Col des Aravis-Croix Fry

A double TdF col day is usually pretty tough. This wasn't, partly I suspect because of the direction I took them in. The only price to be paid was an awful finish up the very busy main valley road from Thones. After a night spent high above the village, I started from St Jean de Sixt around 8ish and adopted a nice sustainable rhythm for the Col des Aravis. This is a major link through the Alps and a frequently used Tour col. It is quite gentle, with steady 6% gradients often giving way to even shallower slopes, and as such is really enjoyable especially quite early on a Saturday before the traffic. Through La Clusaz via a giant hairpin and then the valley of Le Nom opens out with tremendous views up the limestone walls of the Pointe des Aravis (which I would visit tomorrow) on the left and the spires of the Dent du Chatalet and its neighbours on the right. A series of hairpins leads up to the top of the Aravis - just under 40 minutes from St Jean so not too terrible. The usual TdF ambience at the col, beautiful meadows and jagged peaks beyond: Mont Blanc in the distance. I then descended to the road junction above La Clusaz which gives access to the Col du Croix Fry from the east. This is by far the easiest side up the Croix Fry and is very quiet although the surface is a tad grippy. It still required a bit of an effort at times though, and led to superb new views over Manigod and Les Clefs. It was clouding over, and thunderstorms were forecast, so I didn't hang around, taking my usual hyper-cautious approach to the very long and winding descent (hundreds of cyclists coming up from Thones). Multiple hairpins before the gradient eases down to Thones. Then came the worst riding of the entire trip and indeed probably the most unpleasant experienc of the entire trip. The unexpectedly hard drag up the valley from Thones via Les Villards. This went on for a long time, and the sun came out immediately after leaving Thones making it very hot indeed. It was also very busy with cars just before lunch on a Saturday, not nice at all. I did a little extension to Le Grand Bornand before calling it a day after 50k/1300m. Just as well, as a thunderstorm did indeed hit an hour or two later, making me glad I hadn't included the Col du Colombier. Instead, I sensibly had a bath in the river and retired for Tartiflette in Le Grand Bornand!

Pointe Percee

Peaks: Pointe Percee (2753m)

Routes: Cheminee des Sallanches (II), West Flank Voie Normale (I)

Area: Chaine des Aravis, France

The highest peak in the Aravis chain, this seemed to fit the solo bill perfectly when I was researching possibilities for the final part of this trip. After dropping the family off at the airport, I drove to the Col des Annes where I spent a comfortable night away from yet another heatwave building lower down. Percee is quite spectacular from most angles, a spire of rock, although as is often the case this is a little misleading. From below, I was convinced the normal route went up the screes to the right of the peak and set off just before 7am after a light breakfast heading towards the refuge (Gramusset). This climbs up to a little ridge, a neck between two valleys. This is the Tete des Annes at 1869m. It then climbs to another little subpeak, the Pointe des Delevrets before it becomes steeper and more rocky (polished limestone) as it moves east towards the hut. From here, it seemed so obvious to me that it went up the cwm towards the Col des Verts that I didn't check the route, only discovering half way up that the voie normale actually went up a complex route on the West Flank, the other side of the obvious West ridge that was now to my left! However, in my research I had already considered going up via the Cheminee des Sallanches and it was obvious that this was the route I was now committed to so I carried on up to the Col des Verts via steep scree. The col was indeed grassy on the other side, but steep and fairly exposed. I moved left towards the bulk of Pointe Percee which is a wall of rock from here. Some ledges gained a narrow crest and then the start of the Cheminee des Sallanches. The first section is the hardest, perhaps a touch of grade III, up a steepish shallow chimney. It was good fun, and not troubling (and there were people above) so I continued, trending left over a mini-ridge into a shallow basin. Across this and then more steeply up short walls giving really enjoyable scrambling, not exposed. It then trended right towards another chimney which was slightly awkward before more scrambling joined the normal route at the top of the West Flank. This moves up to an exposed ridge and final scramble to the top - absolutely superb, strange but very lucky that my 'mistake' made the whole day much better and far more pleasing. Tremendous views along the Aravis chain all the way to the Col des Aravis I hoped to cycle up tomorrow. I descended back to the top of the West Flank and descended the normal route, which was well marked but complex and surprisingly involved, weaving through this very rocky face (presumably why I originally assumed it wasn't the way). It was all very enjoyable though, I wore my helmet as a precaution against loose stones but there were no issues and I eventually gained a snowfield and then scree run to the limestone pavement that is immediately above the hut. I had a break at the hut and was then prevented from leaving by a helicopter making several runs from the valley below. Eventually I was allowed to descend and did so enjoyably, trying to save energy where I could - 10k/1200m/3 hours. At the Col des Annes, I stayed to enjoy the cool weather, refuelling with an assiette savoyard of ham and reblochon from the farm 50 metres away, along with a dry gateaux Savoie.

