# Italy/Lake Garda



## Paul Baker (Aug 1, 2007)

Living in the UK we usually do our annual biking trip to the Chamonix region but fancy a change next year and heard that Lake Garda Region of Italy is pretty cool. We like technical cross country with a fair amount of up (not downhill junkies) and Cham is excellent for this.

Has anyone been to this region? Don’t want to end up spending a week riding fire roads and such!!! :thumbsup:


----------



## Uzzi (Oct 28, 2003)

How is your German  

1. Because you will meet a lot of Germans. 
2. The Moser guides describing routes/trails are in German.

Plenty of riding that fits your description. I have been there many times and still not seen all possible trails. Best place to stay would be Riva or Arco. Riding is very different from Chamonix, lime stone and not as open.

Do consider the Valli Maira in Italy as well. See my post in Passion for a good idear on the trails you get there. Other option would be Finale Ligure.

Cheers,


----------



## Uzzi (Oct 28, 2003)

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=349410

Here is da link to the Valli Maira


----------



## notaknob (Apr 6, 2004)

*Not suprising...*



Uzzi said:


> How is your German
> 
> 1. Because you will meet a lot of Germans.
> 2. The Moser guides describing routes/trails are in German.


Hell, you go north a few miles and every thing's in German (sud Tirol). Wasn't too long ago that it was part of the Ottoman empire. My Grandmother would never succumb to saying she was Italian.

Your other recommended trails sound good. My beef with Garda is it's hours of climbing on road/fireroad, followed by 20-25 minutes of descent. But I wouldn't hesitate to go back.


----------



## Uzzi (Oct 28, 2003)

notaknob said:


> My beef with Garda is it's hours of climbing on road/fireroad, followed by 20-25 minutes of descent. But I wouldn't hesitate to go back.


But aint that the case every where you go in the Alps. I mean most of our favorite rides in the Chamonix area take at least 2.5 h to get up and if you don't stop for pictures you can be back drinking coffee in the valley well within 30 minutes.

I know only a few that stay up on altitude for a while before descending.


----------



## Paul Baker (Aug 1, 2007)

*Italy*

Cheers for that guys,

I found what looks like really cool set up . . . 'Riviera Bike' based near Monaco.

Don't know if anyones been with them but it looks just what we want - fairly technical XC, the trails look like they ROCK!!:thumbsup: :madmax:

Cheap too.


----------



## Uzzi (Oct 28, 2003)

Well I don't know those guys but they sure have some good trails there. Personally I like Finale better as it is not as loose. Big plus for you would be that you can get there cheap with Sleazy Jet (Nice).

Do also check the guys from Single Tracks in Spain (google and you will find). I have been planning to go there but never really got to it.


----------



## durkind (Jul 8, 2005)

*Go to Livigno, Italy.........*

Best riding I have ever done. I live in the Rockies in US and frequent Moab and Fruita a lot. This trumps those places! Great XC trails of all types and also has a Kona Park for the gravity enthusiats..

Contact Andrew at www.Italiansafaris.com.

You won't be disappointed.


----------



## notaknob (Apr 6, 2004)

*O'rly?*



durkind said:


> Best riding I have ever done. I live in the Rockies in US and frequent Moab and Fruita a lot. This trumps those places! Great XC trails of all types and also has a Kona Park for the gravity enthusiats..
> 
> Contact Andrew at www.Italiansafaris.com.
> 
> You won't be disappointed.


You've got to be kidding me. You must not ride much or:
are spamming for your company.

Italy's great, the riding is good, the scenery (and women) is(are) breathtaking, the food, wine and culture put it high on my list of vacation spots, but I'd never say it's the "best riding I have ever done." There's just not enough uninterrupted singletrack to qualify.

Best place to take a European Vacation, oh yeah. Best riding for me?, uh no. I'll take a healthy dose of NM/CO/UT trails for that fix.


----------



## durkind (Jul 8, 2005)

*Welllllll.......................*



notaknob said:


> You've got to be kidding me. You must not ride much or:
> are spamming for your company.
> 
> Italy's great, the riding is good, the scenery (and women) is(are) breathtaking, the food, wine and culture put it high on my list of vacation spots, but I'd never say it's the "best riding I have ever done." There's just not enough uninterrupted singletrack to qualify.
> ...


If I was SPAMMING for my company I would say Jackson Hole has the best skiing -- oh yeah it does!!!. As far as uniterupted singletrack - well I guess you just have to go there to see it (at the Livigno ski resort alone we did 5 hours of uniterupted singletrack). Everyone has opinions and those are mine. I mtb in Jackson, Sun Valley, Moab, Fruita (and went to college in Boulder so have my dose there as well) and I considered this the most "epic" riding I have done. I compare it to backcountry skiing -- you are out there and not crowded!! All I can say is I would take the riding there over moab/fruita any day. Yes maybe it is the whole expereince, but the riding was very high quality.


----------



## balfazed (Sep 28, 2005)

notaknob said:


> There's just not enough uninterrupted singletrack to qualify.


I agree, my pain with Garda is that you cannot climb on the singletracks. Most are too steep and/or too loose to climb a longer section. So for uphill you have to stay on the fire roads (OK, not so big pain, because the fire roads are sooooo scenic).
But for downhills those loose and steep singletracks are FUN.


----------

