The Mountain Bike Chalet Co

What Insurance do I need?

Travel Insurance is essential and should be taken out as soon as you book your holiday so that you're flights and deposit are covered if anything goes wrong before your holiday.

It might sound obvious but you must make sure that your insurance covers you for mountain biking in the Alps. Bring the policy with you along with your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

You could try Sports Cover Direct

What Riding Can I Expect to Find In Les Arcs?

At The Mountain Bike Chalet Company the guides will lead you around the mountain and show you what we have to offer as well as picking some of our favourite trails and most loved by previous clients. We like to offer a variety of trails to suit different styles of riders and experiences. Those who are new to mountain biking will love the rolling green pastures and smooth single track the area has to offer without feeling too intimidated, while more experienced riders can challenge themselves on steeper, tighter and faster tracks found in the area. The Joy of riding in the Paradiski region is that everyone can enjoy themselves on any style of mountain bike!

What Bike Should I Bring?

It is important to be comfortable on the bike that you will be using out here as often many people haven’t experienced 45 minutes of descending before or the volume of vertical meters that can be covered in one week (typically over 20 000 m). We would recommend bringing a bike with some suspension unless you’re a dedicated hardtail rider or very skilled!

Our guides use a variety of bikes depending on the terrain that is to be tackled that day as well as the groups needs. Anything from a tough hardtail with 4 inch forks, through to a full on Dh bike with 8 inches of travel and a few in between. As we are based in a lift accessed region of the Alps there is plenty of opportunity for quality, varied descents with little or no pedalling to be done if that’s what you want.

Therefore if you have the option of choosing your bike to bring on holiday, go for the one that has stronger wheels, powerful brakes and suspension.

The Guides at The Mountain Bike Chalet are skilled in many disciplines of mountain biking whether it is learning how to tackle your first switchback or drop epic all-mountain adventures, flowing single-track traverses or flat out downhill tracks. We ride every sort of track and trail there is in the area as Les Arcs and La Plagne offer such a huge variation in track depending on what you’re after!

We ride all aspects and use bikes suitable for any track in the region.

Tips For You and Your Bikes Before You Come on Holiday

• Spend time on your bike – Nothing beats confidence and experience, so don’t worry if you don’t have the latest Ti seatpost clamp, get out and ride your bike before you come.
• Powerful brakes are strongly recommened. Hydraulic disc brakes with large rotors are the best. These will give you more confidence and control when you’ve been descending for up to 45 minutes!
• Dual Ply tyres are recommend as the volume of descending done in one week can wear out thinner tyres.  Maxxis and Schwalbe are usually the most successful.
• We would recommend being able to drop your saddle right down. If you are unable to do  this on bikes with interrupted seat tubes, you may wish to bring a spare ‘stubby’ seatpost just in case.  .
• Short stems and wide bars are not just trendy...they really help you control your bike when descending.  We’d recommend stems less than 75 mm.
• Due to the amount of descending that is possible in one week, accidents can happen. So strap on some armour. We will have some available at the chalet to use if required but having your own means you know it will fit. Minimum required are open face helmet, gloves and knee pads, however elbow pads are recommended as well. 
• We will have a selection of spares and rental parts just in case but its always worth bringing your own if you have them!
• Bring a riding jacket and some warm clothes. We still go out in the wet!

At The Mountain Bike Chalet we want to ensure that you not only get to experience some of the best trails you may have ever ridden but also improve your riding. We will help you to set up your bike correctly so that you can make the most of your riding time out on holiday and enjoy every minute.