It wasn't just in the Dolomites that warring factions butted heads. In the Western Alps, the French and Italians also massively armed themselves against each other along their border. Here too, a dense network of old military paths winds its way from one fort to the next. The Val di Susa, just under two hours' drive west of Turin, is particularly rewarding for mountain bikers. On the one hand, there is the 3136 metre high summit of Mont Chaberton with its eight massive turrets. This is a classic trail that requires a certain level of fitness and riding technique. But on the summit plateau directly opposite, this flow experience of the finest kind awaits: the super trail called Lago di Sette Colori.
A really fun trail, without any rough bumps, promised our bike buddy Maxi. We follow him from Claviere over the French border and then for four kilometres up the pass road to Montgenèvre. "Oh no, bike park?" Sabine exclaims as we buy the lift tickets up to Chalmettes. Maxi grins. Of course not. In fact, we only use the two lifts at the Montgenèvre bike park. After a painless 700 metres in altitude, we hop out of the lift chair at Fort du Gondran. It doesn't take long before we're staring Mont Chaberton straight in the face. We may be 800 metres below, but the direction is right - the devastating salvos fired at the Italian fort on Mont Chaberton during the Second World War could have come from Fort du Gondran. We stand there in awe for quite a while, gazing over at the pyramid of Mont Chaberton. It's unbelievable that we were standing up there at around the same time yesterday. And what an ordeal it was!
Quite different over here: We hurtle down the first 200 metres of altitude on the bike park's smoothly polished marble run, then turn off onto the gravel road that leads up to the Col du Gondran. With its help, we finally shake off the bike park and suddenly find ourselves in the middle of the high plateau of the Monti della Luna. A truly moon-like desert landscape opens up before us. The sandy hills undulate gently. The rainwater that hits this dusty ground is just enough for a few tufts of grass.
The trail winds over the plateau for 6 kilometres
Our trail now picks up speed in this steppe setting. We surf up and down as if on the finest sandpaper. There are no rocky steps to slow us down, no trees to push their way into the panorama - for six kilometres we experience the finest flow. Then we head for the Lago di Sette Colori - or Lac Gignoux, as the French call it.
The path first circles this little blue eye in the middle of the desert quite innocuously, then it suddenly takes a straightforward and - there's no other way to put it - steep ascent towards Col de Saurel on the other bank. But only for 100 metres in altitude, which is bearable. At the pass itself, gravel crackles briefly under the tyres, then a trail takes over again.
Short grip test - another trail with this marvellous sandpaper surface. Bend after bend, we push the grip and centrifugal forces to the maximum. What a natural trail! No bike park designer in the world could come up with a more beautiful course or mix up a better surface. And to top it all off, there's a rollercoaster-like trail through a sparse fairytale forest. This fun ride lasts a whole 600 metres, before we hit a gravel road again, which leads us back to Claviere in Italy. What an experience!
The dates of the trail circuit
- Length: 19.3 kilometres (pure route, lift deducted)
- Uphill: 398 metres in altitude
- Downhill: 1094 metres in altitude
- Trail section: 12.9 kilometres
- Cable cars: 2
- Difficulty: medium
GPS data Supertrail Lago di Sette Colori
The GPS data for the Supertrail Lago di Sette Colori is now available here in our new DK tour portal.
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Info Lago di Sette Colori/ Val di Susa
Cable car: The tour starts on the French side, at the valley station of the Les Chalmettes cable car in Montgenèvre. You use the two lifts of the bike park (Les Chalmettes gondola and chairlift to Fort du Gondran). Season: 8.7. - 31.8.24, daily 9:30 - 16:30, June and Sept. only at weekends, day ticket: 20.50 euros, montgenevre.com
Key points: After the "Lago di Sette colouri", there are a few extremely steep ramps to master - even with motorised assistance, this is a technical challenge. If you can't manage it, push. If you don't want to use the two lifts, you can also pedal yourself, but you will need two batteries and should start the tour in good time. Long tour!
Accommodation: The best place to stay overnight with a campervan is in the Vallée Etroite. This is a nature park at its best, no problem for campers. Otherwise, the town of Bardonecchia is also centrally located, especially if you want to combine the two tours Monte Chaberton and Sette Colori.
Retreat: Il Laghetto", the sports restaurant, serves delicious pizza and pasta in a typical Italian atmosphere. It makes sense to book in advance, as the restaurant is also very popular with locals and is usually full.
Combination tip: If you're already there, you shouldn't miss the Mont Chaberton opposite. However, the terrain is very rough and there are no lifts! But the spectacular summit with its eight turrets is definitely worth the "gateway tour"!
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
