# Biking in Fench Alps or Italian Dolomites? Have to pick one



## sinfony78 (Dec 2, 2012)

hey everyone,
i am going to both france and italy this summer and time can afford me only a few days in one of these areas. which do you think would give more pleasure?

i'm thinking italy, but i would like to hear anyone's experience


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## TraxFactory (Sep 10, 1999)

I cannot say from first hand experience but when I saw this video it was added to my bucket list..


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## BigwheelsRbest (Jun 12, 2007)

I have done both when skiing. Both are awesome, but the off-piste "feel" I had in Italy from the locals was slightly warmer and more friendly.
Would love to do either on a mountain bike. Only done the Pyrenees in Europe so far. Green with envy! :thumbsup:


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## kurrefromtungere (Aug 26, 2012)

that tour du Mont blanc is now on my bucket list. I did the dolomites last year and nice trails, great scenery, friendly people


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## huntermos (Mar 7, 2011)

I've circumnavigated the Mt. Blanc Massive (France, Italy, and Switzerland) over a 7 day period and I've also spent a few days riding around Lake Garda in the Dolomites. There was more singletrack on the Mt. Blanc trip, and more culture, food, and booze around Lake Garda. Keep in mind the the riding is not like what we have in the states. You'll do a lot of hike-a-bike up -and sometimes down- 1000 year old cow/sheep herder trails, spend a fair amount of time on old WW1 army "roads," and won't find a ton of the flowy style of trail we are used to here. That said, it's still a great experience not to be missed. Here's some shots:

Mt. Blanc from the south








Looking from the French/Italian border towards Swizterland, Mt. Blanc massive on the left








Some of the more epic railing singletrack








Riding the WW1 army roads above Lake Garda, Italy






















I'd recommend the French Alps from a pure trail quality perspective, but either way, you'll have an epic time.


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## problematiks (Oct 18, 2005)

@ huntermos: Looking at your pisc from Garda...you weren't doing it right 

Trail quality (once you get out of ski resort areas in France) is about the same in the Dolomites of French Alps.French ski resorts do tend to have flowier/less technically demanding trails though (not talking about bike parks here), if that's what you're looking for.A lot of them were made specifically for mountain bikers and it shows.

Anyway, everywhere you go in the Alps (be it France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria or Slovenia) you will have fun...if you're not offraid of techical sections.If you're more at home riding flowier, less demanding trails, it's probably a better idea to go to the more "sanitized" parts of the Alps (ski resort areas are a good start usually).

Marko


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## huntermos (Mar 7, 2011)

problematiks said:


> @ huntermos: Looking at your pisc from Garda...you weren't doing it right


 We did what we could with only two days in the area, no local knowledge, and only public transport to get around with... I didn't say it wasn't fun over there, just that the trails are not like what we are accustomed to here in the States...


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## problematiks (Oct 18, 2005)

huntermos said:


> I didn't say it wasn't fun over there, just that the trails are not like what we are accustomed to here in the States...


Just pulling your chain there  That was the official Tremalzo descent, right?That thing is the biggest joke in the whole area.

You are right about trails not being the same as those in the States.If nothing else, there's not much singletrack you can ride up.Those trails were made for walking and are just too steep to ride up for the most part.And you don't have that many smooth trails going down either.

Marko


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## huntermos (Mar 7, 2011)

problematiks said:


> Just pulling your chain there  That was the official Tremalzo descent, right?That thing is the biggest joke in the whole area.


 No worries, I know that! :thumbsup: If we had more time to plan and more time on the ground there, we would have hit some of the stuff above Malcesine or met some locals to show us around. As it was, Tremlazo wasn't bad for the views and as an introduction to European riding on rented bikes with my not-so-extreme wife. We also went up and explored above Tenno, but mostly found dirt roads and steep, steep rough rock... All in all we had a great time, despite the riding being less then epic.


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## Montana Rider (Aug 21, 2005)

this guy did the (swiss) alps up right...

Switzerland Mountain Biking 2012 - Jungfrau/Grindelwald - Part 1 of 4 - Pinkbike


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## sinfony78 (Dec 2, 2012)

well none of this helps me any...i want to do the french alps for the ride, but i want to visit the dolomites just because it looks so freaking awesome


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## problematiks (Oct 18, 2005)

If you want to ride French Alps, go there, it's as simple as that.Mountains look awesome wherever you are in the Alps anyway.

