Where to go in the Alps

ebd

Hey all,

I went to Morzine last summer and found it a bit busy and bumpy. I am a relative newbie and found it all a bit hectic.

I love riding downhill out in the Alps but am looking for somewhere else that is still fun and has lots to do, but possibly a bit quieter. I liked Morzine town though, so somewhere with bars etc would be ideal.

Any advice?

EBD x

stomith

Les Gets? It's a whole hill away

clwydian_rider92

Why don't you change when you go?

Stevo_666

Try Chamonix.

I've not ridden a bike there but have skied there a few times and it's great. Plenty of bars clubs restaurants etc and its a real town of about 10,000 people, not a purpose built resort. Also view of Mont Blanc and the mountains around are just stunning 8)

Highly recommended.

Steve.

stomith

ebd...Les Gets was supposedly the busiest it has been in late August. (according to the young man in the shop with the SERIOUS hair) (/me waves to hairy lad). I live in a small town and Les Gets was DEAD by my reckoning.

That last week or two while the lifts are still running has to be the best time to go as the £ comes down too.

We did XC trails, green, then blue, then red....and avoided all the DH trails...but i do know that relatively, we saw hardly anyone on the trails, a few people around the town...and just about no-one after 9/10pm.

Chamonix was OK but that WAS really really busy; which was like being in Oxford Street or somewhere equally as hideous.

Morzine definately did feel like there were more people about though, simply bigger and busier too.

colintrav

ebd wrote:

Hey all,

I went to Morzine last summer and found it a bit busy and bumpy. I am a relative newbie and found it all a bit hectic.

I love riding downhill out in the Alps but am looking for somewhere else that is still fun and has lots to do, but possibly a bit quieter. I liked Morzine town though, so somewhere with bars etc would be ideal.

Any advice?

EBD x

Ever heard of google type

Mountain bike holidays .... Oh christ look what appears ... the wonders of the internet


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stomith

You mean he should believe the marketing/sales blurb and not consult fellow bikers that have first hand experience ......hmmmmm

have you never booked a self-catering holiday in the Canary Islands based on a teletext advert?

grumsta

colintrav - presumably they are looking for personal experiences/opinions - kind of the point of a forum no?

P-Jay

grumsta wrote:

colintrav - presumably they are looking for personal experiences/opinions - kind of the point of a forum no?

What I was going to say.

Anyway Pila is meant to be good, but the trails are all serious ones I think.

Also Les Arcs.

Or you could go mental and pay a bit more (like double) and go to Whistler.

Alex

Pila is the home of a World Championships track. It's not newbie territory!

Morzine might seem busy, but the trails around there really are the best for someone new to the game. There's the new morzine red route, there are the easy trails in Les gets and there's the rest of the Portes to play in. There are VERY few places with that kind of progression.

Northwind

I've heard a lot of very nice things about Bikevilliage... Mates of mine are headed back there for the 3rd year in a row, I don't think they accomodate that well for the downhillers but for the mortal trail riders they sound great, fancy it myself.

Mccraque

am seriously contemplating an alp holiday - do most people take their own bikes? Would be terrified of the airline losing mine...

or easier just to hire there?

P-Jay

Mccraque wrote:

am seriously contemplating an alp holiday - do most people take their own bikes? Would be terrified of the airline losing mine...

or easier just to hire there?

You've got to do it! It's a great trip.

I don't know what most people do, but I've always taken my own. Fly with BA, a lot less stress that sleazy jet, cheaper too.

As for losing and damaging bikes, we've never had a problem, but that's down to the airport staff so you can't win changing airlines.

For your first trip I'd go with a package company, that offers a few days guiding.

Alex

Don't hire bikes out there. To get a decent one you'll have to pay almost enough to make it worth buying one at the beginning of the week and throwing it away at the end.

Re: damage, it's all the same handlers, regardless of who you fly with. Preventing damage is about taking care when you pack your bike to remove fragile bits like brake rotors, mechs, mech hangers, etc and to properly space your frame and fork out using redundant hubs or a proper frame spacer. Gas pipe works well for thru axles.

