Hiding in plain sight is a single track heaven rarely talked about.

They say the best things are often found hiding in plain sight and in my experience, the same can be said of Alpine trails. As a guide, seeking out new adventures has become somewhat of a lifetime’s mission…although to be honest, I’d probably have put just as much effort into the task, even if it wasn’t part of my day job. Let’s face it, who doesn’t love the rush of riding an impossibly sublime ribbon of singletrack for the first time; the thrill of having no idea what over the next crest; or better still, hearing whoops of delight from your pals (or in my case, paying clients) as you share your latest delirium-inducing, grin-fest of a discovery. 

I’m often asked how on earth I found these trails in the first place; typically after an impossibly sketchy uplift, or when foraging through undergrowth to find the entrance of a forgotten favourite. I wish the answer could be something magical and mysterious…”I found an ancient smuggler’s map, scrawled in blood on the hide of a fossilised mountain Chamois” would be most fitting. But the reality is less romantic: 90% of the time, it’s always been right there, for all to see on the Topographical (IGN) Map.Hiding in plain sight.

As a part-time local of a village surrounded by many of the Alps’ largest ski resorts, Meribel has always been a 30 minute drive from home, but others such as Les Arcs somehow seemed more accessible. Or perhaps more accurately, more often discussed and ridden in my local riding group. A cursory glance at the IGN map using my self-imagined ‘trail-o-vision’ had mistakenly told me there wasn’t much worth searching for over there anyway. 

But recently, a combination of COVID-19 lockdown, my first e-bike, and a permanently-broken funicular railway in Les Arcs, gave me plenty of motivation to look again at my Meribel IGN maps and sneak out on the e-bike between passing lockdown patrols of the local police municipale.  It didn’t take long to start striking trail-gold.  If I were the man from Del Monte, I would definitely have been saying “Yes”.

Despite having an almost unhealthy fondness for all kinds of maps, one thing I’d never do is head straight to the local tourist office and pick up a bike-park map (other than to know which trails I definitely want to avoid). I figure anything crayoned-in as a ‘Piste VTT’ by whichever toddler they get to draw up these poor-excuses-for-a-map, is machine-built, no fun on an enduro-rig, probably over-ridden and thus bumpier than a herd of camels. 

When it comes to Meribel, I was wrong again. In the few years since I’d last paid any attention to this part of Savoie, it turns out a lot has changed. The small but passionate crew of riders who manage the Bike Park here have achieved the impossible, at least by regional standards. They’ve negotiated official, shared-use ‘Enduro’ access to almost all of the best lift-accessed singletrack in the area. Forget Trailforks and wasting time getting lost – it's all right there on the piste map and signposted at each junction out on the hill. Whilst this might go some way to putting me out of a job as a guide, it’s an event organiser’s dream: No more impossible, metre-by-metre negotiation with local officials about which trail is suitable to use at an event; if the local wild-mushroom-pickers can tolerate the disturbance; if the forestry guys are going to object on the grounds of trail damage (only to destroy the entire hillside themselves during the next harvest)…or more often than not just having my requests ignored entirely. I can’t overstate how pleasant it is to ride in a vast, lift-accessed, single-track heavy region, where you never feel like you are riding where you possibly shouldn’t. 

Much like Morzine is part of the larger Portes du Soleil system, Meribel is only one part of a much bigger, inter-connected system known as The 3 Valleys – and it happens to be slap-bang right in the middle of it. The system includes Courchevel, Val Thorens, and my personal favourite: Les Belleville. All are world-class destinations in their own right, but together they make up one of the largest lift-accessible domains in the world. Brimming with modern, efficient ski-lifts, oodles of singletrack that is now mostly mapped out and sign-posted for you, and best of all – still relatively deserted.

Like most ski-stations, Meribel centre is located well above the winter snow-line at 1500m altitude. Modern Ski-Lifts leave directly from Meribel going up both sides of the central of the 3 valleys, and in under 20 minutes in either direction you can be dropping into trails at over 2500m. You can choose to descend back towards Meribel, or drop off the back towards Les Menuires & Val Thorens to the West, or to Courchevel to the East. There’s the usual High-Alpine terrain, with imposing rocky peaks that tower above you up to 3000m and the Glaciers of the Vanoise National Park just beyond. High up, the terrain is an open mix of rocky moonscape and alpine pasture. Lower down, it's mostly Pine forest riding. In addition to the singletrack ‘Enduro’ trails, there are dozens of machine-built ‘DH’ runs to hit-up and the quality of trail building is well above-average. There’s something for everyone, although the ‘Black’ graded DH runs are fewer and less extreme than elsewhere in the Alps. In contrast the blue runs are particularly flowy and a real blast for advanced riders as well as intermediate. That said, Meribel’s 2014 World Cup DH Track is exactly as you’d expect: full-on!

