Mountain Biking in Verbier, Switzerland
The Swiss Alpine town of Verbier is legendary in mountain biking circles. Steve Thomas packs his cheese baguette and hits the trails to see if it lives up to its lofty repute.
The Swiss Alpine town of Verbier is legendary in mountain biking circles. Steve Thomas packs his cheese baguette and hits the trails to see if it lives up to its lofty repute.Cowbells clanged away in the distant background and a light wind whistled through the warming mid-morning sunshine as I sipped away at my ‘grande crème’ coffee. It was a near perfect summer’s day in Switzerland.
Looking out from the mountain top restaurant, the whole valley and the town of Verbier lay before me, or rather below me – way below me. Light puffy clouds rolled not far above, creating a moving shadow theatre over this chic alpine ski town, which turns into a mountain biker’s paradise for the summer months.
It was green, truly deep and very clean. Wooden ski chalets and picture postcard rooftops filled in the holes in this patchwork of greenery. On the opposite side of the valley a deep blue and grey form punctures the skyline, all trimmed and iced in a fresh coating of crisp white snow—the Mont Blanc Massif contains the highest peaks of the Alps, all hosted in nearby France.
Turn around and the rest of the Valais region rolled out behind us like a huge natural roller coaster, all grey sided and splattered with low lying greenery and the occasional sprinkling of snow. This was Switzerland at its very best, and as close to a Swiss chocolate box cover as you could possibly get.
As the waitress came with the bill, my morning demi-dream was broken. For a split second I imagined Heidi running through the alpine meadows calling out my name but it was not to be; oh well, I guess you can’t have everything.
Despite its incredible natural beauty and the blessed weather this was in fact a very cruel place, or at least it could be. Named the Croix de Cour (the Iron Cross), it’s the summit of a 2,173-metre pass where the switch-backed dirt trail from Verbier crosses the jagged Ruinettes ridge—it’s a killer climb of anywhere between four and seven kilometres depending on the route taken. It’s here that the organisers of the annual ‘Grand Raid’ put the first king of the mountains prize, just a few kilometres into the 125km epic, which is widely considered as the toughest single-day MTB race on earth. The Croix de Cour KOM carries a huge prize, which means that the race always gets off to a blistering start, with many riders focusing their whole race on that dawn-breaking, gut wrenching sprint.
For us it was a slightly more leisurely affair; I’d hooked up with Bertrand, a local rider from the Bike Club Verbier, who was to act as my guide for the first day of riding in town, and he’d brought the fine weather with him too—perfect.
The last time I’d ridden in this area was 15 or 16 years earlier, and things have moved on a whole lot since then. In those distant days of V-brakes and one-inch travel forks there were very few dedicated bike trails and even fewer trail markers. Even so, there was almost as much to go at—you just needed a map and a good sense of direction to find it. Now there was no need to complicate things with such chores as navigation, you simply set out your requirements and matched them to one of the seemingly endless selections of hand-carved routes around these glorious mountains.
Pick your Poison
It had been a while since I’d faced any seriously technical stuff on the trail, and I was feeling a little rusty and hesitant. Maybe it’s just an old-school thing but I couldn’t quite figure which category I needed to slip into—was I after enduro, freeride DH or XC style trails? For a few fleeting and tempting moments I stood atop of a clearly signed downhill track, but faltered after seeing two full-faced and padded guys hitting it at about double my intended speed.
Turning tail I decided to continue along the ridge-side trail and find a more discreet route off the mountain—at least I’d be out of sight if I stacked. In doing so I passed an older couple, the lady all decked out in white trousers and long boots, fur scarf around her shoulders; you see, Verbier is one of the few places around that actually has a thriving electric bike scene, and trails are marked out specifically for them. I grinned from ear to ear and wondered just how far I could get on one if I was to attempt the Grand Raid route.
Before I had chance to take the thought seriously I spotted a narrow singletrack diving into the trees—it was the sweet and secluded invitation I’d been waiting for. The trail was by no means technical, but for my rusty confidence it was just the ticket. A series of bumps saw me take my first air in a while, while the gravely berms earned some sidewall wear too. It was swift, slick and just right for an old bloke trying to rediscover his trail mojo.
There was no need for body armour or a full-face helmet; it was a nice trail. Call me sadistic, or maybe it’s just a case of memory fading with age, but I couldn’t help thinking what an awesome climb it would make.
Over the next few days I managed to get back into the groove of things and made good use of the ski lift to cut out those thin-air morning grinds – the kind of things I used to love – but hey, this ‘starting at the top’ business was way too much fun. Maybe when I’m a little leaner and keener I’ll try it without the uplift, but then again maybe not.
