As the title says really , I'm not minted but really feel that if I dont have a big birthday trip planned I'm only going to get older and slower. A few may on here know me so will know I'm no Danny hart but ride the Golfie and tweed valley weekly . So can get down the trails but still fairly shite.
Anyhoo I digress, My son is fast and has won his section in a few enduros and done all right in a few Dh races so I have no worries about him. After chatting to a few riding buddies they said that now is the time for a big trip , to be fair after 50 your only heading south.
I'd love a big whistler trip and have just read the full thread from a few months back. Sounds amazing but fairly shit If I'm basing this on me and my son , wife and two daughters. Hence the fact me and my son would be in our glory and the ladies not so much. That and the face its mega expensive with possibly not much return for non bikers.
So here is my quandry, Do I head to the Alps and try and get the best of both worlds. Im not a jumper so it would seem Morzine may be lost on me , I can ride steep and Liked the look of Livigno and the natural kind of Casserole trails.
Any advice is appreciated , though id imagine ill end up on adrenaline uplift again. 😀
Morzine is a great location for riders and non riders. There are some huge jumps but you can have excellent fun with your wheels on the ground. If you like steep then there is plenty of that. That said I'm not sure it makes for a "big" trip. It is great if you want to get a load of mates together as you can rent a decent chalet that sleeps plenty and its easy to get to. If it is just you and the family then I'd be tempted to go a bit further afield. Not been to BC but Moab is good. Epic scenery, great trails, plenty of non riding activities. Good road trip from Denver too. Quite expensive though. As a curve ball, how about Thailand? Brilliant riding through the jungle, uplifted by taxi/truck. You could mix it up with a bit of beach and some culture. Friendly people and great food. Probably a similar price for flights to the states but much cheaper out there.
Every biker has to ride Whistler/Squamish/the shore/Pemberton once in their life IMHO
Its like Mecca for biking.
I lived there for a year - plenty for non biking folk.
I’d be looking at doing a guided week in the Alps or Pyrenees. I’ve done both white room and Basque MTB and would go back without hesitation. For non-bikers, white room would probably take it as they’ve got a pool now and also some lovely swimming spots nearby. Though Basque coast would have you also in a great location with fabulous beaches, super food and places like Bilbao to visit too. I’d be happy with either as a 50th destination.
There's always Finale Italy, uplift (van) to the top, then as many trails as you want back down to the beach. Lovely old town if you or the family want a change from biking.
Currently I don't think tourists can get into Canada and I'm not sure when that restriction will be lifted - I've a family wedding to go next summer and trying to workout if and when to try and book flights
There's plenty to see and do in BC, even Whistler and the area around it is nice for walks and "being out-doors" and Whistler village is a giant outdoors Mall with plenty of restaurants and such, so why not do Whistler for a few days, and then head south and do a tourist thing around Vancouver. Best of both worlds.
It's generally what me and the missus do when we go.
Are your non-bikers of the outdoorsy sort, or of the lie on a beach sort?
As StuF says, Finale Ligure. It's basically a beach holiday with MTB. The beach and cafes bars are as good as any Balearic Isle, and the MTB of course is awesome. Not many jumps, but lots of different types of terrain and trails, some tech and some flow. Some pine, some rock.