{"id":16382,"date":"2022-09-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-28T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/mbuk\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=16382"},"modified":"2022-09-30T10:13:26","modified_gmt":"2022-09-30T08:13:26","slug":"riding-high","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/mbuk\/2022\/09\/29\/riding-high\/","title":{"rendered":"Riding high"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

Riding high<\/h2>\n\n

What began as a mission to climb 4,000m and descend Europe\u2019s highest single-track in a day turned into an altogether different type of challenge\u2026 <\/span><\/p>\n\n

Words <\/strong>Tom Marvin | Pics<\/strong> Sam Morris<\/p>\n\n

IN ASSOCIATION WITH<\/h5>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n\n

Aiguille de la Grand Sassi\u00e8re is a monster of a mountain, sitting on the French\/Italian border not far from Val d\u2019Isere. Virtually hidden from view from the valley below, the trail from its 3,752m peak is believed to be the highest <\/span>singletrack descent in Europe, accessible only via a five-hour hike-a-bike over loose, rocky terrain with glaciers to one side and precipitous exposure to the other. Those who ride the Sass usually start this gruelling ascent from a car park at 2,300m and return via a steep, loose, technical descent. This is what I did back in 2011, while working for BikeVillage Holidays near Bourg St Maurice, run by my mate Sam, on one of the staff\u2019s regular \u2018Savage Wednesdays\u2019. But this smash and grab approach has never sat well with me. Bourg sits 3,000m below the summit, so why not commit properly to the mountain and ride it from the valley floor?<\/span><\/p>\n\n

This summer presented the chance to go back, and I was keen to see if I was up to the challenge. I\u2019d also been tasked with putting MET\u2019s latest Parachute MCR convertible helmet to the test, and this seemed the perfect opportunity. I certainly didn\u2019t want to wear a bulky DH full-face on the long climb, yet I knew I\u2019d appreciate the extra protection of a chin bar on the way back down. The plan was set \u2013 Sam and I would finish the regular guest ride on Friday afternoon, grab our big bags and pedal from Bourg that evening, escaping the heatwave that was enveloping Europe in 35\u00b0C-plus temperatures. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
A few hours shivering in a thin sleeping bag isn\u2019t the best preparation for this mission <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

The idea was that we\u2019d hit the car park in the early hours and crawl into our thin but light summer sleeping bags for a few hours\u2019 kip, before a dawn assault on the summit, stashing our sleeping equipment at 2,400m. On the way down we\u2019d collect our kit and return to Bourg via a classic route through the valley, named \u2018Heidi\u2019 after the stunning alpine meadows we\u2019d pass through. This descent would add another 1,000m of climbing, bringing our day\u2019s total to 4,000m, so the recovery beers at the bottom would be well deserved.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Best-laid plans<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

We roll out of Bourg at 8pm, both a little frazzled from a week riding through a heatwave. With so far to go, we\u2019d ummed and aahed about taking a steeper but shorter route up, via some fireroads below La Rosi\u00e8re, before cutting along on and off-road the rest of the way. Time, and the knowledge of what was to come, though, meant we stuck to the main road that (eventually) leads to Val d\u2019Isere \u2013 one of the Tour de France\u2019s most infamous climbs. Passing through Sainte-Foy Tarantaise at 9.30pm, we luck upon a hotel serving pizzas. We haven\u2019t eaten much nor really packed any food, and while Sam was fairly certain we\u2019d find something, it\u2019s a relief to be able to sit down and cram a pizza and glass of red down our necks \u2013 athlete nutrition at its best. The staff are a little confused as to why we want two pizzas each, though, and even more so when we ask for a big sheet of tinfoil. Goat\u2019s cheese and honey pizzas folded in half and stuffed into our packs will make an excellent breakfast\u2026 <\/p>\n\n

By the time we leave, it\u2019s dark. Lights on, we roll up the road while digesting dinner. The moon isn\u2019t yet above the mountainous horizon, so our head torches\u2019 glow is the only source of light, save for the odd vehicle; the motorists no doubt wonder what we\u2019re doing out riding at this hour. Our pace is slow. I\u2019m feeling the effects of the heat, on top of two weeks of alpine riding, so Sam and I play increasingly dark games of \u2018name something beginning with the letter\u2026\u2019 to pass the time.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Five hours of hike-a-bike proves to be a mental, not just physical, challenge <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

