So we have decided we are going to Chamonix and then Verbier in the summer. I need suggestions on where to stay, and any other special reccomendations you can make on what to do (riding or otherwise). I know there are lots on here that have been. Show us your Verbier pics too,
Bike Forum
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Talk to me about .... VERBIER!
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Posted 1 year ago #
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Don't bother the skiing is sh1t in the summer.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Stay in The Bunker, and have drinks at Farm Club discotheque?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Talk to Lucy and Phil at bike Verbier, you will not find better hosts and bike guides, really nice people. As for the trails well they are amazing, I never want to leave the place, true mountain bike heaven!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Get some guiding with BikeVerbier. They have a brilliant reputation, and there's a reason for it. Great people and without doubt some of the best guides in Europe, if not the World.
Posted 1 year ago # -
We went there after Cham on our little tour last year.
There is a distinct lack of campsites, apart from the one down the bottom of the valley in Villet/Le Chable, but it was the scabbiest place I have ever seen, location sucked for riding too.
We ended up staying with the guys from Powder & Snow for a couple of nights.
Riding was good, trails were very quiet & generally in good nick (purely from a DH angle here), some nice secret stuff, and surprisingly cheap lift passes. Everything else was seriously bloody expensive there though, even in comparison to the rest of the Alps (Crans Montana runs it close).
If you are going in a more AM capacity, I think you might need a bit of guiding though. It's nowhere near as obvious where the trails are compared to the other alpine resorts we have been to.
Posted 1 year ago # -
if you want to do some walking i like the view from by the Chapel and by the climb after the castle, it is out to the north of the resort.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Can't remember who we stayed with but I know I broke my wrist on the first day and was gutted until I saw where my mates were riding. They filmed it each day and I have never been so glad to be unable to ride! Even they, who were, and still are, MUCH better riders they I am found it challenging. Most of the riding was on edge of the mountain stuff which made a goat track look wide. I know other rave about the place; perhaps our guide wasn't up to much. Weirdly I feel I ought to go back at some stage to re-assess the place. Loved it for skiing though!!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Souldrummer, surely your guide was a GOOD guide if he was taking you/your mates to such trails
Posted 1 year ago # -
That's it then I'm not going to Verbier again if someone that's not riden there says it's narrow exposed and difficult.
Think I'll book a week in Wrexham instead.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Ash - in principal I agree, but when even very experienceed riders were fearing for their safety, I did wonder. Another reason why I was very glad to be hors de combat!!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Yup, some of the riding is seriously on the edge and STEEP. Be mentally prepared to take your riding 3 steps up. Bike shops out there are pretty useless so make sure you go self sufficient. We are going back there's again this year with Powder and Dust, great guys, great guiding.
Posted 1 year ago # -
in principal I agree, but when even very experienceed riders were fearing for their safety
I'd say they weren't as experienced as they think.
Posted 1 year ago # -
A few from various years up to last year from 2006
Posted 1 year ago # -
Blimey Graeme where was that stuff when I wanted it??
Posted 1 year ago # -
Graeme that looks awesome! I've been told that the one side is super steep but the rest of it isn't. We don't want full on organised holidays however I wanted to stay somewhere reasonably cheap.
Posted 1 year ago # -
That was in the middle of August 2007, we had about 40 cm overnight , then mostly gone by lunchtime apart from up past the top lift.
Posted 1 year ago # -
You will probably find more than enough to keep every one happy with the riding to be had in what's known as the Verbier Bowl. I can't make it this year, going to have to wait until 2012.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Just over the other side of the Verbier bowl.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5Lb2aEeBSsThere's every kind of riding you could want in the Verbier area
From steep, exposed and technical to nice safe stuff like in the video.
Posted 1 year ago # -
switzerland is just a bit pricey, but honestly, go with Phil and Lucy at bikeverbier if you're going. ace chalet. ace trails. ace guiding. ace food. ace.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thing is I don't want to go on an all in holiday. I don't want to have meals cooked for me which is why I don't want to go with BikeVerbier. I don't mind that's Switzerland is a little pricier hence why we are looking at camping or cheaper accommodation.
Posted 1 year ago # -
think they'll do just guiding. give them a shout.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I don't mind that's Switzerland is a little pricier hence why we are looking at camping or cheaper accommodation.
Camping isn't really an option at Verbier, and cheap accomodation doesn't really exist.
