Take an alpine MTB holiday in a Swiss mountain hut
We love alpine riding, and when it's snowed out in Australia, the Swiss Alps are the perfect playground. But have you ever wanted to stay like a local?
The mountains and hills of Switzerland are dotted with rustic alpine huts. Many were built hundreds of years ago for shepherds and farmers to use in the summer, when they moved their stock to higher ground to graze on the lush summer pastures and do rustic things like make cheese and cure hams. Rapid industrialisation and a switch to the service economy in the 20th century saw many of these timber huts fall out of use, but the Swiss’s love of nature runs deep, and many alpine huts are finding a new lease of life as holiday accommodation for city-dwellers and international visitors, including skiers, hikers, and mountain bikers looking to stay right in the heart of the action.
Some privately held alpine huts have been lavishly renovated, boasting saunas, luxurious furnishings, and gourmet kitchens. Others are still in the state they were left in by shepherds and cheesemakers some 60 years ago, with no power or hot running water, and wood-fired stoves for heating and cooking – offering another type of pastoral adventure. All of them are nestled among some of the most beautiful mountains in the world, and all have their own special charm.
Swiss Tourism have recently launched the Alpine Huts website, which allows private owners of nearly 300 alpine huts to rent theirs out to like-minded souls looking to explore the world’s most spectacular mountains. With a huge range of locations and prices, the website is the perfect place for mountain bikers to find a summer home where they can shred epic trails and experience mountain life.
Here’s our guide to riding and resting using Swiss Alpine accommodation in the country’s top MTB locations.
St Moritz and Silvaplana
The riding:
There’s a huge range of riding around the St Moritz and Silvaplana areas, long established as the playground of the rich and famous, and the training ground of elite athletes from a huge variety of sports, looking to benefit from the area’s 320 days of sunshine a year, and VO2-boosting 1800m altitude.
The mountains that surround St Moritz to the east and west are full of over 400km of trails, from flat and flowing bench-cut singletrack, to rough and raw alpine trails higher up, and some impressive day rides like the Bernina Express, which could take you all the way to the Italian border, or beyond, and make use of the incredible Swiss rail system. The jewel in the crown is undoubtedly the Corviglia Flow Trails. These lift-accessed descents snake across St Moritz’s eastern ski slopes, boasting impressively long runs, tonnes of fun features, and breath-taking views.
Hut of choice:
St Moritz isn’t the most budget-friendly town in Switzerland, so consider staying near one of the azure lakes just to the south of this designer ski town. Ten kilometres (it’s a flat ride) from St Moritz, on the shores of Lake Silser, sits the Casa Stella Capre. It’s a quaint, renovated timber hut for up to three people, with a wood combustion stove and a well-appointed kitchen, and it rents out fast in summer
Scuol
The riding:
As we’ve written about before, the grand spa town of Scuol is a gateway some incredible epics, including to the Swiss National Bike route number 1, a multi-day ride across Switzerland, from Scuol in the east, all the way to Geneva in the west. It’s also the end point of the infamous mountain bike route 444, the Swiss National Bike Park Marathon Route, a 136km loops with over 4,000m of climbing over immense mountain ranges and passing through Italy, circumnavigating Switzerland’s precious National Park.
Hut of choice:
If you’re heading to Switzerland with a group, the Old Mill can sleep up to 12 people in five bedrooms, and is a fine example of old-world, Heidi-esque Swiss charm. Located at Sent, about seven easy kilometres from Scuol, this is a quant, grand, and cosy place with lots of room and privacy, plus the Swiss National Park is just on the doorstep.
Engelberg
The Riding:
Apart from the towering Mt Titlis, incredible food, and great riding, Engelberg is easy to access by train and close to Zurich and other big, central Swiss towns, so it’s a popular weekender for skiing in winter, and hiking and biking in summer. We visited in 2015 and explored some of Engelberg’s trails, which offer a huge variety, from flatter, easier trails around the lakes, to big-day rides like the Surenenpass.
Hut of choice:
A proper alpine hut in the true Swiss style, working a bit more like a traveller’s mountain hotel than other, private huts, Engelberg’s famous Brunnihütte has five rooms with 38 beds, and is a popular lunch stop for adventurers visiting the mountains year-round. Whether you drop in to stay or just grab a meal, remember to try the home-made rösti, and maybe follow it up with an apple strudel too.
Zermatt
The riding:
Zermatt’s superb mountain biking make’s this spectacular town a great favourite with us here at AMB. Defined by the Matterhorn, Zermatt bustles with hikers, paragliders, bikers and tourists in summer, drawn to the views and routes to dozens of peaks over 4,000m. Apart from the new flow trail, most trails around Zermatt are natural, rocky, and steep, but with something for riders at all levels, whether you take the lift or ride on your own supply. There’s more info, itineraries, and stories on the Zermatt bike website.
Hut of choice:
Zermatt is hugely popular in summer so accommodation isn’t cheap, and fills up quickly. Check out Chalet Samson, a modern, well-appointed and central chalet. While you’re at it, consider a stay in a truly alpine hut like the Fluhalp, at 2,620 metres. You can ride in and out, eat genuine mountain food, and wake to exquisite views of the Matterhorn.
Grindelwald
The riding
Grindelwald is famous for the Eiger, the Monch, and the Jungfrau, whose mountain railway can take you to the top of Europe. Lower down, there’s plenty of adventuring to be had by bike, linking together the 160km of marked bike routes (usually gravel paths) with more technical, singletrack hiking trails (legal to ride unless a signposted otherwise). If you like to get your elevation the easy way, simply take your bike on the postal buses, chairlifts, and trains in the region.
Hut of choice
The Alphütte Wasserfall (which translates to waterfall hut) will take you right back to nature. With two bedrooms, it fits up to five people, has a rustic wood heater, an outdoor wood-heated bath, and basic cooking facilities. While the accommodation might be basic, the views are worth millions.
