Chamonix Activity Report: 13th June 2006

The plan for the afternoon was to ride a circuit from Chamonix up to Argentiere and then back again, finding a nice spot for lunch en route. There are a number of different ways you can do this depending on your fitness and how good a biker you are. Riding from Chamonix to Les Praz, you can either follow the main road all the way up through Les Tines or it is also possible to branch off into the woods of Les Bois and ride a scenic off-road trail up to Le Lavancher and join the Petit Balcon Nord. Although this is definitely one of the more forgiving mountain bike trails in the valley, if you are a beginner and just getting to grips with riding uphill over rocks and roots, it can still prove a bit tricky in places and you may prefer to get off and push some stretches until fitness levels and technique build up. As one of our group was riding a “Happy Shopper” mountain bike from the local supermarket……..we went up the tarmac!

Although riding up the road is easier than the trails, the climb from Les Tines to Les Iles is not terribly pleasant with traffic and road works currently littering the route. The tunnel just below Les Lanchers is particularly unpleasant to ride through (and unlit); although traffic is restricted to one lane allowing bikers plenty space to ride up the second, we were all grateful to break back out into the sunshine at the other end. That said everyone made it to the Grand Montets car park in just over an hour, still in good spirits and with a minimal use of expletives en route!

The hard slog over; the return journey was far more pleasant with the most pressing priority being securing a suitable spot for lunch along the river. With confidence riding high after the climb (it seems it is true that you never forget how to ride a bike!) we continued briefly along the main road and crossed the bridge at Les Chosalets and returned via the River Trail on the south side of the Arve. This trail offers great off-road terrain for the beginner mountain biker with the more technical Petit Balcon Sud also departing from this point. After finding a beautiful picnic spot we sprawled in the sunshine for a while before beginning the descent back to Chamonix.

I'm sure many of you will sympathise with us at this point; after eagerly leaping back onto the bikes after lunch; the cruel realisation that it had indeed been over 6 months since we had last spent any time in the saddle hit home……hard! Youch! How hard is my saddle? My poor behind was not happy at all to be re-united with its torturer. That said, the descent offers the most breathtaking views of Mont Blanc and the Midi and just enough roots and rocks to make you concentrate that my tender derriere was soon forgotten (at least until we sat down at Grand Central for a well earned iced coffee and piece of cake!). Even the “Happy Shopper” managed the descent relatively unscathed so you certainly don't need a full suspension gnarly dude's bike to ride this trail, but it's a good one to practice on if your confidence needs bolstering before heading to the higher more technical trails.

All too soon though, the River Trail drops down to Les Tines and the flat river promenade that brings you out by the Chamonix golf course in Les Praz and the Flegere cable car. From here you can either take the road back to Chamonix or pick up a trail by the Regina hotel that will take you through woodland along the river. It was a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon (and I did say that we we're out for a leisurely saunter) but you can in fact do this route in about an hour and a half so it's a great one to do if you have a couple of hours spare to in the evening when it's cooler.

As of yesterday, access to the higher trails was made easier with the opening of the Brevent gondola and Bellevue lift in Les Houches. Both areas (especially Les Houches) offer some great biking for the more experienced rider. Check out our feature on mountain biking in Chamonix for more information.