Hi all,

Please recommend/tell stories of the Alps MTB holidays you’ve had. I’m wanting to book after reading the recent ‘what to take’? thread…

What to pay for a holiday?

Advice for an Alps virgin?

Guided/unguided?

Bikes to rent/take my own?

Which company did you use?

cheers! I can’t wait to book up now!

Money
Go
Either
Your own
Self/Endless ride (excellent)

As above.

Trail Addiction and their Les Arcs trails HIGHLY recommended for singletrack amazeballs.

Whatever it costs!
Take your own bike / go with a few mates / have fun / dont be a cocky git on the trails!
Guide 100%
Take own
Bike Village Holidays Les Arcs

Enter the passporte. Stay for a week anywhere in morzine or les gets if its your first time, just for the atmosphere if nothing else. Drive so you can take your bike and loads of extra kit. Take as many mates as possible and have a blast. I went two years ago and maybe going back next year with any luck. Enjoy. We stayed at The Lodge, Morzine

Trail Addiction, Bike Verbier, Ride the Alps. I doubt you will ever have a bad holiday unless you really take the wrong bike / kit etc. Scenery, the riding and even the accommodation is always just great.

OK so about 8 Years of Alps trips
6 to Morzine
2 Mega’s
2 Les Arcs Area

Until last summer all self organised.

Cost – Anything
From mega cheap camping/van living we spent more on our last meal out than on all accom for the trip
Pricey Chalet in Morzine and out most night for food and beers.
Best Value Last summer at the White Room (currently at 550ish fully catered/guided all bar 1 day)
Some trips have a high up front cost (ie Flights/Ferry/Accom) others are low but rise when your out there.

Advice for first time
Know what your into!
If you want DH all day every day pick a resort for that if you don’t avoid Morzine. The Morzine/PdS area is great (rose tinted glasses) for bombing DH and mad off piste stuff. However having been elsewhere it’s massively over crowded with unimaginative people who are kings if Llandegla riding 8″ bikes on easy routes. (Big generalisation)

It is and isn’t like riding in the UK.
The trails are as hard as some of the UK (not trail centre but mountains) but longer. The amount you can do is amazing due to lifts but it’s easy to get fixated by 3/4 trails and miss loads or end up riding the “Nearly” stuff.
So my advice for a first time is go guided. Ring/email a few companies and lay out what your up for/happy with what you want to do etc. The good ones will suggest a good week/beginners week or have enough guides to do multiple things. Go with a few mates of similar ability too. There is no point feeling like your holding a group back or feeling held back. It’s not a fun holiday that way.

Bike
Depends on what you have and what is on offer out there and what you want to do.
For general apline trails riding 140-160mm is fine. Some burly extras like tyres wont go a miss. So budget that in along with flying/driving costs. If you do hire take your saddle!

Which Company?
Depends where you want to go. Can’t recommend the white room enough after last year, great food, people and riding. The key was it was not just the Les Arcs resort so we did loads of stuff that needs a van/driver etc to get to. Made a huge difference.
[video]http://vimeo.com/45005320[/video]
[video]http://vimeo.com/44510421[/video]
[video]http://vimeo.com/album/1988585/video/44965700[/video]

@mikewsmith, thank you for this. The riding in these videos looks just up my street. Your advice is very appreciated, as is yours Jimmy. I’ve had a look at trail addiction and I love the idea they’ve got. Going to check out the Whiteroom too though…

Keep them coming please 😉

I’ve only been twice, both with The White Room and I wouldn’t go with any other company. All of the riding is guided with uplifts to get you to the top.

Take your own bike, first year I took a 100mm Hardtail and loved it, I was a little battered after but it didn’t stop me grinning like a Cheshire cat all week and for weeks after. Their FAQ answers a lot of your questions.

Here’s a couple of video’s from this years trip, still editing the third!
[video]http://vimeo.com/50400283[/video]
The lame fall offs are me. 😉

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcf9FXhd3YM&feature=g-upl[/video]

Bike Verbier.

flibrose – Member

Enter the passporte. Stay for a week anywhere in morzine or les gets if its your first time, just for the atmosphere if nothing else. Drive so you can take your bike and loads of extra kit. Take as many mates as possible and have a blast. I went two years ago and maybe going back next year with any luck. Enjoy. We stayed at The Lodge, Morzine

That’s it pretty much. My first alpine adventure was 15+ years ago, with wife and kids and friends. We went to Les Gets for two weeks in a rented chalet. There was enough interest round about for them to allow me to go riding off on my own or with other UK mtb-ers I just met up with for a whole week. I rented a bike locally as we flew.

The second time I went back, with two mates, it ended in tears after a big off (and demise of own bike) but that is what your E111 and travel insurance are for. I’m told the views from the helicopter were spectacular but I don’t remember anything.

The Julian Alps in Slovenia have a lot going for them but you need a local to guide you imo. Leogang in Austria is an Austrian version of Les Gets with better sausages.

Robsoctane – no worries there hope you have a great time with whatever you choose.

Workhard – that was similar to my first experience but there were 4 of us riding in a chalet. No clue no idea just went out!! Now though I wish we had got out of Morzine a little sooner and discovered some more.

#Edit – Final Advice if you are paying for guiding make sure the company is properly setup to offer guiding in the area they operate.

Could try Ben. I went along on one of the “proof of concept” trips this year with him and it was fantastic. In only a few days we rode lots of different resorts – the one’s that spring to mine are Les Arcs, La Plagne, Courchevel, Meribel, Contamines and Chamonix. Trails were fantastic!

