| Me at the start of La Varda |
| Me (again - not my fault I didn't have a camera that day) just before La Varda dropped into the valley and became really hard |
| (Left) Me a bit further down La Varda with Dave in the background smashing his shock on that big rock |
We took our time looking at the scenery before setting off, to regain some energy, as there was a big
increase in the technical difficulty of the rest of the descent. The trail pushed the limits of what I could
ride with tight switchbacks, loose rocks, base jumping type exposure and pick your way down boulder
sections all served up with a huge dollop of steepness. Thankfully, between the really hard bits were a
number of sweet singletrack traverses that gave us an opportunity to get some feeling back in our fingers
and forearms. The trail finally got me on the very last technical section when, being tired, I didn’t quite
hold my line and went over the bars. No real harm done so we all got on with the last bit of the trail, on
some great woodland singletrack, to the bar at the bottom and some well earned beers.
Day four was the rest day, and I actually did. My last two days were to be taken up with the Backcountry
and Heidi and I wanted to make sure I had the energy for them. There was none of the home cooked food
in the evening as our hosts had the day off as well, but breakfast and our packed lunch had been left out.
The evening had been sorted out for us, by Ash and Ali from TrailAddiction, so we took advantage of the
organised mini bus for a BBQ at the Mont Blanc Bar where we all ate and drank too much, a great night.
increase in the technical difficulty of the rest of the descent. The trail pushed the limits of what I could
ride with tight switchbacks, loose rocks, base jumping type exposure and pick your way down boulder
sections all served up with a huge dollop of steepness. Thankfully, between the really hard bits were a
number of sweet singletrack traverses that gave us an opportunity to get some feeling back in our fingers
and forearms. The trail finally got me on the very last technical section when, being tired, I didn’t quite
hold my line and went over the bars. No real harm done so we all got on with the last bit of the trail, on
some great woodland singletrack, to the bar at the bottom and some well earned beers.
Day four was the rest day, and I actually did. My last two days were to be taken up with the Backcountry
and Heidi and I wanted to make sure I had the energy for them. There was none of the home cooked food
in the evening as our hosts had the day off as well, but breakfast and our packed lunch had been left out.
The evening had been sorted out for us, by Ash and Ali from TrailAddiction, so we took advantage of the
organised mini bus for a BBQ at the Mont Blanc Bar where we all ate and drank too much, a great night.
Thursday saw me in a group of 16 on the second
Backcountry day. From The Goat Shed we dropped
down GR5 into Landry to load everything up into the
trailers and jump in the vans. For this day we were
looking at clocking up around 5000 meters of
descending. The descents were fantastic and
started by traversing steep slopes, dropping
through a lot of switchbacks, which then opened
out as our height decreased for faster rockier
trails. Well that’s how it was for the first two trails
until I highsided just over halfway down the second
run. I had to make it down the rest of the run on a
left wrist that couldn’t take any weight and call it a
day at the bottom. At least at the top of the next run
I managed to take a cable car back to the chalet
instead of sitting in the van for the rest of the day. I
wasn’t alone either as Andy from the Bristol MTB
Club had face planted on the first run of the day and
had decided not to carry on either. It took 30
minutes too get back to The Goat Shed and I’m glad
| Backcountry day, getting ready to ride to the bottom of that valley |
| Dave and Paul on one of the High singletrack traverses |
| Dave and Paul negotiate one of many tight switchbacks on the top section of a descent |
| Andy on a steep tight switchback |
| Ash, our guide for the day, showing us how it's done |
it didn’t take any longer. The minute I stepped through the door a thunderstorm that had been brewing let
loose in a big way. Everyone else turned up covered in mud a couple of hours later, not caring about
being wet as they‘d got in a couple more great descents.
On my last day my wrist was no better so I supervised Sabine while she packed the bikes. Oh well, at least
we wouldn’t have to rush to pack that the evening. Dave, Libby and Paul returned after a long day on HEIDI
and played down how excellent it was, to spare my feelings. I did seem like I had missed out on the best
day of the holiday though. I was pretty gutted about that. I'll just have to make sure I get it done next year.
The refund for not going on the HEIDI trip did pay for my beer tab though, so there was a silver lining.
loose in a big way. Everyone else turned up covered in mud a couple of hours later, not caring about
being wet as they‘d got in a couple more great descents.
On my last day my wrist was no better so I supervised Sabine while she packed the bikes. Oh well, at least
we wouldn’t have to rush to pack that the evening. Dave, Libby and Paul returned after a long day on HEIDI
and played down how excellent it was, to spare my feelings. I did seem like I had missed out on the best
day of the holiday though. I was pretty gutted about that. I'll just have to make sure I get it done next year.