There might be an option of staying in the bottom of the valley and getting the lift up from the lower station however. I should imagine the prices are a little bit more sensible the lower you go.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Someone else did tell me to stay at the bottom of the valley in La Chable I have found a few reasonably cheapish places I find somewhere
Just some guiding sounds like a plan though!
Posted 1 year ago # -
We're also considering Verbier as part of our Alps mini-tour this summer, and I think some of the guys will be wanting to DIY.
Is it more trouble than it's worth, considering we have a too-long list of destinations at the moment anyway?
Posted 1 year ago # -
from sept 2010
There are some well signposted blue red yellow etc... trails (these are downhill grades and do NOT represent anything like the UK's colour system!). Plenty of off-piste as well, but you need someone to show you round really. Great place!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Chappaking are you saying it's more trouble that it's worth going to Verbier? well the issue we have is our holiday is 22nd June until 4th July so may of the resorts don't have lifts open yet although Chamonix and Verbier do (and they are relatively close together) which is why I've chosen these 2 resorts. I think it'll be fine when you get there just want to book accommodation in advance.
Any other handy hints then? If not camping where to stay? And NOT on organised pre booked everything in holidays! Thanks
CP Pics are ace? did you have guides?
Posted 1 year ago # -
thanks for the pics comments
The guy in the pics has an apartment out there - he's been skiing there for about 6 years. He knows the place pretty well so we just bimbled round under his direction & played about on the blue (cos it was hard enough for me!) dh run.
Never been to Chamonix, but it really isn't that long a drive - maybe 1.5 hours?
Verbier is fairly expensive, particularly since the pound is so crap against the CHF at the mo. Pizza = 18-25 CHF, pint of beer = 8-10 CHF.
£1 = 1.5CHF
Posted 1 year ago # -
Chappaking are you saying it's more trouble that it's worth going to Verbier?
Sorry, should have made it more clear I was asking a similar Q to yours.
We're heading out to PPdS - staying in Morzine a few days and then onwards elsewhere in Alps or beyond. Verbier, Les Arcs, Pila, Chamonix and even Lake Garda are all on the list at the moment.
I was keen for Verbier but after reading here about crap camping options, expense and difficulty of self-navigating I was wondering if it was mnore trouble than it was worth to DIY it.
Apologies for slight hijack!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Drop Lucy/Phil a mail and ask for some info on locals or other guides to show you round.
To get the full Verb "experience" you will need someone who knows their way around. My understanding is the maps are not anything like as detailed as our OS and you will spend too much time faffing around and hence less miles per hr/ride and miss out on way too much trail time.
If all you want to do is use lifts to go up & down then probably not a problem but if you want to go for a "proper" all day ride you will need a guide and maybe even a van/minibus like we did
Have been once and would go back again if I could afford it or any biking holiday atm
[img]http://www.flickr.com/photos/27084274@N08/3230494571/" title="P8300038 by john_henry_mtb, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3519/3230494571_4f3f9816c8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P8300038" /[/img]
Posted 1 year ago # -
Chapaking if you want to email me I can send on some useful stuff I got from others about lots of areas. I bought the mtb Europe book which has been very useful. There must be places out there it is just finding them.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I looked into going to Verbier independently quite extensively and basically reached the conclusion a supported trip (with Bike Verbier) was the only viable option to get the most out of the area.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Posted 1 year ago #
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But how much did you spend for a week with Bike Verbier? I have got friends who've done it (hence why I said I can send you some e-mails Chapaking) so I will do it, jsut research, research and do a bit more! Even if we have ot pay for some guiding I don't mind.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'm not familiar with Verbier, I keep meaning to head down that direction but, there are LK maps which are the equivalent of OS maps for Switzerland. You can get them for the whole country at a scale of 1:25000. They have a pretty good resolution and if you know where the trails are they will work for self guiding. This will require someone telling you where the trails are first though or doing a bit of hit and miss exploring.
If you really have no idea where the trails are and don't want to get lost or spend time hiking your bike down something unrideable then get a guide. I don't know the Bike Verbier people but I've only ever heard good things about them.
For the German speaking part of Switzerland there are 1:50000 Singletrail maps available which show trails graded as Blue, Red or Black. Of course not all trails are marked up on the map, but you can still try other trails that are not marked as bike routes if you fancy a bit of exploring. While these maps do have their flaws they do serve as a good start point to getting some good riding in when visiting Switzerland and as you learn your way around an area more exploration of the beaten track becomes a possibility. Unfortunately I'm not aware of anything like this for the French speaking part.
Hoping to spend a few days in Verbier myself this summer.
Posted 1 year ago #
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