Tête de Viraysse

The Tête de Viraysse peak in the Val d'Oronaye with its fortress offers one of the most spectacular and impressive lost-place tours in the entire Alpine region and also spoils mountain bikers with an incredible panorama.

Description

The tour starts in the small village of Larche at 1700 meters above sea level in the Val d'Oronaye. From here, it's a few kilometers down to Meyronnes. Just before the village, take the asphalt road on the right and follow it to Saint-Ours. Once you arrive in the small village, you first fill up your water reserves and get a brief impression of the surrounding mountain landscape, which offers plenty of promise. We then continue along the old military road up to the dilapidated buildings at around 2500 meters above sea level. From here, the main uphill section has already been completed, with the remaining 200 meters of altitude to be covered entirely on a trail before you reach the summit with its military position. Similar to Monte Chaberton, the view from the summit is stunning and in good weather you can enjoy endless views of the Cottian Alps and the Maritime Alps.

The descent runs to the Colle de Mallemort saddle on a difficulty level of S1. From the saddle at an altitude of 2558 meters above sea level, the route continues at S1 to S2 level to the Plateau de Mallemort and further down to the starting point. There are relatively few hairpin bends, but many flow passages in the upper section, which will make bikers' hearts beat faster. The change of direction is slightly higher in the lower section, but the difficulty remains relatively similar.

To view the detailed tour description, the topo map, the altitude profile and to download the GPX track, you need a user account on Ride-mtb.com with a subscription. Log in now or become a subscriber.