[Fj]

We're trying to plan a summer trip with both activities.
Anyone been anywhere with the best of both worlds?
2 alps looks amazing for riding, but I havent been able to find any bouldering info for nearby locations.
any info?

cheers.

[fatdoc]

wot sort of MTB do you want??

DH, FR or XC....

you need to look around the www for tignes, cham, les gets, morzine, morgon, chatel, verbier for mtb then get advice on here for allfroid, magic wood and other areas i have no idea on.

there are LOADs more tracks in the alps, gravity-slaves.co.uk have a series of articles covering road trips last year...

i have heard allfroid(sp) is only 3 hrs from morzine (the only area i know well for MTB - really bloody well -) in the alps.

i thought about a similar trip this year, but my mind is now set on 'extreme XC" sort of stuff this summer, snowdon, skiddow, kinder and jacobs ladder, helvellyn and mybe the ben itself - plus some new trails near wrexham look promising.... OK, not all bridleways, and can be done on regular MTBs; but on FR bikes with armour you can go f8ckin mental on some of these runs!! AND,it's all nearish good bouldering so that I can take the odd weekend off, not just the one week for MTB... thus get more climbing done whilst riding my tits off on a FR bike!!

hope that helps mate.

[Fj]

cheers for the suggestions
we'll all be on hardtails, so nothing too extreme, but we'll try most stuff.
I went to the ailefriode last year and was quite impressed with the bouldering, but didnt see much riding potential.
I've seen its not far from some of the riding spots, but I was hoping for something more convienient i.e. a village with boulders and a chairlift to biking area. it sounds like a lot to ask, but i cant believe there isnt somewhere like it.

[webbo]

try chamonix theres some bouldering there and lots of biking.meddonet for more bouldering is just down the road{see thread on here}morzine is only about an hours drive away.

[galpinos]

There's good bouldering around Cham. Medonnet (as mention before) and Les Bossons has some good stuff. Wouldn't recommend Cham for riding though, especially not on hardtails. Depends on waht you're into but a lot of the trails in Cham are really really steep and rocky. Not a patch on Les Gets/Morzine area.

[fatdoc]

i have mates who have guided MTB round cham, for XC it's more challanging than the portes de soleil for sure...

personally i'd not ride in the alps without a full susser, you wont get the most out of the place without and you'll feel like you've been in a washing machine at the end of the downhills on  a hardtail.
I've seen people on hardtails in the alps... you can do it, but IMO you'll suffer!!

[webbo]

you should try the grand raid crystalalp in switzerland for a nice day out 80+ miles and the equivilant of climbing and descending mont blanc.

[mark]

Targasonne in the Pyrenees? Hot in the summer but the climbing's excellent and you might be okay early in the morning. Beautiful mountains all around and the Font Romeu ski station is within 10km. No idea if they open the lifts for MTBers in the summer.

[Dolly]

I asked about the MTBing last time we were there (admittedly at the tourist office) and it didn't seem to be that developed. Mainly through the woods near Font Rom. Plenty of trails, but more short XC than long/DH.
Beautiful place tho