The Bikepark that has it all!

It’s mid october, the weather is absolutely brilliant and we’re keen for a couple days of riding in big mountains. We scout the usual destinations, but although there is no sign of snow, most of the bikeparks are already closed. The lifts are being serviced for the winter season while bikepark staff are on chomage (benefits) waiting for their ski teacher jobs to kick off. 

Finale might be a good option, but the idea of the long drive south to then squeeze yourself in mud caked shuttle vans put us off immediately. We were after something nice, not too far, chairlifts, bikepark trails and the odd enduro loop. A quick google learned that the Swiss resort of Verbier is just all that, and they’re open until the last weekend of October! 

Sunny South

The mountain town of Verbier is located in the very southern part of Switzerland, right next to the French and Italian border. Although the majority of Switzerland is German speaking, this part of the peak infested country is 100% French spoken. Verbier itself however is a very international resort home to many nationalities. Even if you just speak English you’ll manage just fine. 

Winter time, the ski resort is home to some of the best off piste skiing in the world. It’s no surprise that this is the home resort for the Freeride World Tour (Rampage on ski’s and snowboards) for many years now. But also for the more casual skier there are plenty of wide, well groomed pistes at your disposal. 

But, those winter adventure days are still a few weeks away, and we benefit from the many sun hours this part of the world has to offer. Although the village itself is at 1500m altitude, on the drive up you can see the lower valleys surrounded with vineyards and fruit orchards. A good sign for dust loving mountain bikers! 

The Village

There are a bunch of different ways to reach the Verbier Bike Park. It’s about 1,5h drive from Geneva Airport and even the train will take you right up the lower village of Le Chable. Situated at the bottom of the mountain that houses Verbier, this might be the easiest spot to park your car if you’re driving. Higher up in Verbier town there are some parking spots available and the big Perrin parking lot always has a spot for you if you insist on parking up top.  

The Le Chable long term parking has a dedicated campervan area, right next to the skatepark where you can park up for just 1,50 CHF per day. Toilets and fresh water are present and it’s just a 1 minute pedal to the gondola up to the village of Verbier. Make sure to pay your tourist tax at the local Tourist Office, as it gives you the VIP Pass! Besides many other discounts, the VIP pass gives you a whooping 50% off on the lift pass for the day, making it only 25 CHF!

New for this year, is that the Le Chable - Verbier gondola is officially listed as public transport. This means that the first lift is at 5:15 am and the last lift down runs at 11:50 pm! With several trails running between the two towns you can literally ride until your arms fall off. 

Trails, trails trails! 

Kicking things off with the bikepark, we headed straight up to the top of the Fontanet. The 2470m high spot is the starting point of the brand new green trail called ‘Tsenelle’ which loosely translates to caterpillar in the local dialect. A stunning swooping run that is a holler for every level of rider, ending up at the Dahu restaurant. Although classified as a green, I’d definitely recommend taking a run down, even if it’s just for the views on the Grand Combin (4314m) and its glacier. 

Next up is the red track called Rodze and moving into the Woaay. Starting from the same point as the green but snaking its way back towards Verbier town. That means a good 1000m of descending on anything you can think of. Berms, rocks, roots and jumps. Definitely on the darker side of red if I would be pressed to rate it, but lots of fun nonetheless. 

It’s high time for an espresso and we pop in the funky looking Arctic Juice & Cafe to get our caffeine shot sorted. On the way we pass by two Ferrari’s that could be at home at a car show, instead they’re just from guests that are staying at the Iconic W hotel. Yup Verbier has it all, even the ultra luxurious W. Prices start at 500 CHF a night in case you wondered. 

Moar is moar better! 

Boosted by the caffeine we boost back up the brand new gondola again. Time to chill with a lap on the blue line before moving into the wilder stuff. Starting just off the Ruinettes lift, the 2.4km long track snakes down the mountainside. An unending serpent of berms spits you out right at the Golf course (what a view that place has, have to remember this for when I get too old for biking). 

We’re already getting a bit hungry, but decided to move into the proper big bike stuff…on our enduro bikes. With the progression of technology, I’ve often proclaimed that modern bikes are so capable, proper DH rigs are becoming obsolete. I hereby officially retract that statement. Beep me, the Tire’s Fire is what you call a proper DH race track and 200mm travel is no excess luxury on this one. 

Big jumps, proper drops and as you get lower into the forest some pretty gnarly sections where you have to puzzle a bit before you can lock into a line choice. Awesome to see such a track still available in a time where everything is smoothened and flattened out. We took it steady and focussed on making our way down in one piece. 

Pitstop

That Tire’s Fire track definitely worked up an appetite, but first we had to make a pitstop at the local bike shop. Turns out you don’t have enough brake pads even when you think you do. No biggie though, with numerous shops to choose from you can find spares without a problem. We pop into Backside to grab some supplies and ask for lunch recommendations. Turns out the Ice Cube at the top of the Medran lift has some of the best burgers and views in town. Decision made! 

Munching on our burgers while bobbing our heads to the funky beats at the Ice Cube, we whip out the free bike map. We heard some good things about the ‘enduro’ trails Verbier has to offer, so let's have a look. As we are already in October, the Bruson lift is unfortunately no longer running. A shame as it would enable you to do a wide variety of rides, including the epic Col de Mille descent. A 1800m singletrack downhill that requires just over 900m of climbing. Good deal in my opinion! 

We leave that trail for another time, and decide to ride another gem called Schlerondes. Also known under nr 5 on the Enduro Map (follow the link for the map view). Instead of pedalling out from the lunch spot as the route suggests, we opt to grab the chair one more time and do another session of the green track. It can’t hurt to warm up after overfeeding and those new brake pads could use some bedding in. 

Let it boil! 

Bellies fed, we drop into the green while the autumn sun lights up the glaciers in the background. It’s hard to focus with a backdrop like that. Once we leave the manicured twists and turns of the bike park, focus becomes mandatory. The Schlerondes descent is easy to find and judging by the tracks an obvious locals favourite. 

The further we go, the steeper it gets. Boy am I happy I did that little pit stop before lunch as my brakes are boiling halfway already! Along the high pastures we follow the singletrack down to the valley floor passing by charismatic wooden barns and farm houses. What a dream to own one of these! 

Steepness aside, this run is a beaut! From big rocky sections to an incredible bit where you have perfect tight turn after tight turn, this thing is a dream come true. With virtually no climbing either! Halleluja. 

As we roll into Le Chable the sun is setting behind the mountain peaks. What a day and to know we only scratched the surface. This spot definitely goes on the list of places to ride again. Great infrastructure, trails and especially for Switzerland very friendly prices. 

Want more information on the Verbier Bike park and surrounding areas?

- https://www.verbier.ch 
- https://verbierbikepark.ch

 

By IMB

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