Tour du Grand Combin (2 Tage)
Description
The ideal starting point for the Tour du Grand Combin is Martigny. Take the train to Le Châble and then the post bus to Mauvoisin, from where you can use your own muscle power. Climb up to the dam wall, then follow the little road along the lake in the direction of the Cabane de Chanrion, but then keep right up to Fenêtre Durand. Here you have to push your bike about 550 meters up to the transition to the Aosta Valley. This is the first mountain prize, followed by the technical descent down to Alp Thoules. From here, the whole thing gets faster and smoother, and there is also a short climb until you reach the Ru de By. Follow this watercourse until the first-class trail descent to Étroubles begins. Ideally, the first stage ends here.
From Étroubles, the long ascent to Col Malatra is the order of the day. This rides along small roads to the ski lift station at Arp du Jeu, then up a gravel road to Tsa de Merdeux. Now it's time for the 650-metre hike to Col Malatra, the final section of which rides through rocky terrain in a high alpine setting to the crossing. Since the start in Étroubles, a good 1700 meters of altitude have been gained in this way. The reward is a fantastic descent down into Val Ferret with a direct view of the Grandes Jorasses and Mont Blanc. With the trail on the Balcon de Ferret and the subsequent ascent up to the Grand Col Ferret, the final section of the stage begins. From the Rifugio Elena, the bike has to be pushed a good 500 meters up to the pass. From the Grand Col Ferret pass, you switch to the Petit Col Ferret pass, as the descent back to Switzerland is longer and more attractive from here. It leads down to La Fouly on trails and then on a mix of trails and small roads through the Val Ferret to Orsières. Ideally, you should take the train here to get back to Martigny, as the return journey under your own steam would primarily be on the busy main road.
Tip: Shuttle up from Etroubles to Arp du Jeu with Aosta Valley Freeride, otherwise the stage is extremely long.
Map & GPX-Track
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Details of the tour
99 km
4015 m
4960 m
904 above sea level
2914 above sea level
2 days
Sembrancher
Orsières
1841
not suitable
More information
No bike shops are registered for this region. Registration as a partner takes place here.
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User comments (4)
About the author: Thomas Giger
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
Amazing tour, beautiful landscapes! We did it in 3 days with overnight stays in Etroubles & Rifugio Frassati.
A fantastic tour, highly recommended! Very few hikers on the upper sections of the descents, more at the bottom as it is easily accessible by car...
Spectacular tour through an impressive and mostly lonely landscape! The key section is the short climbing passage to the Col de Malatra, secured with iron footholds and ropes. To complete the tour around the Combins, it is worth extending the tour to 4 days, starting in Orsières and riding over the Col de Mille into Val de Bagnes on the first day. If the Rifugio Bonatti is fully booked, a good alternative is to ride down the high trail from the Rifugio into Val Ferret and spend the night in Val Ferret.
A very beautiful tour with super trails, spectacular scenery and very lonely in large parts. I did the tour in two days and spent the night in Lavechey. The approach to the Col de Malatra consists of steep gravel, two iron steps and short climbing passages, so it requires some skill. Highly recommended overall.