When it comes to mountain biking, Switzerland spoils for choice. After spending much of the summer exploring some of what’s on offer, Le News decided it was time to dish up a taste, in bite sized chunks, starting with Verbier.
Verbier’s Rôdze downhill ride © Le News SARL
Like the skiing, Verbier’s downhill mountain biking is at the more adventurous end of the spectrum. Color-coded rides start at blue, rising through red and yellow, to black. Blue, the easiest, is still fairly challenging. Before heading down the one black run a sanity check is probably in order. Verbier has seven downhill trails.
Here is a snapshot of the two of the resort’s downhill rides. The first is a blue run, the second a spectacularly scenic red.
Trail name: Tsopu
Difficulty: Blue
Start: Just below Les Ruinettes lift station – 2,200 m – exact location on Google Maps
End: Verbier village – 1,500m – location on Google
Here is a 3 minute video clip of this ride:
Trail name: Rôdze
Difficulty: Red
Start: Just below Fontanet lift station – 2,475 m – exact location on Google Maps
End: Les Ruinettes – 2,200 m – location on Google
This ride can be combined with one of the rides starting at Les Ruinettes, for example Tsopu.
Here is a 3 minute video clip of this ride:
Lift information
Lift rides up start at Médran station at the top of Verbier village. A one-way trip to Les Ruinettes costs CHF 12 for adults and 6 for children. A one-way trip to Fontanet from Les Ruinettes costs CHF 8 for adults and CHF 4 for children. Day passes covering these lifts are CHF 32 for adults and CHF 16 for kids.
Riding up instead of taking the lift is an option. The ride from Verbier up to Les Ruinettes takes around 1 hour 30 minutes, and from Les Ruinettes to Fontanet around 30 minutes. The best route up to Fontanet is the path that passes below the Carlsberg restaurant. The trails up are shingle roads.
Equipment check
Bike: A big beefy fully suspended downhill bike makes these trails much easier to ride. Lighter cross-country bikes work OK on the blue, red and some yellow runs. Even hard tail bikes with no rear suspension are OK on these runs if you have quick reactions and can take the vibration. Don’t be (too) put off by the big wooden ramp-like jumps. It is possible to ride around nearly all of these.
Protection: A helmet is absolutely essential. Pads, in particular knee and shin pads, are important too. Good strong gloves to protect hands from falls – hands are often the first thing to make contact with the ground – are also essential. Protection is now made for most body parts including backs, necks, shoulders, elbows and hips.
Bikes and protection can be hired in Verbier. One hire place close to the bottom of the Médran lift is Mountain Air.
Tip: There are free cleaning stations in the village near the Médran lift, great for getting mud off bikes before returning home. Click here for the exact location of these.
Beyond downhill
For those looking for cross-country riding, Verbier has that too. The ride from Les Ruinettes to Croix de coeur and then down to Carrefour is one example. Here is a longer list.
Useful stuff
Full downhill trail map.
Lift tickets prices and opening times.
Getting to Verbier.
At Verbier the season ends on 28 October.
We plan to do a series of these guides. If you have video footage and practical information on one of your favorite Swiss mountain bike rides, and would like to see it on Le News, please contact us.
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