Has anyone else noticed the incredible sunsets we've been having up here recently? The weather's been ace most days, which is wonderful, but come 8- or 9-pm, the Mont Blanc Massif Lightshow starts up. Tonight's sunset was incredible; blue sky over the golden brown Aiguilles, dark grey over the snowy peak and ice cliffs of Mont Blanc, white clouds over Brevent. Yesterday, by some atmospheric miracle, there was a thick white line tracing the contours of the mountain range, which contrasted beautifully against the gunmetal grey sky. The number of tourists lining the street taking photos make Rue Docteur Paccard feel like Manhattan Island.
Went for an awesome bike ride today - in fact more like an all-day bike ride session in the end! From the top we did a little exploratory enduro-style riding to link up a trail above the Vormaine called Knife Edge. True to its name, the trail winds its way down a sketchy ridgeline before looping back to midstation. It was a great ride, with plenty of uphill (unusually for me), that felt great under the rigid rear of my hardtail bike. A hardtail - more specifically a strong, dirt-jump style hardtail such as a Cannondale Chase or Specialized P - should be in the quivver of every ardent biker. These bikes are heavy, and very stable downhill, and climb very capably. The front suspension is only around 100mm, so as soon as you get back on a bigger and longer-travel bike, the trails seem way easier and you're a lot faster on them.
We got some excellent shots of the trail and thankfully didn't have to push up or down to get second takes! Also, it was great to see that the CMB, who run the lifts here, have got the chairlift at Le Tour rigged with bike-carriers. It's an improvement that's been needed for a while, and is a small but key improvement to the quality of the mountain biking experience in this valley.
After working out how the trails linked up at Le Tour, we realised we had enough time for a quick blast downhill from Lognan back to Chamonix via the high village of Lavancher. I wouldn't say it's "family friendly" per se, but Lavancher is a great descent for those of intermediate biking ability...or those on hardtails! Fast but technical singletrack is the order of the day; it's pretty much the only mid-valley downhill worth doing that's permitted in the summer months.
Until next time!
