The ultimate lift, Spring 2015

I have talked before about the beauty and technicality of the area surrounding the Telepherique du Brevent. It’s somewhere not many mountain bikers venture, like the North face steep skiing lines off the Aiguille du Midi lift, it’s for the high calibre adventurist only.

So off four of us set!

The previous day we’d blasted around the best of le Tour/Switzerland/le Buet area in a mad frenzy trying to tick off the best on offer. We didn’t ride everything, but we sure had fun, and could have gone back there for Sunday, but no, instead we headed high above Chamonix Town in search of tech rock rides, hike-a-bike and a huge descent into Servoz. Overall we did 1900 metres of descending. Along the way we bumped into a Scottish hooligan, and linked into our classic Flatiere trails for high speed shredding and mate chasing shenangians.

At the end of the afternoon we drank beer’s and ate French snacks before heading back from Servoz on the train ready for the big Fete de la Musique party in Cham town. A huge day out with a great crew, a huge evening out partying. This equals a perfect Chamonix style days!

This is what happens when the pro photog' rides and the guide takes a close-up photo= bike in the background

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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.

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