This trail is just amazing. We started out at about 1600m which gave us some 600m of climbing on 4×4 track before we got to the lake at the col du Lauzet, then another 100m of more technical climbing including some carrying to get up to the 2352m col de Moussiere.
Bowing to public pressure we have started to name the trails that we ride rather than trying to describe them using the names of the cols or valleys that they pass through.
This is an awesome freeride descent down some great trails. The initial climb is a bit tough as it starts at 2600m and goes up to nearly 2900m and is fairly steep, possibly all rideable in the dry but it was a bit damp and slippery during our ascent. Read the rest of this entry »
Another great ride. We used a shuttle to cut down a bit on the climbing making this more of a freeride descent. Though there was still 800m of climbing by the end of the ride. Initially the track heads up some forestry roads out of Ponteil up towards the Cabane de Tramouillon at 1963m where it is possible to park a few cars. Directly to the west is the impressive overhanging cliff of Le Peyron and to the north west, in the direction we are heading are the amazing burnt orange cliffs on the Crete de Gaulent, and a steep hill. Read the rest of this entry »
The lifts opened at Vars yesterday so I headed up to see what they had on offer. There is just the one downhill track that is closed to pedestrians. All the rest of the trails are more freeride and are open to walkers, though I didn’t see many. Read the rest of this entry »
This ride goes through some amazing scenery right in the heart of the Queyras with stunning views. The ride starts out, like so many around here, with a bit of a climb, 800m up to the Sommet Bucher at 2254m. The Bucher sits right in the centre of the Queyras and from it you can see the full extent of the park in all directions. To the east is the valley leading up to the Col Agnel, the highest international pass in the Alps, and behind the col Monte Viso can be seen still with snow on its jagged peaks. Further south is St-Veran the highest habitation in Europe. To the north you can see the col d’Izoard a favourite pass for the Tour de France. Read the rest of this entry »
This is a great easy ride out of the ski resort of Risoul at 1850m. The path is all 4×4 and not at all technical as there is only just over 300m of climbing in the whole 9k ride. After an initial climb out of the ski resort up to around 2000m the track then levels out and contours around the hillside through the Foret de Risoul. Read the rest of this entry »
The Escreins valley is a dramatic remote valley and a paradise of flora and fauna just to the south east of Guillestre. In fact the Rif Bel, the torrent that flows past our house, starts up at the head of the Escreins valley. To get into the valley you either have to walk up the footpath from Guillestre or you can take the small road cut into the cliffs on the south side of the valley, airy to say the least. In 1964 it was turned into the reserve naturelle du Val d’Escreins and then later in 1977 the park boundaries of the Queyras national park were redrawn to include it.
This trail starts out with a long hard climb from Arvieux at 1500m to Col de Furfande at 2500m. It is pretty constant gradient and was a fairly arduous 2h30 slog. The forestry trail that we climbed up is open to Vehicles though up to 2155m so you could cut quite a bit off the climb. Read the rest of this entry »
I had already read about this ride so when Stew mentioned that he was heading up to ride it I jumped at the opportunity to tag along. There were two other local bikers, both called Pete, as well as an Irish kayaker called Barry in the team. Read the rest of this entry »
This circuit was real adventure mountain biking, if you don’t like having to carry your bike then this is not the circuit for you. It starts here at the Chateau and heads up into the Val d’Escreins up past the marble quarry. The initial climb is on 4×4 track and then it changes to singletrack and there is a section that is about 2k long where the height gain is about 300m which is just about too steep to ride (as a general guide I find that 100m per klick is the limit of ride-ability) and we ended up carrying our bikes up a lot of this section. Read the rest of this entry »
This ride has one of the best, if not the best, singletrack descents that I have ever ridden. Starting near St Crepin the first section of climb on road can be avoided by running a two car shuffle.
On arriving at the small hamlet of Moussiere at 1850m we were already in need of some refreshment. Read the rest of this entry »
The ski station of Risoul sits at 1850m on the hillside above Guillestre. It is a great resort to ski in in the winter and they run a few lifts for mountain biking in the summer. Out of season though the 1000m descent from the station to the valley floor is a great ride if you can blag an uplift. Read the rest of this entry »
This little circuit can be done in about an hour so is ideal for an evening blast or it can be linked up with a couple of other rides like the Circuit de Barbein. It has a fairly easy steady climb on 4×4 through a little hamlet and up onto the sides of the Durance valley before dropping down some fantastic singletrack back to the valley floor. Read the rest of this entry »
This circuit starts off down at the hot springs at Plan de Phazy and initially there is a couple of klicks on tarmac before hitting the 4×4 track. This takes you up past La Traverse and Languieu where there are a lot of nice houses dotted around before hitting one of the steepest sections of 4×4 climbing that I have ever done before levelling out at les Quatre Chemins. Read the rest of this entry »
This ride is a full day circuit starting out from the picturesque Chateau Queyras. There is 1900m of climbing on this 35k circuit, and a rewarding 1900m of descending too. It climbs initially up through the Bois du Peyron towards the Sommet Bucher before dropping back down to Molines-en-Quyeras where it crosses the road leading up to Col Agnel. From here it traverses round through the Foret de Fonteloube and then hits a fantastic singletrack descent down switchbacks into Aiguilles, the largest settlement in the Quyeras. This is a perfect spot for a lunch break in the quaint town centre. Read the rest of this entry »
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