Sick of my job, jacked and booked to go down through Germany. Riding at Bad Wildbad then Todtnau, thinking onwards to the alps and most lifts would be open to bikes now. Oops. Seems end of June is the common time.

Only place I’ve found to be open for sure is Leogang.

Does anybody have any info?

Les Gets bike park lifts are open for coming weekends. Let me find the link

http://www.morznet.com/events/calendar/opening-weekend-of-les-gets-bike-park

not Avoriaz

http://www.laliberte.ch/news/la-station-d-avoriaz-sous-l-eau-283734

Bike Park in Vorarlberg is open. New park, but we’ll designed and not that far from Todtnau.
From there it’s a nice drive through the alps to Saalbach.

That’s what I would do. No French and better beer.

Ridden at Saalbach-Hinterglemm before and the trail down into Hinterglemm is one of my all time faves

That could be the plan Alpin. Not sure if there’s anywhere else in the area open and worth a look. Can’t afford Switzerland or I’d probably go and have a look at lenzerheide, I think the first lift is open.

Winterberg in Germany might be worth a look. I’m so disorganised.

I’d like to ride Les Gets but might struggle to get there during a weekend

EDIT: Metabief in the Jura is open weekends only (from 8th May).

Verbier bike park is open from 6th June, the lift up from Le Chable to the town is open all year round and Bike Verbier have posted a few ride photos recently (it also snowed down into the valley last week !). Once the bike park is open a lot of the enduro trails are accessible. Also research Swiss resorts as the mountain railways (always open) and cable cars tend to run. For example you can ride some of the trails down from Roche de Naye above Montreux using the railway and then get over to Metabief for the weekend.

Lenzerheide bike park is open weekends only at the moment (inc this long weekend 23-25) link (in German). You might want to look at what enduro style riding you can access using the Chur to Arosa mountain railway or the post busses.

EDIT: I’ve just seen what you’ve said cost wise re Switzerland but fact is they tend to be accessible longer as they use mountain railways too.

Chamonix opens mid June

I will be taking the dh bike. Kind of limits the riding options. I could take the pedally bike but feel guilty for underusing the dh.

I spoke to a guy at the weekend who said he was in Winterberg last week.

Semmering opens Saturday.

http://www.bikeparksemmering.at/de/bikepark/events/get/page/eroeffnung-bikepark-2015/

I’ll be in Leogang/Sal/Hint with the lad from Sunday morning if you fancy hooking up.
Look out for green trek session & black/red trek session, blue Merc Vito.
Weather not looking great though.

I won’t be down that way until about a week later colp. I’ll be leaving todtnau a week this Saturday.

I felt a bit dumb last night when I began to realise a lot of places didn’t open til late June but it seems with the 4/5 options for riding in Germany and the other suggestions in this thread that all is not lost.

I’m that disorganised I turned up to bad wildbad to ride last year on a Sunday, only to be told it was closed Mon/Tues 8)

Ballsy move OP, have done the same thing over the past few years (but do Enduro rather than pure DH-type stuff).
I’d take a pedally bike too if space allows with lifts often being closed until summer kicks in properly in a month or so – as you’ve alluded to.
Weather in the northern/central alps is often grim at the mo so perhaps look to the southern/maritime alps for some sun, then head north later.
Garda’s a choice place with shuttle uplifts aplenty…

what is metabief like?

I might head down there in June

Rode at 2000m in Switzerland last week.

@Sancho. An old thread on the Jura with some comments on Metabief. I have done a day there and enjoyed it (I have a friend who lives quite close), a mix of bike park style trails and stuff in the woods, would be happy to go back. Good as it opens early in the season. It doesn’t have enough to keep you occupied for a week. As I posted you can stop off there on way fro UK and/or drive over to Montreux and take train up to Col Jamman/Roche De Naye and ride the paths back down to the town. Stunning views of Lake Geneva from there as per my photo in the thread below.

Jura Thread

You’re persuading me now prof. Only thing that puts me off that is having my eggs all in one basket. I don’t always book into hotels and will sometimes tramp it if I feel like cracking on. I’ve thrown myself into mtbs since being splattered by a smidsy in my motorbike days. Having 5k worth of bikes parked in a van in Graffitiland Belgium worries me a bit.

Then again they’re insured and Garda area has always been on the list. I’m almost as indecisive as I am disorganised

Garda is a really relaxed place to spend time in – been twice now and just gets better as i started exploring with a good map, with some of the most techy trails i’ve met with more on the shortlist for next time. Heaps of good value camping with other riders all over the gaff… if you don’t mind all the Germanic types it’s spot-on! Generally good weather, too, it’s a climactic gateway to the Med/Adriatic.

OP, the enduro bike is going to be so much more versatile not least as you want to go out of the main season for uplifts.

Not a lot of room in the van for me and 2 bikes. I’ll have a try

^^ !?!?!?

wht are you driving?

another park not too far from Saalbach is Geißkopf in the east of Bavaria. closed monday/tuesday. lots of parks close on those days to repair the damage done over the weekend.

Ha feels like it sometimes Alpin! Vivaro but at 6ft3 with camping stove, gas bottle, water butt and a bit of food,clothes,helmets and riding gear it’s a bit of a squeeze to sleep in.

Hurriedly fitting new bb and stem bearings to pedally bike just to keep my options open..

BillyS if you take the pedally bike, and make it as far as morzine / Les gets I’m going to be out there at my little cupboard from 28th till 2nd June. I dont know the trails yet but I will be exploring on my pedally bike, maybe trying to get the lifts at Les gets. Have a spare bed too. Pm me for contact details if you think you may want to use them.

Thanks for the offer stoner. I’ll be in touch if I head in that direction and thanks for the advice all..

Well I could write a book about this trip..

Thanks Alpin for the Brand suggestion. Beautiful.

I’d have liked to have ridden the place but with 2 broken fingers from Todtnau, one was at right angles before I straightened it,the riding’s been scuppered.

Vivaro brake pads fell apart for no apparent reason and the discs were caned so..€300

Now a water pipe has popped so I’m booked into a Hotel in Leogang but staying in Innsbruck til the van is fixed..€400