+ 10
Petit Balcon Nord: Le Tour
Mountain Biking Trail
Moderate
4.51 mi
969 ft
One of the smoothest, flowiest benchcut trails in Chamonix.
Le Petit Balcon Nord connects to Le Tour, and this section of singletrack descending from Le Tour toward Argentiere is arguably one of the smoothest, fastest, most rewarding stretches of singletrack in the entire Chamonix Valley.
As with all trails in Chamonix, there's no end of possible route combinations. For a short loop that focuses solely on this fantastic trail, follow the route mapped here. This route combines a paved climb and a rewarding singletrack descent. Otherwise, incorporate this section of singletrack into a longer, more epic ride in the Chamonix Valley.
After climbing the pavement and reaching the trailhead, you'll pedal up a mellow, smooth climb before the descending begins in earnest.
The initial descent is fast and smooth, running along a delightful benchcut singletrack with a narrow trail tread that's relatively rare for the region. After whipping down smooth black dirt, the grade steepens, and the trail gets rougher, with rocks and roots cropping out to provide some more technical challenges. However, the roughest parts of this trail are very easy on the grand scheme of Chamonix mountain biking.
After passing the turn toward Le Planet, the trail drops quickly into a town forest just outside of Argentiere. If you'd like to ride further, you can connect to another section of the Petit Balcon Nord that heads toward Lavancher and beyond. Written by Greg Heil
Le Petit Balcon Nord connects to Le Tour, and this section of singletrack descending from Le Tour toward Argentiere is arguably one of the smoothest, fastest, most rewarding stretches of singletrack in the entire Chamonix Valley.
As with all trails in Chamonix, there's no end of possible route combinations. For a short loop that focuses solely on this fantastic trail, follow the route mapped here. This route combines a paved climb and a rewarding singletrack descent. Otherwise, incorporate this section of singletrack into a longer, more epic ride in the Chamonix Valley.
After climbing the pavement and reaching the trailhead, you'll pedal up a mellow, smooth climb before the descending begins in earnest.
The initial descent is fast and smooth, running along a delightful benchcut singletrack with a narrow trail tread that's relatively rare for the region. After whipping down smooth black dirt, the grade steepens, and the trail gets rougher, with rocks and roots cropping out to provide some more technical challenges. However, the roughest parts of this trail are very easy on the grand scheme of Chamonix mountain biking.
After passing the turn toward Le Planet, the trail drops quickly into a town forest just outside of Argentiere. If you'd like to ride further, you can connect to another section of the Petit Balcon Nord that heads toward Lavancher and beyond. Written by Greg Heil
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Strava Routes
Route and Elevation
Segments
| Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrêt bus argentière - Montroc | 0.89 mi | 282 ft | 6.0% |
| Bifurcation Col des Montets/Le Tour --> Montroc | 0.68 mi | 200 ft | 4.7% |
| End of the valley | 1.26 mi | 528 ft | 7.9% |
| Le plus dur reste à faire | 0.79 mi | 305 ft | 7.3% |
| Montroc (SNCF) - Le Tour (Bridge) | 0.62 mi | 282 ft | 8.5% |
| Chemin du Rocher Nay Climb | 0.39 mi | 262 ft | 12.6% |
| Route Du Tour Climb | 0.35 mi | 266 ft | 14.3% |
| Le Chant des Oiseaux | 1.28 mi | -843 ft | -12.4% |
| Balcon Nord Planet-Arg Descent | 0.41 mi | -390 ft | -17.8% |