AlpPacker North
The ultimate alpine adventure – traverse the Alps from North to South on this van assisted mission, hitting as many rideable alpine summits as we can. Start above the waters of lake Annecy and ride to the alpine fortress city of Briancon.
Trip Flavour
The ultimate mountain bike tour of the Alps.
The ultimate mountain biking adventure.
Why is it the ultimate?
- Because you’ll traverse the Alps entirely from North to South.
- You’ll ride off actual alpine summits and some of your descents will drop over 2000m, lasting all afternoon.
- You’ll be traversing and exploring the Alps on amazing technical singletrack
- With full vehicle support and 1000-2500m daily uplifts with the world’s most professional guides.
- Spend nights in locally owned hotels/auberges with great hosts and great local food every single day.
- You’ll have to prepare for this trip and invest in the journey, which is where the value lies.
- The climbs are hard and the hike a bike is harder, but the reward is beyond words.
That’s the AlpPacker and it’ll change your life.
At a glance
- Duration – 7 nights, 8 days
- Point-to-point uplifted traverse of the Alps
- Skill level – Advanced intermediate+ (Red and above on ITRS)
- Physical level – Advanced intermediate+ (Red and above on ITRS)
- E-bike friendly? No, see AlpPacker North Flow for E-bike friendly version
Our 2025 Trip Dates
Trip Date
7 spaces left
June 28-July 5th
Trip Date
7 spaces left
Sep 6-13th
Trip Details
- Cost – €2195
- Trip includes – Guiding, van uplifts, transport, breakfast, lunches, evening meals, drinks from the van drinks cooler
- Not included – drinks at bars/restaurants, airport transfers, final evening meal
- Start: Annecy (we help organise car sharing)
- End: Briançon
- Airport: Geneva
Core memories:
- Standing on mountain summits, with your bike
- Descending 2000m vertical (7000ft) in one hit
- A star-gazing night in a mountain chalet at 2200m altitude
- Crossing an entire mountain range by bike
- Buying cheese direct from farmers high in alpine meadows
- Meeting the locals who keep these valleys alive
AlpPacker North
The Journey
The route is an ambitious North-South Transalp mountain bike tour of the entire French Alps.
This means we journey from the shores of lake Annecy in the north, down through the Haute-Alps into the Mercantour Alps, dodging marmots, National Parks and soap all the way until our front wheels literally hit the Mediterranean Sea.
To give us the time to really make the most of all the amazing trails along the way, we have split the trip into 2 one-week segments, imaginatively named North and South.
So the idea is to do the AlpPacker North one year and then to come back and ride the AlpPacker South the year after.
As such, a two week mega-trip is theoretically possible – will you dare to be the first to complete a mountain bike traverse of the Alps in one go?!
Day 1
Having arrived on the Saturday (day 0) and all eaten together in the evening, we start Sunday with a truly epic introduction.
The AlpPacker North begins high up on the summit of the Semnoz, overlooking lake Annecy. In the North we can see right out of the Alps, through to the foothills and plains beyond. To the east we see the towering summit of Mont Blanc, tangibly close to us. To the south we see the snow capped peaks which we will be navigating together over the next week.
It’s time to roll! Over 2 hours later we arrive, buzzing, on the shores of lake Annecy. It’s time for a picnic lunch on the shores of the lake, maybe a quick swim and then a 1500m+ van uplift to the next summit on the trip. This one leaves us with a 25km, mainly descending trail all the way to the valley floor at Albertville. What a day! 500m of climbing for 3250m of summit to valley descending, all on amazing trails.
After a celebratory drink in the medieval old town, it’s time for another uplift to the mountain refuge where we’ll spend the night, star gazing and telling tall stories.
Day 2
It’s a chilly start at 2200m. Luckily the coffee is hot and the panoramic terrace of the mountain refuge is the perfect place to wait for the first rays of sunlight to warm wood and skin alike.
There’s no rush – the summit that’s hiding the morning sun is exactly where we’re headed. Some of it pedals, some of it is a push. All of it is beautiful. From the top, the peaks of the Alps open up before us on the skyline.
