We haven been riding a couple of times at the Chaumont Bikepark recently. The Chaumont bike region has definitely a lot to offer. You got one amazing freeride trail and another nice downhill trail. Beneath that, there is still the option to ride some normal trails. The daypass is cheap and everyone is friendly and since it is facing south it gets dry or snowless pretty fast. In my opinion a great place to start the bike season (or just ride the whole season actually).
The Chaumont Bikepark and Downhill is located close to Neuchatel (Neuenburg) at
the lake of Neuchatel. A daily pass (24 hours valid – you might go for a ride on the afternoon and next day in the morning and still could use your daily pass) costs around 10.- for you and 10.- for the bike, but it’s even cheaper if you have a Halbtax or GA.
The uphill lift only drives once an hour, sometimes they do switch to half hour drives, tough. They pack up to 20 bikes in one run up, but on busy weekends it can happen that you have to wait for the next uplift. The personel in general is very friendly and helpful and as already told, when it is that busy they might switch to a 30min frequency.
The trail builders and the locals in general are nice, too. It helps a lot if you try to speak a bit french. The level of riding is quite high, but even as a beginner there is tons of stuff to do.
There are two different trails to ride down. The north shore trail with doubles, step ups, step downs, drops, wallrides and everything you could imagine and wish for and a downhill trail. Both are amazing trails and you get enough fun out of it even if you would ride a couple of days straight just in this region. More about the downhill trail in another blog post.
In a series of 4 blog posts we will try to display most of its features. The pictures in that blog post are from the upper third part of the slopestyle ride at Chaumont.
Next to the station are a couple of dirt jumps and a north shore drop, step up / down kombo. The first elements in the forest are another nice step-down step-up kombo and next, if you are ready for it, the bigger one of two road gaps. I think it’s at least 6m in altitude and arond 6m in width. I’ve heard they rode it already, so far with not so much sucess.
A bit further down the trail are some small but nice doubles and a short table, a small drop into an optional wallride. You will find a steep rock plateau to drive over or drop into. A funny northshore drop pushing you in a small north shore kicker with a shifted landing is the last part in the upper third of the amazing chaumont trail.
In my opinion there is no proper alternative around Bern at the season start, when the bigger regions are all closed. Sure you got the Gurten Trail and Biel Trail, which are both nice but always busy and short. Biel is quite nice if you like downhill stuff and Gurten is quite nice for its jumps and airs. You can overroll all of them – so it is quite beginnerfriendly. BUT you got both kinds of trails on Chaumont. You got the Downhill and the Freeride trail, Chaumont is cheaper, south faced 
(therefore soon dry after the winter season or some rain), has better quality jumps and a longer downhill and for sure less riders than each of the two other trails. I do like Gurten for a short bike ride after work during the week, tough.
Well, enjoy the pictures and there is soon a next article to come about the 2nd part of the slopestyle course at Chaumont Neuchatel.
