The Riding / Trans-Savoie (Guided ‘Mont Blanc’ Enduro Tour)

Arrive at trailAddiction’s “Basecamp 1” in Bourg St Maurice and get settled in.   Enjoy a cold beer, wine or soft drink after a long journey before unpacking your bike in our  on-site mini-workshop. Then its time to relax, enjoy a superb welcome &  evening meal whilst getting to know your guide and the other members in your group who you’ll be riding with for the week.

Accommodation: Local Hotel (Dormitory Rooms)

Meals: Served On-Site

VAL D’ISERE to ST FOYE  (Video Here)

We’ll jump right into it with a warm-up forest single-track trail that drops right from the from door of our chalet, down 800m vertical drop to the valley floor.  This gives us time to acclimatise to the terrain and tweak any bike set-up issues before heading out into the backcountry. 

Our minibus will take you on a 60-minute shuttle which drops us off at the highest road pass in Europe – The Col d’Iseran, above the boutique ski resort of Val d’isere, at 2764m.  Whilst this world-famous road climb is renowned as one of the Tour de France’s major climbs, we’re not here for the tarmac!

Our High Exposure Isere Descent Itinerary (HEIDI) is a singletrack route that descends a total of around 3000m over an 7-hour day, split into 5 main descents,  Between each descent, you’ll climb back up for 20 to 40 minutes.

Along the way we will pass in front of the Vanoise National Park with its towering glaciers pouring millions of gallons of water down the cliff faces across the valley through its spectacular waterfalls, and a lunch stop at the 18th century Heritage village, Le Monal

Accommodation: Comfortable Mountain Lodge/Refuge  (Dormitory-Style)

Meals: Packed Lunch / Traditional Savoyard Meal at Mountain Refuge

STE FOYE to BOURG ST MAURICE via LA ROSIERE

Setting off from your mountain refuge, its downhill on prime Alpine singletrack, right from your front door…and with a few short climbs of no more than 30 minutes each, there’s enough altitude to keep you going all the way to the valley floor…and lunchtime.  (Let our support vehicle & driver worry about your luggage!).

We’ll take stock for lunch in Bourg St Maurice – the historical market town with 2000-year-old roman-built trails coming in from all directions.  Also chance to call in for a tune-up or replacement brake pads at the local bike mechanic here, if needed.

But our main target for the afternoon is to approach the Italian Border via a 45-minute uplift, close enough to take a photo at the Italian Border Flag and grab a genuine Italian Expresso, before heading back down on the French side on one continuous, epic descent.   High Alpine Pastures through to Dense Pine Forest trails, this one has it all.

Accommodation: Comfortable Mountain Lodge/Refuge  (Dormitory-Style)

Meals: Local Restaurant Set-Meal for Lunch / Evening Meal Served On-Site

BOURG ST MAURICE to PEISEY-NANCROIX via LES ARCS (Video Here)

You’ll start the day with a short, easy cruise along a riverside trail, then perhaps time for an extra morning coffee at the lift station before we hop on the impressive local funicular railway that whisks us up +800m of altitude in under 10 minutes.

This historic region is riddled with old trade and hiking routes of ancient singletrack that is easily lift-accessed between 2500m right down to 800m at the valley floor, and we will certainly make the most of if!  Depending on your skill level and appetite for adventure, we’ll vary today’s route between moderate flowing singletrack, to steep, exposed, tight and techie – or any combination of all the above.  Superb views and hidden trails of course, are a theme regardless of the above.

After stopping for lunch at one of Les Arcs’ mountain-view restaurants, the afternoon will see us exploit the lift system to its highest point at 2650m…..then ride on upwards from there a further 200m to a particularly pretty hidden glacial lake.   After pausing to soak in the clear and direct views of Mont Blanc from here (and perhaps say hello to the local Marmot population), we’ll follow the ribbon of singletrack that borders the lake – the very trail marking the border of the National Park, itself.   Starting as a very long, flowing balcony trail, it’ll take all your concentration to focus on where you are riding rather than the spectacular views of the Vanoise National Park that unfold before you.

As the hanging valley joins in to the deep gorge ahead of us, the trail steepens up and becomes more challenging to navigate, but certainly no less fun.  After well over an hour of desending (stops not included – you’ll certainly want some), we finish the ride along superb flowing singletrack following the raging river of Glacial meltwater on the valley floor.    “La Varda” trail (first discovered and named by trailAddiction guides many moons ago, is now a bucket-list trail often reviewed as one of THE best Alpine trails in the world – go google it!).

After a long day, you’ll be glad to enjoy the warm hospitality and a cool beer on the terrace of our hotel for the night, before getting stuck in to some great traditional Savoyard food served up by Greg and Cecile, the owners of more than 20 years.

Accommodation:  2-3* Hotel, Twin and Triple Rooms with Ensuite

Meals: (Lunch) Mountain Restaurant;  (Evening Meal) Local Restaurant

PEISEY NANCROIX to CHAMPAGNY via LA PLAGNE (Video Here)

Today’s route feels very different from the one before it – with a point-to-point feel that sees us ride up and over the band of peaks which separating the main Tarentaise Valley from the “Thee Valleys” region behind it. 

