My wife, Laura, and I were supposed to go mountain biking in Switzerland last year. Our goal was to ride the complete Swiss Alpine One Mountain Bike Trail, which at 666km, is the longest signposted mountain biking trail in the world. However, we could not get our heads around how expensive things were in Switzerland and how much that trip would eventually cost us. So that plan was axed.
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| Refuel stop at 'Le Cafe', somewhere along the trail... Taken with an iPhone 4s |
This year, when we found out that Scott Roberts and a bunch of Malaysian riders were going, we wangled our way into the trip. Scott's our Swiss bike guru, having made trips out there at least once a year for the last decade. He knows the ins and outs of the place, and how to keep costs down. This year, he planned to bike the Haute Route from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland. Sounded like fun, but what we did not realize, was that he planned us on the hiking route, not the bike route. Check out the video below and you'll see what I mean!
Switzerland Mountain Biking from
Kenneth Koh on
Vimeo.
Thankfully, the weather turned on us, and the high passes that we would have to cross had a lot of fresh snowfall on them, and we would not be able to cross them to make our way to Zermatt. We changed our plans, took a train down to the southern town of Lugano, where the sun was at least shining, and it was warm.
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| Taking a break along Bike Trail 329 out of Klosters, Switzerland. Taken with an iPhone 4s. |
When the guys left, Laura and I still had another week in Switzerland, which we spent at her sister's place in Klosters. The weather cleared up, and as you can see in the video below, we had a great time there as well.
Switzerland Mountain Biking: Part Deux from
Kenneth Koh on
Vimeo.
We learned a lot from this trip, but the main thing was that Switzerland IS expensive, and there is no getting away from that. But what you get for your money are great biking trails, awesome mountain scenery, and renown efficient Swiss trains for getting around the country with your bike. And yes, in case you are wondering, we will be heading back to complete the Swiss Alpine One Mountain Bike Trail!
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| Goodbye Switzerland... But we'll be back! |