At the bottom of Meribel’s enormous valley lies Brides-Les-Bains, at 572m altitude – indeed all 3 valleys flow back to here. Brides is better known for its thermal spas with their renowned healing properties (well worth a visit after a hard day in the saddle). A Tourist Office deal has seen free shuttle buses running throughout the day all summer (mostly empty, of course) and they allow direct access to the vast trail network in the lower half of the valley. This historical network of singletrack links together all the old farming villages dotted throughout the hillside – and the gradient here is mellower than a lot of other Alpine mountains, so tight switchbacks give way to faster, flowier runs, which I must admit makes a nice change from the norm. The forest lower down changes from pine, to beech – and with it comes a unique root system and loam-bonus that can only gifted to us riders by a deciduous tree. In case you hadn’t noticed, yes, that’s over 2000m of lift-connected vertical, directly on tap. You’d better pack that spare set of brake pads. 

But there’s more. The full potential of the 3 Valleys are unlocked by the Telecabine Olympe – a 3-stage cable car which spans an impressive 6.5km from Brides Les Bains directly back to Meribel Centre. It has always been closed in the summer season, but patient negotiation over many months gave us a one-day-only opening for the Enduro2 race in 2022. 350 riders high-fiving over lunch in Brides Les Bains seems to have got their attention, and now Brides and Meribel have laid to plans for a regular lift-opening schedule all summer, from 2023. Final details are yet to be officially announced, but the inside word is that it will be at least 3 days per week in 2023. You heard it here first.

If you’re looking for a one-day ride which takes in the best elements of Meribel, you’d be pushed to beat Col de La Lune (‘Corbassiere’ on the Piste-Map). Taking the Toungette Lift out of Meribel centre, for the first hour of the ride you’ll progress along a huge singletrack ridge with views directly to the valley floor on both sides yet with very little exposure. There’s some pedalling involved; around 400m gain for 1000m down; but at least it's broken up with chunks of fast, fun descending. After about 8 km, your arrival at a distinctive white iron cross marks the start of the descent proper. At 2093m altitude, you’ve still got over 1500m of vert still in the bank. This black-graded epic takes in a bit of everything along its 16 km length. Whilst technical and engaging the whole way, it's not extreme by Alpine standards. Open pasture soon gives way to pine forest. Following a natural half-pipe in places, there’s plenty off-the-brakes opportunity. At around 1250m the forest turns to Beech, and you’ll notice a marked difference in both the terrain (earthy, rather than rocky. This natural roller-coaster of a trail has to be in my all-time top-five trails, period. It's fast, so damned fast! If this is your first time down it, I almost can guarantee: no matter how much you eased off the brakes, you’ll wish you’d gone just a smidge faster. This particular adrenaline rush is hard to beat. 

Fortunately, the option for a second run is on the table, if you want it. After a refuelling stop in Brides Les Bains, you can jump directly back on the Olympe Chairlift (or take the shuttle) which whisks you directly back to where you started in Meribel Centre. It's certainly possible to take in two full loops of this ridge in one day if you start early – taking in any of the several route variations on offer. But if you’ve only got one day to spare, you’d be better off hitting up some of the other bike park options directly above Meribel. A personal favourite is the 20-minute+ ‘Bellevue’ blue-graded descent; an old singletrack that has been carefully (but not excessively) hand-shaped for your MTB-riding pleasure. You’ll finish in the picturesque St Martin de Belleville and from there it’s only a 20 minute chairlift to bring you right back to trails dropping back into the Meribel valley. 

For post-ride entertainment, Jack’s bar is where it’s at. A stone’s throw from the main lift and overlooking the central plaza, they do great food and there’s often live music too. Get in early for happy hour, otherwise you’ll be paying 8 to 10 Euros a pint: One of the downsides of Meribel’s ‘high-end’ status in the winter season.

But if money is no object, why not fly in directly to the on-site Alpine Airstrip? Assuming you have a stomach for its ‘extreme’ landing strip of only 500 metres & with gradient of 18.6% (remember the opening sequence to James Bond’s ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’? Yep, that’s the one!).

Essential Info & Recommendations:

  • Budget: Hotel Les Grangettes – Twin Rooms from 120 Euros B&B.
  • Premium: Roam Lodge – Chalet with bike facilities Catering Options
  • Camping: Le Piat (Brides Les Bains) – Clean, Family-run site
  • Airport Transfers (from Geneva) – Cool Runnings
  • Bike Shop – Fast Riding People (English speaking)
  • Lift Pass (2022 prices): €24 (1-day) / €52 (3-Day) / €68 (7-Day) 
  • Trail Maps & Lift Schedules: Detailed Info Here
  • Guiding & Backcountry Shuttles – http://www.trailAddiction.com
  • Pairs-Format Enduro in Meribel (1-3 July 2023) – http://www.Enduro2.fr
  • GPX & Map of Our Route: Here (via FATMAP)
  • Drone Edit: High Alpine riding in Meribel and beyond

Ali Jamieson has works year-round as a guide and MTB event organiser. He spends 6 months per year running guided adventures in the Savoie region, and the rest of his time touring in the backcountry of New Zealand’s South Island. Ali established The Trans-Savoie multi-day Enduro and his popular 3-Day Enduro2 pairs-format series has visited locations including Davos (Switzerland), Les Arcs (France), and Nelson (New Zealand).

 

By IMB

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