Slightly different from a holiday based in one place – but exciting to stay in different places each night and see a whole variety of trails and scenery in the Alps.

http://www.benjonesmtb.com/

http://www.bikeverbier.com. Interestingly, the dozens of Bike Verbier guests I’ve met always say that Bike Verbier holidays are better than all the others they’ve done, including the holidays/companies listed above. Seems like BV basically set the standard in terms of that perfect mix of trails, accommodation, grub, guides and atmosphere. My own experience with BV totally backs this up. For me, the best thing is the totally off-the-beaten-track riding these guys get you to – unbelievable trails.

Do your research, find one that suits what you want to do rather than what the internet randoms doing the recommending want to do 😉 There’s loads of good options and you probably won’t regret any of the main ones.

That said- I’ll recommend White Room til the cows come home, I’d decided to go back next year by the end of day 2. Constant brilliant riding, and lots of it, very effective use of the uplifts, great people accomodation and food… For me it was damn near perfect.

Thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Pyrenees with A Quick Release too but I won’t do a self-powered holiday again, purely because it means much less descending. But that’s about knowing what you want.

Is it just about the riding, or are you interested in seeing particular areas, mountains, national parks, towns etc?

Morzine area is probably the least French feeling, and always feels ‘green & hilly’ to me rather than mountainous. Just a personal thing. Lots of groomed and easy DH trails, lots of Brits too, but cheaper than some areas to eat, drink and stay. Short transfer too. You certainly dont need a guide or bike company to show you around the PdS area.

Companies like Bike Verbier, Trail Addiction, White Room etc offer more off-piste stuff in other areas that just feel “bigger”. Greater mix of trails, from pistes to tricky footpath type riding. Obviously you can do this solo, but takes a lot of research or local knowledge. But can be more fun that way, if you’re confident enough.

If you wanted to try a few areas, have a look at Singletrack Safaris, they do Chamonix, Alpes D’Huez and other places on the same week long trip.

For pure “lift up, ride down, lift up, ride down etc” experience, I would rate Rivierabikes highest, and I’ve done about 10 bike company holidays and done my own thing a few times. But everyone’s got their own favourite.

You’ll have fun, wherever you end up. Your current bike will probably do, just make sure it’s in good nick.

I’ll second Rivierabike for lift up, ride down fun

The White Room. Three holidays of awesomeness with them. Utterly brilliant.

Just beware of the sort of evangalists that these threads always encouratge, do your own research, each to their own ‘n’ all….

http://www.bikeverbier.com. Interestingly, the dozens of Bike Verbier guests I’ve met always say that Bike Verbier holidays are better than all the others they’ve done, including the holidays/companies listed above. Seems like BV basically set the standard in terms of that perfect mix of trails, accommodation, grub, guides and atmosphere. My own experience with BV totally backs this up. For me, the best thing is the totally off-the-beaten-track riding these guys get you to – unbelievable trails.

Bike Verbier are really good – I have been on holiday with them and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them. As a girlie mtber I also found it really great to have Lucy guiding too, she’s a brilliant biker and proves that you don’t have to be a massively strong testosterone-fuelled bloke to kick some serious butt downhill….

@robsoctane. -hey mate let me know what you came up with by your research and opinions across forum threads, was planning myself with other half and some friends might be around june-july … Actually starting shopping with spare parts right now as shops going to xmas sale. ….None of us been there too so no idea what to expect..too many places been mentioned here which is very helpful and make it more confusing as well. Been riding mostly local red graded trails here( cannock, shropshire,sherwood) but thats just it. Will be expecting ride like the 2 last photo posted by “coogan” epic view for couple of days then ..i’ll see it from there where i can take my limits, dont wanna be fool being cocky the first few days and not see the whole 10 days of my riding holiday. pM details if you can, for some reason i dont know how to do it here. (Cannot find the PM button)

Morzine under own steam
Les Gets under own steam
St Foy with the White Room
Les Arcs with trail addiction
St Foy under own steam

Best of the lot was the White Room trip IMO. best food, best trails, best planning by the guides. Free beer and wine too.

Off to Andorra next time though for a change of scene.

Was here last year and may be going again this year
Will, hopefully be going back to BV sometime. Had one of those holidays that may never be repeated 1st time 😆

Just beware of the sort of evangalists that these threads always encouratge, do your own research, each to their own ‘n’ all….

Is this not doing your own research?

Done the lot and lived in BC

Chamonix self guided is the best
Gnar, lift + train access,mad hike a bikes, views, lack of other riders = best package

guided is better but you pay more for it so it depends on how much you want to spend…

on a budget then Morzine/Les Gets is the obvious VFM option. Easy transfer from Geneva, good accommodation, good atmosphere, easy access to lots of trails – Chatel etc. no ‘need’ for guides. Trails were harsh this year though so DH bikes were the thing to have, which is a bit of a shame.

Take your own bike, pack big tyres and prep it well beforehand.

(say the same thing every time)

Guiding is basically a holiday multiplier- means you spend all your time doing the best trails and not getting lost, and you’ve got local expert knowledge if things go tits up. Likewise uplifts- you can ride up a hill any time but you can’t often get a chairlift.

spirit of adventure and all that….

If I go back, it won’t be a full week, so white room etc are out. I would take a local guide for a few days though – not too much between a group, and allows you to make your own choice on the food and accommodation.

To the OP, please do not underestimate the importance of having accidental insurance.

This is my story, I’ve just read my first post and I’m nearly in tears because of what happened 😥

The flip side of morzine

+1 for both TrailAddiction and Rivierabike if you want a guided holiday!!

Unguided would mean you either need chairlifts or a lot of pedalling to get back to the top.