A friend is going there this summer and was wondering what bike related stuff there might be, either in Saas Fee itself or nearby.
I've been there in the winter but that tells you little about the summer and it was 9 years ago. I remember drag lifts ANC underground railways.
Mountain biking and road biking both of interest.
Can't imagine any ski resort that [i]wouldn't[/i] have good mountain biking in the summer!
Zermatt is better known, trails starting up above Zermatt with view of the Matterhorn and then descending all the way to Visp before using the train to get back up. I've no doubt you can study the maps and ride some trails to link up with the mountain railways and lift systems. The "Switzerland Mobility" website and phone/tablet apps are excellent and you have free access to detailed map and can toggle walking paths/mtb route overlays. The resort website lists the typical official Swiss MTB routes which are mostly fireroads !
As for road riding my recollection is that there is a single drag up from the valley / VISP and not many options for loops.
The Swiss segment of Strength in Numbers featured some trails around Zermatt but I think they cheated and had a helicopter ! Trails are a mix of Verbier and Zermatt.
some really good trails there..
but not as prepared as PDS...or zermatt
more info here..
http://www.saas-fee.ch/en/page.cfm/aktivitaeten-sommer/sommersport-saastal/mountain-bike
or this map...
http://www.sports-publishing.ch/shop/index.php?page=product&info=46
they used to have a very good FR/DH trail..but it doesn`t exist anymore
and as jambalaya said..zermatt is not far and has some fantastic riding
I'm in Saas Fee right now and all the lifts up in Saas Fee do not take bikes anymore. I bought the official mtb map from the tourist office last year but this is now out of date. I've been up on the Hohsaas lift from Saas Grund and descended via footpaths which was great but the official black and red runs are just wide, smooth vehicle roads suitable for all!
@JayLaz thanks for the update.
The riding at the bottom of the valley is good and some nice footpaths. Never ventured to far up, sorry.
Great place for climbing. We spent much of out time on the glacier.
It's not great, the marked routes are pretty tame.
However, once the crowds have gone the path from Saas Fee to Saas Grund taking in the sea of slabs above the Saas Grund campsite is awesome.
Just heading up in the Hohsaas lift, going to try to bike from the middle station to Saas Almagell, looks good on the map! I'll report back later.
Well, it was an awesome ride, like riding in the lakes but longer descents! Spurred on by lots of encouragement from walkers who seemed more than happy to be sharing the trail with me. By the way, if you stay in the valley you get a free lift and bus pass, so four Swiss francs was all it cost to use the Hohsaas lift to get me up nice and high. Sat in the valley now drinking Cardinal Blonde, listening to The War on Drugs, I only wish the sun would come out, it's bollock freezing!
@Jaylaz - nice and all for chf 4 (beer excluded) ! BTW I was wearing a fleece last night in London, cold here too but no mountains, trails or Cardinal Blonde at my desk.
I have the Swiss mapping app on my phone, any chance of a few place names on the route so I can follow it / mark it up for a potential trip
I went from the middle station on the Hohsaas lift and simply followed the trail to AlmagellerAlp, the high point of the route about 2500m. There are lower trails that go via Triftalp and descend into Saas Grund. It's a beautiful ride. Hope the info helps, it's easy to follow on a map.