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Hi Crew,
After looking at the pics in a previous post i have decided that summer 2016 is the one for me to get a week on my bike in the Alps. I have had a quick look online but would love to hear some really good recommendations on what company go with and why. Plus a few other questions what sort of price do easy jet charge to take your bike with you?
Cheers Shaun
Any particular part of the Alps taking your fancy? They're quite big
What type of riding?
Downhill? Bike Park? or trail riding?
What kind of riding are you into? (Or what bike will you be on?)
If you don't mind a bit of pedally stuff then I would really recommend [url= http://www.bikevillage.co.uk/ ]Bike Village[/url]. We have done a couple of weeks with them and they are amazing. They have lived in the area for 15 years so know it better than anyone and you'll get to ride amazing untouched trails.
Watching this.
Did white room was awesome and also sorted on the UK bike guide qualifications I believe.
Get yourself to lrs arcs, trailaddiction and white room are well regarded
http://switch-backs.com/
http://www.benjonesmtb.com/mont-blanc-enduro.php
http://www.trans-provence.com/
http://trailaddiction.com/
http://www.justridefinale.com
http://www.basquemtb.com/
http://www.themountainbikeadventure.com
http://www.whiteroomchalet.com/
Just a few suggestions, not all of them alps based. Trail addiction and basque mtb do skills weeks as well, which I am doing next year as I am struggling with the step up in technical riding that is becoming the norm.
I am doing Ben Jones next summer, seems well organised, good route and he is a decent guy to talk to so hopefully going to be good. Package includes everything pretty much do you just turn up.
If I was going to the Alps again, I think Bike Village would be at the top of the list, as Sam knows the area brilliantly, and it's not all uplift and descent, more XC which is great.
Have you considered the Pyrenees? Altitude Adventure out there can match anything the Alps have, and gets better weather.
+1 for whiteroom.
Got august next year booked. Will be our 3rd time with them. Set up is just perfect, riding is awesome, Guides are proper good craic.
I will be taking an orange Five ( should have one by then ), the ridding i want to be doing is single track French alps sort of riding. All I'm going off is the few pics i saw on the white room site so i think thats what I'm after. so it will be that style of riding I'm after. I think they have chairlifts on most days but from what i can see its not to Downhill type riding.
You are going to have a great time and now is the time to be thinking of booking (they sell out as season is short) and making travel plans
Personally I think you cannot beat an all inclusive Alps trip, guiding, uplift options inc private vans which mean you'll ride trails you'd probably never find and ride up in a van instead of 100's meters of climbing, food, drink, company !
I'll jump in with some names of companies popular on here with STWers a number of whom the owners post regularly. Two I have used amd any of these I'd be happy to book with
Trail Addiction - main base in Les Arcs area and also run trips to Areches Beaufort (which I have done, really excellent and we saw only a handful of other rider all week)
White Room Chalet - based across the valley from Les Arcs and ride a wide variety of areas in the Isere valley and into Italy, I've skied with them excellently run and regular poster
Bike Verbier - long established, very popular and highly recommended
Basque-MTB different region, away from traditional "The Alps" longer season as a result. Regular poster and a company we are looking at for next year as a change
Sierra-MTB something a bit different again
Bike Riviera - Italian location near the coast so a different sort of holiday. I met the founder on a Nirvana Cycles (Surrey Hilsl)shop ride and she was delightful and locatiion is popular with the shop and customers
Have a good look at websites I think any of these you can't go wrong
Another +1 for Bike Village. Heading back again for our 4th time with them next year. Plus the pump track out the back of the garden is awesome fun after a few beverages!!
I did the Ben Jones Mt Blanc trip this summer. Amazing! Really felt like a n adventure riding to different to towns each day. Well organised, Ban is a legend and I can't wait to do more of his trips.
OP, correct. In fact any of the companies I listed offer that type of riding. If you are going to ride bike park DH you don't need a guided holdiay. What you get with guides is just what you are looking for. Uplift via ski lift, van, bus etc plus a bit of pedalling / hike to very best bits 🙂 A "Five" will be fine, my mates been taking his to the Alps for the past 7 years although I have to say his single pot Hope xc brakes struggle 😯
Easyjet - £100-ish extra for the bike return and you need to think about a bag/packing (which is partky why many people drive in a shared car). Lots of threads on flying, bike mods (tyres, etc) for Alps
@jambalaya thank you very much, man I'm full pumped about it already. I will have a flick through a the website that everyone recommended and try get something booked over the weekend before i miss out.
Cheers everyone
Search the forum too (you can use google), many happy customers here frequently re-booking with their favourites. I usually do self guided for a variety of reasons (eg I don't ride everyday, this year we did Chamonix and Verbier) but a guided trip is the best all round for quality of riding and economicaly when you add in what you get. We will go either White Room or Basque in 2016, deciding over Chritsmas.