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Done with Morzine and the weather is a little moody the next few days so we're moving on.
Planning on visiting La Thuile again, but since we're already on the French side I thought I'd ask what the above parks are like?
Digger built bermfest as in Morzine or more natural style trails?
Lift prices for the above mentioned parks seem much cheaper than Morzine, too.
My memory of Les Arcs trails was more rocky, rooty and natural trails rather than a berm fest. But black 8 back down to Bourg was quite bike parky from memory. From what I’ve heard (though not ridden), La Plagne is definitely more traditional bike park. As is Tignes.
@stevomcd to the forum is the best bet, got a couple of mates out with him this week and really hope to get out for another week myself next year.
There is some amazing natural riding round Les Arcs. However I was following people who had local knowledge and it was a few years back, so there's no chance I could tell you where they are 🙁
Jus got back. Be very careful around Meribel. The Olympic gondola only runs on Sundays in the summer and the bus from brides Le bains only takes bike Friday to Monday making some of the best trails a weekend only option. Also any blue enduro trail is a fire road all the way down, soul destroying. Les Arcs was running well especially the runs through the trees back to the valley floor
Les Arcs has some great natural riding, but most of it is non-obvious. There's a decent network of official blue bike-park type trails to get around the place, but in and of themselves they're not all that great and in need of some TLC. The "official" reds and blacks are basically just rough. The exception to that is Black 8 from 1600->BSM, which has obviously had some attention from riders, and as such, whilst lumpy, actually has flow.
Trailforks is good for some of the natural stuff.
Les Arcs and La Plagne both great for "natural" trails. I've not ridden the bike park in La Plagne, but it's supposed to be excellent. The black and red trails in Les Arc bike park are great fun. Black 8 at full send is fantastic.
Meribel has excellent natural riding too - Meribel ridge is one of the world's great descents IMO. Again I've not ridden the bike park.
In all places ask a local for some directions.
Les Arcs is much more natural feeling than Les Gets, as said above there's loads of unofficial trails on Trailforks as well as the marked trails. I believe the Funi is open this year as well which helps as the replacement bus was a pain at times.
We've never been able to put a decent ride together at La Plagne. Most of the separate areas aren't linked by lifts (or they weren't anyway) which is probably why it's now marketed as an ebike resort as there's lots of pedalling needed to get around. We also found that just because trails were on the resort map (that you needed to buy) didn't mean they actually existed on the ground...
No idea on Meribel but as I'm planning on going next year I'm also interested to get feedback from others
The funicular is definitely working again. We were using it a week ago
My favourite ride at La Plagne was Mont Jovet down to Bozel. Requires someone to meet you and take you back to Bourg though.
Can you get a pass for the funicular @chrismac do you know?
There next week and anticipate using it a lot.
IMO, by far the best way to find and get around these resorts is with The White Room run by @stevomcd
The funicular is included on the Les Arcs lift pass, daily or weekly.
There's a bike route from Bozel to Brides Les Bains, then you go down the road to Moutiers station and get a train back to Bourg.
or Bikevillage
BV have done rides from Mont Jovet all the way back to Bourg istr
BV have done rides from Mont Jovet all the way back to Bourg istr
That would be a hell of a day out if they have...
Can you get a pass for the funicular @chrismac do you know?
There next week and anticipate using it a lot.
Yes it’s part of the lift pass. Runs every 30 mins on the hour and half past roughly
Les Arcs bike park has a couple of good blues, the legendary black 8 and a couple of decent reds. Most of the waymarked enduro stuff is pretty meh. Chablatte is good in a hand-cut rootfest kind of way. The natural riding is rad, although generally on the steeper/techier end of things.
La Plagne has a small but really well-made bikepark which is loads of fun. The marked stuff outside the little bike park is pretty patchy. Again, superb natural (unmarked) riding, arguably better (certainly flowier) than Les Arcs with loads of options for near-2000m descents straight from the lifts to the valley. You definitely don’t have to pay for a trail map! (It’s on the website even!) It’s very possible to link all the areas with no or minimal pedalling, but local knowledge is key. The lift links are better than ever this year.
Riding from Jovet back to Bourg isn’t really a thing, although many ride to Moutiers and take the train. We generally get a van to pick us up ‘cos it seems a bit antisocial to take a big group on a train with 3 bike slots! I did pedal back myself the other day just for fitness. It’s 40km just by road (on an enduro bike!).
I did pedal back myself the other day just for fitness. It’s 40km just by road (on an enduro bike!).
Pat and Rab been getting at you again? 😉
Meribel has excellent natural riding too – Meribel ridge is one of the world’s great descents IMO
Second that. Loved it.
Loads of off piste stuff near Courchevel too.
Riding from Jovet back to Bourg isn’t really a thing, although many ride to Moutiers and take the train.
I remember doing that on my Foxy about 12 years ago, the same week we stopped with you.
Don't suppose it's on Trailforks now, is it?
they do some big rides, Landry over La Plagne then down to Moutiers, Cormet de Rosseland to Albertvillle, been there since 2001 so know the Tarantaise, Beaufortain
Done Les Arcs and surrounding areas lots of times, usually stay in Bourg. Tignes, Val, Meribel L Plagne etc all within easy reach. There's good stuff off the road up to Petit St Bernard as well (you can get a bus up from Bourg for a few Euros)
I've also used a company called Cool bus for uplifts, don't know if they are still going, but the guys uplifted us and we got some great descents in that we wouldn't have discovered otherwise. They also took us up to the start of the Mont Jovet ride down to moutiers.. still a shit load of climbing to MJ, but do-able, the train wasn't running but got a bus back to Bourg no problem.
Coolbus still about
"still a shit load of climbing to MJ, but do-able"
Mebbe 600m from the resort you usually get dropped off, with a 10 min hike at the top. Same as a trail center in the UK in terms of climbing I reckon? Def worth the effort, bit of a classic in the area.
You can climb it from the valley floor if you have a couple spare hours 🙂
Bigger climbs around the valley if that's your thing though haha
Fanks!
We did 4 days in Bourg then 3 in Morzine the other week.
Meribel was day 1, probably because it was a Sunday so the gondola from BLB was running. Lovely trail back down at the end but done with local knowledge.
At La Plagne we used the bus and trailer for 2 uplifts from river level in the day. You have to make a reservation but it is free. So it does take a bit of organising your day. But that got us some natural lower down trails albeit tough to navigate in places. With lots of time up in the bike park along the way. 2nd bus for us was late in the day, maybe 4.30pm, just up to do one trail descending to Landry.
So for us these two were a good mix between park and natural.
Also had 2 days in Les Arcs which for us was mostly natural albeit that also included a certain amount of local knowledge. But, I think you could follow your nose around Chablette to find a fair bit of that.
Same as a trail center in the UK in terms of climbing I reckon?
Roughly. But all in one go.