Alpe d'Huez - Back country mountain bike trails

Alpe d'Huez MTB/VTT piste map

Alpe d’Huez is most commonly knows in mountain biking circles for the Mega Avalanche. And for good reason, this international event, pitching armature against professional riders attracts people from all over the world.  The event takes place over 3 days with a day of practice, a day of qualifying and finally the race day. Competitors start at the Pic Blanc at 3300m, beginning the race on the glacier before descending over 30km of grueling trail to Allemont at 720m.

However visit the resort outside of this popular week and you will be blown away by the amount (250km marked trails), standard and diversity of the mountain bike trails. Even better book a guide to show you some of the resorts hidden backcountry treasures.

Single track around Lac Besson

One of my favourite all mountain circuits is to take the DMC1 gondola from Alpe d’Huez up to the first stage and then ride the cross country trail past Lac Besson (XC11) to the mid station of the Dome Rouse cable car. At the top of the Dome cable car the start of the Mega Avalanche qualification course heads off to the right. However we generally chose to head off the back of the resort to the left and follow a series of less obvious and quite technical single track in the direction of the Col du Couard. The trail, well above the tree line, starts with on loose rock mixed with sections of fun slick rock where you can chose any number of different ways down. It is set on a balcony plateau and runs past a number of very beautiful partly frozen lakes.

At the Col du Couard the trail climbs again onto a 

section of extremely exposed, not for the faint

hearted trail, which leads around the back of Les Agiguillettes before another short sharp climb up to the Col du Sabot. From here it is a fast decent through grassy meadows into the picturesque resort of Vaujany and a well-earned stop in one of the charming restaurants. It is now possible to return to Alpe d’Huez either via the two sections of the Dome cable car and then down the Mega qualification course (L1), or continue down towards Allemont (EN1), where a free shuttle bus brings you up to Oz Station and the Poutran gondola which brings you back to the main MTB area above Alpe d’Huez.

It is worth noting that this circuit is only really possible when enough snow has melted at altitude, usually sometime towards the middle of July and that the Dome cable car closes everyday from midday until 2pm.

For accommodation in Alpe d'Huez and the surrounding area visit us at Bike lodging