Really though, it's worth driving over there. It gives you more mobility once you're there. Pila is 2 hours drive from Morzine and is well worth a daytrip. Mont blanc would make for a superb few days trip.

sampras38

ebd wrote:

Hey all,

I went to Morzine last summer and found it a bit busy and bumpy. I am a relative newbie and found it all a bit hectic.

I love riding downhill out in the Alps but am looking for somewhere else that is still fun and has lots to do, but possibly a bit quieter. I liked Morzine town though, so somewhere with bars etc would be ideal.

Any advice?

EBD x

Why don't you stay on the other side of the Joux plane, in Samoens? I was there last year and rode over the JP into Morzine and then up into Avoriaz and back round to Samoens. Around 60 miles with 2 hours of climbing, and lovely scenery.

delcol

you say you a beginner,, i know how daunting things can be at the newbie stage..

i had never ridden singletrack when i went on my first trip to whistler in may 08..

first day i flet out of my depth way out of my confort zone..

the guys @ www.bearbiking.com were amazing their gudes are qualified and give very good advice and help, 3 days in i was starting to build confience and speed..

a week was not long enough so we booked to back in september for 2 weeks were my riding continued to improve,, the guides go out there way to help you even operate skills classes..
i have since been back may and sept last year and am booked to go in may this year...

may sept are the quite months the trails even the bikepark are dead.....

whistler is a fantastic place for newbies as it has such a variety of trails even the hard stuff has chicken runs trust me i used them enough times..

whistler is awesome to develop your riding to as the trails just encourage you to ride stuff you would'nt think twice of riding normaly, everyone i met and spoke to all say they had improved after a week or 2 out there.
i can not comment on the alps as i never been well biking i snowboarded out there..
look into whistler you might be surprised,
bearback are very good ad highly recomended..

sampras38

sampras38 wrote:

ebd wrote:

Hey all,

I went to Morzine last summer and found it a bit busy and bumpy. I am a relative newbie and found it all a bit hectic.

I love riding downhill out in the Alps but am looking for somewhere else that is still fun and has lots to do, but possibly a bit quieter. I liked Morzine town though, so somewhere with bars etc would be ideal.

Any advice?

EBD x

Why don't you stay on the other side of the Joux plane, in Samoens? I was there last year and rode over the JP into Morzine and then up into Avoriaz and back round to Samoens. Around 60 miles with 2 hours of climbing, and lovely scenery. The views around Samoens in the summer are pretty breathtaking.

EarlofBarnet

I stayed here a good few years ago and there was plenty of riding to do locally: http://www.chn1.co.uk/

Mr.Crud and Jamie T were there for a few days when we were there too, bonus

ebd

Wow, thanks for the replies.

Has anyone been to Les Arcs? I have been hearing good things, also Pila, but worried that Pila might be a bit full on for me.

Thanks again

warrerj

This book is worth a read if you're thinkng about a trip to the alps.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mountain-Biking ... 190609831X

been riding (XC mainly) in the alps for 15 years but found loads of new places to go and play last year. We've got a campervan so spent 2.5 weeks traveling around the alps spending a few days in each place. Did 2.5k miles in total and covered Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France :-)

The best place depends on what sort of riding your after. Austria has some BIG climbs if r anc XC, climbing monster and Frence ski resorts tend to like more DH type stuff. However there are loads of other XC and easier type waymarked rotes all over France. If you contact a Frence tourist office they may send or mail you some info.

Happy holiday hunting.

JimBowen

Does anyone have any experience of Les Deux Alpes? I was arranging a trip for me and a few pals but I haven't been able to find too many opinions on the trails, I thought it would be nice to try something different than the usual les gets/morzine approach but from what I can gather on their French website it's all wide open trails that only contain switchbacks and the odd table and double on the way down!

Fogliettaz

Try Ste Foy, you will not be disappointed!

stevomcd

Try Ste Foy, you will not be disappointed!

This man speaks the truth!

We run holidays based in Sainte Foy, riding the local trails (which are great flowing, natural singletrack) as well as the nearby resorts of Les Arcs, Tignes, la Thuile and sometimes Pila for the DH weeks. I'm also the only British guide in the area who is fully-qualified to guide in France.

