Average Joe Reviews... Switchbacks DH in Spain

No biker wants to sit in a café in a foreign land watching chairlifts grind up the hill and the rain pour from the sky... Sadly this is the reality for many as their dreams of dry trails turn to sucking mud on their summer break. The brutal reality is that endless coffees and old mtb magazines only go so far to make up for less than your deserved quota of biking. Little known until recently DH in Southern Spain is rapidly becoming the antidote to all of this. Most of those who are already starting to switch from the Alps are simply going for the weather and the pretty much guaranteed day on day riding. The pleasant surprise is the unbelievable diversity of riding and the ability to progress hugely in a long weekend makes this almost the perfect DH break. Based in and around the mountains overlooking the resort towns of Malaga, Torremolinos and Benalmedina, the contrast between a sport more often associated with the middle of nowhere and the world of full on beach holidays could not be so stark. For a long weekend, the group was based in the quiet town of Pueblo in very pleasant apartments and deployed by van every day for non stop shuttling on a huge variety of trails. Ranging from sandy and drifty corners to steep rocky descents; the guide was gradually upping the ante to ensure that we were prepared for the final challenge – a 30 minute descent from 1000m to sea level and a dip in the sea. The trails offer challenges at all levels of ability and are all rollable if you are just starting out in the world of DH but the real selling point is the diversity with often two or three new trails to session daily and a good 7-8 hours of riding. The real highlight of the week was hooking up with the local bike shop boys to ride their secret track which was a fantastic opportunity to put together a joint euro group of mental fun. You cannot be within a stones throw of the mental 'have it large' holidays and not sample a bit of it for an evening or two. This is an experience that cannot be missed, whether it be for a voyeuristic stare or for full on indulgence! With stag and hen groups roaming the town and the air thick with fake tan and bingo wings, it does at times feel a little bit like a cross between Little Britain and feeding time at the zoo. There are few places in the world you can find twenty grown men dressed as Noddy all following Big Ears! I have it on good authority that some DH visitors find themselves more consumed by their nocturnal activities and the lure of the twenty four hour square makes for some seriously sore heads! If the madness isn’t your thing then kebabs can be ignored for quiet little traditional cafes and food in Pueblo. A long weekend (Thursday to Monday) may not seem anywhere enough time for a DH holiday but the sheer diversity and intensity of what can be fitted in makes it feel like two or three weeks in the Alps and offers much more opportunity to progress. The entire experience of polar opposites was ably managed by our guide James who mixed a laid back responsible attitude with a genuine and fun personality. Lucky the van driver was a real character and we had the pleasure to team up with some of the nicest downhillers from the Scottish Borders. Cheers guys it was an education! Returning home fuelled by Ibuprofen and with a happy grin, I have never crammed in such consistent quality and variety in a days DH let alone five in a row. Id recommend this as your next overseas DH holiday location and get the feeling that once the word spreads, half of Brit downhillers will start an exodus to this mecca of biking. Im told the XC is world class too. www.switch-backsdh.com