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Thinking ahead to the summer, has anyone done an alps trip that involves riding from a to b each day (with luggage moved for you) rather than the normal type where you're based in a single location? Any reccomendations or horror stories?
No. But I'd love to find one. Will watch with interest.
I do recall looking at a german/ Austrian website which sounded promising but the main picture was of some typically tedious Germano fire road, which showed how badly they had missed the mark. As usual.
(Looking at you Saalbach Hinterglemm)
Tirol mountain bike safari? On the list but yeah looks a bit too fire-roady. The website and info is excellent though.
Should've said that I found a few while browsing, but it's always hard to tell what the riding's really like as @thegeneralist suggests.
https://www.go-alps.com/mountainbike/transalp
https://undiscoveredmountains.com/champsaur-and-valgaudemar-mountain-bike-tour
https://www.mountainbikeworldwide.com/bike-tours/slovenia#full-details3008-b3dd
Some of them look good. To be even more picky, anyone got any info on lift served point to point routes?
Ie take one or two lifts a day and perhaps cycle 1000hm up, perhaps 3000 hm down and maybe 40km along.....
White Room MTB Tarentaise Tour
I've not done this particular tour, but have done their Classic Singletrack Week, which was excellent. Quite fancy this tour in the future though.
Basque MTB have just announced that they will be running a new point to point trip through the Basque region this year too. It's so new it's not up on their website yet. They also do a Back-country Enduro tour through the Pyrenees.
The Swiss railway company will transport your luggage for you from station to station, or even to selected hotels. According to their site it takes two days so you would need to carry enough for an overnight stay. I'm sure though that if you were starting at a point on a main line and stopping somewhere on the same line it would be quicker than that.
CFF Luggage station to station
Not ridden with him since he setup his own company, but would trust Ben Jones for some good riding: https://www.benjonesmtb.com
Can't you still get a tour of mont blanc?
I find this by googling
http://www.alpsmountainbike.com/mountain_biking/Tour_of_Mont_Blanc.html
Iv been having the same thoughts for a while - and after being shocked by the price of the Trans Provence event I and a friend have signed up to the aforementioned Tarentaise tour by Whiterooms. 2 spaces left according to their website
Sam Morris at Bike Village now organises some cross-Alps tours.
http://www.bikevillage.co.uk/mtb-tours/
While he's not cheap, the packages are excellent, tremendous riding/journeys and cracking service.
Alps to Sea with ride Slovenia
Best week in my life
As well as the aforementioned benjones and Jamie Carr who do all manner of point to point variations of the Tour du Mont Blanc, Chamonix to Grindelwald, Chamonix to Alpe d'Huez and more, there's also Emily of Inside Line who does a point to point trip in the Queyras which virtually no one seems to have heard of yet is one of the most exquisite wee corners of the alps. https://theinsidelinemtb.com/2017/11/02/were-in-singletrack-mag/
Ben Jones Tour Du Mont Blanc
I think Julia Hobson/Endless Trails is doing something similar. (Hautes Alpes Enduro Safari)
I'm not sure if Trans Provence "tour" trips still go on. I did one 4.5 years ago, and although expensive, I could see exactly where the money went, and didn't begrudge a penny of it. You just can't get any economies of scale on food and accommodation when you're in a different place every night, you need more vehicle space to carry luggage, etc etc.
Have done a week in the Queyras (fixed base though) with Ash Smith and Julia H. Awesome location.
Ok. Got to say that you're all doing awesome. Only one final demand.
Got to be affordable for a family of four people....
No exact definition of affordable, but let's be generous and take the same upper limit as I do for our half term ski holidays and say £2,400 all in.
I can totally get how IT middle managers afford their 1 week alone at trail addiction etc for £1500 or whatever it costs them but how the heck do you do it as a family?
Fully appreciate that this is really atretching the defcinition of "first world problem"
Apologies for any offence caused.
We did this in 2015 - organised it ourselves. Went from alpine hut to alpine hut from Champery to Mouiters via all the cool single track we knew (from multiple years holidays in the alps). Was awesome, took a bit of organisation, but was definitely worth it.
I think Ben Jones does something similar if you don't want to organise it yourself. Costs a lot more than self organised tho!
No exact definition of affordable, but let’s be generous and take the same upper limit as I do for our half term ski holidays and say £2,400 all in.
Now I really don't know the answer. But I suspect that you'll need some kind of DIY. Most cost effective will be carrying your own stuff. But hut costs alone will mount even with that
I'd be googling baggage transfers and looking how they can be used as in the UK they are incredible value. I think £50 for a bag to do the West Highland Way with you
I'd camp for any night and not in a hut. With baggage transfer you might even be able to camp every night
You'll probably need to drive down. We did fly the Alps to camp as a family but we didn't take bikes as well
I expect the best you'll do is a week in a nice campsite with upto say 3 night in huts
Let us know how you get on
This is a blatant self-plug for the company I work for, but drop us an email (email(at)bikecation.co.uk). I'm sure we can set something up for your budget!
Not Alps, but did Trans Andaluz with Saddle Skedaddle in Spain. Tolox near Malaga to the beach at Tarifa over 5 days. Hotels arranged and luggage transported between them. Guided with lunches fresh prepared at stop on route.
Fantastic trip, but not going to fit that into the budget. They do self guided options but even then likely pushing it for the budget.