Basque MTB vs. White Room

The stars of money, time and commitments have finally aligned, allowing me to book a dedicated riding holiday for next year, probably around September.

I’m swithering between Basque MTB’s High Pyrenees trip (largely down to timing) and the Backcountry Enduro trip, run by White Room.

Grateful for the thoughts of anyone who’s done either or both to help me decide. As for factors that would sway me, quality of riding, scenery, organisation and degree of logistical arse-ache in getting there (flying from West of Scotland with the bike) are all on the list.

Riding on the White Room trip looks less physically and technically demanding, but I reckon I can be sufficiently on form to make it through either.

I’ve done trips with both and it’s like asking to pick your favourite child.

The riding is quite different, and the backcountry Pyrenees trip I did wasn’t “high alpine” riding but no less amazing for it. You could either and have a superb time.

I have been on a trip with Basque MTB and consider them to be the gold standard of MTB guiding. Haven’t used the white room, but they are certainly the other company that gets most recommendations so would expect them to be of a similar standard.

What I would say is that you could have a pretty decent MTB holiday in Les Arcs without guides, using guides would enhance it, but isn’t required. I think it would be very hard to replicate what I did with Basque MTB without someone organising the trip for you (although the high alpine trip isn’t just in Les Arcs so that might be actually more comparable).

I’ve been to both and would honestly struggle to pick a fault with either. Quite different, but both are super professional, you’ll be extremely well looked after either way. Both allow for a variety of riding- big mountain days with pedal/push/hike to long descents, or more uplifty days with shorter runs, food and hospitality all great, guiding and all the staff are excellent for both.

If I had to separate then, the White Room villa has a pool which is lovely end of day – that said, staying in a variety of different spots with Basque was ace too. I’d happily go back to either of them given a chance.

Riding on the White Room trip looks less physically and technically demanding, but I reckon I can be sufficiently on form to make it through either.

As above, they will do a variety of different trips, you can pedal/push/hike up super high, stay overnight in a refuge, etc. – so they can make it as technical and physical as you want. Or more bike park/shorter trails also

I’d say pick the one which suits you best in terms of availability/dates/flights etc. And do the other the following year.

Basque is my bucket list for my 55th (2 years away) trip for myself. I expect it’ll be eeb rather than manual, but it’ll be awesome and a driving/road-trip adventure too.

I haven’t ridden with BasqueMTB but am aiming to. But, for Whiteroom – I did a backcountry week in 2014 and have been back three times since, which says it all really. Flying easyjet from Edinburgh to Geneva each time. No problems to report with the flights or bike transport (but earlier you book the better the price). And once you land, you get picked up at airport and everything else is done for you 🙂 Just relax and soak up a week of incredible mountain riding, great food and accommodation. The guiding is top notch.

I’m lucky to have done the High Pyrenees trip with Basque and both the Classic Week and Tarentaise Tour with Whiteroom. Personally I would say the technicality of the riding was of a similar level, switchbacks, chutes, technical rocky sections, mixed with some great flow too, but ultimately some of the trails I rode with the Whiteroom were the most difficult. On the other hand the High Pyrenees trip had the most physically demanding day, with some proper hike-a-bike push and carry business, but was well worth it for the descents. One benefit of the Whiteroom Backcountry tour is that you’ll be based in one location all week, which means you don’t have to worry about packing your bags, etc, every other day or so. Flipside of that is that with the Basque Pyrenees tour see/ride/explore a larger area of the mountains.
Both are superbly well organised so no worries there. Logistics wise, the Basque tour was a tad more faffy, as I had to fly to Bilbao then get a bus to San Sebastián, but it’s no drama.

I’m planning to visit both again within the next couple of years, which says it all. However, I have to say the High Pyrenees tour is possibly the best experience I’ve ever had on a bike.

Riding on the White Room trip looks less physically and technically demanding

That’s really dependent on you/the group. We were there two years ago and did almost twice the descending of one of the other groups. In la thuille we did three top to bottom runs before lunch compared to their one. Just by dint of no faffing and not needing to be walked through every feature. I was buckled by the rest day.
The guides are pretty good at assessing abilities and can chuck some interesting diversions your way.

