Media trip Mountain biking in Valais

Transcription

1 Media trip Mountain biking in Valais Destinations: Visp area, Aletsch Arena, Grächen, Zermatt Dates: from Wednesday, 12 th to Sunday, 16 th September 2018 Participants: max 10 journalists Highlights: Valais, a land of adventures for mountain bikers, the new Stoneman Glaciara route, the inaugural TrailLove Bike Festival in Zermatt, the mountain bike destinations of Aletsch Arena, Visp, Grächen and Zermatt. Fitness level: out of 3 stars Tech. level: out of 3 stars

2 Conditions for taking part in this press trip - You must be in very good physical shape and have the stamina to keep going for several hours a day over several days - You have experience in mountain biking and ride regularly - Let us know if you are bringing your own mountain bike - If not, let us know if you ride with flat pedals or with clips. Please bring your own pedals and biking shoes (these will be adjusted to fit your bike) - You must bring your own cycling helmet Travel to and within Switzerland by public transport SWISS TRAVEL SYSTEM AG is happy to provide you with a 1 st -class Swiss Travel Pass. During your stay in Switzerland, you will experience the Swiss style of travelling with a single, all-inone ticket, unique worldwide. The Swiss Travel Pass allows you unlimited travel by train, bus and boat, including on the famous panoramic routes such as the Glacier Express, Bernina Express, GoldenPass Line and Gotthard Panorama Express. The pass also includes public transport in more than 90 towns and cities, confers a 50% price reduction on most mountain rides and grants free admission to more than 500 museums. Please make sure you fill in your personal details on your Swiss Travel Pass and always carry it with you along with your passport. The Swiss Travel System s Grand Train Tour of Switzerland links the most scenic panoramic routes into one tour, which visitors can explore at any time of year along with the many highlights en route. Find further information at mystsnet.com/grandtraintour Visit mystsnet.com to download media releases, photos, documentation, contact details and other information. Share your experiences using #swisstravelsystem and #grandtraintour.

3 Road and Mountain biking in Valais Well-signposted cycle trails, terrific routes over mountain passes and adventurous alpine roads invite visitors to enjoy the Valais by bike. Routes lead through vineyards, valleys and gorges and on panoramic roads over impressive passes. Travelling by bike is the best ways to experience the Valais, allowing riders to choose their own pace. There is something for everyone: leisure riders, road racers, mountain bikers and downhill specialists. Valais is a land of adventure par excellence, a vast playground for altitude junkies. This is where well-marked mountain-bike trails lead past rushing mountain streams and Alpine lakes, or wind their way over mountainsides and through dense forests. Thanks to public transport and aerial cableways, bikers are faced with no end of possibilities when planning their tour at any level. Valais key figures 70 certified bike hotels in Valais in 2017 (+32% vs 2016) Road cycling tours Ø 740 km Valais Cycling Tour (10 stages) Ø 327 km on the 20 legendary mountain pass roads Ø 209 km Trophy of the dams (Trophée des Barrages 9 dams) Ø 268 km Vineyard Trail (Chemin du Vignoble) and the Route du Rhône (6 stages) Ø 342 km on local homologated tours (Sion and Martigny area) Ø 470 members of the Valais Strava community Ø 4 guiding companies Mountain biking tours Ø 1,500 km on around 100 homologated trails Ø 13 downhill tracks in 4 destinations Ø 28 mountain bike guides certified by Swiss Cycling Ø 20 bike schools Ø 11 pumptracks

4 Wednesday, 12 th September 2018 Hello Valais! Tba Tba Flight to Zurich Airport Arrival at Zurich Airport 12:40 Train transfer from Zurich Airport to Visp 15:02 Arrival in Visp. Meet with Melanie Biehl from Visp Tourism ( ) at the train station. 15:15 Check-in at the hotel Hotel Visperhof*** Bahnhofstrasse 2 CH-3930 Visp

5 16:00 Bike rental from sports shops (if needed): Bigfriends Naters ( Ken s Bikeshop ( 17:00 Time at leisure 19:00 Meet in the hotel lobby. Welcome drink and official presentation by Nancy Pellissier from Valais/Wallis Promotion ( ), Melanie Biehl from Visp Tourism ( ) and the guides from Alpine Trails: - MTB options in Valais - MTB options in the Visp Region - Programme of the press trip by Alpine Trails 20:00 Dinner at Restaurant Elite Restaurant Elite Bahnhofplatz 7 CH-3930 Visp Overnight in Visp

