Multi-day hut-to-hut trips

During summer 2010, we got an out-of-the-blue request to do a multi-day, hut-to-hut trip. Given that it was a Friday night and the group was due to arrive on the Saturday, my first thought was "no way!", but the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. Staying in Alpine huts is a fun experience. They're almost always in stunning locations and making an overnight stop effectively lets you double your range, so you can get much further from the beaten track. With some pretty rapid head-scratching, I put together a 3-day trip based on trails that were a mixture of the regular, the rarely-ridden and the might-have-walked-it-a-few-years-ago. This formed the basis of the "Ultimate Tarentaise Descent". Over 3 days, we rode from the head of the valley all the way to the lower end at Moutiers, using the uplift systems of Sainte Foy, Les Arcs & La Plagne along the way and staying in 2 different Alpine huts.

The trip was a big success (marred only by the surprise arrival of winter weather on the 2nd day!) so we've decided to make hut-to-hut rides a regular thing and have been poring over maps to fine-tune last years' hastily-planned trip and add some new options for the future.

For 2011, we're going to offer the Ultimate Tarentaise Descent over 3 days, with 2 nights in mountain huts. This takes in some great trails in Val d'Isere, Tignes, Sainte Foy & Les Arcs, plus some great, remote singletrack. The trip can generally be booked on any week (check with us), but must be for a minimum of 4 riders. The opening of huts and uplift makes July & August the best time to attempt this kind of trip, but it might also be possible to do a modified version during the June & September "backcountry" season.

There is no additional charge over our normal holiday, but hut costs will be around 40€ per night and the group will also be expected to cover the guide's hut costs.

Alpine huts are well-equipped and you only need to carry a bare minimum of additional kit over and above your regular riding pack. We suggest:

• A sleeping-bag liner
• A minimalist trek-towel
• As little extra clothing as you can bear the thought of!

While we use the various lift systems as much as possible, the remote nature of this trip means that some fairly hefty climbs will be required - around 1,500m over the 3 days, with a maximum of about 850m on day 2. Even with the uplift, we cover a lot of ground on each day and you need to be fit, both for the pedalling and so that you're in shape to keep riding well on technical trails when you're tired.

We'll be checking out options during the 2011 season to potentially extend this trip either to a 4-day point-to-point trip, maybe crossing into the Beaufortain and finishing in Albertville or using the 3-Valleys lift system to complete a full loop over 5 or 6 days. Watch this space!

Proper remote singletrack

Hut washing facilities. It's "sort-of-thermal". Honest, really.

Singletrack straight from the door of the refuge!

Well-earned beers in Moutiers