Avoriaz Activity Review: 14th September 2011

We set off up the gondola lift to Plan Praz at 1999m followed by the cable car to Le Brévent at 2525m to gain the initial height. From there we would descend to the Col du Brévent then pick up the GR5 route to Pont d'Arleve for an initial descent of around 1000m.

To begin the going was a little tough with some short bolted climbs to descend and a little hiker biking here and there to reach the Col du Brévent, all a little awkward with a bike in one hand! Things began to progressively open up from the col as we descended to the Pont d'Arleve.

Initially we were surrounded by moonscape rock with nothing but patches of lichens growing. The jumble of outsize rock is traversed by the GR5 path, lots of technical riding to be had with high consequences should we have fallen. We rained in the enthusiasm a touch and ensured we stayed tyres and not heads or bodies on trail!

After innumerable steep rock strewn switchbacks which fully tested the trials riding skills the trail began to traverse the mountain and its contours rather than drop straight through them. As the gradient slackened a little the plant life began to get a hold all around us.

It was now time to regain some height climbing up from the Pont d'Arleve to the Refuge de Moede Anterne 400m above us. The climb is tough although mostly rideable for the super fit enthusiastic pedal pusher. We alternated between pedaling and pushing, it was a super hot day after all and we all knew that we had an even bigger climb to go at the end of the day, more of that later.

The refuge was a welcome interlude in the climbing; having gained those 400m we knew we needed to reach the Col d'Anterne another 300m above us. It was time to power up the engine with big omelets stuffed with cheese and sautéed potatoes. The refuge is in a perfect place to look back and pick out the track we had ridden down and to admire the views of Mont Blanc and the Aiguilles, stunning.

We reached the col d'Anterne after climbing the last 300m on foot with bikes on shoulders, it's really not rideable but the hike is not as bad as it sounds. Again the views are stunning, you can see Brevent and onwards to Samoens and the peaks above Morzine, d'Angolon, Nyon etc. The massive Rochers du Fiz, grey imposing cliffs climbing vertically 1km up in the air above the Lac d'Anterne are the most impressive of the sights, see the map for location. The base of the cliffs are strewn with house size boulders which must make for an amazing sight and sound if you are there to see them fall.

We headed on past the azure lake taking the turn off the GR5 towards le Petit Col as opposed to heading towards the Alfred Wills refuge. The decent from the former is much more mountain bike friendly and the route is generally devoid of walkers who opt for the latter. After 1000 meters of A1 mountain bike descent we were heading into Samoens for our last refueling stop. The decent had all the great mountain bike ingredients, single track, roots, rocks, drops offs and on occasion, when we stopped to let the hands rest, more stunning mountain views to Mt Buet and the surrounds.

Samoens is familiar territory; we stopped for a good rest and a well earned feed and water in the picturesque town square before starting the last leg of the journey - more climbing. The ride to the top of the Col de la Golese is another 1000m of grueling ascent. Half tarmac, half gravel track taking around 2 hours - the heat and effort would take us to interesting mental places as one of our group put it.

Very much worth the effort though, it really caps off an adventure day and it's a real buzz to be descending down the Vallee de la Manche into Morzine as the light fades. It was an epic 9 hour ride with around 2000m gain and loss in height all under our own steam.

PS Thanks to Sian Hughes of Endless Ride and latterly Flow MTB fame for the snaps.

Bonne Route!