Chamonix
One Run

Honestly, Chamonix isn’t famous for its biking, and with plenty of super well-groomed bike parks like Les Gets or Pila just down the road, I sort of get why. The Chamonix valley is steep, unapologetically technical and primarily offers natural riding on its extensive hiking trail network which seems to have unlimited opportunities. For the adventurous rider who enjoys exposed terrain surrounded by alpine giants however, it’s pretty bloody exciting.

There are moments of magic in so many spots around here where the scale of the scnery is breathtaking and the terrain, well let’s call it engaging. You’re totally and 100% focused, picking lines through rock gardens that should barely be ridable but on the whole, it takes some work to get to these spots. Chasing those moments, you’re settling into a long hike-a-bike or putting some big days on the bike just to get there. It got me thinking, imagine if you could connect the dream natural line from the rocky ridge summits over 3000m right back down to town in one flowy but technical natural descent! So we decided to make that dream a reality, on film at least…

I spent some time putting together a list of some of my favourite riding spots from all over the valley and we set about working out how we could stitch them together. For sure, this was yet another excuse to explore this amazing valley I call home but also a creative challenge to keep the flow from rocky ridges, crossing icy glaciers and into the forests before being spat out into town for a beer.

Our starting point is no easy feat, climbing Mont Buet (3096m) carrying my Zerode enduro bike over the shoulder a total of 2000m of climbing over rocky terrain all to catch that perfect sunrise view of the entire Mont Blanc massif but man was it worth it. For me, there’s always been something special about riding your bike places you probably shouldn’t, so ripping on glacier du tour was too good to be true, and the ice offered a surprisingly good grip! Scenic ridges aren’t something we’re short of around here so these naturally connected the big mountains with the dense and tight forests, where the paths get pretty techy. Thankfully, I was riding with the Julbo Edge sunglasses offering Reactiv lenses that change with the light conditions, something that makes entering the dark forests at speed a whole lot easier! Where most alpine riding might offer you a berm, you’re more likely to find an off-camber 180 degree switchback in Chamonix, but when you nail the technical challenge, it’s a pretty awesome feeling all the same.

Maybe one day we’ll be able to build this track for real, but in the meantime I hope you enjoy 2 minutes of big mountain enduro heaven because we sure had fun making the film!

Aaron Rolph is a British adventurer and photographer based in the Alps. He founded the British Adventure Collective and specialises in human-powered ski and bike expeditions all over the world.

Words by @aaronrolph

A @britishadventurecollective production filmed and edited by @lukejarmey