BU CKE T
LI ST
he Val de Bagnes in the Swiss
Alps offers a plethora of ski
slopes in winter and trails in
summer. Verbier sits on a south-
facing plateau on the side of the
valley, offering a beautiful panorama of the
Combins range. The lifts up the mountain
are located here and in the nearby village
of La Tzoumaz. The biking area has five lifts,
eight bike park tracks and close to 220km
of enduro trails.
On the other side of the Bagnes Valley
sits Bruson, a small ski resort where the lifts
only run in the winter. In the summer, this
side turns out to be a real enduro paradise.
A postal bus with a trailer takes bikers and
their bikes up to Moay at 1 500m, saving
necessary energy for the rest of the day.
From there, it’s leg power that you need
to reach the Col de Mille, where the lovely
Mille mountain hut sits and the trail options
are endless. Offering everything from flowy
trails to ridges, technical switchbacks and
long traverses, you’ll be spoilt for choice.
Enduro star Ludo May developed his
passion for the sport in 1999, at the age of
eight, after watching the Swiss downhill
champs take place in his backyard. After
more than 15 years as a racer and seven
years as a professional mountain biker,
Ludo still enjoys nothing better than riding
his home trails. He knows every single piece
of trail in the valley – and he took us on an
unforgettable adventure along some of the
best, including some of his secret favourites.
We started exploring the area on the
Bruson side. After taking the shuttle up
the mountain, we climbed the first ascent
towards the summit of the day. After a good
one-hour gravel grind, we joined the first
trail. An awesome flowy traverse higher
than the tree limit offered a gorgeous view
of Verbier. Our smiley faces could not lie;
we loved this place. We climbed for another
hour before hitting the last bit of trail, a hike-
a-bike section. For Ludo it was more a crazy
steep uphill switchback session, but we had
to get off and carry our bikes while watching
the alien ahead jumping up the trail.
We finally made it to the Swiss flag proudly
flying at the pass in front of the mountain
hut and enjoyed a well-deserved coffee and
cake break with views of the Mont Blanc
range and Trient Glacier, before we headed
down the valley again. The remoteness and
not-so-easily-accessible terrain makes this
place one of Ludo’s favourites. “I love biking
here, it is definitely more wild and away from
it all,” he says.
120 | MTB | bucket list busting