Words by Sour Team Rider Oli
Although there is also a Stoneman quite close to our home in Dresden in the Ore Mountains, I have only been interested in the Swiss version for a few years now: the Stoneman Glaciara in the beautiful canton of Valais. Why? Breathtaking mountain scenery meets real trails. That was the idea. So I decided to ride my Double Choc instead of my Pasta Party on this tour – which turned out to be a good decision.
We planned the adventure together on the occasion of my dad’s 50th birthday. We intended to complete the route of 127km and 4700 meters of altitude in 3 days, after all, we were planning a vacation together. Even though I was the only one on the analog bike, my dad rode his e-bike.
Preparation
Our planned timeframe at the end of September brought some uncertainties with the weather. At times, the 30-day forecast shifted from clear and sunny to cold and bitter. As is well known, mountain weather is notoriously unpredictable. For accommodations along the route, we chose a cozy chalet in Bellwald and a hotel on the Bettmeralp, ensuring we’d stay warm and dry overnight. The cooler weather did have one advantage: we didn’t have to worry as much about drinking water, so we decided not to pack a hydration bladder in our backpacks. Instead, we packed plenty of granola bars, a rain jacket, and winter gloves. We will find out weather this setup proves to be sufficient and reliable over the next three days.
Day 1 – Between fog and alpine trails
We started the tour directly from Bellwald and were able to enjoy the first trails down into the valley. They were challenging because of the rain overnight, but we enjoyed the slippery wakeup call. Here, for the first time, I was very glad that I had decided to ride the big bike. We then set off on the 1400-metre climb up to the Aletsch Glacier – we closed the shocks. It feels much easier to pedal up such mountains in one go than if the same climb is spread over several mountains. When we arrived at the Gletscherstube, we were completely covered in fog and could only see the surrounding area from time to time. A short detour on the hiking trail to the glacier, away from the original route, offered a first glimpse of the glacier. Simply epic!
After that, the greatest riding fun began on the rough hiking trails that followed. The trail, which is partly close to the edge of the cliff, can be as big of a mental challenge as physical challenge for inexperienced riders – My dad was certainly glad when there were no more rocky edges and tight turns to conquer.
After a few flowy up’s and down’s, we reached our destination for the day: Bettmeralp. After almost 44 kilometers and 1,673 meters of climbing, we were able to quench our burning legs with a cold beer, at least for the time being.
Day 2 – Drain the Battery Once
As early as necessary and as late as possible. We started the ascent to the actual glacier view on the tour, in a cool 3°C and sunshine, ideal to get into an excited mood for the day. Even a forced flat couldn’t ruin this morning because we had the right tool in our bag to secure a loose valve.
The climb, which was barely visible in the elevation profile, was in places too steep to ride if you had plans to be riding for the whole day. The high altitude air helped squeezing the air out of our lungs, while the clear morning breeze and the view of the Matterhorn cleared the mind. Step-by-step and corner-by-corner the legs burned after yesterday’s preload. Eyeing the top of the climb it felt like thousands of misty breaths until we reached the saddle. The view of the glacier was all the more impressive – the whole trip to Valais was worth this effort.
We then rumbled all the meters we had gained back down into the valley. Warning signs about the local wolf population kicked us in the butt. The high variety in the landscape, which started rough and alpine and went through a golf course into lush forests had heaps of fun riding to offer. Luckily, the Double Choc loves some steep and rough trails with loose rocks and plenty of root sections, and I was grinning the whole way down to the valley.
On the upcoming longest ascent of the tour, that is teased as tough and long, the recent route changes due to the landslides in the Binntal led to some confusion. The GPS track predicted only 1100 vertical meters, but there was no checkpoint on the route. So we climbed for another 500 vertical meters, battery management was now a top priority – even on the analog bike. Well, the rider, at least.
Fighting to shovel smuggled snacks into our mouths up high on the windy saddle, the challenge wasn’t a big one, but an important one. Moving into the last phase of our trip, we’d be damned if the last few calories we had would be offered up to the prevailing winds on the Breithorn saddle!
The descent had no technical passages, and for once I was happy to have a smooth trail in front of me. We had over 2000 meters of climbing in our legs and the battery level was getting lower by the minute. However, the long way back down into the valley was at least scenic.
The Binntal appeared in colorful early autumn colors while marmots appeared here and there sometimes running sometimes whistleing and quickly disappearing in their caves as we entered their habitat. With tired eyes, we enjoyed the breathtaking nature with thundering waterfalls on steep stone walls as we left the valley. After 68km and almost 2500 meters of altitude gained, the battery was at 4%.
Day 3 – after the fun comes the chore
We only saved the kilometers in the valley and back to Bellwald for the last day. The forecast called for rain and the grey day matched the mood. After 2 days of mountain panoramas, riding on cycle paths is rather sobering. I already missed the thrill of some rocky chutes. I missed the wide view of snow-covered peaks. If the weather was different, you could certainly take a nice break in one of the quaint villages. On this day, however, I mainly wanted to roll the remaining 24 kilometers through the thick valley air and take an afternoon nap. Surprisingly, there were almost 800 meters of ascent to pedal, most of them on a steep and greasy hiking trail. I was eagerly awaiting my nap. And visualized the planned cheese fondue that evening.
Resumee
Without a single mechanical and with a lot of sweat, we finished the tour after three days. As a challenge for everyone involved, it was a bonding experience.
The Double Choc was a good choice for some of the trail sections. Overall, however, the Cowboy Cookie would probably have been the perfectly balanced bike for this tour, considering the uphill fun. On the other hand, there could be some weight improvements made to my bikepark proven specs, like an air shock, lighter tires, no tire insert and so on. Nonetheless to me this is the ultimate do it all setup when things can get rough!
Bike Setup:
Frame: Sour Double Choc, size medium
Suspension: Öhlins RXF 36 m.2 fork, Öhlins TTX22 m.2 shock
Drivetrain: Ingrid CRS-G crank, 32 tooth chainring, SRAM X0 Transmission drivetrain
Wheels: Duke Fury Star 6ters rims on Race Face Vault hubs, Schwalbe Tacky Chan & Big Betty tires with Cush Core XC in the rear
Cockpit: Race Face Turbine stem & handlebars with Revgrips Pro Series RG6
