| Major
routes: We
have selected here the routes with the highest vertical drop,
providing outstanding views and, whenever possible, achievable with a
high degree of autonomy. The technical difficulty has not been the
main criteria, but has still be taken into account as it is also a
part of the fun.
Two kind of downhill
rides have been described hereunder: the linked
routes and the major ones.
Linked
routes
The challenge here is
to achieve on the same day a number of downhill rides linking
different sides of a valley or different valleys. Getting to the tops
will be done by means of the available lifts or with the assistance of
your (strong) mountain biking friends (yes, they do love it... ). But
exclusive of any car assistance provided by someone else.
1. The 3 Mont Blanc
valleys
This is by far the
best of our selections, due to the exceptional views, the overall
vertical drop as well as its steepness. It links 4 mountain sides back
and forth.
| Routes Nos |
Vertical drop (m) |
Distance (km) |
Difficulty |
Date |
| 316-317-318-319 |
3630 |
30 |
D |
11-aout-01 |
2. The 2 sides of Bourg St Maurice
Very nice route on
the 2 sides of the Isere valley. Two strong mountain bikers will be
needed to pull the 300 meters linking up to Arcs 1800.
| Routes Nos |
Vertical drop (m) |
Distance (km) |
Difficulty |
Date |
| 223 |
3370 |
48 |
D+ |
7-aout-98 |
3. The 3 valleys
of Les Arcs
Well known ski ride
in winter, it is also acievable with an ORWC. We show here a variation
of the classical route, providing a round trip from Bozel and avoiding
spending your day under ski lifts only.
| Parcours Nos |
Dénivelé (m) |
Distance (km) |
Difficulté |
Date |
| 251 |
2860 |
30 |
D |
29-jul-99 |
4. Val Thorens -
St Martin de Belleville
Starting from the
Peclet glacier, gets down to Les Ménuires, then up to Mont de la Chambre et
down again to St Martin..
| Routes Nos |
Vertical drop (m) |
Distance (km) |
Difficulty |
Date |
| 313-314 |
2650 |
27 |
D |
7-aout-01 |
5. Brévent - La
Flégère
Continuously steep
ride with breathtaking views on the Mont Blanc. A 2 to 3 miles pushing
will be necessary to link the bottom of the Brevent ride to the lift
getting to the top of La Flegere.
| Routes Nos |
Vertical drop (m) |
Distance (km) |
Difficulty |
Date |
| 311-312 |
2350 |
13 |
D+ |
6-aout-01 |
6. Les versants de
Pralognan
Enchaine la vallée
des Prioux à une (ou plusieurs) descentes du sommet du Bochor.
| Routes Nos |
Vertical drop (m) |
Distance (km) |
Difficulty |
Date |
| 306-307 |
1100 |
10 |
AD |
26-jun-01 |
Major
routes
If
you sort out all the routes by
vertical drop, you will end up with aprox 80 exceeding 1000 meters. We
selected here only the few ones that we found particularly appealing.
Some of them might be extreme (black difficulty) and
will need the assistance of a very professional team.
| Route |
No |
Vertical
drop (m) |
Difficulty |
| Grandes Platieres - Oext |
320 |
2320 |
TD |
| Jandri
- 2 Alpes - Chemin romain |
204 |
2300 |
AD |
| Croix
de Chamrousse - Vizille par l'Oeilly |
124 |
2000 |
AD |
| Grandes
Platieres - Samoens |
253 |
1810 |
TD+ |
| Moucherotte
- Fontaine |
43 |
1750 |
D |
| Col
de Charoute - Pont Pallier |
192 |
1730 |
D |
| Punta
Bagna - Modane |
201 |
1650 |
TD |
| Ventoux
- Bédouin par le jas des Landerots |
117 |
1600 |
D |
| Emosson
- Finhaut - Vernavaz |
166 |
1570 |
AD |
| Brevent
- Chamonix |
129 |
1500 |
D |
| Col
de Valbelle - St Andre d'Embrun |
191 |
1500 |
PD |
| Col
du Sabot - Allemont |
105 |
1400 |
AD |
| Flaine
- Balme |
194 |
1350 |
D+ |
| Col
du Petit St Bernard - Bourg St Maurice |
160 |
1300 |
AD |
| La
Plagne - Aime |
286 |
1300 |
AD |
| Col
de Solliere - Termignon |
227 |
1250 |
PD |
| Montagne
de Lure - Cruis |
185 |
1200 |
D |
| Fort
du Gondran - Briançon |
224 |
1200 |
PD |
| Col
du Granon - La Salle |
189 |
1120 |
D |
| Plateau
d'En Paris - La Grave |
67 |
1100 |
D+ |
| Col
du Belvedere - La Thuile |
221 |
1100 |
AD |
Last update : 02/13/2002 09:02 |
