Spotguide Aosta

The Aosta Valley lies to the south of Valais and stretches almost 90 kilometers from Mont Blanc to Pont-Saint-Martin on the border with Piedmont. The region is correspondingly diverse for mountain bikers: from high alpine adventures against a glacier backdrop to an almost Mediterranean climate in the lower Aosta Valley. In addition to the large main valley, the many, sometimes very long side valleys to the south and north are characteristic of the Aosta Valley.

The MTB epicentre is the town of Aosta (583 meters above sea level). Many legendary routes start from here, while the many side valleys are easily accessible from Aosta. The base of Aosta Valley Freeride, the region's shuttle service, is also located here. This service is important because many tours in Aosta can quickly climb over 2000 meters in altitude. It is therefore not uncommon to use the shuttle service to the highest villages in the region, saving between 1000 and 1500 meters in altitude. The remaining metres in altitude are conquered with your own muscle power, whereby access to many singletrail descents requires a pushing passage at the end.

Beware: short season of the mountain huts

Important to know: The summer season in Aosta lasts from June to early September. This means that many of the great mountain huts are no longer open from mid-September. The same applies to the bike parks in Pila and Cervinia. This is the best time for mountain bikers because there are a lot of holidaymakers in the region in August (due to the Italian vacation period Ferragosto). However, this primarily affects the catering and hotel industry. There are only a few people on the single trails, even in the high season. The Aosta Valley Freeride shuttle service operates until November.

Tip: Singletrail Book Aosta

Ride editor Thomas Giger has spent a lot of time in Aosta and used his knowledge to compile two tour books with the 25 best tours from the upper Aosta Valley and the 25 best tours from the lower Aosta Valley. The singletrail books are available from the Ride webshop.

Bucket list

Banzai Trail at Passo Invergneux - one of the best single trails in the world!

Becca Trail and Pointe de Chaligne - the two classic trails outside the city gates of Aosta

Punta Leysser - the Crete Trail in the face of Mont Blanc

Bikepark Pila with several great (unofficial) descents to Aosta

The Place: the trendy meeting place in Aosta with bike store and restaurant

Tour du Grand Combin: one of the most impressive multi-day tours in the Alps

Val Ferret near Courmayeur: one of the most beautiful Alpine valleys right at the foot of Mont Blanc

Best season

Jan

Feb

Mar

April

Mai

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Okt

Nov

Dez

Getting there

Arrival by public transport

Aosta is accessible by rail from Turin and bike transport is possible without any problems. The journey over the Great St. Bernard Pass is possible with the Orsières bus, but bike transport on the Italian side is unfavorable. On the Swiss side, the buses have rear racks, but the bus is changed at the pass. In short, the journey to Aosta by public transport with a mountain bike is unfavorable.

Arrival by car

Aosta is located on the highway from Turin to Chamonix (Mont Blanc tunnel). This highway runs through the entire valley and is ideal for getting from Aosta to other regions such as Courmayeur. From the Valais, you drive from Martigny over the Great St. Bernard to Aosta. This connection is possible all year round thanks to the (paid) tunnel.

Inspirations

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Trail Map

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Ride tours

Die zwölf beliebtesten Touren in der Region

Passo Invergneux (Banzai-Trail)

The Passo Invergneux is an inconspicuous pass at the end of the Valle di Cogne. But still waters run deep: the singletrail descent from the 2900-metre-high pass through the Vallone del Grauson is one of the best and most flowing in the Alps.

Cogne

31 km

1410 m

Col Ferret (Chasing Trail - Tour du Mont Blanc)

Tour du Mont Blanc

The circumnavigation of Mont Blanc is one of the most impressive multi-day tours in the Alps. The route is characterized by the unique backdrop of the Mont Blanc massif with its huge rock towers and imposing glaciers.

Martigny

200 km

7650 m

Zumba Trail

The Zumba Trail just above Aosta gets its name from the many bends and the fact that riding it is said to be a bit like dancing Zumba. However, the tour is one of the best you can ride near Aosta.

Aosta

32 km

1285 m

Cervinia Eisenbahnlinie mit Matterhorn

Theodulpass

The Theodul Pass is one of the historic crossings from the Aosta Valley into Valais. Despite the short glacier passage, the route is perfectly feasible by mountain bike - as a two-day tour from Châtillon to Visp with the skillful support of mountain railroads. The tour is an absolute highlight, even if it is not easy logistically.

Châtillon

93 km

2090 m

5630 m

Col Lauson

3296 meters above sea level - that's a statement for the highest point of a mountain bike tour. Feasible with the Col Lauson from Valsavarenche to Cogne. The tour is an unparalleled high alpine spectacle with flowing trails through rough rocky terrain. Really fit mountain bikers ride the single trail ascent, but most push the 1645 vertical meters up to the pass.

Valsavarenche

46 km

2170 m

3185 m

Pointe Chaligne (Aosta)

Pointe de Chaligne

The Pointe de Chaligne is located 2000 meters above sea level directly above Aosta and is the starting point of possibly one of the most exciting and flowing singletrail descents in the region. The tour is a must for mountain bikers based in Aosta.

Aosta

30 km

1255 m

2300 m

Becca-Trail Aosta

Becca France

The Becca Trail from Rifugio Fallère is one of the best descents in the Aosta Valley. 1800 varied vertical meters make the route a flow spectacle.

Aosta

33 km

1920 m

Col Fetita, Aosta

Col Fetita

The Col Fetita is an inconspicuous pass between Aosta and Courmayeur. Inconspicuous, but world-class. The descent starts in the face of Mont Blanc and turns into a trail firework display that is one of the best in the Aosta Valley.

Challancin

21 km

970 m

1690 m

Aosta Numero Uno

Pila is known for its bike park. But high above the park, there is a single trail over the mountain ridge that leads down to the valley floor. The trail covers over 2200 meters and is one of the best that the Aosta Valley has to offer.

26 km

1000 m

2230 m

Fenêtre de Durand

Tour du Grand Combin (2 Tage)

The imposing Grand Combin may be somewhat overshadowed by Mont Blanc, but its circumnavigation by mountain bike is one of the best multi-day tours in the Alps. The two-day program includes classics such as the Fenêtre Durand, the Col Malatra and the Grand Col Ferret. The tour is a superlative in terms of trails and scenery.

Sembrancher

99 km

4015 m

4960 m

Punta Leysser (Aosta)

Punta Leysser – Villaret

The Crete Trail from Punta Leysser to Col du Mont Joux high above Aosta is an unparalleled singletrail spectacle. The Mont Blanc massif forms the breathtaking backdrop.

Aosta

23 km

1100 m

2065 m

Pointe de Metz

The Pointe de Metz is 2000 meters above Aosta and boasts a phenomenally long singletrail descent directly into the city center.

Aosta

33 km

1950 m

Books & Maps

Ride Trail Book Aosta 1

CHF 29.00

Ride Trail Book Aosta 2

CHF 29.00

Ride Trail Map Aosta

CHF 18.50

Shuttles & Bike parks

The Aosta Valley has a good network of bus routes - however, bicycle transportation is not possible (or only in exceptional cases). Local public transport is practically unusable for mountain bikers. This is why the Aosta Valley Freeride bike shuttle has become the standard on mountain bike tours. Apart from the Pila mountain railroads and those in Cervinia, there are only a few mountain railroads in the valley with bike transport. In Pila and Cervinia, it should also be noted that the summer season lasts from June to (only) the beginning of September.