And anyway, who says you can't go on two (or three, four,...) trips instead of just one? 

Marko


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

sinfony78 said:


> well none of this helps me any...i want to do the french alps for the ride, but i want to visit the dolomites just because it looks so freaking awesome


I'd have difficulty choosing between 2 destinations , I've never visited. I think you need to research more what you what to do within the timeframe you have planned. The forum members are just sharing their personal experiences. Whatever you decide I hope you share your experiences and post some pics


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## scorchedearth (Aug 30, 2011)

I've only had the pleasure of visiting Chamonix as a non rider and doing some of the touristy stuff. I took the cable car up l'Aiguille du Midi and the train to la Mer De Glace. That was one of the most beautiful places I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. Seeing that video from Spesh makes me want to take my bike there and explore.


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## sinfony78 (Dec 2, 2012)

problematiks said:


> And anyway, who says you can't go on two (or three, four,...) trips instead of just one?
> 
> Marko


time 
there's still 99 other countries i want to see in this lifetime, so typically i go once, and then that's it

this is a tough choice...i think it will come down to the experience as a whole, not just the biking aspect...but i have a feeling that altho the riding may not be as grandiose in italy, the time in between rides will be pretty damn amazing


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## kurrefromtungere (Aug 26, 2012)

Sellaronda MTB Track Tour

I did this one last year (Laptop crashed lost my pictures), it's a nice one, lots of singletracks great vieuws


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## problematiks (Oct 18, 2005)

sinfony78 said:


> time
> there's still 99 other countries i want to see in this lifetime, so typically i go once, and then that's it


Well, Italy and France are two different countries so this wouldn't really interfere with your plans 

Marko

P.S: I have no idea where Americans got this romantic idea about Italy/Italians though...I know, I know, blame Hollywood


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## LeeL (Jan 12, 2004)

I haven't ridden in the French Alps (yet) but we have been invited to profile the area so that will be a future trip.

As for the Italian Dolomites you can get pretty amazing singletrack, awesome views and fantastic experiences but the key is to be in the Western Dolomites in Suedtirol. If you go to the Garda or Cortina side you will encounter doubletrack and cowpaths plus lots more crowds. Not trying to be an ass to huntermos but the Garda side is not the best trails.

For more on Suedtirol see here posted on Passion. http://forums.mtbr.com/passion/south-tyrol-spam-815420.html

It's part of a series that will be posted on Pinkbike next month with more detail


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## SavageOne (Dec 31, 2012)

12345


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## huntermos (Mar 7, 2011)

LeeL said:


> Not trying to be an ass to huntermos but the Garda side is not the best trails.


Jeez, I never said Garda was the place to go, in fact I said it isn't great for riding and recommended going to France instead. Doesn't anyone ever read through these threads anymore...


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## sinfony78 (Dec 2, 2012)

i think he agrees with you but doesn't want to downplay your experience there


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## LeeL (Jan 12, 2004)

sinfony78 said:


> i think he agrees with you but doesn't want to downplay your experience there


huntermos - that indeed was what I was trying to say. In the end it's all a good experience.


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## maximous (Feb 16, 2013)

starring at the dolomites right now, i guess that would be my "home trails", i work about 5mins from the base of the mountain, dont quite have the skill yet to go much higher than about half way!! **** gets steep up there!!


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## problematiks (Oct 18, 2005)

LeeL said:


> If you go to the Garda or Cortina side you will encounter doubletrack and cowpaths...



How on Earth did you come up with that?Because it's not really consistent with what we rode there...

So, this is what we experienced in our visits to the areas:

Garda
































































Cortina:









































































I have a lot more of these but I think I've bored you enough with all the doubletrack and cowpaths 

I will agree there's a huge amount of bikers in Riva del Garda around May 1st (not so much during summer though).In the towns and at the beach that is.And all but the most popular trails are devoid of crowds of any kind.Almost all the trails are also pretty rocky and technical and you need to serch hard to find the few flowier ones.

Marko


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## sinfony78 (Dec 2, 2012)

hey problematiks,
which part of the dolomites are those pics?


