Thinking about an Alps trip in future after seeing some videos and the trails always look amazing. But, i’ve got a pretty strong fear of heights and I hate flying too. Is it a huge issue? It sounds like a stupid question but surely all the trails aren’t basically up a mountain?

Go by train or car.

Also, most of the videos you see are from GoPros and other sport cameras which have wide angle lenses. These make drops either side of the trail seem much more exaggerated/steeper than they really are 🙂

I’m OK with flying, that’s not an issue (I just don’t like it much). I’ll probably be driving there anyway.

That’s a good point about the lenses though, that hadn’t occurred to me!

The chairlifts might be a problem ?

Cable Cars are normally ok as you can sit down on the floor and pretend your not a few hundred feet in the air hanging off a cable 😉

Yeh thinking about it I guess it’s inevitable. I guess i’ll have practice up Snowdon or something next year 😀

A friend did a short video using a Contour camera along the rolling grasslands of the South Downs, it even made that feel a bit edgy :d

Hadn’t really considered the chairlift side of things but when we went to Austria we climbed the mountains the proper way more often than taking the chairlifts 🙂

The chairlifts might be a problem ?

Cable Cars are normally ok as you can sit down on the floor and pretend your not a few hundred feet in the air hanging off a cable

Hehe. I hate chair lifts. Especially going over the clunky bits. *Clunk clunk*

I’m not good with heights and hate chair lifts. I’ve been to Alpe d’Heuz and managed most of the heights there – to be honest the only times I struggled were at the top of the glacia and the massive lift that swings up over on to the top. Other than that it wasn’t any different to big trail centres with the obvious exceptions that the descents go on for much longer and the rocks are much bigger!

I’m pretty bad with heights, or rather drops, there were a few points i was really uncomfortable tbh. Mostly when riding I can concentrate on the trail though. And it only arose occasionally, generally not an issue. Just being up a mountain never sets me off, but the drops can feel more exaggerated as a result (I don’t even like the exposed bit at the end of the boundary trail at glentress!)

Chairlifts are quite a specific thing, they’re not often that high and for some reason I get on with them better than I would standing at a balcony or railing the same height (but the unhelpful part of my brain always wants me to lift up the barrier and jump off!)

Trails will be fine, chairlifts might be an issue. If you’re that scared, pedal up. That’ll soon get you over your fear of heights 😆

Go to morzine. Its absolutely amazing and apart from the chairlifts you’ll have no problems if you stick to the main routes

Ooh- further to chairlift comment, if you’re sharing one with people who use lifts a lot, you might want to ask them not to lift the bar up early! Bloomin snowboarders always want to take it up miles from the station.

I’m also nervous at heights – not a great help when I’m a keen hillwalker. I found that it helps to work up to exposure if I’ve not been out for a while. That means doing smaller hills and less steep slopes until I slowly get used to it again. With this approach, stuff like the Cuillin ridge / Aonach Eagach becomes possible for me.

If I were you, I’d adopt the same approach.

Love Chair Lifts

root – Member

Thinking about an Alps trip in future after seeing some videos and the trails always look amazing….It sounds like a stupid question but surely all the trails aren’t basically up a mountain?

🙄 😆

Kuco – Member

Love Chair Lifts

Been on that very lift with the mother of all hangovers, was easily the best way to spend a hangover. Double bonus was having to descend down into a fluffy white cloud from the top of the lift.
I love heights me…

Oh OK I’m in an advice-giving mood.

First time I rode in France, it was mostly fine- for all you’re on a mountain, you’re surrounded by other ones, so you’re usually able to look across at another mountain rather than just across into the void as it often is in Scotland.

But, the one time we did go up to one of the higher summits locally, we did it by the gondola. And because I was freaking out a little, I spent the gondola ride looking at the ground directly in front, never looking around. TERRIBLE IDEA. Because when we got out at the top station, we were suddenly on top of the world, on a treeless ski-resort peak with nothing between me and the valley below. Basically exploded my brain, I couldn’t look up at all. Riding the bike while looking down at the ground was… challenging.

So, don’t do that. Acclimatise.

Kuco, thats the one from Lindarets up to Mosettes isn’t it ?

A good chairlift to chill out on & take in the views imho.

Northwind, i’ve been on chairlifts in Whistler in summer & the Canadians don’t want to put the bar down, at all, ever. Nutters !

The only track id see would be a problem is at the top of that very lift. Swiss national, if you were to come off and go over the edge…

Other than that theyre all fine 😀

The only track id see would be a problem is at the top of that very lift. Swiss national, if you were to come off and go over the edge…

One of my mates came off on one of those bends, good job the catch fencing was there !

Off the top of my head its the steepest most exposed track out there, the only on that you should feel uncomfortable on.

On my first visit to the Alps in Winter (St Foy) it didn’t occur to me that there was a bar to pull down. I just thought the French H&S was very lax. (Feel free to rephrase into a “Two PhDs sitting on a lift joke…).

On another note, on a recent trip to Les Arcs I rode with another guest who didn’t respond well to heights and he had an awful time on La Varda (and, somewhat brutally, massively slowed the group down). While most trails and routes will be fine (you’ll have an ace time) do a little asking around about the more notorious routes.

Northwind, i’ve been on chairlifts in Whistler in summer & the Canadians don’t want to put the bar down, at all, ever. Nutters !

Been riding Whistler BP for 13 years. Never put the bar down on the chair and nobody has fallen out. It’s almost impossible if you think about it.

I recognised Kuco’s piccy .
I went up there in Sept and there was snow from about half way up , and a bitter cross wind.

There is one chair lift in Val D’Isere that goes up and over a ridge and down the other side. It skims the ridgline and just before it plunges down you feel like you are flying .

If you do suffer from fear of heights then ski lifts are not going to help. They swing aroud abit and the construction looks far to fragile to support the loading.

Once riding you will be so absorbed you wont notice the surroundings so much, geting up there will be a problem though

JCL – Member

Never put the bar down on the chair and nobody has fallen out.

The bar is there to stop Evil Northwind from making me jump off!

There is one chair lift in Val D’Isere that goes up and over a ridge and down the other side. It skims the ridgline and just before it plunges down you feel like you are flying .

Went on that for the first time earlier this year – very squeaky bottom moment when you go over the ridge into nothingness.

I hate it when the chairlifts stop and you’re left hanging in mid air – a couple of times it has seemed like ages but probably only a couple of minutes.

Yes, Gary_C it’s the one up to Mosettes. Must admit that one is not fun when it’s pissing down with rain and windy.

And be prepared for when they suddenly stop the lift and they start rocking and bouncing up and down 😉

But overall they are safe and once you start to look around admiring the view you forget how high you can be off the ground.