Meribel Mountain Biking

Méribel is part of the huge 3 Vallees Ski area and has massive mountain biking potential. The area has an extensive network of singletrack trails, downhill courses and fire roads. There is also a bike park which, although in its early years, is developing each season.

Check out our Summer Guide to Méribel to find out about the lift system and lift pass prices for mountain bikers.

During July and August a number of lifts serving the Three Valleys 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!