The refund for not going on the HEIDI trip did pay for my beer tab though, so there was a silver lining.
| John a bit further down the singletrack with a stunning view to try and ignore |
| Libby riding alpine meadow singletrack, HEIDI |
| Pete enjoying the great trails on the HEIDI trip |
On the whole it was a fantastic holiday and one I am already planning to repeat next year. To get the best
out of the area you would need a minimum of three weeks, two weeks to ride everything and another week
to re-ride all the best bits. The trails we rode were top quality and had huge variety, from sweet
singletrack through woodland and pastures to steep, switchbacky rock fests and a man made downhill
track, with everything in between. The lads at TrailAddiction went out of their way to make sure we had a
great holiday and the trail guides made us feel like we were riding with friends. Sophie, Gordon and Anna
made us feel very welcome at The Goat Shed and, as well as organising breakfast and lunch everyday,
made sure we had a great tasting home made three course meal and full wine glasses every night but
Wednesday. I also know most of the girls really appreciated Anna's sports massage skills. The last bit that
really made the holiday was the people we shared it with, thanks for making it such a great week.
out of the area you would need a minimum of three weeks, two weeks to ride everything and another week
to re-ride all the best bits. The trails we rode were top quality and had huge variety, from sweet
singletrack through woodland and pastures to steep, switchbacky rock fests and a man made downhill
track, with everything in between. The lads at TrailAddiction went out of their way to make sure we had a
great holiday and the trail guides made us feel like we were riding with friends. Sophie, Gordon and Anna
made us feel very welcome at The Goat Shed and, as well as organising breakfast and lunch everyday,
made sure we had a great tasting home made three course meal and full wine glasses every night but
Wednesday. I also know most of the girls really appreciated Anna's sports massage skills. The last bit that
really made the holiday was the people we shared it with, thanks for making it such a great week.
| Dave, Paul and John taking in some of the fantasic scenery on HEIDI |
John (left) and Dave with baguette
riding the rocky delights of HEIDI
riding the rocky delights of HEIDI
Here are a few things I learnt on this trip. After the first day I was riding pretty close to my limits most of
the time which, combined with the amount of descending and the nature of the tails, meant I had a few
offs. I know my limits and will sometimes push them so I should expect to fall once in a while. I need to
learn how to jump with more skill and confidence. And the highside? It was very dusty and that morning I
had considered replacing my well worn rear tyre – should have done it. Because of the high wear rate I
will put a new set of tyres on the bike for the next trip, definitely downhill tyres and tubes so I can run
much lower pressures for better grip. If not a bleed kit I will at least take a length of hose to help bleed my
brakes and some spares for my brake levers, the French Alps are not known for stocking Hope stuff. A
full-sus is a great idea, Sabine was the only one with a HT and although she could ride most things it was
really hard work and slower than a full-sus. With no rest, even on the fire tracks as they were still quite
rocky, Sabine ended each day feeling really beaten up. With the constant descending our hands became
quite sore. Some of the guides got over this by wearing fingerless gloves over their full fingers. Sabine
tried this out and it worked really well. Finally, I will now always get a badly sprained wrist checked out
straight away. A belated trip to A&E two weeks later had me in a cast and informed that my wrist was
fractured in four places, oops.
the time which, combined with the amount of descending and the nature of the tails, meant I had a few
offs. I know my limits and will sometimes push them so I should expect to fall once in a while. I need to
learn how to jump with more skill and confidence. And the highside? It was very dusty and that morning I
had considered replacing my well worn rear tyre – should have done it. Because of the high wear rate I
will put a new set of tyres on the bike for the next trip, definitely downhill tyres and tubes so I can run
much lower pressures for better grip. If not a bleed kit I will at least take a length of hose to help bleed my
brakes and some spares for my brake levers, the French Alps are not known for stocking Hope stuff. A
full-sus is a great idea, Sabine was the only one with a HT and although she could ride most things it was
really hard work and slower than a full-sus. With no rest, even on the fire tracks as they were still quite
rocky, Sabine ended each day feeling really beaten up. With the constant descending our hands became
quite sore. Some of the guides got over this by wearing fingerless gloves over their full fingers. Sabine
tried this out and it worked really well. Finally, I will now always get a badly sprained wrist checked out
straight away. A belated trip to A&E two weeks later had me in a cast and informed that my wrist was
fractured in four places, oops.
| The view from the above Arc2000 |
| Thanks to Martin, Dave and who ever else supplied the odd photo used in these pages |
