While this addition won't add much in the way of technicality and challenge, beginning from the base of a glacier and ripping down a rocky alpine road for several kilometers definitely increases the epicness of this outing! This wide-open road lets you rip down the mountain, launching off boulders, pile driving through rock gardens, skidding through corners... it's all fair game!

You'll have to take a 4-lift combination from Le Chable to reach the top of a jumbo lift, which includes riding both up and down a mountain on one of the lifts. Many tourists count riding these lifts as their "day out in the mountains," but pair the lifts with an absurdly long mountain bike ride from peak to valley, and you know who's had the better day out!

Once down the dirt road and to the top of Vertigo, the riding gets dramatically more difficult.

The singletrack begins with a rocky traverse trail that crosses a rushing mountain stream via a series of boulders that are barely rideable. The following singletrack is rocky and rough, demanding expert bike handling even before you reach the downhill.

The descent begins fast and furious, flying through wide-open alpine meadows. It's easy to get cooking too fast in this section, as you'll inevitably come into the sharp corners a bit too hot. Stay in control—you have a lot of trail ahead of you.

Soon you'll drop into the woods and have a blast ripping down fantastic dirt laced with occasional roots. This section will lead to the "island in the sky," which provides a fantastic overlook of the valley far, far below. The island is the perfect spot to stop, grab a snack, and compose yourself, because the ride is about to get much more difficult.

From here, the technicality of the ride gets progressively harder and harder until it culminates in sections of extremely-demanding singletrack. The trail steepens, the switchbacks get tighter, and the mountainside exposure gets much more dramatic. The lower section of steep, stacked switchbacks infuses rock slabs and some near-vertical slopes into the mix, requiring absolute focus and expert-level bike handling. Riders who are unprepared for this will find themselves doing a substantial amount of downhill hiking.

After making it down the series of never-ending switchbacks, the trail finishes with a long, fast straightaway to get the wind blowing through your hair again. After popping out of the singletrack, take roads back to the lift station in Le Chable.