The St Jean d’Aulps Pump Track

bike vision INTRODUCING THE CREATORS OF ST JEAN D'AULPS' NEW PUMP TRACK

If you’re reading this and wondering why a new pump track is a big deal around these parts - we’re surrounded by some of the best bike trails in the world after all - I'll elaborate. Pump tacks keep children of all ages entertained for hours, without fail. They offer guaranteed entertainment, whatever the weather, fostering a community of kids playing outside, away from screens. They help hone those vital bike skills and they’re great fun for adults too.

Sébastien Giraldi and his team at Bike Vision Design were charged with construction of the new track.

© Maxime Rambaud - bike vision team

Those of us with small people to entertain have grown used to schralping all the way to Morillon pump track of a weekend. “If only we had a track this good closer to home,” we’d mutter on the way back. If you’re wondering what a pump track is, imagine a circular loop of rollers and berms for bikes, designed to maximise momentum so you can ride it with minimal pedalling. Made of earth and typically coated in tarmac, the modern day pump track often comes with varying routes and degrees of difficulty and is most definitely not just for small people.

The 2020 Municipal Elections brought a new mayor for St Jean d’Aulps, which sits just 8km from the centre of Morzine (and is therefore entirely ridable). Despite the first 12-months of his mayorship being dominated by COVID-19-chaos, Mayor Chalençon quickly established and approved plans to build a brand new pump track within his commune, due for completion at the end of May 2021.

Why have pump tracks become so popular in recent years?

SEB: Pump tracks are beautiful recreation areas that can be easily created today in most towns and cities. They’re versatile, welcoming mountain bikers, BMX-ers, skateboarders, long boarders, scooters, roller-skaters and little ones on balance bikes. The fun is accessible to all! Here at Bike Vision Design we specialise in creating infrastructure in areas dedicated to mountain biking. Our projects include bike parks, trail construction, slopestyle courses and free ride zones in addition to pump tracks.

Where did the idea for a pump track in St Jean d’Aulps come from?

SEB: Quite simply, it was the will of the Mayor and his team. They were all very motivated to build the new track and their objective was clear; the track should be ambitious and meet the ambitions of the young people in the valley. We presented them with our vision, which had to be well integrated on the site, visually acceptable and technically versatile too.

What’s the schedule for the project? When will it be ready?

SEB: Here at Bike Vision Design we’re the project managers and we called on local company Coppel Terrassement in Les Gets to conduct the required earthworks. We’ve created three different trails on the one site, with an access ramp, a riprap wall and drainage of course. Once the earthworks were complete, we moved in to model and perfect the rollers, the berms and the jumps. The top layer will be asphalt and once it’s installed we’ll take care of the landscaping, including fencing, painting and the creation on an information board.

SEB: Everyone! There are three levels of track - green for the youngest riders, blue for intermediates and a red track with lots of jumps for more seasoned riders. There’ll also be a small bowl, similar to what you might find in a skate park.

Did you also build the Les Gets Airline?

SEB: We did! That was a long time ago now. SaGets (the lift operating company in Les Gets) dedicated a new piece of land for the project - it was steep, narrow and short, so we had to be creative. We had to play with the slope by making catwalks and we had really bad weather with rain, snow and cold temperatures, but only good memories remain!

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How will you feel when you see people making their first turns on the new pump track?

SEB: The birth of a pump track - or any trail really - is very emotional! Whether the feedback is negative or positive, trail users often forget the work that goes into these projects. A lot of responsibility rests on the shoulders of the shapers and for my part, I try to have a global vision and to think of every use for the track, including those who finance it, of course! We look forward to opening day like a birthday and as the first wheels turn we’re always apprehensive but happy! Being a bike park shaper isn’t something we do to make our fortune. This is a passion profession! And then I say to myself… where is the next one?

And where is the next one?

SEB: We’ll begin work on LudoPark, a mini bike park for children in the forest in Le Grand Bornand before heading to Abondance to make another pump track. And before the end of June we’ll complete the refurbishment of the Bike Vision Bike Park in Bernex with two new trails.