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Verbier Mountain Biking
| Mountain Biking in Verbier |
Although Verbier is not a well established mountain bike destination quite yet, it has made some big steps in the last few years to embrace the various disciplines of the sport.
Verbier brags of as much as 2000 metres of vertical drop to the tree covered valley floor below. There are up to 20 kilometres of downhill tracks alone that weave their way through dramatic mountains and lush pine forest covered slopes. Then there are approximately 200 kilometres of marked XC tracks. These tracks transport the rider through a stunning landscape of mountains, flower filled pastures, alpine forests, quaint Swiss villages and of course the cosmopolitan ski/ summer resort of Verbier itself.
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| What to Expect... |
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The resort of Verbier provides an excellent base in which to explore the surrounding areas. Firstly there is a huge surplus of rental accommodation which makes prices significantly cheaper than the winter. The town itself has excellent infrastructure which is open by mid June, when the lifts re-open. There is a thriving family of bike tour operators in the area offering excellent guided weeks, with all the facilities that a biker would expect. Also, Verbier is a great base for exploring other resorts and areas. For example Chamonix and the Portes du Soleil are only 1-1.5 hrs drive away. We know many people who may travel hours to get to their local spot back home. Here in the Alps the options are limited only by the time you have to take your holiday. |
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last updated 4-Jun-2008 |
| What time of year is it best to come mountain biking? |
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Weather permitting, June, September and up to the end of October are good months to mountain bike as trails are quieter and the temperature a bit more ambient. Too early in June or too late in October and a number of the higher passes maybe covered in snow and are therefore unsafe to traverse. The lifts serving the valley tend to open during the second week of June and close mid-September. If you're not fond of the uphill or long ascents, you should consider the busy summer months of July and August; when the summer lift system is fully functioning. However this is high season where prices are high and trails can be busy. There are also restrictions placed on certain trails and tracks during these months. Whenever you choose please remember to respect others users of the mountain, especially walkers, and control your speed of descent... |
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last updated 4-Jun-2008 |
| Getting your Sporting Equipment to Verbier |
There are numerous options for getting your sports equipment to resort, be it flying, train or coach. Most travel companies have their own individual policy terms and conditions depending on the type of sporting equipment you are transporting. Here's a snap shot of the different transport options and a guide to their restrictions:
Several airlines from around Europe will get you to the Alps without too heavy a hit on the old purse strings, check here for further airline information. Low-cost carriers such as Easyjet or Flybe regularly fly between Geneva, Lyon, Grenoble and the UK. You then have a number of options to get you from the airport to your resort, all of which are explained further in the following sections.
A review of airlines terms and conditions in relation to sports equipment baggage indicates that it is highly likely that you will be subjected to a standard charge for taking your sporting equipment on board. Leisure 'Equipment' that will require additional handling can include bikes, golf clubs, parachutes, mountaineering equipment or skis/snowboards. If you like your skis, it is imperative that you pack them in a ski or board bag for protection! Most airlines will still take your skis if they are not in a ski bag; just don’t be surprised at the condition they arrive in at the other end of your flight. A ski or snowboard bag can also be packed with soft items (ski trousers, jumpers etc) around your skis or board to give them added protection. Just be careful if the equipment is covered in storage wax.
Recently we decided to test the airlines by taking our mountain bike over from the UK to Geneva. ; bmibaby; Aer Lingus; and KLM indicated that there was an average additional charge of between £15 (€22.50) and £25 (€36) to take your mountain bike, one-way. However, having recently travelled from the UK to Geneva with our mountain bikes on a low cost carrier we feel the need to clarify this minor detail as we ended up getting stung at check in for 'excess baggage'!! Having duly paid the £15 for bike carriage, and with our luggage weighing in at about 20kgs, we were informed that even though we'd paid to take the bike on board, the combined weight permitted for all luggage was 32kgs. Anything over and above that would be subjected to 'excess baggage' charges. Full suspension bikes although light are generally not below 12kgs so our excess baggage payment ended up costing us another £35! Our bike was carried in its original cardboard box so who knows what the charges would have been had it been transported in a plastic case! Interestingly though we had to get a connecting flight from Belfast to Geneva on the same day, not wanting to pay another £35 we cleverly selected our check-in staff, a few cheeky smiles and bit of banter all proved to be a winner, no excess baggage charges, so we guess that's the random lottery that is excess baggage charges and check-in staff! The more conventional airlines such as British Airways its code share partner Swiss airlines permit free transport of bikes providing they fit within the free baggage allowance, and are packed in a hard shelled container.
