Scouting Trips: Big Mountain Biking Holidays at Affordable Prices

Traverse of the Alps from the North to the South - Chamonix to the Mediterranean Sea

Why propose 'scouting' trips?

on tour of Mont Blanc We propose for you to actively participate in the development of our new trips. Why...? Because we think that you, mountain bikers and clients are the best testers of a tour and your opinion matters to us! With your help we aim to provide the best tours and new routes that a biker can dream of, and we pass on our thanks by making the trips affordable...

Scouting is the base of the development and creation of a trip. We ride, search, meet people, compare the different options and experiment with the trails.These are the roots of an epic tour. After being scouted, these trips will be confirmed and scheduled next year as 'Alpmountainbike official tours'.

These trips will be proposed at affordable prices as they are not totally finalised and we appreciate your input and help. So t he route is marked on the map, the accomodation is booked, now comes the interesting part, the ride...

What is a scouting trip?

Scouting the Chamonix to Zermatt trip Scouting means cycling several consecutive hours, about 5-6 hours a day and checking different trail options and perhaps making mistakes in the choice of the options! So it's a bit different than to an 'official tour', due to the fact that we will need to check the map quite often, think about the quality of the trails and their ridabality and also may be have to carry or push the bikes at times... At the end of the day we have a debriefing to discuss the different options and give our opinion about the ride, it's about teamwork, you help confirm where others will follow! So these trips are for riders interested in developing interesting tours and exploring new places. One thing is for sure you will discover uncrowded, unknown spots and trails and do it before others get the chance.

We are going to schedule several scouting trips in the Alps, in the Spring and Autumn of 2010 . Their departure is assured even if you are alone as we need to make the trips anyway. So come join us and explore!!!

Our 2010 Scouting Trips

We plan to realize the complete Traverse of the Alps from Chamonix to the Sea by two routes and 5 stages of 6 days!

From Chamonix to Nice via Briançon
in two stages of 6 days

The programme is straight forward: from Chamonix it's straight to the south... Direction the azur blue of the Mediterannean Sea in two stages of 6 days. The route follows the Central Alps and is about 700km... 20 'alpines cols', 20,000 metres of ascent and that means 20,000 metres of descent awaits you.

That sounds like an epic adventure to us!

Dates:	to be determined
Price:	980 euros

Stage 1: Chamonix to Briançon

Map - Route details

Chamonix needs no introduction! It is reknowned worldwide for its fantastic alpine history and ambiance.

Briançon is an old medieval fortified town nestled exactly halfway between Mont Blanc in the French Alps and the Mediterranean Sea. The town faces the Ecrins National Parc with its numerous summits above 4000m and from here you already get the taste of the South of France! The vegetation and the mountains are drier and larch trees replace the evergreen spuces. The trails here are not over publicised and you can be sure to be riding uncrowded trails.

This first stage is quite technical and physical demanding and if you like a challenge this trip is for you...

Dates:	September 18th to 25th
Price:	590 Euros

Stage 2: Briançon to the sea by GR5

Map - Route details

This second stage of the 'Traverse of the Alps' is almost as challenging as the first one!

From Briançon we 'll ride the famous GR5 and as long as we keep heading south the smell of the pine trees and the salty taste in our mouths of the sea will guide our wheels to the final stop: Sunny Nice!

The landscape will change from Briançon. The mountains and the vegetation are drier, the local architecture is no longer made of wood but of stone and the trails are stonier and rocky. The ride becomes different due to the change in landscape and you will have to adapt your style of ride to the different type of trails.

New trails, new challenges, but always 100% mountain biking!

Included	Not Included	Level
- 7 nights accommodation - All meals including picnic lunches - Guiding - Daily luggage transfer (only if more than 4 riders ) - Departure transfer to Nice train station/airport or Geneva airport	- Flights/Travel costs etc. - Expense of repair and maintenance of bikes - Cancellation/medical insurance/repatriation costs - Bike rent - Personal energy drinks and bars - Alcohol - Generally all that is not included/understood in the heading 'Included'	Strong intermediate to advanced all around rider. Good shape needed and not afraid of pushing the bike. Good bike handling skills. Ability to ride on technical singletracks.

Need more information?

The ' Trails of the Sun'

From Geneva to Nice via Grenoble and Sisteron
in three stages of 6 days

These 'Trails of the Sun' are a different to the South!

Due to using the Western fringe of the Alpine Range offers us the possibility to ride ealier and later in the season and also gives us the opportunity to have a view of the complete length of the French Alps.

Dates:	May 22nd to May 29th
	May 29th to June 5th
	September 25th to October 2nd
Price:	590 Euros

Stage 1: Geneva to Grenoble

Map

This stage is the first stage of this 'Traverse of the Alps' divided in 3 parts of 6 days riding.

We start from Geneva and ride through the Albanais and Charteureuse ranges, little known mountain biking spots and enter the town of Grenoble, the capital of the Northern Alps. This itinerary offers fanstastic alpine scenery and great riding and is a just a taste of the other two stages of the 'Trails of the Sun'.

Dates:	June 5th to June 12th
Dates:	October 2nd to 9th
Price:	590 euros

Stage 2: Grenoble to Sisteron

Map

For this second stage of the 'Trails of the Sun ' we will head further South and start to feel the change of ambiance between the Northern and Southern Alps. The vegetation and the mountains are drier and the architecture changing on our route to the South. We will pass through the Vercors Range, the Devoluy and the Buech to arrive in the handsome medieval town of Sisteron which already smells of Provence.
315km more of great mountain biking await you!

Dates:	June 12th to June 19th
Price:	590 euros

Stage 3: Sisteron to Nice

Map

This section is the last stage of the 'Trails of the Sun' with the great finish in Nice and the Mediterranean sea. From Sisteron to the sea, we will ride on a variety of trails and in rapidly changing scenery. We will traverse through the Provence region with its rich smell of lavender, and purple hue, swim in lakes and move towards the final phase with opportunities to discover splendid trails with the Azur blue of the sea giving you the real taste of the South of France.

Included	Not Included	Level
- 7 nights accommodation - All meals including picnic lunches - Guiding - Daily luggage transfer (only if more than 4 riders ) - departure transfer to Nice train station/airport or Geneva airport	- Flights/Travel costs etc. - Expense of repair and maintenance of bikes - Cancellation/medical insurance/repatriation costs - Bike rent - Personal energy drinks and bars - Alcohol - Generally all that is not included/understood in the heading 'Included'	Strong intermediate to advanced all around rider.Good shape needed and not afraid of pushing the bike. Good bike handling skills. Able to ride on technical singletracks

Need more information?

NB: The departure of these tours is assured even if you are alone as we need to make the tours anyway!