Chamonix – Page 5 – Ross Hewitt Guiding

Post lockdown. June 3rd the Italian border opens. The ski season is over, time to escape to Finale and the warm welcome of our Italian friends
Chamonix doesn’t have much background in pedalling a bike. Sure there are some talented DH and enduro riders but not many are keen to ride through the mountains. There are a few exceptions, Oli Herren for one. In Aosta Davide Capozzi is always motivated for big missions. He’s lighter and faster than me uphill so I need to ride smart on days with him. Here we rode Col di Bard, Col Citirin, Chaligne, Becca Franca totally 3300 m of vertical, oh and it was still 40C at 1830 at 1000 m!
At Denis Tondo’s alpage in the Brento Dolomites
Dropping into Becca Franca after a long 10 hours riding in 40+ celcius. No gloves or kneepads to maximise heat shedding!
La Thuile lift access enduro day with Morgan Sahlen
La Thuile, EWS K run, Mont Blanc Range in the back ground. Photo Morgan Sahlen
The view to Lake Garda, off the back of Paganella
Bobby visits Chamonix
La Thuile, photo by Morgan Sahlen
Brenta Dolomites, I forgot all my protection except for my helmet and kneepads. Perfect for a place built with razor sharp rock. Photo Tim Longstaff
One of my favourite places in the world, Lake Garda. On the way to show Tim Longstaff my favourite pub in the world.
La Thuile magic. Photo Tim Longstaff
Canazei, Dolomites. We’ve just been soaked to the pants in a thunderstorm, I’m semi hypothermic so Tim and myself take shelter in the pub. In beer we trust! This was shit beer, check out Tim’s great beer at Sapaudia Brewing Company
Col Citrin with Davide Capozzi, this one gets harder the further you descend
La Thuile, photo Tim Longstaff
Posettes, photo Ben Tibbetts
La Thuile
Col Lussons lunar landscape, photo Dave Searle
Col Lusson, photo Dave Searle
Colle della Rosso, my favourite ride in Aosta
Colle della Rosso, photo Dave Searle
Brevent, yep its made of rock. Photo by Luke Jarmey
Back Country Finale in the Land Rover Defender
Piero and Filippo – Back Country Finale in Malare. A pleasure seeing our Italian friends post lockdown.
Bobby and Searle fiddling with the Donkey
Bellachat. Photo by Filippo Gualtieri
Early summer and heading to the Aiguillette des Houches
Alessandro Merlini on Bellachat
Nice view
Heading to Bellachat from Brevent. Rocky as fuck, stunning scenary when you can take your eyes off the trail which will likely be just when you stop
Nice view behind me! I love it up here.
Minna and friends on the skyline
All time crew L-R me, Filippo, Gian Luca, Oli, Alessandro, thingymabob et al, Howard
Me and my very good buddy Filippo on Chaligne above Aosta
Visiting Italian Jaco meets Bellachat, Brevent
Morning shred on Brevent before work, good for the soul
Evening shreds from Plan de l’Aiguille are sick. 1300 m of brown pow.
Check this guy out – that tent hitting the back of the knees would do it for me
Morgan cruising some rock slabs at la Thuile
Davide Capozzi at Col Chavanne. There was a lot of snow towards Col de la Seigne so we skipped that and headed to Col Arp Vielle
Davide Capozzi on the exposed start to Col Chavanne going into Val Veni
Val Veni views with Petit Mont Blanc and Aiguille des Glaciers
Davide Capozzi on the Tour du Mont Blanc trail from Col Arp Vielle. Tour Ronde, Skyway, Dent de Geant in the background.
Emosson to Martigny ride. Not my favourite
Not sure what this is – a wonkey donkey?
La Thuile with Tim and Howard
Evening ride at Le Tour
The remnants of the Le Tour Glacier
Letting the arms rest half way down
Davide Capozzi on the techy root section of Col Citrin
Last descent to St Nicholas after 10 hours and 3300 m. Its still 40C at 1800 hrs.
Poor pack horse looks a bit overladen
Taking in the view at the start of a Chatelyard run
Col Entrelor
Entrelor flowy section
A quick coffee stop in La Thuile on the Col Chavanne – Col Arp Veille loop
The Peuterey Ridge of Mont Blanc from upper Val Veni
The West Face of Mont Blanc, a 2000 m ski odyssey
Mont Blanc’s impressive Freney/Broullard faces above Val Veni