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## problematiks (Oct 18, 2005)

I was responding to LeeL's statement about Cortina and northern lake Garda area (quote) so those two areas.But it doesn't really matter that much, you can get stuff like that anywhere in the Dolomites/the Alps (at least in my experience) with some variances in terrain.As I mentioned, Garda trails in particular tend to be very rocky on average (think of pics 6 and 7 as said average), but you'll find sections of stuff like that on a good part of traditional made-for-walking alpine trails. Especially above-tree-line ones.And quite a few of the good ones will also require a bit of this:










or this










Marko


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## 993rs (Dec 31, 2005)

We lived in Germany for almost six years and tried to cover as much ground as possible. Val Gardena/Ortisei was one of the few places we would return to for skiing and biking. Great memories...


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## LeeL (Jan 12, 2004)

problematiks - i stand corrected. Apparently should be looking harder


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## Seaview (Apr 30, 2006)

Abetone Gravity Park, Bike park, Downhill, Mountain-bike, Toscana


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## sinfony78 (Dec 2, 2012)

Maurizio said:


> Abetone Gravity Park, Bike park, Downhill, Mountain-bike, Toscana


is there an english site 
and do you know if they will be open first week of june?


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## leov (Jul 11, 2010)

Italian alps maybe, val d'aosta, even close to France Alps for Chamonix.
Keep the Dolomites as backup plan for weather mishaps.


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## Seaview (Apr 30, 2006)

later , now we have too many snow


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## sinfony78 (Dec 2, 2012)

so after initial research, i may have to go to french alps due to travel time constraints. i will be in paris june 1st then chamonix or morzine a few days after...can someone tell me what weather/biking conditions will be like at this time? i saw last year that morzine DH resort lifts didn't open until june 9...if bike parks aren't open yet, what will other mountain biking look like?


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## problematiks (Oct 18, 2005)

I don't know about France, but our part of the Alps has gotten a solid amount of snow in the last two months.And it looks like there's another shipment of the white stuff coming next week.

edit: Just checked, Chamonix area seems to have a lot of snow above 1500 m, too.

What that means for biking in June is somewhat unclear but unless we have a spring that's mainly warm and sunny there's a good chance you'll still get snow on some of the higher trails.And that's where the good trails are.

Marko


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## LeeL (Jan 12, 2004)

Suedtirol South Tyrol 2012: Mountain Biking the Dolomites & Italian Alps


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## dstepper (Feb 28, 2004)

La Varda. Freeride Singletrack MTB French Alps - YouTube


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## sinfony78 (Dec 2, 2012)

ok, so i ended up going to the swiss alps instead...here's my vid...i may do a write up, but because of the amount of snow they got this winter plus the time of month i went, i was relegated to ridibng only one trail, but it was still pretty mind-blowing being able to go out there

i was on this trip by myself, so it is all first person, chest-mounted go pro shots...hopefully in the future i'll be able to do some trips with friends and get different angles

Switzerland Mountain Biking - YouTube


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## kurrefromtungere (Aug 26, 2012)

Wow, nice!! Zermatt is on my to do list for many years now but somehow I never went. I read somewhere that in Switserland riding trails like you did was ilegal?


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## sinfony78 (Dec 2, 2012)

no, they're not illegal..i was shown those trails by the bike shop and tourist info...and trains up the mountain have bike racks as they have downhill biking as well as a bike park in the summers...

i was very displeased with the knowledge of both shop and tourist info, tho...they only showed me paved roads on the map...only when i pointed out real trails (after i talked to a couple downhillers i saw in the area) did they tell me that i could bike them...actually now that i think about it, i am very annoyed...the shop also was not helpful with bike setup...if i do a write-up, i'll get more into detail, but for anyone who goes to zermatt, you may have to talk to local bikers to get your info


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## LeeL (Jan 12, 2004)

sinfony78 said:


> ok, so i ended up going to the swiss alps instead...here's my vid...i may do a write up, but because of the amount of snow they got this winter plus the time of month i went, i was relegated to ridibng only one trail, but it was still pretty mind-blowing being able to go out there
> 
> i was on this trip by myself, so it is all first person, chest-mounted go pro shots...hopefully in the future i'll be able to do some trips with friends and get different angles
> 
> Switzerland Mountain Biking - YouTube


I hope the comprehensive writeup we did on Pinkbike which talked about which trails were actually good and which trails were just doubletrack or paved was useful. Nice weather.


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