The rest of the day is a singletrack safari like no other. From the summit point at over 2300m, right the way to the bottom, 2200 vertical metres (over 7000ft) of descending later.
We are greeted by the van but no beers yet – if we have time we can still uplift above tonight’s cosy 4* accommodation for an early evening descent to the front door.
It’s a bike out, bike in kind of a day.
About 600m of climbing and over 3000m of descending. Pure alpine bliss.
Day 3
It’s time to load the van and aim for another alpine summit, this time at 2550m altitude. We warm up with a short but fun descent through alpine meadows and woods before getting down to business.
In this case, a 400m dirt road climb right into a 200m push/carry to the summit. The descent is over 35km long, drops 2250 vertical metres and will absolutely blow your mind. We cross whole ecosystems over the course of 4 or so hours and finish up with an ice cream in the centre of the bustling alpine market town (and home of head guide Sam) Moûtiers.
If you’re done then it’s beer o’clock. However, if you have any fuel left in the tank then there’s something worth waiting for. This one defies the numbers. Even with an offroad uplift it’ll be a 400m climb for a 300m descent. Without the off roading it’s 600m up. We’d climb as far again for this little beauty. Evening light over the peaks and a sinuous, undulating, playful and precise little thread of singletrack that drops over a col and right to the back door of tonight’s refuge, up in the isolated mountain hamlet where we will sleep, far from noise, light and phone signal. The Milky Way stands out like a cosmic highway and the stags can be heard across the valley singing their lonesome but hopeful rut ballads. This place is insane.
Day 4
Again we pedal from the door and again we aim for a summit. This one is very much optional though. After a tough dirt road and then singletrack climb to a mountain pass we all have an incredible descent down into the Maurienne Valley.
Before this, however, we also have our own decisions to make. From the pass there is a trail to and from the highest summit of the AlpPacker North, at over 2800m. It is also the most technical riding of the trip, ramping up near the summit to create a sphincter-puckering start to the descent. This is what the French call ‘vélo de montagne’, the very pinnacle of alpine mountain biking. The good news is there is always a choice to walk. From the pass we carry our bikes towards the summit, up the trail we will later descend. Whenever it looks technical enough for us, we just put our bikes down. Simple. It’s worth walking to the summit even without your bike for the view and to encourage those few who are having a go. However, this rarefied atmosphere is a place for caution and we will all be riding within ourselves. It is a privilege just to be here and the mountain demands our utmost respect.
The descent is, once again, over 2000m of absolute life-defining singletrack magic. High mountain tech into alpine flow into forested bliss into a riverside canon ball run to rule them all, straight into a bar for a post ride celebration. What a day on this earth.
The van meets us, as always bringing all of our baggage, for an uplift to the mountain town of Valloire, on the road to the infamous Col du Galibier.
Day 5
This day is another that defies numbers. The total descent doesn’t sound all that much and yet the feeling is sheer, never-ending trail bliss. Not without some serious investment though.
From the hotel we uplift in the van before starting a 500m dirt road climb to over 2600m altitude. Riding over the source of the famous Clarée river, we now have kilometres of stunning high alpine bedrock threading between blue mountain lakes fringed with crimson autumn blueberry bushes amonst the towering summits.
This is surely one of the most photogenic days of the trip, although the competition is fierce. The first main descent brings us to the second climb of the day. 350m of singletrack ascension – on an e-bike you could clear 99%, with leg power you’ll be walking quite a bit. There’s no rush though and the reward is a balcony trail you’ll remember for years to come.
An old smuggling route, out of site from the valley floor, it rolls, rises and then drops 900 beautiful, drawn out, tantric metres to the other worldly mountain village of Névache. Lost in time, lost in the mountains. Our gorgeous accommodation for the night uses, like so many on this trip, all home grown, organic ingredients, home made cheese and yoghurt and sets of the perfect day of riding just right.
Day 6
The final countdown. Our legs are weary and our shoulders ache but we sleep well and awake with the anticipation of a journey that will soon reach its destination.
