Mountain biking holidays in the Alps
| country: | France |
| location: | French Alps |
| trip type: | Challenging / hard core mountain biking holidays |
| departures: | 2009: 23 Aug |
| price: | From £775 (8 days) excluding flights. Optional bike hire £120. We can help arrange flights from the UK (approx £150). This trip is classified as challenging to hard core mountain biking. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
An incredible place that deserves an incredible trip! A true Alpine challenge in the natural beauty of this quiet and spectacular corner of the Alps.
Forming a dramatic border between France and Italy, this mind-blowing landscape linked by a labyrinth of amazing trails, is a mountain bikers’ Shangri-la. Pristine mountain biking trails await to provide the Alps adventure that until now you have only dreamt about and a far cry from the over exploited Morzine scene.
The grandeur of the scenery is truly breathtaking, with routes that will test your biking skills to the full.
We take long, tantalising singletrack to weave our way over 2,000 metre passes, past hanging glaciers, round stunning alpine lakes and ancient miltary fortifications. Wow!
In order to maximise the biking on offer, we’ll stay and bike on both sides of the border. The first part of the week focuses on the French side. The tranquil alpine town in Val Cenis is our base from where tremendous routes take us through the snow capped mountains and glacial landscape of the Vanoise National Park and our hosts treat us to their fine local cuisine and wines.
After a day spent catching a ride on the chairlift and taking an amazing ‘never-ending’ singletrack descent down, we enjoy a couple of nights in a lovely mountain refuge in a stunning location to get a real taste of the mountains. We then finish the week off “alla grande”. Riding over the border via a 2,400 metre pass, we retrace Hannibal’s heroic steps, and drop....quite literally into Italy. Val di Susa is our Italian home - the biking here is even more spectacular and we taste the delights of fine Italian cuisine, and the friendliness and hospitality of our agriturismo hosts for the next few days - what a trip!
Forming a dramatic border between France and Italy, this mind-blowing landscape linked by a labyrinth of amazing trails, is a mountain bikers’ Shangri-la. Pristine mountain biking trails await to provide the Alps adventure that until now you have only dreamt about and a far cry from the over exploited Morzine scene.
The grandeur of the scenery is truly breathtaking, with routes that will test your biking skills to the full.
We take long, tantalising singletrack to weave our way over 2,000 metre passes, past hanging glaciers, round stunning alpine lakes and ancient miltary fortifications. Wow!
In order to maximise the biking on offer, we’ll stay and bike on both sides of the border. The first part of the week focuses on the French side. The tranquil alpine town in Val Cenis is our base from where tremendous routes take us through the snow capped mountains and glacial landscape of the Vanoise National Park and our hosts treat us to their fine local cuisine and wines.
After a day spent catching a ride on the chairlift and taking an amazing ‘never-ending’ singletrack descent down, we enjoy a couple of nights in a lovely mountain refuge in a stunning location to get a real taste of the mountains. We then finish the week off “alla grande”. Riding over the border via a 2,400 metre pass, we retrace Hannibal’s heroic steps, and drop....quite literally into Italy. Val di Susa is our Italian home - the biking here is even more spectacular and we taste the delights of fine Italian cuisine, and the friendliness and hospitality of our agriturismo hosts for the next few days - what a trip!
this tourism business was Highly Commended
In our 2005 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards, the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine. The idea behind the Awards is that all types of tourism – from niche to mainstream – can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and local people. how this holiday makes a difference
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Global adventures start with a local perspective – that's our philosophy. Whether abroad, or just as importantly at home, the start point is the same; how to get the most enjoyable holiday for our customers while benefiting the local people, economy and respecting the environment.
Cycling is a great way to explore the countryside, traveling at a speed that enables you to take in the surroundings without damaging the environment. By avoiding the over-exploited resorts of Morzine and Chamonix, we are able to visit a more traditional alpine town. In selecting accommodation in small villages, farm stays (Agriturismo’s), Family run hotels or Guest Houses, we make sure that the local people benefit, whilst assuring quality for our guests. By collaborating with locally based people and buying local products from small producers, (organic if possible) we are able to contribute to the regional economy. We provide guests with Travellers Codes that encourage the reduction of water usage, systems for collecting, recycling or safe disposal of litter and relevant suggestions to minimise damage to the environment, wildlife and marine ecosystems. All our holidays have a maximum group size of 12 to 15 people minimising both the social and environmental impact. Being able to participate and connect with the local culture provides a richer holiday experience. Accompanied by a local knowledgeable guide who truly knows the area, our guests are able to get more of a feel for the place and the environment. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |