drive from under the sea to herb filled mountainsides.  Work for us guys in the Alps is more seasonal & temporary, as it is for some Easyjet pilots which meant that the native English speakers left for 'The South' a day earlier. Digne les Bains was the rendezvous location for Saturday night but this meant going so close to Gap and Lac Serre Poncon. The lure of a trail in the Haute Alpes ( the northern most department in the Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur Region ) was too much. 3 of us wild camped lake side with giddy excitement for what lay ahead. Rob & Ben knew each other from ski touring & paragliding, but had never ridden together, nor had Ben ever met team NL.  Rob and I briefed him on the impending fun. In the morning, a classic was called upon to give Ben his first taste of Southern singletrack. Mont Colombus, and a few hours later aft

Servoz storm destruction

Deep in Servoz below the Fiz 75% of trail is ok. But where it is washed away is really bad. Click here for photos What rode was as good as ever for this begining/end of season trail 1hour & half pedal from Serviz village.