Breakfast nourishes us and we can see a ribbon of trail as we drink our coffee, leading us away from the garden of the hotel into the hills. This is how we ride out a short while later, welcoming the first rays of sun as we go. There is the option to start with an uplift but in leaving by bike we gain not only some riverside singletrack but also the continuity of the journey. We started this Alpine traverse by bike and it’s a fitting way to begin the final day. After an hour of winding, slowly descending trail we reach the foot of the main climb. It’s a spin but a long one. 1000m up. There’s an optional uplift for the first 550m but it’s rough and so not really any faster than the pedal. As ever though, we have all the time in the world and the chance to chat, look around and enjoy the feeling of growing satisfaction is not to be missed. From the top, it’s one last enormous 1250m descent down to Briançon. What a trail! From high in the alpine blueberry bushes, down through larch and then deciduous woodland to the last snaking set of switchbacks from an old fort right into the fortified old citadel.
Elated, tired and satisfied with life, it’s time for a celebratory drink on the ramparts.
A journey like no other. Until next year…
How do the AlpPacker North and South compare?
First things first: once you’ve done one, you’ll want to do the other.
Second things second: both these trips involve technical mountain trails, climbing and long hike-a-bike sections.
Third? Well, both are point to point trips where we move on each day, staying in a charming mix of locally run hotels and auberges. The North also involves a night in a modern mountain refuge.
If you would prefer something a bit less physically ‘out there’ with some more creature comforts, please have a look at our AlpPacker Flow trips.
These are designed to be more accessible and are built around more type 1 fun – less climbing and carrying, e-bike friendly, higher spec accommodation and some 2 night stopovers, whilst still optimising the mythical journey narrative that have made our AlpPackers world famous.
The AlpPacker North traverses what most people would consider classic ‘chocolate box’ Alpine scenery. Think snow capped peaks, blue mountain lakes and ribbons of technical trails disappearing over the horizon. This is big mountain alpine riding at its finest.
It also features A LOT of mountain summits. We start on top of one above lake Annecy and over the trip we head steadily south, hitting as many of the rideable peaks the northern alps have to offer as we can. Standing on top of an Alp, with your back wheel on the summit and your front wheel pointing towards the distant valley floor, is a magical feeling and one that will stay with you for life.
We wrap up with an epic ride into the fortified mountain city of Briançon, overlooked on all sides by historical military forts and armaments. By this point we have tipped over into the more southern Haute Alpes and there is a very different feel to the peaks and also the trails.
The AlpPacker South picks up here. Many clients who have ridden classic BikeVillage trips choose to start with the AlpPacker South, mainly because it is so different.
The first days are spent crossing the Queyras, a gorgeous larch forested range threaded with flowing trails that sit between 1500 and 3000m altitude – you’ll be breathing hard from the start but we’re in no rush, the scenery is too beautiful.
This is Stone King Rally territory, overlooked by the looming summit of Monte Viso, the Stone King. As we journey south we continue our pilgrimage of multi-day enduro races as we enter Trans Provence country.
The trails get rockier and ever more varied – from the famous grey and red earth segments to high alpine tracks dropping into scrub oak slab bedrock dream sequence adventures.
The Maritime and Provençale Alps have it all. The grand finale sees us drop all the way to the sea, riding onto the beach and into the warm waters of the Mediterranean. Floating in the sea, looking over your toes at the mountain where you began your journey, 3000 vertical metres and some 350km away, the feeling of something truly magical and meaningful accomplished will stay with you for life.
So, toss a coin. Start with the North and keep things in order or go for the South for something totally different. Either way you’ll do them both!
FAQs
This handy collection of boxes should answer most of your questions – if not please get in touch to chat to us or even book a call back from our head guide Sam
What bike to bring?
Any modern trail/enduro bike will be great. The main thing is to make sure the bike is well serviced before you come and to fit suitable tyres. There will be specific tyre advice when you book – the Alps deserve a reinforced sidewall, so do you!
Can I rent a bike?
Absolutely. Just contact us during your booking and we’ll set a bike aside for you. When you arrive we’ll help set it up, adjust shock pressures and make double sure the brakes are the right way around depending on where you’ve come from!
