[Closed] Verbier- 2 days riding, no guide available

I had a day with Guy from Besttrails in the Wallis valley, it was superb.
http://besttrails.ch/en/trip/valais-enduroall-mountain

The bike park is decent but I don't think there's much scope for cheeky trails like you find around Les Arcs.

Try Matt Spragg he knows all the tracks around Verbier. Alpine Roots
[url= http://alpineroots-mtb.com/ ][/url]

I was just about to recommend Matt @ alpine roots..

OP plenty of suff to do unguided for 2 days. We spent a week there. Alpine Roots are good but IMHO very expensive unless you can share.

The bike park trails are good, pretty tough mind ! Start with the Blue, then go to top of La Chaux and do the two reds back to top of Medran. The Red 4 Wouay is great, the wooden roll in at the top is a bit intimidating - for me anyway.

The Enduro map has some good trails marked but they are poorly sign posted. You should download the SwissMobility mobile app and switch on walking trails. The Enduro routes use these paths and the mobile app will help you navigate.

We rode Chute du Bisses (officially not allowed) from top of Savoleye starting on the red traverse before cutting around the hill on grassy section to ride excellent trail which then hooks into the 'kin hard Black 10 or Jackass. Lots of walking unless you are a hero !

We found the marked route down to Tzoumaz pretty dull. Better is Vallon D'Arby you reach by climbing to Col du Mines off the 4x4 road which runs from Croix Fer to Ruinettes. At Col you take left hand traverse - technical single track, then some nice switch backs before a fire road ride to Tzoumaz lift. Note it shuts for 1 hour at lunchtime.

We also road the really excellent red down from La Chaux which goes to Seyyer before cutting back to Le Chable. The black route is the Vertigo trail, we started that but it was zero viz in the clouds and a bugger of a technical traverse so gave up and cut back to the red.

Will dig out some more info tomorrow and check spellings of place names

If you want a tip for bars etc - Fer a Cheval in village - good for beers and food and reasonably priced. Bar at Carrefour above village for views, good food too. Finally Chez Danny which you can get to by some of the black Enduro trails, just above a Verbier on "Medran" side.

Have fun

Great, thanks Jambalaya

Some more detail to follow above.

If you are on your own take care, the Enduro and particularly the blacks have some sketchy parts where if you fell off / down the side of the trail you may not have anyone riding past to help/find you.

As above download the Enduro Map from bike park website (it's printed on reverse side of trail map you get at the resort) and cross ref with SwissMobility app.

Parking, free at Le Chable and also smallish car park by Savoleyere lift is not patrolled / free in the summer.

Red 9 - good ride, technical traverse - we cut off at La Marlene (alt. 2049) to Chute du Bisses. Black 10 (Jackass) singketrack cuts off a grassy 4x4 track on a corner, it's not sign posted.

You can ride bottom half of Red 9 from Verbier itself by cutting over to Patier

Good run I mentioend to Sarrayer is Red 5, Ruinettes round 4x4 track towards La Chaux - the split with black 10/11 is easy to miss indistinct grassy track by farm (alt 2183 on map). Red 5 cuts down through some nice small chalets and I a clear day has nice views of snow capped Petit Combin.
You can extend this ride by doing Red 7 (parts are 4x4 track) from top,lift (which serves the two red bike park trails) which is above La Chaux, you could stop at Cabin Mont Fort

Chez Danny is at little village of Chamblin, you can get there via cutting off bike park trails and can rejoin these of take black Enduro routes 4

Next to bar Fer a Cheval there is a road going down the hill, this is start of Blue 1 which winds down hill through Medieres to Les Verneys which has a small chapel, mix of tracks and singketrack. This is an easy way down hill to Le Chable if needed.

So so red to Tzoumaz from Savoleyer is Red 23, if you ride it after singketrack in shale section you pass restaurant Chez Simon a little while after you'll notice a small "wall ride" on 4x4 track which guides you to singletrack across grassy field which then curves round to cross 4x4 track and into a good little wooded section. The Vallon d'Arby ride is accessed by climbing to Col Des Mines from track marked as Blue 6 which joins Savoleyer and Ruinettes looping around the Verbier bowl. At Col take left hand singketrack. Col,Des Mines and Vallon d'Arby are notes on the Enduro map.

A Pizza on the terrace at Al Capone is quite pleasant !

Have fun, drop me an email if you need anything else.

When are you going? I'm over in the next valley at the moment and might head over tomorrow and see what's over that side.

