Having done the chalet changeover in 30+ degrees heat, after a very busy week, catering for 8 people on my own, I was pretty much exhausted and definitely dehydrated before we left, but threw some pills down my neck for the headache and thought it would pass. It didn't. That said, it was a superb morning and having left early to beat the weather, Jamie, Willie and I were on the road just after 7am, enjoying the scenery on the way into Switzerland.
The first uplift is a tiny little local telecabine which fits 3 bikers and 6 people very intimately, as we found out. These little chairs run all year and are the up and down lifeblood of the locals living in this beautiful valley. Having paid at the top and bought the telecabine ticket, it was a short ride through the sleepy village above Chalais before getting into the brand new lift and being whisked up to the top.
Once out at the top, you are surrounded by some awesome scenery, with a short single track drop to wake us up and then the start of the traverse, towards the tooth being pointed at, above. We were headed to the col de cou which is on the right hand side of the pic below and a good slog/hike a bike up from the amazing plateau behind the waterfall dropping down the valley. Even though it was cool, with quite a stiff headwind, the sweating was about to start!
All worth it though as the view opens up at the top of the Col de Cou and the start of the Brazilian. We turned our backs on this, though, towards the thin ribbon of singletrack, contouring round the hill we had just come up. It was thin and quite technical in parts and a good warm up for things to come!