Airport Transfer companies - If you choose to take a mountain biking holiday most holiday firms will collect you from the airport where the hours drive from the airport is included within your holiday price. However, should you choose to book your transfer independently most airport transfer companies will still permit you to take your mountain bike in the vehicle provided you give advance warning at the time of booking.
By Car or Hire car from the airport - If you prefer the use of your own car you can drive down the autoroutes to Verbier. It’s approximately an 8-10 hour drive (895kms/550 miles) from Calais and will cost around €70 in road tolls. Check out Viamichelin for exact route information. The most convenient way to travel with skis is a roof "coffin" style box that will carry several pairs of skis/boards, boots and poles. A roof rack is also a handy alternative and can be retned from many ski shops. If using a roof rack, try to cover the bindings over to prevent them getting covered in grit and salt. Roof boxes and roof racks should be lockable and therefore fairly secure from thiefs.
By Train - If you choose to take a train all the way to your ski resort it may involve a couple of changes and cost slightly more than a cheap flight. Eurostar recommends using its registered luggage service for your bike if you’re travelling from London, Paris, Brussels or Lille and charges approximately £20 for carriage of your bike. If travelling by France's national rail system check here for further train and route timetables. |
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last updated 4-Jun-2008 |
| Packing your bike to fly |
There are a few options available in transporting your bike. Hard bike boxes tend to cost in the region of £300 and like a hard case suitcase it will minimise the risk of damage occurring to the your bike. A soft bike bag is the cheaper option, costing around £100. Whilst this will provide your bike with a little more padded protection it is not as reliable as the hard box. On our recent trip from the UK to Geneva, we transported our bike in its original cardboard box, protected the key areas with bubble wrap and cardboard and it arrived safely and undamaged. Most airlines stipulate the following:- Bikes should be contained within a protective box or appropriate bike bag;
- Only one bike should be carried per box/bag, and no other items (except protective padding) should be included within the box/bag;
- Handlebars and pedals must be fixed sideways against the frame or removed; and
- Tyres should be deflated slightly to reduce the risk of damage.
If you are transporting your bike, you should also check out your travel insurance arrangements. A lot of travel insurance companies will not cover your expensive mountain bike without an additional excess payment, and a lot of airlines will not be held responsible for any damage sustained whilst the bike is in their care. Check out your household insurance policy to see whether it can be covered as 'contents away from home'. There may be a slight surcharge for this option, but it's potentially better than having to fork out for a new bit of suspension, or a brand new bike!! We travelled using this option, paying an additional £50 to Direct Line for our £1000 bike. This option offered us up to 60 days European coverage which is plenty for a week's break or month touring the Alps.
| Verbinet's Top Tip: In addition to bubble wrap, purchase some pipe lagging and zip ties from a DIY store to put around the frame of the bike for protection during transportation. In addition, if you don't have your original cardboard bike box, ask your local bike shop for one. By choice we would always use the manufacturer’s box and have adopted this approach on many flights without damage to our bike. However, it is worth noting that the most frequently damaged part of a bike is the rear gear hanger. Remove the rear gear mechanism and tie wrap loosely to the frame to avoid this scenario. This applies almost equally to disc brake rotors if your bike sports them. Take them off, likewise pedals, its only a five minute job and will prevent you engaging in a fruitless search for an obscure part in resort. Further information on getting to Verbier can be found in our Resort FAQs - Travel and transport section |
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last updated 10-Apr-2008 |
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