| 'WHAT A BEAST!' |  | Strengths:
Ali and the rest of the guides went out of their way to understand the kind of riding we wanted to do and did a brilliant job of tailoring the holiday to suite. The ratio of guides to guests was outstanding (normally 2 guides to 4 or 5 guests) and everyone was very laid back (without being unprofessional), it really felt like we were riding with friends rather than on a "guided holiday".
The trails around Les Arcs were phenomenal with tracks like Black 8 and Double Header being obvious highlights but for me the thing that set the holiday apart was getting out into the backcountry, with miles and miles of untouched singletrack it really felt like we were riding in genuine wilderness. If you've ever ridden off the back of Mont Chery or down Rutsville in the Portes du Soleil and wished there were more trails like that then this is probably the resort for you.
Special mention should also go to the Goatshed (the chalet.) Comfortable if not super luxurious; Gordy and Sophie were warm and welcoming hosts and Gordy's cooking was incredible. The generous portions were just what were needed after a hard day on the trails.
A final example of the lengths everyone went to to ensure we had the best possible holiday was provided by Andy the mechanic: On hearing that one of our group had pringled his front wheel during the day he came round to the chalet in the evening to offer him the use of one of his spare wheels. Unfortunately the pringled wheel was running on a Lefty hub so the two wheels were incompatible. Undeterred, Andy took apart his own spare wheel and sat there until approaching midnight rebuilding the rim onto the Lefty hub; all so that our rider could be up and riding first thing in the morning, making the most of his holiday and avoiding a time consuming trip to a bike shop. I think this says everything you need to know about the compay.
| | Weaknesses:
If you want to shred DH courses all week then this is probably the wrong resort. | | Overall:
Brilliant trails, brilliant company, I can't recommend them highly enough!
(and La Varda may be the greatest trail on the planet... What a Total Beast!)
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