~ Thursday 1st November 2012
The forecast for the first snow of the winter came as a bit of a shock. Last year it was dry in the Alps right up to early December - you could walk in trainers at 3000m in November. Not this year though - 15cm fell in the garden last weekend and there's more forecast.
I just managed to squeeze in a high bike ride last week. A great loop from Evolene, starting with 500m downhill then a long climb - very long climb - up the Val des Dix to the Mandelon alpage. Here the road ends and a track leads round into the Evolene ski area via some tricky singletrack, with excellent views of the Dent Blanche, Matterhorn, and the Pas de Lona - the last col of the Grand Raid. Then it's 800m down, almost all singletrack.