6 Thursday, 13 th September 2018 Ride the Stoneman Glaciara et Visp area 07:30 Breakfast at the hotel 08:30 Meet your mountain bike guides from Alpine Trails in the lobby of the hotel Guide 1: Stefan Oberer Guide 2: tba Short description of the day We are riding a part of the Stoneman Glaciara Trail and along the Aletsch Glacier ( We will finish the day in the alpine town of Brig with its impressing Stockalper castle and gardens ( Info Stoneman Glaciara 127 km of pure mountain bike thrills The Stoneman Glaciara route leads up to the Great Aletsch Glacier and back to Mörel in three well-balanced stages. Next comes the defining climb of the tour, with an ascent of nearly 1,600 vertical metres: an old military road leads steeply up to the Breithorn pass at an altitude of 2,451 m. The route descends into the Binn Valley, a treasure trove of mountain crystals and over 200 other minerals. It then follows the Rhône into the Obergoms, the upper Rhône valley, with its ancient villages, historical monuments and welcoming cafes. 09:08 Train / cable car transfer from Visp to Fiescheralp (1h10) NOTE: make sure you bring your Swiss Travel Pass with you 10:30 Start of the morning tour Level easy: Fiescheralp > Bettmersee > Blausee > (Moosfluh by cable car up and down) > Riederfurka Level intermediate (if possible): Cable car lift to Moosfluh with stunning view to the Aletsch glacier and ride down back to the Aletsch-Plateau/Riederalp. Route map: 0&N= &season=summer&trackId= &layers=Wanderland

7 12:00 Lunch at mountain restaurant Berghotel Riederfurka in Riederalp Berghotel Riederfurka CH-3987 Riederalp T :30 Continue with the afternoon tour Ride down from Riederalp to Mörel via Stoneman-Trail, we are passing traditional Valais mountain villages and architecture. At the bottom of the valley, we will pedal from Mörel to Brig along Rhone river and we are riding the red mile in Naters. Optional if not enough time left: Train transfer from Mörel to Brig/Visp. Route: Riederalp > Greich > Mörel (> Bitsch > Naters > Brig) Route map: 21&N= &season=summer&trackId= &layers=Wanderland 16:00 End of the tour in the old town of Brig close to the Stockalper castle / or at Sebastiansplatz 16:49 Train transfer from Brig to Visp

8 17:00 Time at leisure 18:30 Meet in the hotel lobby. Short walk to the Johanneli-Fi wine cellar (10 min) 19:00 Wine tasting followed by traditional Raclette evening at Johanneli-Fi wine cellar Valais wines Discover the colourful mosaic of grape varieties cultivated in Switzerland s most important wine-making region. Known for the elegance of its Grands Crus, Valais also plays host to the highest vineyard in Europe. Bathed in sunshine and blessed by the pure waters of the Alps, this little corner of paradise produces superb Valais wines labelled AOC (Appellation d Origine Contrôlée) and makes an unforgettable destination for wine enthusiasts. Raclette du Valais AOP According to legend, Léon was the name of the Valais wine-grower who invented Raclette cheese. On a freezing winter s day, he warmed up a piece of cheese over an open log fire to give to his friends and this quintessential Valais delicacy was born. Cheese has been eaten in Valais since at least the 4 th century BC, as historians have shown. During the ancient Roman period, alpine cheese enjoyed an excellent reputation. Later on, it was often used as a means of payment and a form of wages, and was also exported. The practice of eating cheese in melted form dates back at least to The term Raclette comes from the local French dialect (racler = to scrape) and appears in written documents since To this day, Valais cheese makers follow a recipe passed down for generations to convert raw milk into the best and most authentic product that Valais has to offer: Raclette du Valais AOP. Overnight in Visp

9 Friday, 14 th September 2018 Ride Grächen 08:00 Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Please leave your luggage at reception. Luggage transport will be taken care of. 08:45 Meet your bike guides in the hotel lobby 09:08 Train / bus transfer from Visp to Grächen (1h) 10:30 Start of the morning tour Ride around Grächen & Hannigalp area ( The UCI has chosen the Valais resort of Grächen as the venue for the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships For many years Grächen and other Valais destinations like Verbier, Leukerbad or Zermatt were hosting the wellknown Swiss Epic marathon team race ( We will explore some of the most scenic spots and ride trails along the historically important Suonen (ancient watering channels of Valais). Route: Hannigalp > Stafel > z Seew > Grächen Route map: &N= &season=summer&trackId= &layers=Wanderland

10 12:00 Lunch at Restaurant Rierderstübli in Gasenried Restaurant Riederstübli Ried 106 CH-3924 St. Niklaus T :30 Continue the afternoon tour Route: Grächen > Gasenried > Mattsand > Herbriggen (> optional to St. Niklaus) Route map: 31&N= &season=summer&trackId= &layers=Wanderland 16:00 End of the tour in Herbriggen followed by train transfer from Herbriggen to Zermatt (30 min) 17:00 Check-in at the hotel in Zermatt Europe Hotel & Spa Riedstrasse 18 CH-3920 Zermatt

