Boucle d'enduro Le Portail — Via le trail de L'Érié

#newbikeday Baptism of the Yeti SB130 at the Fully gate. The song is as good as the plumage, it goes up like a 🌸 flower and goes down like a chamois… #yetibikes #fully #valais #switzerland

Free of snow on June 12 (and even a little earlier), it's rare. The trails have not suffered too much from the winter, but caution is still required, especially on the first section under the Portail. The Sorniot hut (www.sorniot.ch) is permanently guarded from June 18 until September 20, 2022.

For me, the complete classic means the tour without the help of the cable car between Dorénaz and Champex d'Alesse, but the latter still saves 700 meters of altitude difference on an uninteresting route. With the help of the cable car, this well-known tour is much more accessible, even if you sometimes have to push or carry your bike. If you suffer from vertigo, it is perhaps better to abstain, because the first section of descent is quite exposed, without being really dangerous. The view over the Rhône plain remains striking and the trails are spectacular.

A superb tour that can be done from June to the end of October (depending on the snow cover) and which stays the most in autumn with its magnificent colours. The Dorénaz cable car saves approximately 700m of altitude difference.

The tour starts with a short cable car ride from Dorènaz to Champex. This is how you overcome 600 arduous meters in altitude. Then it goes first pleasantly on a road to the Cabanne du Sex Carro. First on asphalt, then on a gravel road. Up to this point you have already overcome the first 900 Hm. Then the surface changes and you are on a single trail uphill, which also forced me to push at times. But you are above the tree line, which opens up a great view. The last part of the ascent is a long traverse before arriving at the Portail de Fully. There you can enjoy a fantastic view of the Rhone Valley, Martiny and Mont Blanc. The eponymous rock with a hole (Tête du Portail) can then be seen after a few meters below the Portail de Fully far above the trail. A very varied descent follows, partly with long traverses. All these sections are not very demanding but enjoyable. The pièce de résistance only follows at the very end after passing the hamlet of Beudon. A very crisp, steep, slippery descent with countless switchbacks takes you down to the Fully vineyards. Most of the switchbacks were also blocked on the inside with large stones to avoid short cuts. Dis makes the serpentines partly. so narrow that they can often only be negotiated by moving a bike. If you like all of the attributes mentioned, you will find a very demanding descent here. Everyone else better choose the road down to Fully from Chiboz d'en Haut. Thanks to my friend Dudu for the great tour!