God but Im dying to get going to either or both of these places. Has anyone had experiences of going there? Ive seen a few threads here on dh in zermatt particularly but has anyone experience of tour operators? Thinking of heading on my own (otherwise it wont happen!!) so would like to go with guides.
Ive had a look at OTP zermatt site and biker verbier. Looking a real AM holiday, Im certainly not afraid of pedalling but at the same time, I want to thrash the downs – ie not a real XC fitness fest 🙂

Any recommendations? thanks in advance

I’ve only been to Zermatt in the winter as I did a couple of winter seasons in Cervinia, which is the other (Italian) side of the mountain. They hold one of the Mega events in Cervinia so I imagine the riding over there will be worth checking out too, and the cost of eating is considerably cheaper than Switzerland!

OTP in Zermatt were good for me although it was a good few years ago now. in fact my ugly mug is still on the front page of their website. top right in grey

I’ve only been to Zermatt in the winter as I did a couple of winter seasons in Cervinia

Just out of curiosity, when were you in Cervinia? I was living in the North in 2001/2002, spent a couple of months in Cervinia.

Bike Verbier are fantastic and is the riding is just what you are after.

Cervinia sounds cool too, is it flowmtb that go there? I was flat out ringing and emailing them last year to sort a trip but never got a response!
Ill drop Bike verbier a line here to see what the story is. Have you been with them scruff?

It’s pretty easy to do a self booked two centre holiday between Verbier and Zermatt, it will however work out quite a bit more expensive than booking a package in a single location. I’ve visited both places many times summer and winter, Zermatt in particular is simply outstanding as an all round resort. Hotels are scarce in Verbier (and expensive) it’s more a chalet / apartment resort. There are lots of hotels in Zermatt and in both places you can save money by not staying in the main resort (eg Le Chable below Verbier or Tasch below Zermatt)

Might I suggest you look at a week with Bike Verbier and take one or two days in Zermatt, you could for example do BV and leave Fri night/ Sat morning and spend the weekend in Zermatt returning to the UK on Monday. There were some popular biker bars recommneded on STW for hooking up with guides/other riders and you may be able to hook up with someone via Bike Verbier.

finfhan- yes a good few times, as have many folk off here.

My week with Bike Verbier last year was THE best week I’ve had on my bike period.

The whole thing blew me away; the riding is epic, the food amazing, the conversation side splitting (OK so some of the jokes were a bit lame) and the accommodation fantastic.

You’ll end the week fitter and better than you started it, but the pedalling is not going to kill you. The pushing/carrying might but that’s a whole other story.

Guys, your info and advice has been awesome, super excited about this now. Going to give bike verbier a shout now for a week at some stage all being well and loving the idea of the two days in zermatt after.

thanks so much

btw, dunno why my user name comes up as finfhan, should be findhan!lol.

Oh…just to confirm, we’re talking about these guys:
http://www.bikeverbier.com/index_bv.php
as opposed to these guys:
http://www.mtbverbier.com/
?
thanks

Bike Verbier should suit you perfectly. Amazing AM riding, great hosts and guides, smart accommodation and mint grub. Weather’s ace there too. Using BV will get you to unforgettable terrain and trails no one else rides – sublime natural backcountry singletrack, and miles and miles of it. Also a very friendly operation with a great track record of attracting considerate but easygoing guests who aren’t a pain in the arse – it’s a good bet for anyone travelling alone.

FinFhan – yes it’s the first link – Bike Verbier run by Lucy and Phil. Have a look at these pictures from last year just to whet your appetite:

Bike Verbier – August 2011

Swiss have some weird rules about where you can ride ie mountain paths etc. We were in Zermatt in April, and little or no signage for bikes, limited bike shops and couldn’t find any trail maps or anything in the tourist office or train stations. Certainly no purpose built freeride stuff – the French resorts much better set up for this ie PDS, Les 2 Alpes or even Italy (Pila). Having said that it was the tail end of the winter ski season, so it may have been uber swiss efficiency going on, ie no summer stuff out yet. Cost of living was mahooooooooosive, compared to Italy (Cervinia in particular) and whilst the signage and mapping appeared no better in Cervinia, my guess is that the attitude and approach to a bit of “off-piste” biking activity will be a whole lot different (as long as you do it with style).

I think, having been to both places, a guide is a must at the very least.

Defo a guide for Verbier to find and reach the ‘best’ (yeah, I know, a matter of opinion…) stuff. In fact, BV go one better because some of the backcountry stuff they ride is accessed partly with their own van and trailer, and some tiny local lifts – that opens up a much bigger potential area with tons of off-the-beaten track riding. Rules and access etc just isn’t an issue with BV, and neither are walkers, braking bumps, lift queues, busy trails etc etc. Check out other threads on here – plenty of other rave reviews about BV.

God damn it, if we weren’t having another sprog this summer I’d be booking in with Lucy and Phil right now!

Been going to Blike Verbier since 2003 usually for 2 weeks. Had to miss last year due to Katies operation. Going again in August and cant wait. Just had a phone call from the hospital telling me that they are going to reconstruct my shoulder in mid June but I have delayed it till we get home. First class every time.

They usually book up well in advance though!

I was too slow one year and I was recommended Powder and Dust. They are locals and good friends with BV and know the remote trails. Great honest/fun people too.

We drove over & rented a chalet in Grachen in the Zermatt valley in 2008 & couldn’t believe how few bikes we saw considering how well the area caters for bikes.
We just bought a peak pass ticket that gets you on all trains & lifts, the main freeride routes run from the top of the Gornergrat & Sunnegga trains & the Rothorn lifts, there is loads more on the Italian side that we didn’t get to, there are also some good XC routes down both sides of the valley to Tasch & I tried to ride over the top to Sass Fee in the next valley but had to turn back as there had been a land slip.
We managed fine self guided.