Alps Holiday Advice

Hi all,

Planning our first trip to the alps this summer (30th June to 7th July) and weighing up a few options, so some more experienced opinions would be much appreciated

The main decision we’re facing is whether it’s worth paying the extra for guiding. The type of holiday we’re after is an epic singletrack type holiday; we’re not too fussed by the over ridden man made dh runs, we want singletrack. Part of me would prefer the adventure of not being guided, but equally I don’t want to get over there and feel we’re not making the most of it as we don’t know where we’re going. Looking at Chamonix area primarily I think, but am open to anything that can offer the goods.

Considering going with Alpine Elements
This is not guided, but claims to come with route cards and trail maps. Has anyone used these; are these route cards any good?

What’s Chamonix like – will we be able to find good trails without a guide? Are there any other areas which may be better for an unguided holiday?

Primarily considering Trail Addiction for the guided option, as the reviews make me confident it would be worth it. Are there any other, perhaps less expensive, guided holiday which people would recommend?

Money is pretty tight (for me at least) so it’s a bit of a balance. Thanks in advance for your help, and apologies if there are other similar threads; I had done a search but hadn’t found the answers i was looking for.

Cheers,

Lawrence

There are plenty of fabulous trails which you can find without guides in Chamonix, but the trails I know are walking trails which are closed to bikes in July and August. In those months, I would love to go with the guide option. I’ve ridden there 5 or 6 times, and it’s the best singletrack I’ve seen, but I can’t help but feel there is even better stuff away from the beaten track.

been out there with Alpine Elements twice before and has a great time.

Basic digs but good mechanic back up for bits and service and when we went they did guides, but if you just go up on the lifts the trails are at the top 🙂

Trail addiction are fantastic and well worth the money. Their trails are epic singletrack all the way and the food and accomodation are good too. If you have limited time then I’d want to make sure of making the best of it.

I’ve been with AE before (not to cham) and they’re fine for somewhere to stay but not much more in my experience. It’s worth googling the name and snowboard lodge (their winter name) to see a lot of less than positive reviews.

No doubt some people will suggest The Whiteroom… There is a reason why… They are very good, great food, great guides & great singletrack!

Whiteroom for the win! 😉

Wherever you go in the Alps you will have a great time but I highly recommend guided holiday. When I first started going many moons ago I would self guide in many areas and although it was ok, you spent a lot of time looking at maps, route cards etc and never really got the fun flowy side of riding which is what the alps are all about. Plus with a guided holiday you get a lot more including mechanical support, local knowledge on best places for lunch etc and the whole day can be tailored to maximise the enjoyment.

I have been on guided holidays in the States, Canada, France, Spain and Slovenia and have to say you are spot on with TrailAddiction. No other company has come close to providing the complete holiday that these guys do which is why they are so popular. The Tarantaise Valley is also one of my favourite areas to ride, so much great singletrack. There are other companies in that area, Bike Village is highly recommended but from what I have seen is more tailored to big XC epic rides rather than the lift assisted downhill riding. There are a few other smaller companies who have tried to copy the formula too but don’t come close to matching what TrailAddiction have.

Enjoy wherever you go!

Alpine Elements have many many horror stories in the skiing world – I would not touch them personally. Google them!

Chamonix is great,but as mentioned above there is a ban in July/august so Sick track, floria, charlanon and the like OOB.
Although lots of stuff at the swiss end and les houches/ contamines that is OK. Plus the Bikepark at Flegere and Vallorcine if thats what your into.

Technically the Holy trail, servoz ridge etc is in the regional Park so always a ban anyway..depends how cheeky you feel

http://www.chamonix.com/mountain-bike,35,en.html

Also get the Tom Wilso North Guide book – its a good starting point.

This is not guided, but claims to come with route cards and trail maps

Knowing Alpine Elements that will just be a summer trail map from the local lift office.

Personally I would never book a holiday with them, as said above have a good read of the many complaints found on the internet about them.

Having worked in the alps for a few years I have had dealings with them, they are shocking in the way they treat their customers (and staff).

If it’s very cheap the holiday may be bearable, but it’s a big risk.

Strange, unless they have changed from about 4 years ago, which was the last time i went out with them. everyone had a great time, yes the digs were basic, but all you do is sleep there…..the food was great, the free wine was great and the back up service was great. picked up at the airport and dropped off at the end of the week knackered with smiles on all our faces.

I can only go on my own experiences.

unless they have changed from about 4 years ago

No they always have been terible in the many different incarnations of the company.

I can only go on my own experiences.

I’ll agree that some people do have a good holiday, especially at the low prices they offer.

The thing is, the amount of times they screw it up is exceptional high. And when they do, they do it in a big way.

After seeing many people having their holidays ruined I’d never go with them, and recommend to avoid them to others.

fair enough, hey i don’t work for them so not too bothered…..but like i said, i’ve been out with them twice and had a great time on both occassions. a holiday is what you make it i guess.

anyone else on here actually been out with them and had a terrible time? or like me actually had a cracking time.

The mechanics couldn’t have been more helpfull and the staff more friendly, the guides were great and knew the areas really well. We had a good mix of newbies and people who were back for more and we all enjoyed the riding.

IMO Bike Village are the gods of epic alpine singletrack and Sam and Lyndsey are great hosts. The food will be great, the atmosphere will be great and the riding will be epic. Pretty reasonably priced as well

Guided holidays often include vehicle uplifts, a lot of good riding is only accessible that way.

Personally I’d have a slight preference for smaller owner run companies, it’s not uncommon in biking or skiing to find a company which builds a reputation based on passionate and knowledgeable owners which looses its way when day to day operations are passed onto kids just working for the summer.

