I'll almost definitely be on my own.

Somewhere fairly busy would be best. Want to do uplifts, but some xc wouldn't go amiss.

Is it easy to take my own bike, and bits I should take that might not be obvious (I'm guessing I should take spare mech hanger, pads, tubes, etc.), and what's not worth taking?

Thanks for any help. Just need to scrape the cash together now.

http://www.trailaddiction.com

Not only is Les Arcs an awesome place to ride – but these guys know it like the back of their hands and will take you on some of the rides of your life.

second trail addiction

bikeverbier

I was there in 2005, recommended(Lucy & Phil) them to my mate who like you was going on his own. As I predicted he loved it and is going back in June this year. He was going in Sept but due to personal circumstances had to change dates, called Lucy and there was no problem doing so.

bike village was ace when i went. amazing riding, lovely people – the best food.

going with whiteroom chalet this year because of recomendations on here…

Trail addiction if you want French Alps. Riveria Bike if you want woodys singletrack in Italy.

going with whiteroom chalet this year because of recomendations on here…

That's us by the way! 😉

Endlessride in Morzine

Another vote for TrailAddiction. Fantastic company.

a company for guided/group Alpine mtbing

that would be endless ride and all the brit companies in morzine out then, unless something has changed in the past year. they're a great company but any guiding you get in morzine will be from the french.

+1 for bikeverbier – fantastic trails/guides/chalet/everything. top setup, very professional, and great fun to be around. not a busy resort, if that's what you're looking for, but ace riding. you need to pedal your bike mind.

that would be endless ride and all the brit companies in morzine out then, unless something has changed in the past year. they're a great company but any guiding you get in morzine will be from the french.

No, Gareth at EndlessRide (Morzine) is properly qualified to guide in France. The only others I'm aware of are Jamie Carr at Ride the Alps and me (at The White Room).

we'll be in the White Room this summer too.

You shouldn't go wrong with any of the companies you go with, you just need to ensure they cater to the riding you want to do and the type of area you like.

Morzine and Les Gets are good if you want to be surrounded by kids with big-rigs.

Verbier is great, as is Pila. For the best singletrack head to Les Arcs area, fantastic natural trails and the lift system is one of the best out there for uplifts.

Don't think the Sainte Foy lifts are open in the summer. Verbier lift run a few times a day from memory.

If you want fantastic lift assisted singletrack, xc and DH Les Arcs has it all. The majority of STWers have been with TrailAddiction and keep returning due to the great chalets and fantastic guides. Highly recommended.

TrailAddiction

Have fun!!!

Don't think the Sainte Foy lifts are open in the summer

Yes, they do.

+1 for The White Room…..Roll on September 😀

Oh, sorry but i got this off the website…

No chairlifts, instead 2 8-place shuttles using 4×4 vehicles

Skied with the the white room – they were the best hosts I've experienced and the footage of the single track you'll find looks awesome. Added to which it's away from the crowds. Quiet village, great hosts, great riding.

http://www.bikeverbier.com

Great place so many trails, they'll do uplifts, XC the lot. Not been out for abot 5 years, when Trekster was there funnily enough, due to sprogs getting in the way. Plan to get back as soon as possible, maybe this year.

Bike Verbier are indeed brilliant. Rode our season-opening ride with Lucy and Phil last Friday and they showed us some really nice stuff.

Two more positives for the White Room – 1st Iona's cakes and general hosting skills, 2nd Steveo wont be distracted by the world cup…along with the rest of Scotland! Seriously though attention to detail makes all the diffence and they have it.

Oh, sorry but i got this off the website…

No chairlifts, instead 2 8-place shuttles using 4×4 vehicles

Aye, that's right – but it does a better job than the lifts! 1300m+ of vertical drop and access to a huge area of riding.

2nd Steveo wont be distracted by the world cup…along with the rest of Scotland!

We do have BBC though, for those who can't drag themselves away! Dull game anyway… 😳

Aye, that's right – but it does a better job than the lifts! 1300m+ of vertical drop and access to a huge area of riding.

So its lifts aren't open?

Ok.

bike village was ace when i went. amazing riding, lovely people – the best food.

going with whiteroom chalet this year because of recomendations on here…

+1, exactly. Went to bike village first, loved it. Fancy somewhere different, and from the reviews on here, going to white room.

Aye, that's right – but it does a better job than the lifts! 1300m+ of vertical drop and access to a huge area of riding.

So its lifts aren't open?

Ok.

That's right. If you want the whole chairlift right-outside-your-door thing than you're better off staying in Les Arcs (and Ash & the guys at TA probably know the place better than anyone – highly recommended!).

We do things a little bit differently, use a mix of uplift options and ride a lot of trails outside of the resorts. Usually 2-3 days each of vans vs chairlifts (with at least 1 day riding at Les Arcs).

Hainey…..open your eyes my friend.

Les Arc is just ONE resort in an otherwise very big valley. You made your point on the last thread about Les Arc/Sainte Foy.

Have you considered the Pyrenees?

See AQR – http://www.aquickrelease.com – for some top notch French (& Spanish!) singletrack 🙂

Nick not sure what you are getting at dude, perhaps you've misunderstood what i was saying. The Tarantaise Valley encompasses a really large area, including Les Arcs, La Plagne, Ste Foy, in fact it pretty much stretches from Albertville up to Bourg-St-Maurice. So yes you are right. Each resort is different, down to the altitude, riding and lift system availability in the summer.

http://www.mbmb.com
chamonix

Cheers everyone. Will start looking. And saving.