Dent du Vaulion

Peaks: Dent du Vaulion (1483m)

Area: Lac du Joux, Switzerland

Our hillwalks had to fulfil certain criteria this week: the ladies needed a swimming lake and somewhere to have lunch. So it was over the border again to the little town of Le Pont on the shores of Lac du Joux. All very pretty and stereotypically Swiss, and M and I started off in quite hot weather from the lakeside. The Dent is a very obvious landmark, steep on one side as its name suggests, but very gentle from the other. Our route contoured up past an art deco hotel to farmland and then nice tracks through shady woodland to eventually gain a minor road. This was a bit unfortunate, as cars can get up here to a fairly high-end refuge, but the walk and general ambience was so delightful it didn't really matter. We plodded up to the summit for brilliant views of the distant (slightly hazy) Alps and Lac du Joux deep blue directly below, framed by the rest of the Jura range.We took a more direct descent, with the lake directly in front, back to Le Pont. Alpine meadows, cows and farms, interspersed with woodland.

Valserine ride

The Tour is coming down this valley in two weeks time, so I went for an early morning 45k pootle down the valley towards Valserhone. It really is a beautiful place, gently descending through Lelex to Chezery-Forens. The valley changes character from arable and partially wooded to something close to a gorge lower down, with waterfalls and the river quickening pace. At Chezery, I started the climb up to the Col du Menthieres, but quickly realised it would have taken too long so after steep initial slopes I turned off for Rosset and then climbed back up the valley. This is known as the Lelex Monts-Jura climb and it is pretty gentle but it does drag on, almost all the way back to Mijoux.

Grand Montrond

Peaks: Petit Montrond, Grand Montrond (1614m)

Area: Haut Jura, France

The main Jura hills loomed above Mijoux, and although easier to access from the Faucille, it seemed rude not to get onto them from our accommodation. So Kate and I set out on a pleasant walk initially, for around 2k up the Sentier des Arts until Kate turned back and I broke into a gentle jog along the Route Royale to gain the col. From here the route to the mountains doubles back and becomes hard to follow, primarily because there are tracks, trails and paths everywhere. So choosing the right one was tricky although eventually I found my way up the Petit Montrond and then the main ridge path which continues all the way to Le Reculet and beyond. The route along the broad crest was superb, great views down to Geneva and across to Mont Blanc. From Grand Montrond I descended the Chemin d'Amont to the col then retraced steps back to our apartment just under two hours after leaving. Refuelled with Bleu du Gex crepes and a swim in the Lac du Lamoura.

Haut Jura sportive route (65k)

This was a little bit cheeky, but there was an organised sportive taking place across the Haute Jura today. It would have taken me all day to do it properly, and we had a family Geneva trip planned, so instead I just did a version of the short 65k route by climbing the hairpins from Mijoux (informally known as the Col de Mijoux) and then joining the marked route at Lajoux. It was early, I was well before the event, but the signage was up and took me through some exquisite scenery, the epitome of the Jura. It took the Route de la Simmard to Bellecombe, beautiful farmland, woods and views of the high Jura hills. The roads were almost completely empty, and then became even quieter through the lovely gorge of the Bief des Parres. At La Sechere the views opened out to the west over the main Flumen valley to Septmoncel and St Claude. A fast descent led to a sharp turn and very minor road (which I would never have found) to Laisia. All these places were tiny hamlets. I then got to more familiar terrain around Lamoura and the main Faucille/Geneva road (still fairly quiet) up to the Swiss border at La Cure. This climbs, hugging the border until the gentle descent down the Valserine back to Mijoux. This was so fast and so rideable that even I went pretty quickly on it (5 miles in 12 minutes).

La Goulette climbing

Crag: La Goulette (Jura)

Routes: La Bise (f4:led), Le Sonaillard (f4:sec), L'Aubarete (f4:led)

A short session with Morgan on then gentle crag of La Goulette, nestled in the woods near the final hairpin below the Col de Mijoux. It would have been perfect were it not for the fact that I forgot the screwgates despite packing the rest of the climbing kit! Anyway, the routes were all on slabby pocketed limestone and reminded me how much I enjoy easy French sports climbing. It would have been nice to tick the crag but not feasible. Earlier on I did an excellent loop of Mijoux tracks and small roads around the Valserine, a great run and my deformed heel felt OK. After the crag, we had an excellent lunch at Feodor and then a nice short circular family hike from Lajoux.