Breuil-Cervinia, mountainbikers don’t miss out on these trails!
Contents
Mountainbike routes (overview)
The Aosta valley is well known as a mountainbike Mecca, but why are most people only going to Pila and La Thuile? The riding in Breuil-Cervinia is just as good and certainly worth a visit, if it’s not for the biking, then the views of the Matterhorn are worth the trip alone.
Don’t come here if you’re looking for easy flow trails, but if you need some steep, fast, natural and technical riding, then Breuil-Cervinia has exactly what you need.
Mountain biking in Breuil-cervinia
Pro’s
- Awesome long trails, and a lot of them.
- Natural trails, with just the right amount of technical features build in.
- Stunning views of the Matterhorn/Monte Cervino and it’s surroundings.
- No waiting times for the lifts
Cons
- No beginner trails
The village
Breuil-Cervinia is a popular ski resort in winter, it’s popular in summer as well, mostly with Italian tourists. So there are plenty of hotels ranging from 2 to 5 stars, all with good Italian food.
But it has that purpose build resort feel, although not as bad as the french resorts.
Valtournenche feels more like a small regular village, but is still touristy.
It also has a bit more entertainment for when you aren’t biking or hiking, like a swimming pool and tennis courts.
Hotels and apartments
There is a wide range from hotels that have a history dating back to the late 1800’s as base camps for the first climbers of the Matterhorn, like hotel Jumeaux. Or maybe you’re more the type a modern bio ecological friendly hotel like Aux pieds du Roi. Off course more budget friendly options are available as well.
Booking.comCampings
Camping Glair is the closest at about 10 km. It’s in a beautiful location. The camping is mainly filled with small chalets, which you can also rent. The showers are coin operated and take some time to heat up.
If you plan on visiting the other bike parks in the Aosta valley it’s probably easier to stay at one of the campgrounds I mention near Aosta and use that as your base camp.
Due to the high altitude (2000m.) it can be cold at night even in summer.
Mountainbike trails
There is no beginners mountainbike trail in Breuil Cervinia bike park.
Trail number 1 (a,b,c,d) is a fun flow trail, without real technical difficulties. Except that it’s to steep for beginners and even for some people that don’t consider themselves beginners it will be a challenge.
In the top part of this trail are four short variations that each have their own distinct character. Some have mainly gap jumps, others your rolling down big boulders.
This trail is accessed by the first lift section, in previous years only the big gondola was working every 30min., but last summer it was only the lift with the smaller gondola’s running continuously, which greatly reduces waiting times.
From the Plan Maison middle station you can take another small gondola to ride up to Cime Bianche Laghi at 2861m. If you’re lucky you can continue going up to 3458m. to the Plateau Rosa, but every time I was here this wasn’t open for mountainbikers. Apparently the 1500m. descent, graded black/red begins on the glacier followed by alpine singletrack, with the famous Matterhorn/Monte Cervino peak towering above you.
Some people will stop to enjoy the views, others need more excitement and race down this trail with hundred other riders at the same time during the Maxiavalanche.
When you come back to Cime Bianche Laghi it’s still another 838m. to Breuil Cervinia. You will have to start with trail number 2, which is a mix of high speed sections through alpine terrain and more technical sections through rock gardens of glacial ruble.
The Maxiavalanche, at 12:20 the ride down the flow trail number 1 from Plan Maison starts.
When you reach the old train tracks, you have a choice of 7 more trails, all in a natural enduro style, with some berms and other build features here and there.
Except for the Rock and Wood trail (number 8) which is 30% northshore with plenty of (steep) rock gardens making up most the remaining 70%. Not the easiest trail, but certainly heaps of fun.
Some of the trails bring you directly back to the lift station, others require a bit of pedaling on the main road back to Breuil-Cervinia, but no serious climbing.
Rock and Wood trail
Books and maps
This guidebook by versantesud has 61 trails in the Aosta valley, you can order it, but it also available (in italian and english and sometimes german) in most local bookshops. The routes range from xc on forest roads to enduro rides.
GPS
On this page is a further description of the individual trails, and some have gps files linked.
Mtb trailmap
When I was there last time there were no individual map leaflets to take with you, but there was a booklet, with other tourist info at the ticket office.
In the booklet is a map you can rip out and take with you.
Bike shops/ guiding/ Mountainbike rental
Bring spare tubes, brake pads, etc. There is a small shack next to the valley station of the gondola, but the prices are extortionate.
Tips and tricks
You can buy a lift ticket that is valid for the entire Aosta valley.
Bring spare tubes, brake pads, etc. There is a small shack next to the valley station of the gondola, but the prices are extortionate. And it’s a long walk down, if you need something halfway down.
When you’re at the Plan Maison middle station and you want to continue going up, don’t take the final set of stairs to the turnstiles, because you’ll have to wrestle your bike through the turnstile. Instead take the stairs on the left to go around the turnstile. Then walk back to scan your lift pass.
The area is in a high and exposed location, without a lot of trees, in the winter this results in great snow conditions. But in the summer this high alpine location can result in bad weather and afternoon thunderstorms. So keep an eye on the weather forecast. And come to Breuil-Cervinia on the days with a good forecast and go to Pila/Aosta on the less shiny and windy days. There is also a possibility of lifts closing because of high wind speeds.
(the mountainbike trails are more exciting than the ski pistes, which aren’t very steep. But still very long with the longest at 22km. The freeriding and heliskiing is awesome though)
Other useful links
Nearby
Aosta and La Thuile are so nearby that you can use the same lift ticket.
Aosta long natural trails, flowing bike park trails and pizza and ice cream everywhere, exactly what you came to Italy for.
La Thuile is the benchmark for steep and natural trails and definitively a mekka every mountainbiker must visit.
St. Luc is only 30km. away, but your car won’t go that way, if you know a good way to go by bike please let me know.
Similar
Breuil Cervinia has it’s own style, but if you enjoy smaller Italian resorts with long natural trails, you will also like:
La Thuile is the benchmark for steep and natural trails and definitively a mekka every mountainbiker must visit.
Val di Fassa has a regular bike park up top and an epic long descent to the bottom.
Paganella A mix of flowing bike park trails and natural enduro trails.
Alpe d’Huez A different atmosphere, but the similarities go further than the Avalanche races, starting on the glacier and then descending on long, rough, natural trails.