In a full five days of riding I never even found the time to cross over Ruinettes ridge and head into the neighbouring valley, let alone skip to the opposite side. There really is so much riding here, and nothing is pedestrian—you’d be hard pushed to find better facilitated riding anywhere.
Where to Ride
The biggest problem you’ll have when it comes to riding in Verbier is choice – there are seemingly limitless options; XC, freeride, enduro, downhill, you name it there will be a selection of easy to find options on tap.
The town sits at an elevation of 1,500m on top of a 13km Tour de France road climb. This road continues as a hardcore dirt trail for around 6km to the top of the ridge above Verbier. Naturally this means you can head straight out of your hotel and within minutes be riding an awesome downhill or an epic climb.
The great thing is that the town is totally geared up for mountain biking. There is an extensive network of ski lifts which take you right to the trailheads, bike parks and even to neighbouring resorts and valleys. You can hitch lifts all week long to link together these amazing rides, or just cut out the lifts and go ‘au naturale’ (good legs and lungs are prerequisite if you choose the latter).
The trail network is marked and detailed with formidable Swiss precision, and the trail maps are simply awesome. Most are free but you can also buy heavily detailed trail maps if you want to take things up a notch.
The Verbier-St Bernard region also incorporates trails on the opposite side of the valley and into in to France; these include the great multi-day ‘Tour de Mont Blanc’ MTB route.
You can also get maps of the route for the Grand Raid, and thus ride it without the crowd and race atmosphere if you wish.
All in you’d be hard pushed to get bored or ‘ride-out’ the local trails in a month of going full tilt.
Bike Shops & Rental
Most of the ski shops in town double up as top-end MTB shops during the summer, so there is no shortage of bikes, gear, maps, info or guides should you need one. You can also rent top-level DH, XC and enduro bikes at many places. Hiring can be a great option if you’re only in town for a couple of days, or if you just want to play around and try different bikes (check out ‘No Bounds’ at www.nobounds.ch).
Getting There
Verbier is a two hour drive from Geneva is international airport and most major airlines will connect there. From Australia many carriers will also serve Zurich, which is three hours from Verbier by car. There is also a good TGV rail connection to Paris (this is from the French side of Geneva airport).
Adjacent to the airport terminal there is also the Swiss Rail station which has a line running right through the Valais region. This makes it very easy to travel light and to get around with your bike. There are connecting links to Le Chable and the Grand St Bernard. Le Chable village is at the base of the climb to Verbier, from where you can take the bus, cable car or even ride to town. Lines also run to most other main towns in the valley (www.swissrailways.com).
Rental cars in Switzerland are also a great option and the driving is good and easy. The best rates are found through online brokers such as www.kayak.com. Expect to pay from AU$35 per day for rental.
When to Go
The best time for riding is between May and October, although it can turn rainy and cold at any time. Sometimes the trails remain snow-free right up until Christmas but it’s best not to chance this.
Some of the ski lifts may not open after September, so if you do strike lucky with the late-season weather it will mean more climbing.
Grand Raid
The Grand Raid is one of the longest-standing MTB marathons in the region and perhaps the toughest—this year will see the 13th running of the Grand Raid.
Starting from Verbier the route traverses the highest off-road passes of the Valais on its 125km (previously 137km) route to Grimentz. It truly is a killer of a race with 5,500m of cumulative elevation gain and scenery that’ll blow you away.
Many of Europe’s great MTB and road stars have taken part in the Grand Raid, along with several thousand other riders.
There are several distance options available, from 37km to the full monty 125km epic—it’s a real ‘bucket list’ race.
The 2013 race will take place on 23-24 August and you can find out more at www.grand-raid.ch
Where to Stay
Switzerland isn’t the cheapest of places accommodation-wise. Small hotels cost from AU$120 per night and rise rapidly from there. Budget rates are often available through online sites such as www.agoda.com.
Mountain huts/refuges are a great option, especially if there are a few of you. They are like youth hostels and can be quite cheap; www.sac-cas.ch.
You’ll also find some great campsites scattered around the Valais.
For full listings check out:
Swiss Cuisine
You’ll find great restaurants and food all through the Valais, especially if you’re a cheese lover. Local cheeses are eaten with most things—forget chocolate, the real Swiss delight is cheese!
The most famous regional dish is fondue, which is basically a bowl of hot melted local cheese and white wine seasoned with herbs. Fondue is eaten with bread on long forks or with potatoes. If that’s not to your taste try raclette, the other regional speciality; this is basically potato with carved melted cheese and cured hams and pickles.
Not big on cheese? Then you’ll have to get into the rosti; it’s a huge hash brown-like mix of compounded fried potatoes. Of course, you will find plenty of everything else on offer too, especially Italian food and local mountain-style meat dishes.
As for drinks, the local Valais white wines are some of the best in Europe and the regional reds are pretty damn fine too, as are the local Valais beers.
