Mountain Biking Trails in Verbier

Mountain Biking Trails / Areas in Verbier

Verbier is a great place to for mountain biking fans with enough gnarly downhill, leg burning cross-country and scenic 'rambles' to keep everyone happy! You could try starting in Verbier itself and then descending down into Verbier Village before following the Route du Soleil up to Les Shlérondes at 2000m. You'll then be pleased to hear that the going gets steadier on the Route de la Planie from Chaux to Croix-de-Coeur and you can cruise along and enjoy the view before the freewheeling drop back down into Verbier. To vary the route a little you can go from Chaux up to the Mont Fort cabin and ride along the Col des Gentianes pass, or from Croix-de Coeur you can drop down through to La Tzoumaz.

The Vallée de Bagnes circuit is a good one to get the thighs burning. Starting at Verbier you descend to Sarreyer via the Route du Soleil, then continue to Lourtier. Here you begin the long climb to Fionnay, which is interspersed with deceptive, seemingly flat stretches. This will eventually bring you to Mauvoisin and the dam. If you still have the energy you can continue along the lake's left shore, where the open road alternates with tunnels hollowed out of the cliff. The ever-changing landscape seen along this route includes the magnificent scenery around the lake, the glaciers, and the numerous marmots. Ambitious athletes can set themselves the goal of reaching Chanrion cabin, perched at an elevation of 2,462 m. The return trip follows the same route in reverse, although some might prefer to take the Châble cable car back up to Verbier and grab a rewarding beer before the sun goes down.

Also if you fancy a change of scenery from Verbier then there are a host of other smaller areas within striking distance. Places such as Crans Montana, Dorenaz, Saleve, and Thyon are just a handful of such resorts. With even more plans being submitted for future developments the sport of mountain biking and downhill biking specifically; look set to go from strength to strength.

Please see our Summer Guide for details of the summer lift system and lift pass prices.

Tour de Mont Fort - Mountain Biking Trail

The Tour de Mont Fort is the classic Verbier MTB route linking Verbier, La Tzoumaz and Nendaz via the Col des Gentianes pass (elevation 2,894 m). The scenery is absolutely incredible and as there are 2 versions of the ride, most people of reasonable fitness should be able to manage it.

There are two options; the easy rider and the pro rider routes. Both cover the same area; but the pro rider route uses less lifts and is for real fitness freaks. Altogether it demands up to 2000m of climbing with the reward of a descent of just under 3000m. Alternatively catch the lifts on the easy rider route and steal the same decent for practically no work at all!

Verbier Bike Park

New in 2006, the Verbier Bike Park is a must for downhill fans with 6km of serious downhill tracks running from Ruinettes to the Médran in Verbier. The 700m vertical drop in altitude makes it more suitable for speedsters and hardcore downhillers, however, you have to start somewhere and the park offers 4 different gradients of trail – green, blue, red and black – for beginners, intermediates and experts respectively.

There are 4 downhill tracks proposed in total, stretching for over 20 kilometres. They will break down roughly into the following percentages; 10% green, 20% blue, 40% red and 30% black. Also there are plans to develop a lot more obstacles and ramps which should gives riders of all levels more variety of terrain to ride on.

You can either buy a day or half day lift ticket to use the park which will give you unlimited access to the Ruinettes gondola. Alternatively, each afternoon, pro-riders from the Verbier bike team are available to show you around the trails (min. 2 people), telling you all you need to know about the park and the obstacles on the way. Advance reservation is recommended for one of these “Brakeless” sessions, but bear in mind that your lift ticket, bike hire and protective equipment are not included in the price. To check your progress during your stay, you can hire a “Freelap” timer gadget that will tell you the time of your descent on 3 different sections of the black “Tire’s Fire” piste.

The park is open daily from early June to late October every summer. See the Verbier Bike Park official site below for the latest dates and info (in French only).

There are plenty of sport shops in and around town offering mountain bikes and protection kit for rent or sale (No Bounds, Medran Sport, Jet Sport, Xtreme or Happy Sport in Le Chable)