Re Alpine Elements all I can say is I’ve had friends who’ve used them for years for skiing, so they must be doing something right. However consistent with my philosophy when I was in Val d’Isere this Feb I used a smaller off poste guiding business.

I’ve heard lots of good things about Trail Addiction (not faultless as repeat cusomters found their second holiday inferior to first – owner guided vs summer job kid) and Bike Verbier so I’m booking with them this year.

I won a holiday with Alpine Elements, in one of their chalets in Chamonix. Fully catered, hot tub, etc etc. They got a lot of positive publicity out of the competition.

Two weeks before my holiday they rang me and told me they had decided to shut the chalet early for the season because I had chosen the last week and there were no other bookings. I pointed out that this was not the generous prize that they had originally offered, and they eventually gave me a tiny self-catered apartment in Cham Sud for the week.

I wasn’t actually all that surprised to be honest, having worked out there I would never, ever book a holiday with one of the big operations. There are small businesses in every area of the Alps where you will be looked after directly by the owners.

Cheers for all the advice guys.

It sounds like Alpine Elements might be a bit of a risk. I have to admit the smaller guided set ups, where the riding can be a bit more tailored does sound appealing. Bike Village looks good, and I’d not seriously considered them before for some reason. Bike Verbier certainly looks very good, but is a bit pricey, but might be worth it.

You’re going to be there for the Passportes Du Soleil weekend, a brilliant event you don’t need to be an expert to do. An 80km loop of French and Swiss villages including Morzine, Avoriaz, Champery, Morgins. You choose what day to do it and use the lift system to get you round, it’s something like 6000m of decsent and 1000m of ascent. Not all singletrack but if you want to cover a lot of ground and have a bit of an adventure it’s awesome. It’s like a moving festival, our club did it last year and are going again this year.

Here’s the website – http://www.passportesdusoleil.com/index.jsp?c=65988#

Looks like places are still available.

@lar – Bike Verbier are double the price of the other operators and their new place isn’t even up the mountain in Verbier at all but in the bottom of the Valley, I do care about that as I have friends who live in Verbier year round and it will make it slightly harder to see them in the evening. That being said I’m keen to try them out and compare to Destination X with Trail Addiction. I’m fortunate to be able to do 3 weeks this year and not be budget constrained. Middle week will be some work meetings in Geneva and exploring a couple of resorts.

Chamonix you don’t need a car/van at all as its all covered by lifts and trains.

Of all the alpine hot spots is probably the easiest for self guiding.

Bike Verbier are also amazing – been twice, spot on. Pity the swiss franc is so pricey at the moment though…

That’s week there is a group of 20 guys going to the Les arcs area. All staying in bogue st mortise. Some camping, some in hotels, and 8 of us in a chatel. Is going to be an epic week. Going to get a guide for a couple of days too. See you there if you going to les arcs.

We are all meeting for beers at Le Tonneau its on the roundabout next to train station in Bourg. Its big and plenty of tables. They also serve massive beers 😉

Le Tonneau 2 Avenue Stade, 73700 Bourg-Saint-Maurice, France

open invitation to anyone out there that week. 🙂

Cheers for all the advice guys. Opted to go for a week with Whiteroom in the end; looks exactly the type of riding we want to do (and they seem to tailor it quite a bit) and was pretty reasonably priced, especially since they were kind enough to give us a discount for driving (no transfers required). Hopefully we won’t be disappointed.

Cheers,
Lawrence

You won’t be disappointed with the Whiteroom. Stayed last year and had a great time, going again this year!

Here are some of my White Room videos:
Veni Didi Vici
Col De L’Iseran

@lar happy days ! I was in Fornet below CoI I’seran this February – I can vouch its a long way to the bottom from there.

@Milke any ride video which starts in the snow is a good one.

Can’t go wrong with The White Room. Ace place and ace trails.

I found the setup with Bike Verbier very good, you don’t need to be in the town and I in fact found it preferable to be in Etiez. It’s a lovely house and setting.

In general, it’s a first-class setup on every level and well worth paying a premium for. I’m sure that the other places are equally professional but Bike Verbier is the only place to match that with the terrain, the Swiss Valais, one of the greatest parts of the Alps.

I did Chamonix – Zermatt with Ride the Alps a few years ago, it’s an itinerary (guide is part of the package) so you get to see several places and ride absolutely all kinds of terrain, including a bit of hike-a-bike.

It was good value and good fun, and as a ‘journey’ it’s a good alternative to resort based lift-slogging. TMB would undoubtedly be good too.

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Lar89 – whatever you do, don’t discount Bike Verbier on grounds of cost – it’s mainly just a matter of exchange rate anyway, and this year their prices are great. In fact stick them top of your list. It’s very much a case of getting what you pay for, as anyone else here who’s used Bike Verbier will confirm. Their holidays are spot on in every respect like grub, accommodation, friendliness etc etc, but the main reason for going with them is just the trails – they know the region inside out, and use their van and trailer (as well as the odd out-of-the-way lift and some pedal power) to reach singletrack no one else rides, well away from the resort, proper back country epic stuff. I’ve done a DIY trip to Verbier and it ended up costing the same as a BV holiday, without the good food, without the access to a van etc etc. Plus we had the added hassle and expense of transfers, checking in and out of our chalet, cleaning the chalet, shopping and cooking (which eats into riding time) etc etc. It definitely wasn’t worth it, and even though I know the area, it was a big mistake in terms of missing the best singletrack – it’s either invisible or inaccessible without the BV guides and van, even if other companies claim to know where it is. Plenty on this forum have been with enough companies in other resorts to make a fair comparison – I’m pretty confident they’ll back me up on BV’s quality and value for money. Anyway, have fun whatever you decide – just do some careful sums first.