chamonix

Chamonix. A place famed for many things: Mt Blanc - Europe's highest mountain at 4,807m; awesome glaciers; steep technical terrain; the self proclaimed extreme sports capital of the world.

There's nothing like riding in the shadow of Mt. Blanc - the looming glaciers tearing giant valleys out of the mountains. However, the breathtaking views are only one side of riding in Chamonix, the other side is the huge technical challenge of the trails. There are no dedicated bike trails in Chamonix - they are all hiking trails. What this means is that they are certainly not sanitised.  The roots and rocks make for challenge enough, add the shear drops off the sides of the trails and you've got some real heart in your mouth riding.

We run two different trips in Chamonix - either a fully lift assisted freeride assult, or an epic cross country day out (but don't worry - we'll start off the day catching a lift up!). Here's a couple of examples:

Chamonix XC 

The cross country day will take us right to the end of the Chamonix Valley and beyond: we start the day in Chamonix town centre catching the train up to the head of the valley at Le Tour. From there we will ride the Telecabine up to 1700m. Then using pedal power we'll ride up the final 500m to the Col de Balme. The amazing descent will have us flirting with the Swiss border all the way down to Vallorcine at 1260m.  From there we will make our way back towards Chamonix town centre over the Col des Montets (1461m) and then along the Petit Balcon Sud back to a well deserved beer and the van journey home.

Chamonix Freeride

This one is not for the feint hearted. A day's freeriding in Chamonix takes bucket loads of skill, guts and balls. The potential height loss in just one run is a staggering 1500m. With switchbacks a plenty this one is hard on your bike, body, brakes and mind. If physical exhaustion doesn't get you, mental exhaustion will as you concentrate 110% on keeping on the not so straight and narrow. We'll ride the Brevent Telecabine in the morning and then after a spot of lunch in town, a quick tram ride up the valley will see us in the Grand Montets area for the afternoon. A breathtaking day in every sense.