11 17:30 Time at leisure 19:30 Dinner at Restaurant The Factory Restaurant The Factory Bahnhofstrasse 41 CH-3920 Zermatt Overnight in Zermatt

12 Saturday, 15 th September 2018 Trail Love Festival and ride Zermatt 08:00 Breakfast at the hotel 08:45 Meet with your biking guides in the hotel lobby Short description of the day Ride the iconic Zermatt trails (existing singletrails and some of the new purpose-built Flow Trails) and take part in the TRAILLOVE Alpine Mountain Bike Festival. Info: Mountain biking in Zermatt The mountains around Zermatt offer a tremendous range of trails between altitudes of 1,400 to 3,100 metres: everything from easy to steep and very technical, natural or marked. The choice of half-day or full-day rides is vast, with plenty to suit all tastes. Add the spectacular Alpine backdrop, and you have all the ingredients for unforgettable mountain bike adventures. TRAILLOVE Bike Festival Zermatt launches TRAILLOVE, a bike festival that combines the Swiss Epic race, the European Continental Enduro Series and the Trail Summit as well as forthcoming Enduro World Series (2019 and 2020). 09:12 Transfer with the famous Gornergrat Railway from Zermatt to Gornergrat (3,100m)

13 10:00 Start of the morning tour Ride down from Gornergrat to Riffelsee (photo stop J) and further to Riffelberg where we can have a coffee at the nearby restaurant. We continue onward to the Sunnegga side of the resort where we will have lunch at a typical mountain restaurant. Route: Gornergrat > Riffelberg > Ze Seewjinen > Findeln Optional for intermediate level: Ride down to Riffelalp > Schweigmatten > Zermatt and back up with the Sunnegga funicular Route map: 4&N= &season=summer&trackId= &layers=Wanderland 12:30 Lunch at mountain restaurant Adler Hitta Restaurant Adler Hitta Findeln CH-3920 Zermatt T :00 Continue with the afternoon tour After a short and scenic uphill section up to Sunnegga station, we reach the start of the brand new Sunnegga-Trail; a flowy, purpose built Mountainbike trail with small berms and table-jumps to get a true rollercoaster feeling. Route: Findeln > Sunnegga > Patrullarve > Zermatt Route map: 37&N= &season=summer&trackId= &layers=Wanderland Optional intermediate level: Additional run on Sunnegga trail or Schwarzsee (Hobbit trail). 16:00 End of the day at TRAILLOVE Festival event side in Zermatt with entertainment

14 16:30 Time at leisure 19:30 Dinner at Restaurant Schäferstube Restaurant Schäferstube Riedstrasse 2 CH-3920 Zermatt Overnight in Zermatt

15 Sunday, 16 th September 2018 Goodbye Valais! 08:00 Breakfast at your hotel and check-out 09:00 Time at leisure or individual bike ride in Zermatt (if time allows) tba Train transfer from Zermatt to Zurich Airport 15:16 Arrival at Zurich Airport Tba Flight End of the programme

16 Additional information for your article - Official website of Valais/Wallis Promotion with countless ideas for cycling and mountain biking adventures in our region plus news about Valais. - Official website of Switzerland Tourism Websites of the destinations visited: Visp Tourism Aletsch Arena Grächen-St.Niklaus Zermatt Tourism Photos of Valais You will find more than 2,500 pictures of Valais in our photo library, available for editorial use. Please respect copyright. Insurance Participants are responsible for arranging their own insurance. Travel to and within Switzerland Travel to and within Switzerland is organized by Valais/Wallis Promotion, the destinations and Switzerland Tourism. Social media Share your travel experiences with us: Facebook: Valais Wallis #Valais #MySummerInValais

17 Contacts for this press trip Valais/Wallis Promotion Rue Pré Fleuri 6 CH-1951 Sion Visp Tourismus Balfrinstrasse 3 CH-3930 Visp Aletsch Arena Postfach 16 CH 3992 Bettmeralp Grächen / St. Niklaus Dorfplatz CH 3925 Grächen Zermatt Tourismus Bahnhofplatz 5 CH-3920 Zermatt Alpine Trails Brückenweg 8 CH-3930 Visp Nancy Pellissier Corporate Communications Direct: Mobile: nancy.pellissier@valais.ch Melanie Biehl Director Direct: Mobile: melanie.biehl@visp.ch Monika König-Gottsponer Corporate Identity & Communication Direct: monika.koenig@aletscharena.ch Beatrice Meichtry Marketing Direct: Mobile: beatrice.meichtry@graechen.ch Jasmin Marti Marketing Product Bike Direct: Mobile: jasmin.marti@zermatt.ch Jan Oggier Direct: Mobile: info@alpine-trails.ch