Biking Holiday in the Alps for a Beginner

RLyons

Hello all!

I have a Genesis Altitude 00, only had it for a couple of months now and have done quite a bit of riding on it so far. I used to bike lots about 6-10 years ago, mainly cross-country stuff, and that's what I'm doing now. I am trying to hit harder and more rugged trails as the flat cross-country stuff is boring. I would consider myself just above beginner level in skills and fitness but I am improving fairly well with every ride (getting back into the swing of it).

I am considering doing a trip to the Alps this summer with a few friends who are at a similar level and have similar bikes (hard tails). I was wondering what it's like out there, riding the chair lifts and doing the downhills would be my main desire.

I know there are lots of things to consider, such as transport accommodation etc, all of which is sort-able. However, I am interested to know if it is only for the hardcore lot or whether we would be able to survive on some relatively cheap hardtails?

Pumpkin Positive

I can't help much except to point you in the direction of this book - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mountain-Biking-Europe-Footprint-Activity/dp/190609831X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qibut%20I'm%20in%20the%20same%20position%20d=1299682947&sr=8-1

I bought it a few weeks ago to answer some similar queries of my own - it lacks detail, but gives a good general overview of MTBing in Europe, including assessments of various resorts & their suitability for beginners / intermediates / experts etc.

Anonymous

Well, thinking of Les Gets / Morzine / Chatel (Portes du Soleil)... Whilst it's not necessarily strictly for "the hardcore" lot, the trails are VERY VERY fast out there. The hills are far bigger and steeper than what we have here. There's also some properly big jumps.

I've been riding stupid things for well over half my life, and I still took a while to adjust to the sustained speed out there. Whilst I did not feel out of my depth in any way, I did feel challenged in ways that nothing in the UK really does.

So, yeah, give it a go, if you think you're a competent rider, but be prepared to come home thinking you didn't get the most out of it.
And, if you do go, buy or hire a proper bike for the job. Whilst it's do-able on an XC bike, you won't be experiencing it the way it was intended. You'll probably find as well that you have to slow down because of the roughness of the tracks, and may end up boiling your brakes.

PXR5

Did a few trails around Meribel and Courcheval last summer, including wife and kids and dog, no problem with my hardtail, just very hot brakes.

In many cases it was just a case of how fast you wanted to go, we didn't do any more than blue or red trails, but there were several fully kitted up guys ripping the same runs up, so its probably just a case of how fast you dare go !!

sara flowmtb

I had my first holiday in Morzine on a 200 pound hardtail with only a few weekends of mountain biking behind me and i loved it, got hooked on biking, and about 5 years later moved out here.

There are some great easy beginner trails. You just need to make sure you ride there rather than the black DHs! You'll also find your ability moves on rapidly due to the extra amount of riding you manage to do.

We always advise people to have disc brakes, and obviously a longer travel fork or full sus bike will make it more easy going, but you can always hire a bike for a day or two of your stay if you want to try something bigger.

dot1

sara flowmtb wrote:

I had my first holiday in Morzine on a 200 pound hardtail with only a few weekends of mountain biking behind me and i loved it, got hooked on biking, and about 5 years later moved out here.

For a minute then i thought you meant 200 pounds in weight! :shock:

RLyons

Thanks for the advice! Morzine sounds good, however I have taken on board comments about full sussers. I am going to do some more research, and if I go ahead with it I will more than likely hire a bike.

Since I have only got back into biking this year I may just have a week in the lake district and do the alps next year!

Anonymous

Everything is expensive in the alps, so it may be worthwhile saving up, and doing it all in style, with proper big bikes, great accomodation etc.