An hour or so in, a huge lump of rock looms out of the darkness on our right, its peak seemingly in the stars. \u201cWhat mountain\u2019s that then, boss?\u201d I ask. \u201cMont Pourri. About 3,780m, I think.\u201d Silence. A look of realisation spreads across Sam\u2019s face, and then mine. The summit looks so far away, and yet it\u2019s less than 30m higher than where we\u2019re heading, and still glistens with moonlit snow. The climb drags on, my legs getting more and more tired, way worse than I\u2019d expected. Eventually we make it to Lac du Chevril, across the valley from Tignes. Just along the reservoir we turn left up a singletrack road, the final stretch of our night\u2019s climb, just another 500m vertical to go. Ten minutes in, the moon finally makes its appearance and within seconds we\u2019re bathed in an ethereal light. <\/p>\n\n

We turn our head torches off and continue, slowly, up, finally reaching the car park at 1.30am. Plenty of hikers are here in their cars and campers, waiting to head up the Sass in the morning, and we quietly slink past to some open ground near the lake. Sam takes a few photos, and as we do so it dawns on us that this high up, with clear skies, even daytime temperatures well into the 30s don\u2019t relate to warmth at night. Fingers are going numb and our breath is visible; our \u2018light and fast\u2019 approach is looking slightly foolish now. At this point, there\u2019s no room for British reserve. We butt our sleeping mats up against each other, wrapping the groundsheet over the top of us to keep the breeze away, with our Bluegrass knee pads adding some welcome extra insulation. Within 30 seconds, I\u2019m the little spoon. We lie there for three hours, neither of us sleeping. A farmer rocks up at about 3.30am to milk his cows, whose bells have been clanging throughout the night. It\u2019s almost a relief when the sun rises and we have an excuse to crawl out from our paltry sleeping bags. <\/p>\n\n

Neither of us can stomach the thought of eating pizza this early, so we crack on as quick as we can. We aren\u2019t the first to start the climb; a few crazies running it are already on their way, and a pair of Italians with bikes get a head start on us. We have 13 hours of light to make it up and down, though, so we aren\u2019t racing anyone. Racing would have been impossible anyway; at 2,300m there\u2019s ample oxygen, but noticeably less than at a few meters above sea level, where my red blood cells have been formed. We pedal for 5-10 minutes, but there\u2019s no chance of gaining much height via pedal power. The path up is largely hikea-bike, and so my 15kg Bird full-sus is soon hoicked up cvonto my shoulders, my legs having to learn a new way to effectively and efficiently gain height.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

“THE EXPOSURE DEMANDS TOTAL FOCUS, AND THE SHIFTING GROUND NEEDS PIN-SHARP ACCURACY”<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

\"\"
He wasn\u2019t in any state to tackle the really technical upper mountain, but Tom still rode some pretty gnarly stuff <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
Downward spiral <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

The summit looks impossibly far away. The final pitch of the climb sits adjacent to a glacier, while on the other side is a sheer drop, hundreds of metres to the hanging valley below. It\u2019s an intense place to be so early in the morning, knowing there\u2019s a solid, uncomfortable five hours of hiking ahead. We\u2019ll have to clamber up and over shoulders in the mountain, scramble up sheer rock faces littered with loose rocks and trudge up narrow walkers\u2019 paths with exposure everywhere you look. And then ride back down it all. <\/p>\n\n

The climb is hard; I\u2019m shedding clothes and sweating as the sun hits my back. I keep my helmet on, with the chin bar strapped to my pack \u2013 it\u2019s easy to carry like this, and gives me a sense of safety as I look vertically up at the rock I\u2019m trying to carry my bike to the top of, with stones dislodged by hikers occasionally rattling down past my shoulders. The steep pitches keep on coming, and my shoulders ache with the weight of my pack and bike. The higher we go, the less oxygen there is, and I\u2019m really aware how thin the air is becoming. <\/p>\n\n

