My new favourite place- Part 1

Discovery

After a 9 days of riding in a row I was still up for more. Tired legs, an increased appetite, and still with a hunger for more descending.

However Chamonix weather wasn't playing ball. I had no work, it's quiet time at the moment, but I also had nobody available to join me for adventure's. Solo it was to be. I sat in my apartment and looked where I could go to find good weather. First option, Finale. Stormy down on the coast. Inland around Switzerland, also stormy. The closest weather window appeared to be just below Grenoble, and westwards.

Heading around Grenoble the skies where still grey, the wind was still blowing, but the temperature was creeping up. I turned off the motorway, and headed left (west).

I'd planned to spend the next couple of days around Die and Crest in the southern Vercors pre-alpine Massif. As I lost mobile phone signal and the central line markings on the road you could feel the change from the Haute Savoie to the Mediterranean. Clay roofs replaced wooden.

I arrived at the Col de la Croix (745m) with the Bec Pointu (1342m) insight as my mission for the afternoon. Being in the middle of nowhere, there was parking space for maybe 3 cars at the col, luckily I was the only one. The wind was still blowing when I reached the summit after hike-a-biking the majority of the trail. Ready for a fun loose gravely descent!

Just down the road from the col I'd seen a quiet little track I could sneak down with my car to set up a camp spot. It was chilly, and I was as far out the ever blowing wind as possible. I climbed into my sleeping bag...

Comments

Aiguille de la Grande Sassiere 3751m

One of those pure adventure days *warning mega photo post* Ali-venturing as it's been known by over the summer. When Ali from trailAddiction gets grand idea's in his head it always leads to hike-a-bike. Read here on DIRT Mag about a previous mission, its the highest rideable peak in the alps! A special team was organised: A top ten finishing team from the Bivouac Enduro, Mael and Max, Ali, myself and Fred the mountain bike mechanic from Mavic. All keen, all stupid? And then my alarm went off at 04:30. Time to eat and drink as much as possible. I hadn't been up this early since ski touring in refuges last winter. In my tired state I did subconsciously know how to load the bikes onto the trailer, it's easy after doing it everyday all summer. We drove up towards Val d'Isere, then turned left up a singletrack road. It was around 6am, and it was still pitch black. Slowly the sun began to rise: Tignes...

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. ...

Alta Via dei Monti Liguri

Summit to Sea grande finale for the Provence Posers "The Alta Via dei Monti Liguri is a long-distance waymarked hiking trail in the Italian region of Liguria. In about 440 kilometres and 44 day hikes, it runs through the arc formed by Ligurian Alps and Ligurian Apennines from Ventimiglia to Ceparana" How does high mountain rocky singletrack cut out of the the hillside during World War II which descends into beautiful deciduous forests and ends with dry dusty fast trails above a seaside town sound? The final stage of Alta Via, 45km, 3000 metres of descent, 9 hours & 10 foccaccia's & close to 30 scoops of Gelato. Many thanks to Martial again for joining us and showing us the way. http://www.alpsmountainbike.com/index.html for booking a trip to do the whole thing in one holiday.

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