Check us out at http://www.whiteroomchalet.com

dresbo

I went to Les Arcs for a week last year with TrailAddiction.

I only have praise for how great it was. I'd be going again this year if we could find the time and I'll definitely being going back next year. I haven't heard anything but praise for them from anyone to be honest.

We did a backcountry week, which they run at the start and end of the season when the lifts aren't running. They uplift in a van to some of the more remote trails. Luckily they opened the lifts a week early last year so we did some lift assisted as well.

The backcounty stuff was quite xc, but mostly downwardsl with little pedalling. We did a couple of days with uphills in which was a nice stretch of the legs to say the least. Even the uplifted stuff was pretty xc. I clocked an average of 5K of vertical descent every day. I was a broken man by the end.

The whole thing was guided and the guys that ran it were great. The chalet was really plush, with British TV and all food provided. The only extra was beer.

The best weeks mountain biking I've ever done. We drove from London overnight and got there bright and early on the saturday morning. It's a long drive, but I like driving so it wasn't too bad. It also meant I could leave the bike set up just how I like it on the back of the car.

kingcraig

while we are on the topic, im going to morzine for the passporte du soleil. people keep telling me to make sure to carry my clothes in my hand luggage im going with easyjet but i thought the hand luggage bag was only small for easy jet??

im guessing with us going for 8 days we will need a day off from riding, what do you guys recommend doing? was thinking maybe a trip to chamonix?

Fogliettaz

Look at going on the train, Eurostar and TGV, very short transfers and the main bonus is if you can carry it you can take it!

stevomcd

was thinking maybe a trip to chamonix?

Be aware that bikes are banned from most of the trails in the Chamonix Valley during July & August!

Timma

JimBowen wrote:

Does anyone have any experience of Les Deux Alpes? I was arranging a trip for me and a few pals but I haven't been able to find too many opinions on the trails, I thought it would be nice to try something different than the usual les gets/morzine approach but from what I can gather on their French website it's all wide open trails that only contain switchbacks and the odd table and double on the way down!

I worked there for a few seasons summer and winter.
Good thing about les2alpes in july/ august is they got a glacier you can ski/snowboard upto about midday then hit the mountain bike for the afternoon.
Funny enough when i was there i was more into the snowboarding than mtb, so didn't adventure much, but as i can remember most the trails are as you saw on website but there are some more off piste singletrack.
If you got bored over les2alpes you can just go down to bourg'd'oisans and upto alpe'd'huez for the day.

dot1

stevomcd wrote:

was thinking maybe a trip to chamonix?

Be aware that bikes are banned from most of the trails in the Chamonix Valley during July & August!

theres a possibility that i'll be going to Chamonix in july, why are bikes banned?! that will sort of defeat the object of a riding holiday!

stevomcd

theres a possibility that i'll be going to Chamonix in july, why are bikes banned?! that will sort of defeat the object of a riding holiday!

Struggling to find a decent article on this on-line, but if you look at the Chamonix trail map here: http://world.chamonix.com/PDF/planVTTEn.pdf and look at the small print on page 1, you'll find the following:

"...from 1st July to 31st August, only about 30km may be used by Mountain Bikers on the walking and hiking trails".

Even the guys at Mont Blanc Mountain BIking have stopped running holidays within the valley for this reason (they now only run their "3 Countries" tour which is based in Cham but mostly takes place outside the valley) - if you contact them, they can probably give you better info on which trails are/aren't open.

It's mostly down to conflict with walkers (yes, the curse of the red-socks even reaches the Alps). Shame, as there's some awesome riding in Chamonix.

Come down here, we'll look after you!
More flowing singletrack than you can shake a stick at...

JimBowen

I couldn't resist, have decided to go to Morzine/Les Gets, too many helmet cams on PinkBike persuaded my decision as we are mainly downhill based riders. Thanks for all the input though as I'm sure we'll look to go Les 2 Alpes in the future to mix it up.
Just for anyone else's reference our flights from Gatwick to Geneva are only £162 with a suitcase and a bike which I thought it is pretty good, midweek flights are even cheaper than that!