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This itinerary is only given as a guide and will be followed as closely as possible. Your guide will assess weather conditions and possibly alter the route to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable trip.
Day 0.
Late evening or mid afternoon flight to Geneva international airport. Transfer direct to chalet Moccand for a relaxing evening meal. Your guide will meet you in the evening or if you have a late arrival at breakfast the following day to discuss the next few days of riding. We make use of the Ride the Alps van to give you the best riding this weekend. O.N Chalet Moccand, dinner in the chalet.
Day 1.
We start the day with a very welcome uplift in the van to the top of Joux de Plane, high above the village of Samoens at 1700m. From here a fantastic single track trail snakes its way down a cool 1,000m to the very bottom of the Giffre valley far below. We make the most of a seemingly never ending descent of narrow trails, switch back turns and roller-coaster singletrack. We will probably lengthen out this descent a little by doing a couple of short climbs on tarmac to find yet more fun sections of singletrack. After lunch in the picturesque old square in Samoens we get back in the van for a road climb on the other side of the valley. A further steep off-road climb, using leg power this time, brings us to the top of one of our favourite descents in this area - a swooping, curving, testing descent which seems to go down and down for ever. Ducking through trees and leaping over roots we cross several other tracks and still head down, with grins wider than the helmets on our heads we finally pop out next to the Giffre river on very edge of Samoens. Depending on energy levels we can climb 400m up the road for another fantastic singletrack descent. O.N chalet Moccand and dinner out in Samoens.
Day 2.
Today we head off down the valley in the van to a new area. In fact, it’s the area we ride in from our front door. La Vallee du Risse and our local peak, known as “Le Mole”, provide some superb little known singletrack xc riding. We will get a van uplift to the pretty village of Onnion in La Vallee du Risse. From here we climb steadily on road and dirt track to the top of Plaine Joux - a high alpine plateau at 1,200m. After following a varied trail across the plateau with smooth flowing trails and rocky and rooty singletrack, we then drop off the plateau and chose one of several options for descending on singletrack back to Onnion. We’ve named our favourites which include “Wild Thyme” and “Cut-through Classic”. The terrain alternates between, loose rocks, roots and smooth flowing singletrack. After lunch in Onnion we continue on a real xc route through pretty alpine hamlets, which brings us to the top of a fast-flowing wooded singtrack descent all the way down to the village of St Jeoire, at 580m. Deepending on time and energy levels there’s the options of a climb on a mixture of singletrack, road and doubletrack to the top of another of our favourite descents on Le Mole. “Caravan” is a classic finish to a day of great riding in this area. Swooping down on pitch-perfect singletrack with a few tight switchbacks and tricky rooty sections, we pop out again in the village of St Jeoire. After some liquid refreshment, the van will be waiting to transfer us back to Samoens. O.N chalet Moccand and dinner out in Samoens.
Day 3.
We ride out from the chalet alongside the beautiful river Giffre this morning, to the pretty village of Sixt-fer-a-Cheval. The rooty riverside trail is a great warm up and there’s one steep gravely climb just before Sixt that’s a real test! From here we will climb up on tarmac high above the valley floor to find an excellent singtrack descent through the trees, which brings us out at the foot of one of the most stunning waterfalls in the area. Spring is the best time of year to view the Cascade de Rouget and we will see it in full flow. On our way back down to Sixt we will probably spend a bit of time playing in the locals’ jump park, taking on the gap jumps and mini-tabletops or just admiring those who dare! Then it will be time to make our way back, have some lunch, pack up the bikes and head to the airport for your return.
