# Question for my Swiss friends



## CaptainCogset (Jan 25, 2004)

I am planing a trip to eastern France and Switzerland this summer. We are going to be traveling around to different places, and I have some questions about the Zermatt area.

I have heard that there is some good mountain biking trails in the Zermatt area, and that there is a mostly singletrack route that goes from Zermatt to Brig. So, my first question is does anyone know the route I would take from Zermatt to Brig, and is there some info online somewhere about this route? I have searched online for MTB trails in the Zermatt area, but I can't find much. Does anyone have a good source for MTB info for this area? I have found info on all the other places I am planning on going except for Zermatt, so any help will be appreciated.

Derek


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## Goatrak (Jan 13, 2004)

CaptainCogset said:


> I am planing a trip to eastern France and Switzerland this summer. We are going to be traveling around to different places, and I have some questions about the Zermatt area.
> 
> I have heard that there is some good mountain biking trails in the Zermatt area, and that there is a mostly singletrack route that goes from Zermatt to Brig. So, my first question is does anyone know the route I would take from Zermatt to Brig, and is there some info online somewhere about this route? I have searched online for MTB trails in the Zermatt area, but I can't find much. Does anyone have a good source for MTB info for this area? I have found info on all the other places I am planning on going except for Zermatt, so any help will be appreciated.
> 
> Derek


We took a couple week trip to the area you're looking at last Sept. While I'm not as knowlegable as the locals on this site, I can provide a little insight. The route from Zermatt to Brig is written up in this web site 
http://www.lowdin.nu/MTB/singletrack2000/SingleTrack2000.htm
We did it as a mix, we had a rail pass and were staying in Zermatt, so our day consisted of taking the train down to Stalden, taking the cable car up to Gspon, and starting the ride from there, then taking the train back from Brig. It was our favorite ride of the whole trip, did it twice actually. (We quickly learned to take advantage of cable cars, funiculars, and gondolas and still got in more than enough climbing).
This site also has some rides around Zermatt and other areas, it's German, so I used Babblefish to view it. 
http://www.rhone.ch/biken/
We did end up getting the Valais trail guide CD from Bike Explorer http://www.velo-explorer.ch/be-f/default.htm, 
which had rides for Zermatt and other close by areas. Also, we ran into a group being led by Off The Piste (OTP) guides, which are partly based in Zermatt.
http://www.otp.co.uk/Summer/indexsummer.htm Very friendly, we thought about going on a day ride with them but opted to do our own thing.
We also went to Champery, Lauterbrunen, and Kandersteg. So, while I'm not an expert, if you have other questions coming from a stateside point of view, I'd be happy to share what I know. You'll have a blast though. It's just an incredible area.


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## [email protected] (Jan 31, 2005)

CaptainCogset said:


> I am planing a trip to eastern France and Switzerland this summer. We are going to be traveling around to different places, and I have some questions about the Zermatt area.
> Derek


beside the above a few more links about the zermatt region

http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/navpage.cfm?subcat=Valais&category=Bike4&id=29954&contentonly=false
http://www.tourfox.ch/biken/biketour.asp?p1=26012003192043
http://www.gornergrat.ch/summer/biking/plan.php


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## SwissOne (Mar 11, 2005)

you d' better go to portes du soleil

www.portesdusoleil.com

les Gets
Morzine
Châtel

Awsome downhilltrails and Parks.. also extremely nice for biketours without downhill rig


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## singlestoph (Jan 7, 2005)

maps:

www.singletrailmap.ch
s


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## forestplay (Dec 14, 2006)

I'm planning a trip to Europe this summer and want to include a MTB ride. For an absolute novice when it comes to traveling with a bike, any tips on doing this?

Where to go? I'm thinking Switzerland, of course, but where? Riding solo or with a tour group?

What about renting a bike or bringing my own? So many of the posts in the thread talk about traveling distances that must include a plane flight. How do people move their bikes on a commercial flight?

Only part of my trip will include biking. What are the options in regards to shipping my bike home?

-Bob


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## ziegi (Aug 1, 2006)

Hi there forestplay,

Why not hire a bike there for when you need it then you don't have to worry, problem solved and your bike can't get damaged in transit.

Europe is a great place to ride, very varied so something for any level of rider of every discipline. You'll have a great time here, if i can help mail me.

cheers

ziegi


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## forestplay (Dec 14, 2006)

ziegi said:


> Why not hire a bike there for when you need it then you don't have to worry, problem solved and your bike can't get damaged in transit.
> 
> Europe is a great place to ride, very varied so something for any level of rider of every discipline. You'll have a great time here, if i can help mail me.


Hi ziegi

Thanks for the response.

Why not?

In my experience in renting adventure gear there's the risk of getting poorly maintained equipment that doesn't fit. Here at home, I have well maintained Stumpjumper (a medium quality, full-suspension MTB) that fits my body and pedals that fit my shoes. I can't imagine riding without clipping in. What will I be able to rent? I'm only getting one chance at this (well, one chance this summer) and don't want to feel frustrated by bad equipment.

The risk that my bike could get damaged in transport is also very real and could ruin a trip just as easily. Having never traveled with a bike, I'm asking those that have (or those that know about mountain biking in Europe) to offer suggestions, not just about equipment but also about where to go. I'll send you an email.

Thanks!

-Bob


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