Les Arcs Mountain Biking

Whatever you're looking for MTB-wise, you'll find it here in Les Arcs; plenty of gnarly downhill descents, lung-busting cross-country circuits and scenic 'rambles' through the Alpine landscape await you.

There are 93km of marked mountain bike trails in all with a combined descent of 6700m!  The resort has trails to suit all level of rider which are graded in the same fashion as ski runs - green, blue, red and black.  There is also a permanent downhill trail in Arc 1600 - La Cachette - which is accessible via the chairlift of the same name.  At 3270m in length and with a vertical drop of 547m, this run is for experts only with its sharp banked turns, jumps and North Shore sections along its length

The 5 lifts that operate in the summer are swift and efficient and specially adapted to carry mountain bikes.  They will take you and your bike up to 2700m from where you can choose from a multitude of routes to get back down into town; see our Summer Guide to find out about the lift system opening hours and lift pass prices.

New for Summer 2009 is the Trial Park in Bourg St Maurice, where you can watch highly skilled riders balancing precariously whilst hopping from one obstacle to another.  Arcs 1800 and Arcs 2000 both have new practice parks this summer and in Arc 1600, the Combettes area has 2 North Shore routes (one beginner, one expert), a 4-cross, a slope style and a practice park where you can get to grips with some new manoeuvres.

Mountain biking in Les Arcs  can be as challenging as you like; some of the best French pro-riders come here to train so you can push it as much as you dare through streams and over the many roots, rocks and drops that characterise the terrain.

Don’t forget that you can also put your bike on the Vanoise Express and go and explore the MTB trails over in la Plagne!

During July and August a number of lifts serving the Paradiski area open for mountain bikers and walkers. If you're not fond of the uphill or long ascents, you should come during these summer season months when and bars, restaurants and hotels are all open and the resort is liveliest.

Weather permitting, June, September and up to the end of October are good months to mountain bike as trails are quiet and the temperature cool. Too early in June or too late in October and there is a risk some of the higher passes maybe covered in snow and are therefore unsafe to traverse. You should note, however, that no lifts are open during these periods and the resort will be extremely quiet with limited shop and restaurant openings.

Whenever you choose please remember to respect others users of the mountain, especially walkers, and control your speed of descent...

Having removed your stabilisers, here's a few ideas on how to tackle the local terrain. ... see "Tips and Techniques - Mountain Biking" for more

The decision on whether to go Full Suspension or Hardtail is a difficult one.... A full suspension (FS) bike is one with both front and rear suspension that is effective at absorbing many bumps thus providing better performance and smoother ride. A hardtail refers to a bike with no rear suspension. Suspension forks may be added to the front of the bike but its back post is rigid. There are numerous makes and models of both types available to the potential buyer so when deciding on which type of bike is best, it is important to consider the following:

• Your budget !!
• The type of riding you and your bike will be undertaking; and
• The typical terrain and angle you will be riding.

In general, hardtail bikes tend to require less maintenance and perform better on steep uphill climbs and sprints to the finish line, whereas full suspension mountain bikes are much more comfortable and arguably have more control over the rough stuff. Sadly, along with an increase comfort, FS bikes increase in price quite significantly.

Whether to go full suspension or hardtail is one which can create a lot of healthy debate amongst the mountain biking community. Inexperienced or beginner riders may prefer to start with a hardtail complete with front, lockable suspension; progressing to a full suspension bike after they have got a feel for their preferred type of riding. Although a full suspension bike will give you more options to adjust to suit the terrain, it can be more energy intensive on the uphill as unless you have a ‘lock out’ facility on the rear suspension as energy can be lost through ‘suspension bobbing' as you climb. Furthermore, you could potentially have more moving parts to repair should anything go wrong. On the positive side, it is worth remembering though you can make a full suspension bike ‘lock out’ so the experience is like riding a hard tail, but it is difficult, if not impossible, to make a hard-tail ride like a full suspension bike!