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Tuesday 26 November updated on 11-26-2024 at 8:06
Tuesday 26 November updated on 11-26-2024 at 8:06
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What if the secret to happiness was organising little weekends with friends in the fresh air between two periods of long holidays? In September, get out the bikes and hiking boots (too quickly put away with the start of the new school year), and treat yourself to a weekend in the mountains near Bourg-Saint-Maurice - Les Arcs! We promise: once you've read the programme we've put together, you'll be (almost) looking forward to the end of summer...
4.30pm: Log out of Teams and Outlook, switch off your computer and wish your beloved colleagues a good weekend. The weekend can begin!
4.45pm: Meet up at the station (or the car-sharing area) with the gang of mates with whom you share all your outdoor escapades.
7pm: arrive in Bourg-Saint-Maurice, just in time to buy some Beaufort cheese and sausage for the evening aperitif before heading off to your accommodation. The reconnection with the mountain is happening now!
Have you decided to organise your weekend on 7 and 8 or 14 and 15 September 2024? Perfect: two ski lifts (the funicular and the Cachette chairlift) will remain open to give you one last chance to access the bike park pistes before winter sets in.
Meet at the bottom of the funicular at 8.30am with your mountain bike day pass for just €12.A 7-minute funi ride will take you to the Cachette chairlift, which will take you to the Rock N' Arolles DH slopes. (advanced red level, 4.3 km, -550 m) and Cachette (expert black level, 3 km, -550 m), as well as the Easy Rider enduro mountain bike trail (beginner green level, 7.6 km, -550 m).
Once you've warmed up, continue your descent via the La 8 enduro trail to the foot of the funicular (expert black level, 6.7 km, -820 m). And continue the Funi-Cachette rotations until you get the perfect run, smooth from top to bottom.
Would you prefer to organise your cycling/hiking weekend after 15 September, once the ski lifts have closed? Bring out the VTTAE!
Tackle the Tour de l’Aiguille Grive (confirmed red level, 31.3 km, loop of -1150 m / +1150 m starting from Arcs 1950) or the Route 66 (confirmed red level, 22.2 km, -170 m / +1060 m from Bourg-Saint-Maurice). Unless you prefer a more leisurely loop with half as much climbing, on the side of the dôme de Vaugelaz (33km with 520m of ascent). The hardest part will be pronouncing its name correctly: you say "dôme de Vaujèle", not "dôme de Vaujeulaze"... (in Savoie, we love silent letters).
Warm up your impeccably shaven (or unshaven) calves on the roads leading to the region's legendary passes:
- Col du Petit Saint Bernard: 30.4 km one way, 1,375 m ascent
- Cormet de Roselend: 19.5 km one way, 1,150 m ascent
- Col de l'Iseran: 51.5 km one way, 2150 m ascent (highest road pass in Europe: altitude 2764 m!)
Be careful, it's chilly up there... Bring something to cover up with.
You didn't come here to suffer on your bike? Opt for the slightly less demanding classics (but just as pretty) winding their way above Bourg-Saint-Maurice: les Balcons de Tarentaise (29 km and 140 m of ascent: a route that should appeal to the cream of the crop), le Versant du Soleil, or even la Boucle des villages
(685 m of D+... it's starting to sting, but there are two short descents to recharge your batteries before tackling the last big section).
Practicalities:
Review the best practices for travelling by train with a bicycle OR hire a mountain bike or VTTAE + protec'. directly on site
See the map of mountain bike and ATV trails
Consult the map of Haute Tarentaise cycle routes
Buy your mountain bike package online to save 5 minutes on arrival day
Did your Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt fans get into a tiff with those who swear by Tadej Pogacar? No problem! Put away your jerseys and cycling shorts: this afternoon, it's a combi for everyone!
Climb aboard an inflatable boat (in the company of a white-water sports expert you've booked in advance), and paddle until your shoulders burn along the 18km rafting trip down the rapids of the Isère. All you need to do to take part is know how to swim (and not be afraid to put your head under water). Are you up for it?
Practicalities:
Two questions to ask yourself when choosing your Sunday walk: 1/ Are you willing to set the alarm? 2/ Are you fit enough?
Did you answer YES to both questions? Then there's no need to hesitate: head for the wild trails of the Vallée des Chapieux and Vallée des Glaciers ! Up to and including 15 September, a shuttle from Bourg-Saint-Maurice takes you to the hamlet of Les Chapieux, where you can catch a second shuttle to the Ville des Glaciers or Les Lanchettes. The adventure begins here, in the fabulous setting of the Aiguille des Glaciers, at the gateway to the Mont Blanc massif.
Allow 2h30 to reach the Refuge Robert Blanc from Les Lanchettes, and 2h30 to reach the Col de la Seigne from the Ville des Glaciers (a little less, of course, if you set off from Les Lanchettes).
Do you like to walk up and fly back down? Paragliders who enjoy hike & fly will love climbing up to Fort de la Platte (on the sentier de randonnée des 5 Lacs) or to the arrival station of the Cachette chairlift (departure from the sentier du Signal des Têtes), two particularly popular take-off sites. And if you just prefer to fly, and not walk too much, we remind you that the télésiège Cachette is open on the weekends of 7/8 and 14/15 September 2024...
Don't feel like waking up on a Sunday morning? Are your legs refusing to eat the difference in altitude after the efforts of the day before? Postpone your discovery of the Vallée des Chapieux until your next holiday, and enjoy a gentle Sunday stroll along the la voie verte along the Isère to the Gothard lake.
Have you already returned the keys to your accommodation? No problem! Get rid of all traces of your morning hike with a shower at the Bourg-Saint-Maurice swimming pool! Then treat yourself to a recovery session in the sunshine, in the outdoor pools, or in the relaxation pool with its bubble benches and water jets.
Practicalities:
Book your accommodation at Base Camp Lodge (hotel/inn), Huttopia campsite, or any other accommodation in Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Hire your bike, mountain bike or ATV from a sports shop
Take a look at our fine restaurants for your fondue/raclette evening
Don't leave without fills up on Beaufort and other gourmet specialities
Take one last look lift schedules pedestrians/ mountain bikers and shuttles between Bourg-Saint-Maurice and the Vallée des Chapieux
