Post by Mary on January 7, 2025
At the end of last season in early October, Matt Corkum rode with Jamie for a few days on a customised Alpine Singletrack trip. The weather was not kind to them but they made the very best of it. Jamie was inspired by Matt’s incredibly positive attitude to mountain biking with a disability and very impressed with how e-bikes have helped Matt to get the most out of his mountain biking. Here’s Matt’s guest review of his Alpine Singletrack experience.
- Why did you choose Ride the Alps for your mountain biking holiday this year? I was looking for somewhere to go biking with a guide/instructor and Ride the Alps/Jamie came up with many good reviews. I still had questions and sent Mary an email. She was very helpful with questions and any concerns I had.
- As you were on a 1:1 customised guided trip, did you feel the riding was accurately tailored to suit your specific skills and ability? I thought Jamie did a 10/10 job tailoring the rides to my skills and abilities. He was very clear about where we were going, what to expect and even changed the ride on the fly depending on weather conditions.
- How would you describe your mountain biking experience with Ride the Alps? The mountain biking experience was top notch; despite less than ideal weather conditions. Every day was vastly different which made it exciting and interesting without a dull moment.
- What was your favourite day or element of the trip? My favorite day was biking the machine-built trails on the ski hill. This was quite a challenge for me but gave me a chance to improve and do things a bit out of my comfort zone.
- How would you rate the quality of the trails you rode? The trails were awesome but the extremely wet conditions made it challenging for any trail to be in good condition
- Would you recommend this kind of trip to other mountain bikers? I would recommend this kind of trip to anyone – Jamie was able to tailor the experience to my exact needs, so I am very confident he could do that for anyone.
- Would you book another holiday with Ride the Alps in the future? I would book another trip but try and pick a different time of year for better weather and maybe more options for things open for food.
- Is there anything else you’d like to say about your mountain biking experience with Ride the Alps? As someone with born with Spastic Cerebral Palsy, I am always looking for adventures that work for me and never quite know until I show up if it is what I signed up for. Jamie and Mary knocked it out of the park by first making me feel welcome in their Airbnb, then Jamie treated me just like anyone else despite having the challenges I have. He joked, laughed, told stories and challenged me the right amount. Jamie didn’t act like my guide, he acted like my friend, which is exactly what I wanted. I highly recommend riding with Jamie if you are looking to have fun.
Many thanks to Matt for taking the time to share his thoughts about his Alpine Singletrack experience with us. The Alpine Singletrack trip is the most easily customised of all our trips as it is centre-based and we have a broad range of trails to chose from. All of our trips can be customised to suit your needs to a certain extent. Please get in touch if you’re looking for a tailored mountain biking holiday in 2025.
If you’re looking to get out and ride with us this winter, we’ve had some wonderful conditions for fat biking so far. Here are a few images from our beautiful New Year’s Eve ride.
Happy New Year to you all!