Biking the Haute Route, Chamonix - France

Biking the Haute Route

The Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt, is one of the world's classic mountain tours. Our bikers' version of the route passes through some truly spectacular mountain scenery.

Starting under the shadow of Mont Blanc, experience the thrills of endless singletrack descents, the satisfaction of conquering several high mountain passes and miles of swooping forest trails all before reaching your final destination - the Matterhorn.

There are a few essentials and additional items that you may be used to at home that we suggest you take to help you settle into your riding.
• Helmet
• Padded shorts
• Water bottle or hydration backpack
• Spare inner tubes, & a pump
• Waterproof jacket
• Gloves
• SPD pedals and shoes
• Backpack
• Sun cream
• Camera!We have most of the above equipment available locally for you to borrow or purchase, however, it is always nicer to have your own familiar gear to ride with.

The tour will take you through a mix of well-established holiday resorts and small mountain villages. As such, the size and standard of accommodation varies from village to village. The accommodation has been arranged on the basis of two people sharing a room, although in Champex rooms for four people may be used. You should therefore be prepared to share accommodation with people you do not know. The properties that we have selected are all of a minimum 2* standard, ranging as high as 4* and are a variety of small hotels and gite-style accommodations.

As you will be covering a fair distance on this tour, we want you to be as comfortable as possible. You may want to bring your own bike with you - this is no problem at all. Our support driver will make sure that it is kept secure overnight and will be happy to help you with any mechanical issues that you may have along the way. Alternatively, should you wish to travel light and make use of one of our bikes, we have selected a range of bikes perfectly suited to the type of riding you will find on tour.

What's Included?
• Flights & transfers
• Full board*
• Fully Guided
• Vehicle support
• Mechanical support
• Meals: Breakfast, and a packed lunch are provided daily. Evening meals are included every night apart from on the two rest days, when you are free to visit local restaurants.What's Not Included?
• Lift pass costs
• Bike hire
• Own bike airline carriage (approximately 30 return payable upon check in)

Day 1 - Transfer Geneva to ChamonixDay 2 - Mont Blanc TasterIntroduction to the area. Get your bearings with a brief tour or the Mont Blanc area and some of Chamonix's awesome biking terrain in preparation for the main event.Day 3 - Chamonix to ChampexAfter a short ride to Le Tour, we start the day the easy way in a gondola up the Col de Balme, taking in views of Mont Blanc. You'll enjoy a long technical descent into Trient in Switzerland before a steady off-road climb to Col de la Forclaz and then on to our first stop in the picturesque lakeside village of Champex.Day 4 - Champex to VerbierA short stage today, descending quickly from Champex on beautiful woodland tracks to Sembrancher. After a moderate climb and another singletrack descent a gondola takes you up to Verbier where you can take the afternoon off, enjoy one of the resort's many activities, or carry on biking using the resort's extensive lift system.Day 5 - Verbier to EvoleneOne of the tougher days on the tour sees a great variety of terrain. On and off-road climbs, singletrack and fire road descents are all covered, as are more amazing views before we reach Evolene - another picture postcard Alpine town.Day 6 - Evolene to GrimentzA long climb off-road over Basset de Lona is rewarded with one of the tour's longest and fastest descents through more stunning scenery including views back to our starting point at Mont Blanc. After taking in the sights at Lac de Moiry we will finish our descent into Grimentz for a well-earned day off.Day 7 - Grimentz Rest DayHave a day off to try rafting, rock climbing, paragliding or canyoning. Alternatively you can join us on a trip to Tignousa by funicular railway, where we can catch our first glimpse of the Matterhorn.Day 8 - Grimentz to EischollAfter riding to St Luc. we'll use two chairlifts to minimise the climbs on a traverse around the mountainside to Pas d'lllsee. Then you are rewarded with an immense descent of over 1500m finishing with a final climb to our overnight stop in the scenic village of Eischoll.Day 9 - Eischoll to GrachenYou'll get a true taste of alpine life today as we ride at a lower altitude through a number of villages. The riding is a lot of fun too, as we enjoy a series of short climbs and smooth singletrack section all the way to Grachen in the Zermatt Valley.Day 10 - Grachen to ZermattThe big one! Today we reach our final destination. After a final push up the valley you will have time to explore the Matterhorn area and take a ride to the spectacular viewing area at the top of the Sunegga Express Funicular. Your achievement will be capped off tonight with a celebratory meal.Day 11 - Zermatt Rest DaySleep off last night's victory celebrations or take part in one of Zermatt's range of activities.Day 12 - Return to Geneva

For the 2007 Enduro, Specialized has concentrated on the bike's original goal - to be the perfect all-mountain bike. By complimenting the frame technology with their own suspension, they have been able to build a complete package that will soak up any obstacles you may encounter.

The Stumpjumper FSR is just as at home whether used for crunching miles of cross country or soaking up the bumps of a technical descent. There is plenty of both on our Haute Route, so you will be assured of a confidence inspiring ride on this all-mountain bike. We also have the women's specific version of this bike available for hire.

Two staff will accompany you on the tour. Each day you will be guided by our fully qualified and experienced mountain leader. As well as leading the way and highlighting all of the local points of interest, he will ensure the group's safety at all times. You will also have a support driver who will drive your luggage between stops, pick up any riders wanting a rest and generally act as your Representative for the holiday. The support vehicle will carry a full range of spares and tools with both staff members being Cytech qualified to keep your bike on the road.

Difficulty Level - Challenging. This tour requires a good level of technical riding experience including steep, loose terrain & single track. You can expect long days in the saddle and a significant amount of climbing both on and off road.Please note: The itinerary may vary slightly in early and late season due to snow and chairlift opening dates.Minimum Age

To book a stay at this hotel or for more information, please call us on our freephone number 0800 652 8552

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