I guess there’s a difference in that for Basque, you are signing up for a week of High Pyrenees/Backcountry etc – -so you more or less make the call beforehand, White Room you are starting out from the same place every day so there’s a bit more flexibility if you need to change the plan (assuming the rest of your van agree)

Have no experience of White Room. I’ve been with Basque MTB a couple of times, one of which was the High Pair-Of-Knees trip. It is by a long mark the best European MTB holiday I’ve been on. Everything works, as advertised the guides and Doug are the gold standard (like you’re riding with mates that just happen to ride in the best bits of northern Spain) , you just turn up and ride, every day is different, the riding standard is what I’d call ‘purple’ it’s mostly moderate to hard red with occasional black thrown in to keep your attention, totally achievable for a good to moderately good rider, and just challenging enough to sharpen your skills a bit. The trip rewards riders who’ve spent some time before the trip getting fit; there’s a notorious hike a bike of at least an hour and a half, but the descent of the back of it is still for me at least the sine qua non of mountain bike riding.

Downsides? You do spend quite a bit of time in a van doing transit each day, but it is what it is. You are in different hotels each day so you do live out of a bag for the week if that bothers you, and there’s a bit of hustle to get all that sorted each day. If you go on your own and don’t pay the single supplement, you may end up sharing a room. Getting to San Sebastian, as others have said involves a bus ride, but it literally picks you up from the airport and takes you to where you’ll meet the guys from Basque.

Have done the Basque Coast tour with Basque MTB as well, and that’s based in one location, the hotel has a pool, and because they’re such a cool organisation will, if you ask, sort out an ocean sailing day for your day off. I would say though that the riding isn’t quite the same standard, it’s good, but not as good as the High Pyrenees trip

That day we went sailing on an MTB holiday…

Just back from the backcountry enduro with WRs and did High Pyrennes with Basque a couple years back so in good dposition to comment. From our groups’ point of view (5 of us doing both trips) the Basque trip was better in almost every respect. In WRs defence we did have a week of fairly crap weather, which did somewhat limit the choice of trails and general feelings of bonhomie, but the quality and variety of trails in the pyrenees were far better and the guides were also in a notch above those in the Alps. If you have not done any big mountain trips before then either is going to blow your mind. Having been to the Alps with Trail Addictions (x3), Bike Village and now White Rooms though I would struggle to recommend them over and above any other providers.

is still for me at least the sine qua non of mountain bike riding.

Veni, vidi, dixi scortum

What I would say is that you could have a pretty decent MTB holiday in Les Arcs without guides,

Im not sure that’s possible in September as the lifts close.

sine qua non
Sorry I don’t speak Geordie, is this good or bad?

I’ve done both trips and would really struggle to pick one over the other. The Basque trip is possibly a little more of an adventure being a point to point vs WR being slightly more relaxing as you are based in one place and not getting to the next hotel and having to pack/repack.

Both are special trips though.

I’ve been back to the White Room loads of times, always really enjoyed it. Their best days are the back-country big mountain days IMO, but those are weather dependent and not to everyone’s taste as there is a significant amount of pedalling and hike-a-bike involved. One thing about the riding around the Tarantaise is that it quite a bit more challenging when it is wet.

The more training I put in before hand, the more I enjoy it.

I shall probably try Basque MTB next.

Interestingly I tried one of the other competitors in the market this year, and although it was pretty good, there were a few things I felt were slightly disappointing.

I’m off on my 6th trip with Basque very soon – they are the company I’ve been with most and I’ll almost certainly go back again in future. Never done White Room so can’t comment on them.

With Basque they do easier trips and harder ones – the coastal one is the most relaxed and stays in one place, Ainsa enduro is a step up from that (I think it’s Ainsa vs Tremp now – was one location when I did it but might be two now), then Back Country and finally High Country as the hardest – both of those are point to point

Riding on the White Room trip looks less physically and technically demanding

They’re very flexible and will split groups up to make things either (within reason) easier, or send someone out one on one with Rab to find something truly terrifying.

I think that with natural big mountain riding, there’s no such thing as easy though.

Doug and his crew are faultless. I’ve done Coast and Ultimate (like High Pyrenees) and bar the physical effort that is expected, made it effortless.

Not done Whiteroom.

Cheers, you gorgeous mammals. Lots to chew over there. I’m leaning towards Basque at the moment, but hoping I’ll be able to make it out to the Alps in subsequent years.