Pizza, cereal bars and SIS gels do their best to fuel me, but the lack of sleep and the heat of the previous week have definitely taken their toll. Sam promises me he\u2019s suffering too, but he\u2019s strong and used to the mountain air. There\u2019s no room for chat, and we climb at our own pace, Sam stopping from time to time to take candid shots of me, my face usually crossed with a scowl. I descend into a bit of a mental rut. The route up is technical \u2013 I knew the descent would be, but how on earth am I going to ride down this sheer, loose rock-face of a trail? I\u2019m starting to seriously regret my keenness for this project. In my head, I\u2019m telling myself to give up, turn around. Sam\u2019s encouraging me, though, and I\u2019ve too much pride to stop.<\/p>\n\n

By midday we\u2019ve nearly made it. The glacier is to our left, a 1,000m drop to our right. The dirt is now dark shale, the trail zig-zagging the final couple of hundred vertical meters to the top. Sam goes ahead, and for the last time I lift my bike onto my screaming shoulders. I start hiking, one step at a time, breathing fast with the effort and altitude. About 100m from the summit, I take a rest. The views are awe-inspiring. In the distance, Mont Blanc is free of clouds. I can see ski resorts below, and the sky is infinitely stretched.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Tom attaches his MET Parachute MCR helmet\u2019s chin bar ready to descend the mountain <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
Things fall apart <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

People are hiking past me. Initially, a few comment on how crazy it is to see a bike up here. Then some start to ask me if I\u2019m OK. I probably don\u2019t look it. \u201cOui, bien merci,\u201d is my first, and second, reply. More people ask, and as they do so my response becomes less certain. Am I OK? I\u2019m knackered, yes. But I\u2019ve been here before and know what\u2019s to come. Still people ask, though. Next, I\u2019m not sure I am OK. I\u2019m breathing faster and faster, overwhelmed by the situation. Soon, someone\u2019s sat next to me, giving me a banana. Another guy seems to be putting his jacket around me. Sam\u2019s been watching me, too. From the top he sees me chatting to a couple of people, and then 30 seconds later, five or six people. He starts making his way down, by which point I\u2019m in the middle of a crowd. Someone\u2019s wrapped me in a gold foil blanket. <\/p>\n\n

My French is alright, but I\u2019m breathing hard, gasping for air, and can\u2019t seem to tell the people around me that I don\u2019t need the helicopter that\u2019s just been called for me. They think I\u2019ve fallen or am having a medical emergency. It only takes Sam a couple of minutes to reach me. He\u2019s an old friend, and knows I\u2019ve struggled with my mental health in the past. A quick nod from me confirms to him that I\u2019m having a panic attack. I just need to breathe and relax. He speaks to the helicopter station, telling them to delay their departure until he calls them again if necessary. He\u2019s talking to the French hikers around me, working out a plan of how to get me and my bike down. Slowly, people disperse as I regain control of my breathing. Two guys head up to the summit and grab Sam\u2019s bike. They offer to split mine into its frame and wheels and carry it down to the car park for me. By then I\u2019m recovering composure, feeling a little wiped-out but determined to make my own way back down. I was only minutes from the summit, but my head wasn\u2019t ready for that. <\/p>\n\n

Our original plan was to ride all the way back to Bourg, including that extra 1,000m of ascent. We\u2019re both exhausted, though. Sam makes some calls, and two friends drop their plans and set off to meet us in a couple of hours at the car park. I attach the chin bar to my Parachute helmet; I realise my opportunity to ride the more technical sections of the descent is past \u2013 I didn\u2019t ride half of what I knew I could \u2013 but knowing I\u2019m more protected as I gingerly start making my way down, at first largely on foot, is the psychological <\/span>boost I need. The lower we get, the easier things become \u2013 not technically, especially, but mentally \u2013 and the more time I spend on the bike. We have a target and it feels achievable.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Enjoying the ride as the gradient lessens and so does the jeopardy <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\"\"
The steepness, loose surface and extreme exposure would test anyone\u2019s nerves to the limit <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
Resurrection <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

