Let’s roll
Over 100 kilometres of action-packed routes, a spectacular panorama with the Great Aletsch Glacier as the star player, fresh Valais mountain air and the most liberating nature experience in the Alps: welcome to the Aletsch Arena, welcome to your mountain-bike paradise. Whether you’re using sheer muscle power or electrical assistance, you can enjoy a limitless biking experience here and the perfect biking holidays in Switzerland.
There are over 100 kilometres of bike routes waiting for you in the Aletsch Arena. Mountain biking amidst one of the most beautiful mountain panoramas in the Alps is an unforgettable experience. Should tiredness suddenly overcome you on the way, a glance at the Great Aletsch Glacier is sure to give you fresh energy to continue your passionate dash over the fast-paced bike trails.
In the Aletsch Arena, you have the pleasure of exploring the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site on two wheels, discovering the unique natural scenery with the Great Aletsch Glacier and a whole host of mountains of 4,000 metres or more. Other highlights await you during your MTB adventure in the Aletsch Arena in Switzerland:
The mighty Great Aletsch Glacier meanders through Valais’s imposing mountain landscape. To reach it, you pass by the villages of Bettmeralp, Riederalp and Fiescheralp on some of your upcoming MTB tours.
Your MTB tour will take you along varied trails and over different surfaces. Paved, narrow streets alternate with uneven forest sections or alpine paths. Good to know: in the Aletsch Arena there are MTB routes that are doable for families and beginners as well as advanced bikers.
Stoneman Glaciara
4,700m altitude difference and 127km of trails: the Stoneman-Glaciara Trail is something else. This spectacular MTB trail takes you along the Great Aletsch Glacier, affording you views of several 4,000m+ peaks such as the Matterhorn, Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, and taking you through the narrow streets of historic Valais mountain villages. The route is divided into three stages and leads up to the Moosfluh view point, where the stunning sight of the Great Aletsch Glacier awaits you. For your adventure on the Stoneman-Glaciara Trail, you’ll need one of the two Starter Packages. These offer a choice of items, including a cycling map and a Stoneman-Glaciara drinking bottle.
On the new Wurzenbord flow trail on Bettmeralp in the Aletsch Arena, there are plenty of turns, rollers and jumps to look forward to during your fast-paced ride. The roughly three-kilometre trail with just under 260 metres difference in elevation leads through various alpine zones and forest sections on 100 percent natural ground. The Wurzenbord chairlift takes you to the start in comfort – making it easy to complete several laps of the trail within a short time. As the trail has been constructed with a particular emphasis on safety, you rarely have to brake during this very special mountain bike experience in Valais. And what’s more: the trail is ideal for beginners as well as mountain bike pros.
During the construction of Wurzenbord flow trail, the use of machinery with combustion engines was completely avoided and the impact on nature was kept to a minimum, in a commitment to the principle of sustainability.
We’ve put together some tips to help you plan your travel by public transport with your mountain bike.
Bike reservations are compulsory on SBB trains (IC, EC, ICE and RJX), but not on those of BLS or Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn.
The Velo-Pass and the SBB day ticket for bicycles include free transport on the Aletsch Bahnen feeder lifts from the valley to Riederalp, Bettmeralp and Fiescheralp.
You can also have your mountain bike shipped straight to your holiday accommodation.
Bike transport is free with these cable car tickets.
| Riederalp | Bettmeralp | Fiescheralp |
|---|---|---|
| Gondola lift Mörel – Riederalp West | Cable car Betten Talstation – Bettmeralp | Cable cars Fiesch – Fiescheralp |
| Cable cars Mörel – Riederalp Mitte | Cable cars Betten Talstation – Betten Dorf – Bettmeralp | |
| Gondola lift Moosfluh | Gondola lift Bettmerhorn | |
| Chair lift Wurzenbord |
Mountain biking poses a number of challenges, especially for the little ones – not least because of the changing terrain. In a bike park with a pump track, young riders have the opportunity to develop their personal riding technique. In the Aletsch Arena there is the Iische Park on Riederalp with an integrated flow trail and the Big Air Bag. There you can practise wild jumps and land as soft as a feather. With the highest asphalt pump track in the world and a kid’s trail (flow trail), the Raiffeisen Bike Park Aletsch awaits you on Bettmeralp at 1,970 metres above sea level.
Have you mastered the basics of mountain biking, but don’t want to go it alone yet? Then a guided MTB tour is a good idea. Afterwards, you’ll be well prepared for the challenges of the over 100 kilometres of trails in the Aletsch Arena.
To make sure that your mountain-bike holidays in the Aletsch Arena are perfect all-round, it is worth staying in MTB-friendly accommodation. Most of these places will have a bike wash, a bike garage and a mini-workshop. In the webshop, these hotels, holiday flats or hostels are labelled with the corresponding FEWO classification.
Don’t have an MTB of your own or is bringing it too much of a hassle? That’s no problem, because several sports shops in the Aletsch Arena let you rent your mountain bike or e-mountain bike along with all the necessary gear.
All of the e-bike charging stations are marked below. The easiest way to charge your e-mountain bike is overnight on the domestic power supply at your accommodation.
Travelling to the Aletsch Arena holiday paradise is easy and straightforward, whether by car or public transport. The destinations in the valley all offer good connections for both options. If you have your own MTB with you, don’t forget to reserve a space for your bike on the InterCity. For the ride up to the car-free plateau, you’ll find cable cars and gondola lifts located directly at the rail station or very close by.
Yes, the transport of your mountain bike is not free of charge. Any biker who is spending their holidays or enjoying a short break in the Aletsch Arena can get the Aletsch Bike Pass for 1–7 days.
Get your Aletsch Bike PassYes, you can rent conventional mountain bikes as well as E-MTBs in the Aletsch Arena.
To the sports shops offering rentalsYes, you can complete the Stoneman-Glaciara trail on an E-MTB, provided you have the necessary technical skills. Tip: Plan your stages based on the level of battery charge.
A pump track, such as the one on Riederalp, is a closed circular track with small rollers and banked turns.
A pump park, such as the one on Bettmeralp, is an asphalt track.
You can ride a normal bike or a mountain bike on a pump track, but a scooter or skateboard is possible too. Helmets and bicycles/mountain bikes can be conveniently rented on site.
The pump track can be used free of charge.
The bike park is open to you as soon as you can ride a bike.
No, there’s nothing uncool about riding an E-MTB.
In the Aletsch Arena you will find over 100 kilometres of varied and action-packed trails. Riding uphill is easier thanks to the boost from the e-bike.
Yes, in the Aletsch Arena you will find tours with varying degrees of technical difficulty. Suitable tours for E-MTB newbies include the Fieschertal circuit and the ride from Riederalp to Fiescheralp.
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