Week in the Sierra Nevada 7th-14th March

blorg

Emty and myself are doing a training camp in the Sierra Nevada mountains (nearest airport: Malaga) from 7th-14th March. Anyone else interested? Barrabus has been there with the same people in early January and highly recommends it.

Raam

I would dearly love to, but I can't. Enjoy it, it will be brilliant.

DirkVoodoo

Any more details blorg? Type of climbs, expected weather, accomodation, etc.?

blorg

Expected weather will be decent but potentially changeable I reckon, I have been in Malaga in December and had 20+ degrees. Cost of the accomodation and guiding on the rides is pretty low (in the region of €50/night including everything except dinner.) Climbs will be up to 2,000m!

CheGuedara

Climbing in the Italian Alps at the same time, D'oh!!!

IM0

CheGuedara wrote: »

Climbing in the Italian Alps at the same time, D'oh!!!

in March? you sure? :skep:
must be low level stuff like under 1000m or so then yeah? the french alps are snowed in until may usually (and I have a feeling even the lower ones will be this year with the heavy winter.

ROK ON

Wouldn't be able to do this, but I really would like to do a cycling holiday somewhere warm this year. Thinking of "On Your Bike" or something like that.

Anyway, how experienced do you need to be to do one of these type holidays: ie 5+ days in the saddle, climbing 1500m etc.
Are these the type of holiday that you really need to be an experienced cyclist to get the value out of it.
Is it something that I should maybe wait till next year (have a few more miles/altitude in the legs), or is it the case that a persons cycling really comes on after doing something like this.

CheGuedara

me@ucd wrote: »

in March? you sure? :skep:
must be low level stuff like under 1000m or so then yeah? the french alps are snowed in until may usually (and I have a feeling even the lower ones will be this year with the heavy winter.

Nope full on right to the top - but not on a bike; ice axes, crampons and snow shoes all the way. Basing ourselves near Livigno and taking in 1/2 peaks a day and taking in ice climbing up a few waterfalls if there's time (darks secret as being an part time alpinist of the mountaineering variety out in the open then...)

DirkVoodoo

Be sure to stock up on nice, tax-free booze in Livigno

sy

"You lucky,lucky *******s" Enjoy

Sleepy

Just a warning, I was over there earlier this week for a ski holiday and the top of the mountain in Pradollano had 100kph+ winds and avalanche warnings for 3 of the 4 days we were there...

CheGuedara

Sleepy wrote: »

Just a warning, I was over there earlier this week for a ski holiday and the top of the mountain in Pradollano had 100kph+ winds and avalanche warnings for 3 of the 4 days we were there...

Yeah, the club we're twinned with has been giving us pretty regular updates on the weather front. Apparently the weather's been off and there's the possibility of the avalance risk season being slightly longer than usual (the middle of March is normally supposed to be relatively safe).

We're going to put down the first day refreshing avalanche skills; transponder locating and the like just in case things were to go big, white, fast and pear shaped on the trip.

Like cycling, the weather will dictate a lot. If going high is too dangerous we'll probably focus on the ice climbing and some snow shoeing. Could alway give snow boarding a bash - a mis-spent childhood on a skateboard should see me right in that event anyhow.

petethedrummer

i'm interested in this, but at this stage I think it's a little early in the year for me.

barrabus

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Any more details blorg? Type of climbs, expected weather, accomodation, etc.?

if it is the same place i was in jan, the website is http://www.vamoscycling.com/

DirkVoodoo

Thanks Barrabus...wow, they all look so happy in those photos. They need a trademark Blorg-pose photo to put on that page.

blorg

We are now booked- anyone else interested should note that flights with Ryanair to Malaga are currently very cheap on those dates - 0 over and 9.99 return. Of course this translated to around €145 each when you add taxes/charges/airport checkin/bike/credit card charge etc. Still a good deal for return to Malaga with a bike.

boomdocker

folks,

i see that some of ye have discovered the joys of mtb recently....

I was in the Sierra Nevada with these guys www.ridesierranevada.com a few years back. Some of the best mtb'ing i've ever done, highly recommended.

Might be a nice break from all that roadie nonsense!!

have a look at the movie on their homepage....