The day starts with a ride on the quaint “Lobster Pots” lifts less than a minute’s ride from your hotel’s front door.  (Yes, they do resemble human-sized Lobster pots and you ride standing up, 2-by-2:  unique in the world, we think?!).  By contrast, the next lift is the impressive “Vanoise Express” – a huge double-decker glass cube that spans the huge glacial valley over to La Plagne, at its highest point is 350m (1000ft) above the river-gorge below you.  

Working our way through some impressive impressive singletrack trails in dense pine forests, you might decide to stop to snack on wild berries or give a wave to the local mushroom picking community – although chances are you will be more focussed on the dozens of switchbacks along the way.

Arriving at the Ski Station of La Plagne, there’s time to re-fuel before jumping into a 20-minute “bubble lift” that spits us out directly at 2600m.  YOu’ll have fun passing along “Brown Trouser Ridge” – an impossible ribbon of singletrack perched along the top of the ridge and definitely worth of posing at, for new Facebook profile photo.  

Ridge completed, we drop off the back of the valley and take a huge, huge, descent which starts in the High-Alpine and eventually takes us through pine forests to the valley floor 2000m below.   Hot Brakes?  You Bet!  You’ll probably not see another biker (or hiker) throughout the descent, although you may be surprised by the “huge & ferocious” mountain dogs who guard the sheep out here. These dogs are unique to the region and look like a cross between a wolf and a polar bear. (They may look scary, but they’re big softies really and usually eager to say hello and have cuddle, if you are!).

At the end of the long day, we’ll arrive at our home for the night – another traditional mountain refuge that is more usually frequented by ski-touring enthusiasts through until the end of May or even early June – such is the glacial terrain all around us.  You’ll appreciate a hearty meal of Raclette (another local speciality) whilst looking out at 360-degree views cascading waterfalls coming from the high peaks and glaciers all around you.

Accommodation: Comfortable Mountain Refuge  (Dormitory-Style) located directly at the foot of the Vanoise National Park. 

Meals: Packed Lunch / Traditional Savoyard Meal at Mountain Refuge.

COURCHEVEL / MERIBEL / ST MARTIN / VAL THORENS

The Three Valleys region is one of the world’s premier ski resorts that has a lift system (and trail network) so vast that you could ride here 7 days a week all summer and never ride the same trail twice – Yes, really – and that’s before even considering the off-the-back trails that are accessible by van shuttle.

It was a tough job, but we’ve done the ‘hard’ work and ridden every bit of singletrack on the map (and many more that aren’t) to string together the perfect circular 1-day itinerary in this domain.  

It’s a big day maximising the use of ski-lifts where we can, but also dropping well outside of the resort-based trails.

We’ll typically end the day with one of the best-rated trails in all of Trans-Savoie’s history…the Meribel Ridge.  Another ultra-long descent starting high and finishing at the valley floor on a warp-speed loamy forest trail that seems almost too good to be true.   Words don’t do it justice, you’ll have to wait and see, for yourself.

Our accommodation tonight is in stark contrast to the refuge where you woke up this morning: We’ll stay in a English-run hotel in Central Meribel (ensuite rooms) with all the facilities you’d expect from a modern resort.   One of the best bar’s in town is right next door, if you have the desire to quench your thirst and finish off the day with a few rounds of Billiards.

Accommodation: 2-3* Hotel, twin, triple, and quad rooms with ensuite

Meals: Packed Lunch / Modern Restaurant

(SECRET LOCATION) (Video Here)

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better…we up the ante and finish on a true high.

For our last day of the tour, we’ll take you to our very secret place that is even further from the trodden path (we’ve never even seen a hiker on these trails, never mind another biker!)  

Long, fast, flows descent in a loam-filled mountain side.  Our dedicated shuttle will be waiting to pick you up for another run – and its rinse and repeat (a different trail each time, of course) until you just cant take it any more.

 You’d swear these trails were custom made for biking, if you didn’t also see the obvious ancient history on and around which these trails were build.

And they’re big, which of course by now you should have realised, is a bit of a running theme throughout the week.  If you manage 5 full runs in a day, you’ve done well.

The best trails ever?  That’s quite some statement.  Don’t ask us.  We only know that we’ve heard that very sentiment echoed time and time again, from almost everyone we’ve take here.   Shhhhhhh……let’s keep it just between us though, right?

Finishing the day at a lakeside cafe with your endorphins buzzing on overload, your dedicated shuttle will whisk you back up to your hotel to enjoy a final meal and drinks whilst reliving tales of a fantastic week of adventure.

Accommodation: 2-3* Hotel, twin, triple, and quad rooms with ensuite

Meals: Packed Lunch / Modern Restaurant

Breakfast is provided, before it’s time to pack and say goodbye.

See you again next year?  (Usually, yes – our returning customer rate is high, and we always have new trails and new adventures which are just too good to miss!)  FOMO?  You bet!