The Aosta autoroute – impressive engineering
Searle and Tibbetts on route to Lusson (3300 m)
Searle and Tibbetts on route to Lusson (3300 m)
Lusson, Loson, every map has a a different spelling in this region of Italian – Franco patois
Searle coming down Lusson
Colle della Rosso
The Italian Dolomites – Sella Ronda Tour with Filippo Gaultieri, Denis Tondo, Patrick DH, Tim Longstaff
Rodella
Marmolada views
Denis
Patrick
Tim getting patched up after slicing his leg open on a drainage channel
Denis showboating for the camera
When you grow up racing mx, you need a proper workshop
Denis showing his mastery of whips and berms
The Willy Wonka rail – a stunning blue flow/jump run
Lake Garda
Patrick and the Brenta Dolomites
Denis spent months shepherding at this hut growing up, now he wants to use it as a overnight stop over on Dolomiti mtb tours
Wait, why’s my bike on the chair?
Lake Garda
Riva del Garda, my favourite pub in the world. Scene of so much fun
Tim enjoying morning swims in the lake
That day I forgot my armour in the Dolomites. Highsided on a landing straight onto my spine. Luckily ribs just bruised for a month.
Chamonix, Aiguillette des Houches. Getting in the runs before the lifts close. Broke my clipless pedals in that crash in the Dolomites and De Masi had my flats so riding the worst pedals ever made.
The start of a beautiful day, riding solo in Aosta. 3800 m vertical, 5 cols, 1 summit. Col di Bard, Col Citrin, Col Malatra (2900 m), Col Entre Deux Sauts, Col Sapin, Testa Bernarda.
Col di Bard
Col Citrin with Mont Velan behind
‘If it didn’t exist 5000 years ago then don’t eat it’ – Laird Hamilton. Forget gels, shakes and other crap. Nuts, berries and some fruit will see you double your efforts
Col Citrin
On the 1400 m climb to Malatra.
Refugio Frassati, modelled on the rock architecture of Petit Golliat
Only 400 m to Malatra
Col Malatra
Sunny everywhere except where I am its hailing!
Flow trails below Col Malatra
Grand Jorasses in the background above Val Veni
Its a big day for a Nomad, 12 hours and 3800 m. I’m looking forward to riding a High Tower next season
Last climb done to Test Bernarda. Final descent of the day arriving in Courmayeur for pizza just as the light started to fail.
Should I stay or should I go? A murky day in Aosta had me soaked to the pants within the first half hour. Then it started to dry up so I set little goals (I’ll turn back there…) but in the end made the summit knowing the descent is a path suited to a gravel bike with no greasy rock to negotiate. In the end a super atmospheric day, the inclement weather providing dramatic scenes up Val Veni.

The legendary Andy Parkin- Mark Twight route from the early 90s that took them multiple attempts to finish off. With a route with such high reputation for quality, it didn’t take much to get me fired up and psyched for it, and arguably its been a 20 year wait for the stars to align for me to get the opportunity to go. A quick ask round the trusted partners and Guy Steven instantly signed up. The crux would be to kit him out as he had flown out from Scotland for the week.

Many Alpine mixed routes fall short of the mark for me due to monotony of moves but each pitch of Beyond was so varied and unique providing continuous interest in stunning surroundings, mostly delicate and enticing rather than burley and intimidating. A bit like Labrynth Direct on the Dubh Loch albeit much longer.

We headed out from the small winter room at the Plan Refuge into a still mild night illuminated by the full moon. For the first 45 mins there was no need for a head torch as we took in the fantastic ambience under the Chamonix Aiguilles, friendly rather than foreboding. I kicked off and Guy and I alternated on the sharp end for 11 pitches to the junction with Thierry Rebuffat (known as Carrington Rouse in winter). With the upper pitches blasted dry by the wind we rapped arriving back at the skis at 130 pm and took the cable car to Big Mountain bar for some quality IPA to quench the thirst. All very civilized. Thanks @guystevenguide for a very memorable day.