Post by Mary on September 30, 2019
Jamie has just completed our last trip of the season; an Alpine Singletrack long weekend on quiet trails beneath sunny skies. He rounded off the weekend with one of our favourite local rides up and over the Col D’Anterne. Big climb, big views of the Mont Blanc Massif and an even bigger 1600m descent! It was the perfect end to another incredible Ride the Alps season of mountain biking.
Apart from some issues with winter snow hanging around the cols back in June for our two early season Tour du Mont Blanc trips, weather and conditions have been amazing again this year. Jamie can just about count on one hand the number of times he has got wet out on the trails between May and September. The TMB was yet again our most popular trip with multiple guided and self-guided departures.
There has been some great energy on our trips this year. Thanks so much to all of you who rode with us in 2019 and made it another fantastic Ride the Alps season of mountain biking. Our North American and Canadian Chamonix to Zermatt groups brought bags of enthusiasm to the trails. It was especially nice to have a trip with an equal split of women and men, which is sadly a rarity these days. Our four American couples on our September Chamonix to Zermatt trip were a pleasure to host and guide with their boundless enthusiasm and positive vibes. You can read their wonderful feedback in our Guestbook.
As always our local Alpine Singletrack trips have been a great success this year. The AST is our most flexible of trips in terms of duration, accommodation options, skill level required and time of year you can ride it. The AST is available from early May right through to mid-October. We live in a pretty awesome mountain biking destination!
Self-guide continues to grow in popularity. This year we had our first self-guided Alpine Singletrack and Eiger Tour trips, which went really well. We are definitely looking to run more self-guided trips in 2020. If you are a comfortable navigator with good mountain sense then these trips could be a good option for you.
Jamie was happy to be out guiding our Eiger Tour again this year after a year off in 2018. It’s still probably my favourite trip in our Ride the Alps repertoire. There are some awesome flowing trails and the views are breathtakingly beautiful.
We didn’t have any Monte Rosa departures this year after 2 fantastic trips in 2018. It is a tough trip but it’s an incredible adventure for experienced mountain bikers. Jamie is super-keen to ride the route again in 2020 so please do get in touch if you’re keen.
Our main season for guided trips is now over but Jamie and I are prepped for some awesome October mountain biking. It is a brilliant month for mountain biking in the Alps. It really is. I know that the Alps is not a popular destination during the autumn months but when you live here all year round you begin to see why it is the locals favourite time of year.The weather is more often than not warm and dry. The trails are super quiet. All traces of winter snow are gone from the high passes. All high season “no biking” restrictions on trails are lifted. It’s mountain biking heaven, pure and simple!
This October Jamie and I have some riding planned together in Cogne in the Italian Aosta valley. Jamie will be embarking on a recce for our new Chamonix to Briancon trip. Keep checking the blog for news of this exciting new point-to-point route! We may also have a fifth Father and Son combo of the year coming out for some guided Alpine Singletrack riding in and around our local area. Finally, I have managed to convince someone to come and ride during this beautiful month! But on that note, calling all Mother and Daughter mountain biking duos, we’d love to see you out here riding with us too.
Happy October mountain biking everyone!
