Rhone Valley - MTB

In terms of lift access for mountain biking, the Alps are king. An infrastructure of hundreds of lifts link 50-100 miles of singletrack together for a day’s ride meaning that riders never repeat a trail or have to pedal uphill. Mountain refuges selling gourmet meals and beer wait at the bottom of every run. End the day in luxurious accommodations where riders prepare for a hearty dinner and the next adventure.

Verbier is the perfect base camp to access trails surrounding the Rhone Valley. The region is littered with world-class downhill tracks and undiscovered singletracks through forest, high alpine and farm country. From here, head to Zermatt for a legendary ride up the Gornergrat cog-rail train followed by an epic 6000’ descent into the postcard-perfect village. We’ll ride the buttery trails and North Shore type features of Crans-Montana before descending through the vineyards of Sierre. Cap off the voyage with a day at Rochers de Naye above Montreux, après beers on Lake Geneva, and in July enjoy tickets to the star-studded Montreux Jazz Fest.

Fly into Geneva’s Cointrin International Airport. Here an EpicQuest guide greets you for the 90-minute private van transfer along the shore of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) to Verbier, Switzerland. Once in Verbier, check into the private chalet or traditional Swiss mountain hotel to prepare for the next day’s ride.

Verbier, home to some of the Alps' best wintertime freeriding, is no different in the summer. With an excellent lift system, you can access the high rocky alpine, and descend over 2000m of vertical, through lush meadows and technical forests finishing up in the valley below’s farm villages. The Pennine Alps also are blessed with an ancient system of walking trails, and over 500 years of use, they have been buffed clean and are ideal for riding mountain bikes. Only recently has this potential been realized, and we're still discovering new rides all the time. The potential for finding a new epic trail in this part of Switzerland is unlimited, and every ride ends in a postcard-perfect village with a cafe that serves cold beer.

Verbier boasts 300 days of sun every year most arriving in the summer and fall months. Afternoon showers are common in early summer, giving way to fields of wildflowers and crystal-clear days through the fall. It's always a good idea to have light raingear stashed in your daypack, and you can use it for a warm-up in the fall when mornings start out chilly. Autumn is our favorite bike season in the Alps, with runs through the golden larch trees reminding us of high-speed tree-skiing descents.