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Me and a friend have a free week in September and we're thinking of heading to Verbier for a week of XC / singletrack riding. Our skill level is good as is our fitness but we're just not into big drop-offs etc.
The reason that we're focusing on Verbier is that it seems to be the only place where the lifts will be running throughout the month.
We could do with some advice / thoughts...
– XC riding: we're not enduro riders (I have an Epic) so don't want anything too challenging... are there trails to suit?
– Guiding: is this necessary to get the most out of the trails? Will we get lost without them? Or is it pretty simple?
– Accommodation: hotels or chalets?
– Package trips: worth looking at?
Thanks, Adam
Erm don't be too sure, they don't open all week, only at weekends, see here:
https://www.verbinet.com/lifts/summer-dates
The Les Ruinettes lify will get you up the worst of the mountain with a short climb to the top after that.
Bike Verbier for accommodation and guiding.
Had free digs with my wife and daughter so can't help there.
I was "allowed" 2 days to hire a bike out of the 7. First day went on my own. Just got a lift pass and map from lift station. Followed my nose and it was brilliant. Stayed on the verbier side.
The best natural stuff I found was left off the Savoleyres lift and back down into town.
2nd day, my friend joined me from Geneva. With more confidence we went over the back to la tzoumaz. Met some expat brits who gave us directions for some some great runs down that way.
Vallon d'arbi col des mines was quite technical and not too flowy but we enjoyed it.
We didn't venture over Col de vaux side but did have a couple of runs in the park.
It wasn't until I went with the family up to croix de coeur for lunch that I saw guided groups going down runs I hadn't noticed or thought were foot paths only. It was then I regretted being as tight as a chickens face and not getting a guide.
The runs down to La Tzoumaz are good fun and not too challenging. I was there last summer and managed them on a hardtail...
If you have a GPS I would recommend you download the GPX files from the Verbier.ch website before you go. Whilst the website and the map from the ticket office are very well done, there is zero signage on the mountain for non-downhill routes. We were trying to follow a route last summer and had to stop at every path junction to check the map/screen.
I was hiking there last weekend and we had the same problem, so I am guessing they haven't fixed the VTT signage for this year either...:-(
Only spent a few days riding in Verbier, mostly self-guided - but I wouldn't have fancied much of it on an Epic.
Compared to the other places I've ridden in the alps, the lasting impression I had from it was steepness and switchbacks.
Would somewhere with van uplift in Italy or Spain be a viable alternative?
www.bikeverbier.com These guys are amazing when it comes to Verbier and the surrounding area - great for accommodation, grub and guiding. Defo recommend you have a guide to get the best from your trip, and September is a good time of year weather-wise in Verbier. Loads of stunning natural singletrack and backcountry stuff thereabouts.
Cha****ng – we're driving so Italy and Spain are too far
I am going out on an XC hardtail in a few weeks and have been out in the past, you can ride what you fancy certainly some of the trails are way beyond what i would be interested in, there is steep stuff but there is other stuff really depends on what you are looking for. How much do you like climbing for a starter?
Lifts will get rid of the first climb out of the resort and get you to the high level road at c2000m from there you can ride to the glacier should you wish. There are DH runs down from here, varying from dirt road to full on DH runs.
What i will point out, i have been in Verbier in late August and it has snowed a few hundred metres above the resort, something to consider