November, yet the weather felt like the best of September. The plan for the afternoon was simple: climb above Sierre via Loc and Darnona, and test new ND filters on the GoPro along the way — three runs down the same stretch, each with a different setting.
The view from the top did its job. Under the wheels, the last green patches of grass and vineyards; below, all of Sierre and the Rhône valley, and on the horizon the first snow-capped peaks. The slopes across the valley in full autumn colour — rusty, golden, here and there still green.
There were quite a few people on the trail, which is no surprise in that sunshine. And the descent itself — one of the best and fastest around: 300 metres down in under two minutes. The last section drops steeply through yellow bushes, straight towards a castle with a tower, the town in the background. Hard to imagine a better setting for testing filters.
All in all, under an hour of riding, over a thousand metres of climbing and ten trails from Trailforks. The views — mega.