London to Val D'Isere....in March.....

[alex2006]

...Am I mad?

Has anyone ever done this before? A friend of mine has been given free use of a ski chalet for a week and I thought I'd ride down there. It's about 600 miles, which is quite a long way.....and I know from my journey to North Holland in November, it'll be cold.

Having said that, I bet it'll be a beatufil ride once I'm in Southern France and the mountains.

Or I could just sit on a train for 8 hours. But where is the fun in that?

I have a 1997 Transalp. I just wonder if it's actually rideable.

Thoughts and comments much appreciated.

[moon]

Dunno if i'd describe Val d'isére as the "south" of france but I guess it's all relative...


I've not been up the massif da la vannoise in march but the ski season is still in full swing so you're gonna find plenty snow. What you need to know is whether Val d'isere is accessible in march without snow chains. Knowing the french ability to keep roads clear I expect it is, though don't expect to do much biking once there cos only the main road in & out will be clear, the rest will require snow chains.

I will just put the question on a couple of froggy bikr forums & see what they reckon.

I'll get back to you.

[motoYAKA]

Hi there

I rode down to the French Alps twice on a Husky supermoto - the Transalp should be positive luxury by comparison




Mind you I did ride down in summer so I can't comment on the hypothermia or frozen roads

Definitely worth a go tho

[alex2006]

thanks guys.

I'd only be riding in and out of Val D'Isere as I'd be (hopefully) spending the rest of the week skiing.

I just don't want to be riding round some snaking mountain road and fling myself off the edge as I hit some black ice.......

[moon]

OK, the general concensus of opinion on the french sites is that it depends on the weather, In March the road up to val d'isere (D902) would usually be clear & kept clean. In an attackof conscience, I posed the question via e-mail to the Val d'Isére tourist office & they're "non-commital" to say the least. They say simply that it's weather dependant, phone a couple of days before to find out the road conditions..."

Having ridden in the Jura & switzerland during the winter I can tell you that the roads thet are cleared, really are cleared, you might have 6 feet of snow either side but the surface is totally snow free (unless it's actually falling...). If the road to Val d'isere is not cleared, then all vehicles will be stopped in layby's before the serious stuff begins & the gendarmerie will not allow you to continue without special equipement (snow chains, for the cars).

My suggestion, if you can face the ride across the northern 1/2 of france, would be to organise an "escape route". what I mean is know in advance what you're going to do if on the day, you can't get up the D 902 & you're in a layby in the middle of nowhere with snow falling & an armed policeman telling you you cant do the last 10 miles so you'll have to turn around & go home... (yeah, worst case scenario, but plan for it)

if you're coming through my way & schedules allow it, drop me a line & I'll put the kettle on...

[alex2006]

Moon,

You've been more than helpful and it's much appreciated.

Well, I guess I just have to think about that. It sounds pretty exciting, but I certainly don't find the idea of being turned away at the foot of the mountain, utterly frozen, that exciting either.........

The Northern part of France is a fairly grim ride too, as I have experienced before. HGV Centraal with nasty crosswinds.


Thanks again, it's much appreciated.

[Annette]

The roads to Val d'Isere are always clear whatever the time of the year. Just take it steady going up. It's a steep mountain with lots of hairpins and you need to be a bit careful later in the afternoon after the sun passes over and it starts to cool down, as there may be ice.

All the main roads will be usable without snow chains. It's only the mountain passes and smaller roads you need to worry about, and they generally have barriers across them.

Whenever we've been over, it seems that very few French drivers use snow chains anyway. Ever been over a mountain pass in a blizzard with a couple of inches of snow on the ground and the Renault Clio behind is right up your exhaust pipes, flashing his lights to get past

The French are crazy drivers.

[Jacqueslemac]

Whenever we've been over, it seems that very few French drivers use snow chains anyway.

Bizarrely the only place I've seen snow chains in use was in Normandy!

[alex2006]

Thanks ever so much for your assistance and comments guys, it was much appreciated.

I've bottled it and will fly. Yeah, boring, but I was pretty strapped for time, which would have meant doing all of the journey on the main motorways, which would have been rubbish.

thanks again. though. I am definitley going to hit Europe at some point, hopefully when its a little warmer!

[Robster]

Thanks ever so much for your assistance and comments guys, it was much appreciated.

I've bottled it and will fly. Yeah, boring, but I was pretty strapped for time, which would have meant doing all of the journey on the main motorways, which would have been rubbish.

thanks again. though. I am definitley going to hit Europe at some point, hopefully when its a little warmer!

Boooooooooooo lightweight!

Actually I don't blame you too much...clear roads or not it will be very very cold.

I spent two winter seasons of 5 months each working in Val & Tignes, and I've been through on my bike(s) and in the car several times since so I know the area pretty well. As has been said the roads are kept clear most of the time. That doesn't mean all the time though!

If it snows and it's still cold enough (as it will be in March) the snow lies instantly and can be a foot deep inside a couple of hours. As much as they will try and clear it the constant procession of vehicles up and down the D902 compacts the snow to a nice firm base and it's then when you run into trouble.

Having lived there for more than 10 winter months I HAVE had to stop several times halfway up the mountain and fit snowchains and, practiced at it though I was, it's a thankless task. I've also made my way up (and down) without chains, and that's a scary job!

The point is you don't know what the weather's going to do...look at the Stella Alpina rally a couple of years back – there was fresh snow up the mountain in July!

Do however make a point of going back one summer...it's absolutely stunning up there and you won't find many better roads anywhere.