Return to the Island

PyZahl now looks back on one more great Mountain Bike getaway and a four day Tour in the Swiss Alps, Wallis -- that's why he was so quite here lately -- he found it feels really good to forget all the WWW and computing stuff for some time and get back to mother nature and just enjoy fresh mountain air and let the panoramic views memorize.

He wants to share just a few impressions, as it is almost impossible to get the idea about it without been there and doing it, riding it he means...

Day 1: Ulrichen to Brig -- via the Aletschglacier, Maerjelensee, Bettmeralp



Day 2: Brig to Grimentz via Turtmanntal, Gruben, Meidpass, Ayer. The last 400m elevation gain to Meidpass were not ridable and so the bike was carried on the back...

A view just before the bike carriage passage:


all the way up here...
on top
Day 3: Grimentz to Nendaz via Lac & Glacier de Moiry, climbing further up to Basset de Lona, Euseigne (Pyramides) ... a awesome very gently climbing (or descending) trail along small water supply streams (irrigation feeders) and again climbing up to Nendaz.
[GPS: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3497834 ]

This morning PyZahl felt very tiered and not well fueled up, as last nights dinner was not so perfect and too low and less on carbs... a whole bunch of Cliff Bars helped finally to make it.

This first road section was a pain.... (only the last few km shown here)


But the magnificent view on top let forget all about it...


At Basset de Lona, the peak needed to be climbed to get the big view...




A short fast downhill along a little lake and one more climb to get over the pass flollowed...


From there a steep downhill on a rubble field followed, PyZahl did not felt comfortable riding it all the way down, but his swiss buddy just went for it.... wooooosh, oh well. No Photo.

A nice long tail brought the three bikers all the way down to the valley and they stopped to see the "Pyramides of Euseigne" on the way.


The day was not yet done, as a last climb up to Nendaz was waiting, but easy going on paved road, just a constant 8..11%.

Day 4: Nendaz to Martigny via more mountain passes including one more steep hike/climb a bike section
[GPS: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3497831 ]

The day stared with an easy road section and more steep gravel road and turned into a awesome long section of smooth but party very narrow and challenging to frightening steep drops on the right and at times water filled deep gap on the left of the trail...

Here an easy going section...

Some rock falls were blocking the ride...


... and more surprises

... which let to an pretty steep climb (hike) the bike up the forest on an detour ... no photo, to steep, to narrow, to busy ... that detour and an more extreme downhill done (more or less riding for PyZahl once again here) a great long and again narrow trail followed before one more pass had to be climbed and a final hike the bike...



... before the awesome way down to the valley of all ripe apricots started.




The team figured on the fly a connection of several more or less challenging hiking trails all the way down into the valley, along apricot trees and wine fields. All the way down, a few more km had to be done in the flat warm and very windy -- head wind for sure -- valley to the finish in Martigny at the train station. [more photos here]

* * *

However, back to normal, Sunday Early Birds were a go today, or should he say one more supersonic flight -- anyone cares about wind? No. Hills? Where?