Mountain Biking in the Queyras

The Queyras has miles and miles of amazing mountain biking from technical singletrack traverses to exposed ridge rides and long challenging climbs to fast flowing descents.

Watch this: VTT Queyras 2016

Queyras Bike Park and Enduro MTB Trails

The bike park in the Queyras is located in Abriès, just 20 km (as the crow flies) from the Italian border. The town is surrounded by forested mountains that look like they’ve been hand-crafted for mountain bikers.

Both the enduro and downhill trails are accessible from the Gilly chairlift just south of the town, which takes you up to 2020 m. There’s 4 DH tracks, a green, a blue, a red and a black and a further 8 enduro trails aimed mainly at intermediate riders. Even the downhill tracks could be labelled enduro; they blend man-made jumps and berms with natural singletrack. With 500 m of vertical drop to play with there’s plenty here to keep you interested for a couple of days.

You can also use the chairlift as a starting point for accessing bigger circuits like the black enduro ride, the Grand Tour du Vallon d’Urine which takes you from the Col de Ruibon along a section of the GR58 to the Torrent du Bouchet river and back to Abriès. There’s a bit of pedaling involved but some pretty epic descents as well.

Another highlight is the red Les Bertins (Queyras FFC route no. 2). It’s a 13 km loop that climbs to 2200 m with a 600 m vertical drop. The descent back down into Abriès is proper super enduro with technical sections, exposure, flowy undulating sections and incredible scenery.

With the bike park, enduro tracks and cross-country itineraries, Abriès is a great base for a mountain biking holiday in the Queyras.

Queyras Mountain Biking Holidays

France Bike Trips run a 7-day guided MTB holiday called the Sun Soaked Singletrack and they describe the Queyras region as “one of the best mountain bike destinations in France”. An epic multi-day itinerary, you’ll ride through the Hautes-Alpes from the Massif des Cerces to the remote valleys of the Queyras. The holiday includes a qualified local mountain bike guide, 6 nights half-board accommodation and picnic lunches.

Other activities

The Queyras is also great for trekking, whitewater rafting and skiing in winter.