The trail, if you ignore panic attacks, is incredible. It\u2019s steep, loose, technical and tight. The exposure at times demands absolute focus, while the shifting ground under our tyres means pin-sharp accuracy and immediate reactions are needed to navigate it cleanly. It twists and turns, spitting us through jagged rocks and grabbing at our rear mechs. At times, there\u2019s no option but to get off and pass our bikes down head-height slabs. There\u2019s no beef with walkers here. They\u2019re just bemused that anyone would want to bring a bike to such a hostile environment. It takes us a while, but we reach the lower sections of this upper part of the mountain. I\u2019m feeling much better, and while I can\u2019t match Sam\u2019s 20-plus years of alpine experience on the tightest of trails, I\u2019m actually really enjoying the descent now. My bike, a Bird Aether 9, is at home on this terrain, and the confidence a full-face lid and goggles gives helps when the tyres are scrabbling for grip. <\/p>\n\n

We finish our ride with some classic alpine singletrack, a narrow cows\u2019 path that skirts the mountain with a few rocks placed to catch you out if you\u2019re not paying attention. In all, we\u2019ve been out for nearly 19 hours, including three sleepless hours freezing on the side of the mountain. The sight of the van waiting for us, along with a can of full-fat Coke, is a huge relief. Sometimes, your plans just don\u2019t come off. Yes, our photos look epic, and I\u2019d love to tell a story where we bossed it to the top of Europe\u2019s highest ridable peak. But it simply didn\u2019t happen. I got close, but heat, exhaustion, sleep deprivation and self-imposed pressure to complete something I\u2019ve dreamed of for years combined to push me mentally over the edge. The Sass still stands, and will do for as long as I\u2019m riding. Never say never, but perhaps the best-laid plans are sometimes best left lying. <\/p>\n\n

\n\n

WHERE ARE WE? <\/h4>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

The Aiguille de la Grand Sassi\u00e8re (elevation 3,752m) sits on the French\/Italian border in the Savoie region of France. At the bottom of the valley is Bourg St Maurice, while Val d\u2019Isere and Tignes are the closest ski resorts. Access to the mountain is usually via driving to the Lac de la Sassi\u00e8re car park, with the path heading up from there. Expect the climb to take around five hours and the descent 90 minutes to two hours. <\/p>\n\n

\n\n

A FRIEND IN NEED\u2026 <\/h4>\n\n

Sam\u2019s thoughts on Tom\u2019s experience:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to watch a mate spiral. Hard to know what to do, and harder too feeling you can\u2019t do anything tangible to help. Panic attacks aren\u2019t even the hardest bit to help with \u2013 www.mind.org.uk<\/a> <\/em>has some great advice there. If we could make our friends feel the love for themselves that we feel for them, life would be a lot easier. Until then, a space where we step outside of the \u2018yeah, fine thanks, how are you?\u2019 routine and get talking is crucial. For a lot of us, mountain biking provides that opportunity, and I\u2019m so grateful for that side of our sport. Tom has helped me through a torrid couple of years, and bikes have been the delivery method of choice for his unrelenting kindness. Hopefully I can return the favour and hopefully you can, too \u2013 book in a ride with a good friend this weekend and get chatting.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Why not enter to join one of MBUK \u2019s Ride Together <\/strong><\/em>group ride-outs, in collaboration with Nukeproof and the charity Campaign Against Living Miserably, in the Forest of Dean <\/strong>(16 October) or Llandegla, Wales <\/strong>(12 November)? <\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

MET PARACHUTE MCR HELMET <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

MET provided Sam and me with their latest convertible enduro helmet, the Parachute MCR, along with some Bluegrass knee protection. The Parachute MCR\u2019s chin bar is removable, via a clever magnetic release system developed with Fidlock. This allowed us to climb with plenty of ventilation, then attach the chin bar to descend with extra confidence. In full-face form, the helmet is downhill-certified. It also features the MIPS brain protection system, along with a BOA fit dial and no fewer than 21 vents. For full details, visit www.met-helmets.com<\/a>. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What began as a mission to climb 4,000m and descend Europe\u2019s highest singletrack in a day turned into an altogether different type of challenge\u2026 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