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Looking for advice / information. We're considering the 3 valleys for a summer MTB trip this year. We usually go to Lea Arcs as there's loads of lift assisted single-track (official and unofficial) but wanted a change this year. We're not into bike park type jumps and motorway style flow trails, just lots of single-track - preferably nice and techy. Are the 3 valleys good for this style of riding? And where's the best place to stay? Brides de Bains seems the most convenient. Reviews seem mixed about riding there so looking for some feedback.
Don’t go. It’s poor. For reasons best understood by someone else the lifts aren’t open everyday in the coucheval and Val Thorens valleys so it’s really hard to travel around the area. The trails down to bride Les bains are excellent but the shuttle bus to get you back up only runs at the weekends even though the official website says it runs everyday. It was bad enough that we forfitted our campsite deposit and went to Les arcs instead.
Ah. Been caught out with inaccurate / random lift openings in La Plagne. How recent was this?
The trails down to bride Les bains are excellent
Ooh yes, agreed.
but the shuttle bus to get you back up only runs at the weekends even though the official website says it runs everyday.
How recent was this?
And what time of year,? The shuttle ran fine when we were there, though the driver was a bit of a knob ( refused to show us how to load bikes and drove off with me still on the trailer)
we went 20 or so years ago.
me and the lad got cable car upto the top of La Saulire at 3000 mt. descended all the way down to Brides La Bain at 900 mt.
awesome descent. went for gondola back upto Meribel. it was shut.
this was before i had a mobile phone. 3 hours pushing 2 bikes back up to La Tania with a sobbing lazy 13 year old in tow,
Definitely worth it for a few days, but make sure that includes the weekend when the shuttle is running. Last year the Olympic lift was open in Sunday running directly from Brides to Meribel. The lift schedule was easier to understand too.
The campsite in Bride is very cheap and usually not too busy. There's not much in the town, but a couple of IK bars for a few days.
Been a few times. It’s great.
schedule your different valley visits with the lift opening times and shuttle schedules. These can change year to year.
we stayed in Courcheval each time. Some of the runs back to our B&B were real fun themselves, putting aside the great trails during the day.
Thunder storms, and the associated lift closures, can add some interesting twists to day’s end.
Edit. are the 3 valleys good for endless, twisting singletrack? Yes! There are some great days out to be had combining the official trails on the mountains with trails in the trees and linkups along the ridges.
Thanks all. We'd probably get an apartment instead of camping. Is Brides the best town to be based in or is it worth getting somewhere higher?