What should I pack for my trip?
We made this handy video for how to pack light. You don’t need to go as far as us but it should help keep your bag size manageable for you.
Is this trip e-bike friendly?
The ‘regular’ AlpPacker North features hike-a-bike and 2 nights in mountain lodges without mains electricity so isn’t very suited to e-bikes. However, the AlpPacker North Flow IS e-bike friendly so if you’d like some power on your trip, we’ve got you covered.
Do I need insurance?
Yes, 100%. You need insurance to cover you for medical emergencies, trip cancellation and we also advise some bike cover in case of damage/loss. You can book great, cycling specific cover through Yellow Jersey and get a 10% discount using the code BVillage10
How hard is the trip?
This is certainly one to prepare for. On the International Trail Rating System (ITRS) you would need a physical level of Red or above and technically you should also be at red level or above (except jumping – these are natural alpine trails so the aren’t really any shaped jumps). If you have any doubts then why not book in a chat with us to talk it over. A good option can be to try one of our ‘easier’ trips, like the Classic Bikevillage Tarentaise Tour, and take it from there.
What if the weather is bad?
We’ll have a ball anyway! Usual weather is sunny and warm but not too hot, mid 20°s/70°s.
This is the mountains though so we need to be prepared for the weather. Our guides monitor the weather endlessly and we’re always adapting our plans to make the most of the conditions. We’ve never missed and awesome day of riding yet.
Our packing video details the clothes that you should bring to maximise your fun on the trails.
How do I prepare for the trip?
Don’t stress! You have a job, a life and a million other commitments. Just ride your bike.
That said, a trip can be a great motivator to get out and do more. We have a video in the pipeline but, until then, here are a few tips:
- Regular and often: ride to the shops, ride to work, ride for 20 minutes. The more days in the week your bum hits a saddle, the better.
- Core strength: Zwift wont help you hike-a-bike! You can build core strength in lots of ways but our favourite is probably indoor climbing – it’s fun, sociable, winter-proof and works every muscle group we need for biking including grip strength. Get climbing!
- Enter an event: pick a fun but challenging event about a month before your trip. It’ll help motivate you and also leave you relaxed before your trip.
It could be biking but running is also fine. - Don’t stress!! We’ll say it again – you could always be fitter and stronger. That’s why you need a holiday. You’ll be fine.
How many people will be on my trip?
There’ll be a maximum of 7 riders plus your guide and driver. Sometimes we double the fun with a second set of riders + guide. This makes for a great atmosphere either way – a shared journey is best shared with good company.
Can I make this tour private?
Absolutely, just contact us to book a whole tour for your group.
What is the accommodation like?
Awesome and varied. Part of the fun is the perspective you get on life in the remote mountains. As such, we mix carefully selected hotels and guest houses (so mostly twin rooms) with mountain refuges and auberges where there are bigger rooms with more beds in.
There are some great tips in our packing video on how to get a good night’s sleep on the road.
If you’d like some more luxury our AlpPacker North Flow trip might be a better choice, along with a single room option.
How should I get to/from the trip?
When you book we’ll send arrival and departure information. You can come by plane, car or train.
By plane you’ll fly into and out of Geneva airport, where we can collect/drop you.
By car we’ll send you details of where to park and also help you to arrange car sharing with any other riders.
By train we’ll pick you up from Annecy station and drop you back there after the trip. Train pickups are free – it’s a small gesture to encourage sustainable transport methods.
We’ll send more specific details when you book.
AlpPacker North FLOW
Does it look too hard or too rustic?
Check out the AlpPacker North Flow for a bit less climbing and more luxury (also e-bike friendly)
View from the trail
How do I describe the perfect holiday? I’ve been lucky enough to do both the north and south twice. The scenery is just mind blowing, with the most spectacular scenery in the alps and it is all yours. The guiding with Sam and crew are just amazing at running a relaxed and friendly trip. The sense of adventure and the journey are just fantastic. For me, the absolute best holidays I’ve ever had.
Paul Banyagi-Mugenyi
AlpPacker North & South