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Every year during the summer we are faced with the same problem: Where can we go on vacation as a family so that everyone gets their money's worth?
Lois wants bike park and jumps, Leni wants enduro trails, Karen wants a high alpine experience, and Holger? Holger just wants to go surfing. Our friends advised us that there was no place better than Valais, Switzerland. So off we went! And we were not disappointed.
Leni, Lois, Karen, and I started our trip in the eastern part of the Swiss canton of Valais. For us it’s a six-hour drive away from our home in Germany. The people here speak French and German as well, or at least something that sounds like German: Swiss German. But as a German speaker, you’ll get by. The Lötschental is a very wild valley surrounded by glaciers. "The Magic Valley" as the region calls itself, was host of the 2020 Swiss Enduro Series, which means there is sure to be great trails to discover.
Here, Thomas is our guide. He is a local bike guide and an enthusiastic enduro rider. He is on the organizing committee of the enduro race and is the mountain bike representative of the valley.
We met him at the base station of Lauchernalp. From here we take the gondola towards a high plateau. It’s then at the beginning of the ski area in wintertime where the bike transport terminates. Now it's time to pedal. We ride uphill through the small village with our kids moaning behind us.
Lois is 12 years old and hates pedaling, but loves bike parks and riding fast and loose.
Leni is 16 years old and is happy enough to accept some pedaling if the reward at the top is a nice trail descent.
Small wooden chalets are seen all along our way while pedaling up to the trailhead. The panorama is overwhelming: the glacier giants show off their sparkling ice shells in the morning sun. Everything looks like you might find on a Swiss postcard from the 1970s.
In general, time seems to stand still here in the Lötschental. It’s a very quiet place, where mass tourism is non-existent. At the end of the village, we turn on to a panoramic trail. Once the view opens up, we are able to see the Breithorn.
Thomas is very enthusiastic about his home turf, particularly about its trails. He shows us all the different line options on this first descent. The trail flows over alpine meadows, before reaching a steep part in the woods with lots of rocks. This part is more technical, but still fun. Lois likes the different line choices. Our junior is finally wearing a big grin on his face, and the steep climb from the cable car is now all but forgotten.
Back in Wiler, the main village of the valley, we float up with the cable car once more. From here you can spot trails in the light larch forest below us from our bird's eye view. But Thomas waves these off, “no that's nothing, I will show something much more exciting!” This time we pedal away on a beautiful sunny mountain trail into the other direction. Thankfully the first part of the trail is flat, so nobody is complaining. Soon though, the profile changes to that of a cross-country course, constantly going up and down, with the downhills being quite fun. The sun has reached its highest point and the riders are happy. To prevent the mood of the crew from tipping, we take a lunchbreak at the scenic Kummenalp for a slice of local Valais cheese.
From here there is just a few more meters of climbing before arriving at the start of the next enduro stage, which is where we once again switch to downhill mode. Hairpin turns are on the menu now, and we snake our way down into the forest. “There is also a trail connection to the Rhone Valley, if you like to extend the tour towards Jeizinen”, Thomas says. No thanks, we need to get down.
Verbier is a ski resort in the western part of Valais and has made a name for itself as a premier Swiss biking destination. Its posh winter image is nowhere to be seen during summertime. Instead, the commune invested in a big bike park and is home to one of the biggest E-bike festivals in the world. We meet Trifon, our guide - he is the head shaper at the Bikepark Verbier, loves to ride enduro trails, and of course speaks French. Trifon has a good plan for today, which he kindly explains to us in English. Puh, lucky us.
To set the tone for the day, we begin by turning directly into a steep trail descent to the bottom of the Val de Bagnes. In the valley town of Le Châble we take the PostBus. In Switzerland you can use the public bus system to shuttle up to mountain towns.
Bruson is a small ski village that has only recently being connected via gondola to Verbier (via Le Châble). This gondola is closed during summer, so from Bruson - where the PostBus ends - it’s time to pedal. The trails around the Col de Mille are amazing. A combination of hairpin turns and high-speed passages make up the terrain here. The descent is long and littered with roots, forcing us to take a break every now and then. Trifon knows the day ahead is long, so we are taking it easy.
Back in Le Châble, we are glad to grab a sandwich for the gondola ride back to Verbier. Trifon wants to show us his bike park in the afternoon.
We start things off with the blue line, which is fun for the whole family with lots of turns and jumps. And then of course the kids want to move on to the dedicated jump line. There are also some technical parts in the woods as well, so everybody is cheering. What a day!
The next day we have Jess waiting to greet us. Jess is a Dutch woman who has lived in Verbier for years and runs a small biker-friendly bed & breakfast with her husband. She shows us the bike park, La Tzoumaz, found over the pass on the other side of Verbier. We find the longest flow trail of the region, which Trifon himself has shaped. Personally, I am not a big flow trail fan at all, but this one is like a rollercoaster. The kids are yelling, Karen is laughing out loud, and I must admit, I was enjoying it as well.
The kids ask: “Can we go again?” Sorry guys, unfortunately not. We still have a way to go, because we need to go to the complete opposite side of the mountain to get the last lift, then pedal over towards the Cabane du Mont-Fort where we plan to stay for the night. We jump on the last gondola, and as we arrive on top of the mountain, the sun is already setting, casting a beautiful orange light over the scene that makes the landscape look magnificent.
Rugged rock paired with lush greenery. No trees, just rock slabs that form the trail. At the far end of the trail, we can spot the mountain hut on the horizon. It’s nestled like a fortress on the mountain above the bike park, overlooking the valley and offering protection from the mythical mountain giants.
At almost 2500 meters above sea level, an overnight stay at the Cabane Mont-Fort hut is something special. You escape the turbulent bike park hustle and bustle and are spoiled with magnificent mountain panoramas, complete with peaks like the Grand Combin (4314m). For dinner we have a classic cheese fondue, and Jess shows herself to be an experienced Uno player afterwards. We have good fun and time flies by up here.
The next morning, we watch the sunrise, then hop on our bikes after breakfast and descend on a long trail with a view of the white snow-covered Grand Combin. You suddenly feel very small and insignificant as a biker in the presence of these giants. Later that day we descend into the Rhone Valley to Sion. Apricots are advertised on every corner and the wine fields prove the special climatic status of the Valais as well. Those two thousand hours of sunshine a year speak for themselves.
We had already booked the surf session at Alaïa Bay Wavegarden in advance, and so we shortly find ourselves standing here in front of a huge turquoise pool with artificial waves. “Waikiki” wave size is on, and numerous surfers are paddling out in the water to catch a ride to shore. Lois’ open mouth says it all. Leni is fully motivated because she can finally show off what she has learned at the surf camp in France last summer. Karen and Leni surf “regular” stance, which means they stand on the board with their left foot in front while surfing. For them the wave on the right side of the pool is more suitable. Lois and I are “goofy” surfers, with the right foot in front, meaning we go to the left side of the pool. After we get our boards and wetsuits at the reception, our instructor Gian shows up and gives us a briefing. About 15 minutes later, it’s time to surf. On my first wave I get washed and think to myself: that is much harder than it looks. But after a few more tries, Lois and I ride the waves Malibu Longboard Style all the way to shore.
A very special feeling: surfing surrounded by the same giant mountains on which we were riding bikes in the morning. The day ends with beer, burgers and live music in the sunset overlooking the surfers below us. Everybody’s happy, and that’s what vacations are made for.
