Meribel Day 5

Lee’s mate, Lee the builder, joined us for the day for what was promised to be a day to remember. A simple warm up ride followed by the ridge and a descent to remember.

Tougnete gondola took us to our familiar first stop where we dropped down to the play park via a short section of sweeping berms. The seesaw and switchbacks prepared us for Pas du Lac 1 gondola to the Black 5 and more cow shit than you could shake a stick at. Black 5’s tight berms and rapid descent merged into Red 2 rocky sweeping fast single-track back to Pas du Lac where the mornings warm up was completed
with a speed run down the Blue 5, nicknamed ‘The Trout’ which mixes berms, north shore and fast sweeping moguls with loose surfaces and play park obstacles and the warm up was complete.

Tougnete 1 led into the chair lift Tougnete 2 and we dropped off at 2434m, 1000m above our start point. Fast flowing rocky double track with a view to die for on both sides quickly changed with the rolling in of a cloud into a cross wind ridge ride to Lee’s nemesis. The loose surface turned rocky and pointed towards a switchback at 2100m with a sheer drop from which you could base jump.

After negotiating a few climbs and earth movers we hit the point at which it was all going to be downhill from here, we dropped our saddles, fed our faces and queued behind Lee our host anticipating what was to come. Technical rocky single track quickly changed to forest switchbacks, with speed and confidence growing the group started burning brakes and hugging the inside edge, pine cones and standing water made the ‘Rooty bits’ more exciting, switchbacks and technical rocky, Rooty descents eventually dropped us back to the road with a short spin
to Brides Les Bain.

The 50 minutes descent left us with burnt brake pads, burning thighs and the biggest grins this side of the Three Valleys. Several local drinks were consumed whilst waiting for the bus back to
Meribel where stories of drops and near misses were traded.

A bike wash and more local drinks rounded the day off, roll on tomorrow.

Route:
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1657271

More Pics:
https://picasaweb.google.com/105844637282308272543/MeribelDay5?authkey=Gv1sRgCK6BhPmX3YynpAE



Posse; Dozer (Canyon ESX), Les (Specialized Pitch), Darren (SC Heckler), Lee (SC Nomad), Justyna (Boardman 120mm), Lee (Lee’s friend, Kona Hardtail)

Dinner – Pork, leeks, white wine and mustard.

Weather; Sunny, attempt at rain.

Mechanicals; Lee’s friend Lee, pinch puncture.