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.
With over 200kms of trails and it's own downhill mountain bike park, Verbier is definitely the place to do a spot of mountain biking. There are some serious downhill tracks running down the slopes of Ruinettes and Médran covering 6kms of terrain with a 700m drop in altitude so really only suitable for speedsters and hardcore downhillers. If you prefer to take life at a more leisurely pace then there's plenty of mountain biking that is suitable for families and/or individuals who want to discover Verbier and its surrounding villages without having to furiously pedal uphill or kit up in full body armour. If you're not sure where to head and which trails would be best for you, then during the summer months, the Tourist Office run two free guided bike tours around the area. There are plenty of sport shops in and around town offering Mountain bikes and protection kit for rent or sale. (NB: In French, mountain biking is called VTT (Vélo tout-terrain!). ... see "Verbier's Mountain Bike Trails" for more
Lift Pass Prices for Verbier - Mountain Biking 2010
MOUNTAIN BIKING
All prices are given in Swiss Francs (CHF)
Ticket Type
Adult (20+)
Youth (15-19) Senior (65-77)
Child (8-14)
1 Day Tour du Mont Fort
30
24
15
Half Day Verbier Bike Park
25
20
13
1 Day Verbier Bike Park
30
24
15
Season Verbier Bike Park Pass
238
190
119
When is it best to come mountain biking?
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...
Mountain Biking Holidays in Verbier
No Bounds Ski and Snowboard Shop is the epicentre of Kona in Verbier. They are also linked to a bike operator, Pimp My Bike, which runs camps from July onwards.
One of the largest and oldest companies in Verbier is Bike Verbier. Here Phil and Lucy will happily show you the best spots in not just Verbier but the surrounding area too. Other tour operators to look at are Powder and Dust, and Sports Travel Company.
The decision on whether to go Full Suspension or Hardtail is a difficult one.... A full suspension (FS) bike is one with both front and rear suspension that is effective at absorbing many bumps thus providing better performance and smoother ride. A hardtail refers to a bike with no rear suspension. Suspension forks may be added to the front of the bike but its back post is rigid. There are numerous makes and models of both types available to the potential buyer so when deciding on which type of bike is best, it is important to consider the following:
Your budget !!
The type of riding you and your bike will be undertaking; and
The typical terrain and angle you will be riding.
In general, hardtail bikes tend to require less maintenance and perform better on steep uphill climbs and sprints to the finish line, whereas full suspension mountain bikes are much more comfortable and arguably have more control over the rough stuff. Sadly, along with an increase comfort, FS bikes increase in price quite significantly.
Whether to go full suspension or hardtail is one which can create a lot of healthy debate amongst the mountain biking community. Inexperienced or beginner riders may prefer to start with a hardtail complete with front, lockable suspension; progressing to a full suspension bike after they have got a feel for their preferred type of riding. Although a full suspension bike will give you more options to adjust to suit the terrain, it can be more energy intensive on the uphill as unless you have a ‘lock out’ facility on the rear suspension as energy can be lost through ‘suspension bobbing' as you climb. Furthermore, you could potentially have more moving parts to repair should anything go wrong. On the positive side, it is worth remembering though you can make a full suspension bike ‘lock out’ so the experience is like riding a hard tail, but it is difficult, if not impossible, to make a hard-tail ride like a full suspension bike!
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