High altitude training

Clebes is a small Swiss hamlet high in the Alps above the Rhone valley near the village of Veysonnaz. My wife, 1 year old son and I stayed at the gorgeous Chalet Aramis, which offered stunning views west across to Nendaz and the mountains behind Verbier. The chalet itself sits at over 1300m and there were several roads and paths that lead straight into the mountains behind.

The Grand Raid is a famous multi day MTB stage race across Switzerland, which takes place every year. The route passed a few meters behind the house so I was able to get an impression of how tough this race would be. The climbs were long and tough, it took me around an hour to reach the top of the ski lift at Thyon. The paths were a mixture of fire roads and forest tracks which wound backwards and forwards amongst the pine trees. At the top the epic panorama stretches in all directions. It is then possible to ride along the ridge to Combire the high point of my ride at nearly 2200m.

There are several marked descents, but I followed my nose (or more precisely the local tyre tracks ) finding some stunning woodland singletrack. Back down in the valley, at the ski centre in Siviez, it is possible to return to Veysonnaz or swap to the western slopes traversing along to Nendaz. The fondue at Le Grenier is certainly worth the effort!