Aye, BV get my vote every time. Every time I go, I’m amazed with the new stuff they have to show me. Quite simply, they know what they are doing and what they do, they do very well indeed.

Looking forward to my next trip and tacking on a hut to hut from Chamonix…..

Both are great in different ways

Been with BV a few times – nice to have everything sorted for you
on the other had its great to get a chamonix map and go exploring you cant go wrong really as my pictures show..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/71958789@N00/sets/72157624822288907/show/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/71958789@N00/sets/72157621970474914/show/

IMO september best – less walkers, no ban and weather far more stable and accomodation cheaper.

One more vote for BV,we’ve had numerous trips with them,all fantastic, here is a link to our last ride with them
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/carlandsian/sets/72157625057016327/

So, as this would be my first trip to the Alps am I better going with BV or going solo with the guide book and map?(pretty much like I’ve just done in Torridon & Skye)

nice picture freeridenick..

Another vote for BV here.

As has already been said they have everything you could possibly want out of a biking holiday totaly sorted.

I can’t wait to get back there again this year.

jhw

Use the bus with the enduros, times were limited last year, but I have taken the ‘bike’ bus back (as pedestrian) sometimes and there were never any bikes in, or other than that you can manage Chx to Arg by the river, warm ya legs up before the main ride begins.

The Brevent-Samoens route can get very busy cos it’s the GR route, and there’s the ladder section, a climbing sling is sometimes of help.

You’d be surprised how busy the trails get with walkers, the valley trails can be horrendous and although being very polite, it is annoying with verbal abuse, but it has to be taken with a pinch of salt and is forgotten after.

Lovely early morning rides and evening rides, but you’ll have to pedal more.

One of my favs is the Possette but again out of bounds July/Aug

I think Tom’s book is ok, but personnally I was a little bit disappointed, perhaps cos I already knew most of the trails as walker/biker.

Thanks that’s really helpful.

I’m a complete novice with climbing kit – could you let me know exactly what a sling is? Is it this: http://www.pembsoutdoors.co.uk/60cm120cm240cm-dyneema-climbing-sling-set-69-p.asp Doesn’t look very robust.

We’re definitely not going to go near the Balcon trails due to the crowds, except maybe in the evening to round off the day. I’m thinking more of doing the descent from Col du Balme into Trient, the Brevent-Servoz descent, and possibly sneaking the Possettes trail as it’s just so good…

Do these fall among the busy ones? It doesn’t matter anyway as I’m committed to July now.

KoB – you won’t have problems with walkers if you’re with BV, no matter when you go. And you’ll probably get way more singletrack riding done, since they know where they’re going and use their van/trailer combo to get you straight to the best trails. They also use a couple of lesser-known lifts in the region. If it was my first Alps trip, I’d defo go guided – I swear you’ll miss some incredible trails if you decide to DIY.

SSS – when you off? I’m there June 29th for 10 days. Be good if we overlapped again. Have a mint one, if not.

Yeh, sling that’s it, and they are stronger than you think, it can just help to pass the bike to a mate when down the ladders, but they’re not like the Mer de Glace ladders 😀

Yeh, the above all fall in the busy ones unfortunately.

I don’t have a photo hosting site, I’ll see if I have a photo or two to send on your e-mail, gotta find em first, feel free to put them up here.

Balls.

Well, it’s mainly a problem for them. Thanks, email jhwooding@hotmail.com, better.

been to cham and morzine twice – loved both, ridden some great trails in both areas, but i’d go to chamonix if i had a choice for the next trip. a bit busy in summer and not the friendliest walkers, but a good guide will help you avoid all that. truly awesome riding. we stayed at MBMB, reccomended.

However if you go to morzine and have a guide who’s more trail-rider than DH, there is some cracking riding there and possibly the best trail sections i’ve ridden were around chatel and morzine. steep, wooded, techy, rideable slow and rideable faster as you got to know the trail, just perfect. we stayed at Flow, really good also.

Friends locally rate BV above all else.

The Col de Cou descent (detailed on ridemorzine.org) is as good as (and completely unlike) anything in Chamonix, btw. It’s not like Morzine is devoid of big stuff!

jhw

Oops had already sent some pics on the co.uk address but have re-sent

The ladders aren’t nasty tho on the Brevent one

I’m sure I’ve seen a photo of the ladders, perhaps the Flowmtb site, can’t remember will try and find if I can

jhw this summer 😯

Out of my depth alert 🙂

do you want to borrow my crampons and ice axe!!

Of course, how can I pick up girls in town without the obligatory rope and ice axes?

Here’s the ladder btw, looks rideable

yes, just the queue in mid summer to get down the thing!

Yeah and that fellow (possibly a forum regular?) should not be holding his bike by the shock!

SSS – just seen your reply on the other thread. Nice one – see you there!

ha – yep I wouldn’t touch that Brevent Samoens trail until September – or the Holy trail – Not worth it: Queues going up and down that ladder, waiting on every switchback for walkers etc… And tutting guides telling you it’s “their mountain” and you can’t be there. Bit late by the time you meet them – not like you’re going to turn back!

There is a route down on the left (as you go down) that avoids the ladder – involves a bit of goat like scrambling, but doable carrying a bike.

And thankfully the worst bit of all – this bridge near Sixt:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/endlessride/3900835335/in/set-72157622187078657 has finally been replaced..

Thanks for the map – had done “sicktrack” before – not known it’s name.

Not been up the Grand motets side for a while (in summer at least) – looked slightly different in April:

P1020254 by endlessride, on Flickr