Switzerland: Descent of the Rhone

After having embarked my sidekick Jerem in our new (and promising) madness, the T5 is on its way to Martigny, from where we take the railway towards Fiesch. We don't load ourselves: light backpack, enduro style, our path dotted with shelters saving us the trouble of bringing a sleeping bag and tent. The first journey allows us to reinforce a strong idea in the Swiss region: the infrastructures are totally dedicated to our favorite sport, and that's a pleasure! The other side of the coin is that the price of the ticket is commensurate with the service provided... But it's nice not to have to worry about how to get the car back when you're not making a loop, but rather We go from point A to point B. From Fiesch, the cable car drops us off at an altitude of 2212 meters. 40 minutes of pedaling on the Panoramaweg, in the middle of fog, and a tunnel later, we drop off our things at the fantastic Gletscherstübe Märjelen, a pretty refuge in its own right which serves as our spot for the night. One of the particularities of our journey is that in a few kilometers, we will be confronted with the language of Goethe and later that of Molière. For now, we're ordering an Apfelstrudel, what Molière's descendants call an apple crumble. Let the adventure begin! The average visibility on this second day of the trip could invite us to rest at the refuge, but we didn't just come to gorge ourselves on Apfelstr... well, crumble! We are here for the sacred purpose of exploring the surrounding area. Direction the Bellwald valley, its ancient glacier and its single track which seems as perilous as it is tempting. This is where our sacrosanct mission is finally rewarded, and after just ten minutes the sun finally tears through the sky filled with black clouds. Privileged as we are, knowing where to turn is a challenge as the panorama before us is grandiose. The descent also keeps its promises: it is long and very technical, flirting with the abysses of the old glacier that we follow, before stopping at a small refuge accessible via ferrata mode. Well behaved as we are, we will say hello. The place, which smells of mountaineering, homemade cakes and a passion for summits, is worth the detour, as is Franz, the owner. This man, who seems to have known everything, is somewhat surprised to see us here, on our steeds. So, we're never safe from surprises... The night at the Gletscherstübe is short but absolutely beautiful, after having exchanged meals with our neighbors on the mountain and its myths. The future (and the sunrises) belong to those who get up early, they say. Neither one nor two, we put the adage to the test and valiantly got up at four in the morning. We need that to tackle the ascent that awaits us, and hope to admire the sun rising over the Aletsch glacier, the largest glacier in Europe, overlooked by the incredible Eiger and the Jungfrau. Arriving on an endless ridge, we rub shoulders with chamois under a thick fog. Missed for the sunrise apparently... Time to eat an apple and put on dry clothes, the magic works a second time, leaving the reputation of the famous adage intact: between two layers of very dark clouds, the first rays appear. Majestic. Epic. Indescribable. This unreasonably sized glacier makes us feel like it wants to swallow us in one bite. The descent that follows will be for our part one of the most beautiful ever done on a mountain bike, and yet we have seen a few of them. Hello flow, fun, nose turns and terrain movements straight out of a PS4. Arriving in Brig, the train then the bus drops us off at Arolla, a small ski resort renowned for its glacier and its slopes sprinkled with light powder that scream: “ski me, ski me!” ". La Cabane des Dix, the jewel of the CourRhône The Tsa hotel, dominated by the unique needle of the same name, shelters us for the night. This evening is a bit of a gala, we have an appointment with Dédé, local guide and incidentally freeski legend. Calm and rather playful, the man has seen it all and has seen a multitude of budding freeriders pass by. Although several people have strongly advised us against implementing our plan for the next day, he, calmly, chuckles. He has complete confidence in us and is certain that we will get there, easily. This is reassuring, before the queen stage that awaits us: on the heights of Arolla, we intend to take the famous goat's pass (2946 meters) and its tiny ladder dedicated to initiated mountaineers, before crossing the immense glacier of Ten to reach the Cabin of the same name, some 1000 meters higher than our starting point (i.e. 3000 meters). Nice menu. Crampons, ropes and straps coexist with the bare minimum on our backs. As the sun rises, as we leave, I see Dédé laughing: “I know you're super strong, but it's still a hell of a challenge,” he tells us. So much for the confidence capital! Thanks for the mental preparation, here we go. And indeed, the goat step turns out to be really difficult, but after four hours of progress on the white ice, here we are at the Dix cabin. Challenge met, we are very proud! And it's not over, since from now on, a single descent of almost 2500 meters of negative altitude awaits us to reach Sierre. Heavy, very heavy even! The fact remains that this entire journey is a moment that seems removed from time, unforgettable, where we find ourselves alone, just us and our bikes. Return to civilization From Sierre, we reach Nendaz. From the top of the highest cable car in the middle of the remains of the glacier, we admire the Bec des Rosses before heading towards the Mont Fort cabin (on the heights of Verbier), our base for the night. Swiss humor will always surpass me (and yet my grandfather had origins near Luzern...): what they call a cabin is more akin to a four-star mountain chalet back home! The comfortable bed, the excellent meal rubs shoulders with no less tasty beers. The time it takes to decipher the map to two Americans who are following the glacier trail, they explain to us how much they hate the French, thinking we are Swiss. Bad luck, bad draw! We lift the veil on our origins... “A thousand apologies said one of us, I think we found here a good reason to order a bottle of pinot noir and eat together! ". Well there you go, we forget everything! The evening was memorable, with anecdotes flowing from both sides. I love this mountain atmosphere, raw, frank, stripped of any disguise. Relationships only grow stronger in many cases. After a magnificent sunrise, the next day has a nice stretch in store for us to reach the back of Verbier, on a single which probably has no secrets for Ludo May, the whimsical local driver. The descent is long, well paced, all in a grandiose setting, unique in its diversity of colors. After a final lift in a skip, and 400 meters of elevation gain, bike on our backs, we begin our final descent to reach Martigny. DH atmosphere, it is very stiff, long and worthy of a good IXS Cup DH at times, leaving us with a very pleasant aftertaste in the mouth. The last day is destined to ride on the heights of the lake, but the storm gets involved. We're not high on sugar, of course, but in these conditions there's no point in going out. Better to go have a little crumble, right? This last aborted session on the lake side gives us a concrete excuse to return one day to complete this incredible journey. A stone's throw from the house, having the opportunity to explore such grandiose spots is a chance that everyone would like to have. We took advantage of it, and we advise you to do the same! Text: Fred Horny Photos: Jérémy Bernard

Switzerland: Descent of the Rhone

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