Vallnord Bike Park Trails

Commencal Track Blue Trail

Descent 1050m / 12km approx
Uplift: 1050m Climb: DH trail

You simply won’t believe reality when you ride this trail – it’s graded blue, but don’t let that fool you – it’s incredible fun if you are a more advance rider too! Yes, Vallnord has a track that will entertain absolutely any rider who hits it….it’s a masterpiece of design.

The blue grading doesn’t tell you the whole picture – you can take it gently and it feels like a smooth rollercoaster down the mountain, with stunning views and no rocks or roots. But hit it fast and enthisiastically and you will spend most of your time airborne at high speed!

This trail was added in 2016 and was an instant hit – these photos are of our buddy Cedric Gracia (who now also sponsors Singletrack Safari)  for a photoshoot with Mountain Biking UK – and it featured on the cover. Yep, that there is a blue trail!

Lower down you hit the steeper section where it enters the treeline and drops to town – and it’s fast, furious and very, very long – most people have to stop for a break. Tabletops, step-ups, rollers, booters…it’s all here if you want it – or can be rolled if you don’t.

Cubil Red Trail

Descent 388m / 2.5km
Uplift: 388m Climb: DH Trail

Cubil was the first of the trails which Vallnord built when they extended the park to the top of the mountain a few years ago (we must be old to remember this!) and, frankly, its an absolute ripper of a track. You head off the top lift at 2358m and it starts off fairly gently…depending on how much speed you dare gain. Seriously, this trail absolutely sucks you down the mountain at warp speed!

It’s not steep – it’s just so….open! You can see miles infront of yourself a very long way – there’s not a tree in sight at the start; just long, gently sweeping berms that build more and more speed – there’s no need to hit the brakes – other than to calm your nerves. Thing is, you have to be careful, as very quickly you start hitting big tables that can launch you seriously high and long – be wary of crosswinds; we’ve seen people land miles off the track in gusty weather.

Lower down you’ll find a *huge* step up, optional gap lines, doubles, step-downs…and on one corner, if you dare attempt it there’s a very tough step-up/gap onto a harshly angled wallride with a step-down/gap to finish…most people stick to the main trail – it’s scary looking!

Maxiavalanche Red/ Black Trail

Descent 1058m / 12.5km
Uplift: 1058m Climb: DH Trail

The Avalanche Cup mass-start races are infamous; none more so than the Megavalanche at Alpe D’Huez. However the second-biggest and most established sister race is the Maxiavalanche here at Vallnord. It holds the first round every June, and has done for many years – it is the event which heralds the launch weekend for Vallnord each summer.

Oh, and it is an absolute *monster* trail – fast and flowing at the top of the mountain (the trail starts at 2358m) and flows backwards and forwards across the meadows following the same basic route as Cubil – keep your eyes open for the wallride as this is where the route splits. Below this point things have an extensively natural feel – you are going to hit just as many rock gardens and roots as you will find berms and drops.

This natural feel becomes more and more predominant after you drop below the road – the Maxi actually follows the same secton of the mountain as the World Cup – in fact you will spend brief periods on that trail, before flicking back into the dark, rooty, rocky forest gulleys which lead you all the way back to town 1058m below the top. The lower section is graded black – but this is due to its natural, technical nature…it’s defintely not your average, bermed, bike park machine-built trail!