mountain biking

I Faced my fears: Elaisha Goes Mountain Biking in Switzerland

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I didn’t die! Mountain biking in Switzerland was possibly one of the most fun activities I did while out there. I admit, there were moments when I bounded down hills and felt my stomach flop like I was on a roller coaster. I white knuckled my way through many of the trails but in the end, I was so proud of myself. Keep reading for why I crashed my bike and what I would have done differently.

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Our guides Travis and Florian from Neige Aventure shepherded us through the tough terrain. Sticks, rocks and even the mountains edge were all hazards of the high octane activity. We rode a Teli-Cabine up Tracouet TDN station. We then biked our way through the trails and I felt like I was in one of those extreme GoPro videos.

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The e-bike assist only took me a few tries to get used to. We used it to climb hills that ranged from mid to extremely steep. I would not have made it up those hills without the boost the assist gave me. The trick was to just roll with it and not think about it too much.

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I loved the experience of taking the ski lift all the way up the mountain with our bikes. It was cool to think that in a few months people would be on the same lift ready to ski down powdery snow. That the lush greenery we were surrounded by would be covered in just a few months.

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We had a delicious lunch at a cute restaurant. It sat at the top of the second ski lift we took. By the time we got there we were rained on, shivering a little and ready for a feast. However we got some sound advice from Travis our guide who recommended we not stuff our faces too much. We had a pretty long stretch ahead of us either back to Nendaz or on to another town through the mountain. We had steaming fondue and a classic Swiss cheese board.

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I crashed my bike when I was overthinking and not doing. At the start of the trip I was pretty nervous as we rounded tight corners over mountain edges. We quickly biked over tree roots and huge dents in the mud. Towards the end of our trip, I didn’t trust myself because it was slippery in the rain as we bounded down mountainous roads. I rounded a corner I should have leaned into a bit more. But I was scared and ended up plastered on a dirt mountain.  It was definitely a lesson for the final leg of the bike trip to trust myself more! I left with a small scrape on my knee, nothing some hot chocolate and a warm shower at our Chalet couldn't fix.

Plan on doing this excursion? I put together a few tips that I wish I knew before I did this activity.

Dress for the occasion: It rained then it was sunny. It was hot then it was chilly. Since we biked to different cities and altitudes we experienced about 3 seasons at once. I recommend wearing a hat when you mountain bike in Switzerland

Go with the flow: Give your guides the flexibility and time to pick routes that will challenge you so you can really experience this journey.

Know your limits If you aren’t an experienced biker or you just don’t feel comfortable on a bike, then try a different activity. Or ask your guide for an easy route along the way with frequent stops to take in the view.

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I recommend this activity for anyone who is an experienced biker so they can really experience the incredible views. There were basic trails available but I was happy we took some hard routes. Our 4-5 hour adventure ended with an incredibly long shower and hearty meal. Would you try mountain biking in Nendaz? Let me know in the comments below. And be sure to check out Travelopo.