The tourist office do run some free guided trips, no idea what they take you on though, give them a ring they speak good English.

@nick the maps are available online also, they cover the Enduro trails I've mentioned plus bike park

Some photos

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Red 9 - official route follows sign left, we went straight to Chute du Bisses

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Top of La Chaux, cabin Mint Fort just above handle bars, fairly barren rocky ride round. Two reds accessible from here inc one with woodwork over rock field

...

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Start of Chute du Bisses, stood at cliff edge which the trail skirts

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Small chalets on Red 5, on clear day nice view of Petit Combin

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Singletrack out of Sarreyer (Red 5) just below Church

One additional thought, the bike park website has KMV traces of the Enduro trails

The Verbier bike park is my favourite bike park, although it's really difficult. I consider myself a pretty decent intermediate rider, and ride black trails in the UK and around Morzine etc. However, the reds at Verbier are as difficult as I could manage - I wouldn't like to try a black there! Even the reds would be too intimidating for me if it was wet.

However, the reds I have there ridden are absolutely outstanding, so one day's riding at the bike park is certainly recommended. I just loved the two new trails at the top of the 2nd lift, as well as the main red down to the bottom lift station.

I've not tried finding the other trails away from the bike park on my own, so the above posts are great info for the future.

Sorry - when I talk about difficult red trails, it might have been yellow trails I was talking about. they're below black but above red. Testing but great fun.

Thanks again everyone. Just back from 1st day's riding - about 5000m of descending.

First impressions - bike park is OK, but nothing close to 2 Alps or Alpes D'Huez- but that not really my thing anyway. Agree the trails are hard for their grade, particularly on a trail type bike. That roll in to the rooty red trail is pretty intimidating! Some are closed due to the Swiss Nat Champs at the mo.

But, the black enduro trails are amazing if you like more techy footpath type riding - care definitely required if riding alone! And just picking footpaths to ride has worked well so far. Only been shouted at once, and that was on Enduro 5!

Might try Jackass tomorrow. Only the Le Chable and Ruinettes lifts are currently open mid week, but it's easy to traverse the bowl on the high level fireroad.

The Buson side isnt really accessible due to lift closures - tempted to book a week with Bike Verbier to see more of that side next year.

Went to Al Capone last night. CHF 24 for a Pizza isnt cheap (and I'm used to Chamonix prices)! The town is pretty dead at night in the summer it seems, but still keeps it's prices high.

cheers

How's your switchback technique coming on?

Check out nuthouse, off to the right on flat fire road from top of gondola, drop off down to the right near a cross after a few hundred metres iirc.

Me? Switchback technique?? After a month of riding in Chamonix???

Coming on nicely!

Thanks for the update ! Verbier indeed not cheap, Fer a Cheval a bit better value and staff friendly. You can see if T bar has live music, the waitress is a fantastic singer / acoustic guitarist. Resort is much quieter in the summer. If the Alp Duez and Les 2A bike parks are harder I'll give them a miss !

You can get to Jackass via the traverse or climb a bit to top of Savoleyere lift from Croix de Fer for top of the red Enduro and Chute du Bisse. Btw you can ride 4x4 track down and up or take little ridge line from Savoleyere, one bit of exposure. The Buson rides are all bus uplifts and then 100-200m pedalling up as far as I can work out. We drove up there but didn't ride. In Verbier Savoleyere and Tzoumaz lifts should be running.

Yeah felt a bit let down today by the lack of DH options given most of it was shut, and no mention of that when buying the lift pass. Enduro stuff is really good though, looking forward to getting out on a couple of the black enduros tomorrow.

Tzoumaz and savolyette lift now shut for the season, as I found out yesterday trying to get from tzoumaz up to Verbier!

Agree the grade of the dh stuff is harder, I'd say Verbier red harder than red at 2A or LA but I have been off the trail bike for a week or so so could just be me being a bit wimpy! Thanks for the pointers jambalaya.

Op if you're spending a bit of time in the area look at the valleys around too, rode up to Thyon the other day and dropped down hunting around nendaz/veysonaz and there's some cracking stuff about on the foot paths. I've got no idea what's allowed or not though..?

nick 8)

@agent - right you are of course Savoleyere and Tzoumaz shut midweek now !

@nick the smiley was for your facebook panorama not for the fact the Tzoumaz lift was shut, that's quite a climb bac up if you did it

@agent we rode Chamonix before Verbier,mould love some tips as we just used the Bike Book

Jambalaya - get in touch if you want Cham advise, or I can point you in the direction of a fine MTB guiding company and guide....