When I arrived in Spain, I knew that I had many interesting places to discover with the Mtb.
There was a lot of literature on places like Navarra, Ainsa (famous for its EWS) and many other areas along the Pyrenees. But surprisingly no one had spoken to me and there was no reference to the spectacular possibilities offered by this area in concert. The Pallars.
The Pallars area is made up of several valleys. The northernmost area is called Valls d’aneu, it borders France and also the Aran Valley. A little further south is Llavorsi, another town better known for its access to the Noguera river for Rafting. From Llavorsi we access 2 more valleys in the region. The Vall de Cardos and the Vallfarrera, the latter better known because it is the access road to the Pica d’estats (3143+) which is the highest peak in the Catalan Pyrenees.
In a quiet environment and not too crowded with people, you can enjoy a good mountain gastronomy and an important point to its Roman architecture. You can find a large number of churches over 1000 years old in many of its small towns, some of them abandoned.
The area is made up of mountains that easily exceed 2700 m + and that makes its valleys closed. Further south of the region, the Sort area creates another area with its great Pic del Orri mountain where the Port Aine ski station is. And one of its longest descents. La Forestal entering from Pic de l’Orri. 1756 negatives.
Much of the region is within the High Pyrenees Natural Park, and the other part, especially the north, is within the Aiguestortes and Estany de Sant maurici National Park. The latter one of the most interesting parks in the entire Pyrenees.
There are several negative 1000-meter descents. The longest I did was a negative 1400m on a spectacular 11km singletrack. But apart from this there is a varied number of drops over the 1000 negatives approximately in its different areas. Some take place entirely within the forest. Others are more rocky or arid due to their orientation. And others I would even say complex, because due to its great unevenness the terrain and vegetation change as you lose height on the way down. The region even offers a spectacular range of singletracks if one is willing to pedal a bit to access these places. A common feature of singletracks is that everything is very Natural.
They are singletracs that are not worked, many of them original for trekkin, but due to their little use and passage of people they are perfectly suitable for mtb.
Another way to see the magnitude of the pitch is that in just 3 days and with only 3 lifts I did more than 4000m negatives. With only one lift a day. It’s easy to do 2000 negative m a day. 10.000 in a week.
Discovering this entire region the way I did was something between accidental and a bit of luck, because I met a local, Marc, who was accompanied by a friend, at the top of a mountain, just before starting a descent. After exchanging a few words, we made that descent together, and it was they who opened the door for me to discover a whole repertoire of spectacular singletracks throughout their area. Marc organizes routes by stages in mtb, another way to discover the area. And he is in charge of www.mtbpallars.com the first company that has started to do mtb lifts in Pallars north area.
The Pallars area is made up of several valleys, each with their own distinct mountain character set within a quiet, historically-rich environment. The area is dominated by mountains which tower well over 2000m and set a dramatic backdrop to small traditional towns where you can find great mountain cuisine served within the remnants of ancient Roman architecture and thousand year old churches. The northernmost area is called Valls d’aneu, it borders France and also the Aran Valley. A little further south is the town of Llavorsi, perhaps better known for its Noguera river for rafting. From Llavorsi we access two more valleys in the region; The Vall de Cardós and the Vallfarrera, the latter better known for its access to the Pica d’estats (3143m) which is the highest peak in the Catalan Pyrenees. In Vallfarrera we could ride El Farro, an amazing fun trail The final area, further south, is set around the town of Sort with its great Pic del Orri mountain which just happens to be the starting point for one the longest mountain bike descents in the area, La Forestal, a singletrack descent down to Sort some 14kms and 1700m below!
The sheer number of trails in the Pallars area (several 1000m+ descent options) is matched by a huge variety of different types of terrain. Whether you like to ride on rock, dirt, roots, gravel, steep, twisty or all combined, the raw and natural feel of these trails will keep you focussed and buzzing for day! With some steady peddling, you can easily rack up a 2000m+ descent day and with some uplift you’re talking some seriously long, arm pumping days!
Here are a few of the reviews of the most important trails, but there are many more to choose from.
https://www.trailforks.com/trails/pla-de-la-font-jou/
https://www.trailforks.com/trails/pla-de-negua-a-cardos/
https://www.trailforks.com/trails/lo-farro-de-tirvia/
https://www.trailforks.com/trails/l-orri-sort-93262/
The best time to visit the Pallars area would be from end may beginning of June to around the middle of July. After that it gets pretty hot and may get busier with the August holiday period. September/october is also a great option to enjoy this great environment almost to yourself. Flights into Barcelona are easy, cheap and plentiful and with only a 2 1/2hr transfer, it is easily feasible as a long weekend destination where you can maximise your riding time instead of waiting in a queue! To make the most of your experience in Pallars you can also pre book uplift, accommodation and expert knowledge of the trails and area by a locally based company called mtbpallars run by Marc who is a very keen and passionate mountain biker with superb knowledge of the Pallars area and beyond.
Visit MTBPALLARS.COM for more information.
