Why e-Alps Is Gaining Ground With North American Travelers

For travel advisors looking for a fresh way to sell the Alps, e-mountain biking may be opening the door to a new kind of client. Swiss adventure company e-Alps specializes in guided e-MTB journeys that combine serious mountain riding with carefully selected hotels, regional food, luggage transfers and high-touch logistical support. The result is a demanding Alpine crossing with much of the planning handled for the guest.

North American travelers are taking notice.

Co-founder Maxence Carron says interest from the U.S. and Canada is growing as e-mountain biking becomes more familiar and travelers seek active trips that offer more than sightseeing. The company’s typical North American guest is around 50, active and looking for a premium trip where the details are well organized.

For advisors, there is another reason to pay attention: e-Alps is expanding its work with the travel trade and typically offers 10% to 15% commission, depending on the advisor’s involvement in the booking and client relationship.

From Mongolia To the Alps

The e-Alps story began far from Switzerland. Carron and co-founder Adrià Mercadé met while bikepacking across Mongolia, where they shared a tent for a month and discovered a mutual enthusiasm for traveling by bicycle.

“We were on a long bikepacking journey together and really experienced this unique way of traveling — moving through a country by bike, day after day,” Mercadé said.

After Mongolia, Mercadé spent a year cycling through Iceland and South America. Conversations with Carron eventually turned toward creating a company of their own.

They didn’t want to offer simple day rides. Instead, they wanted to recreate what they valued about long-distance cycling: moving through a destination while connecting with its villages, food, culture and accommodations. That idea eventually became e-Alps and its flagship Chamonix-to-Zermatt Haute Route.

Why E-Bikes Are Broadening the Market

An e-bike doesn’t turn crossing the Alps into an effortless vacation. Carron points out that some itineraries can still involve about 2,000 vertical meters of climbing in a day, while natural Alpine trails may be more technical than guests expect.

What electric assistance does do is make major mountain journeys possible for a wider range of active travelers. Mercadé says riders can cover more elevation and distance and enjoy more descents. Just as important, electric assistance changes the uphill portion of the ride. “With an e-bike, you can enjoy the uphill as part of the ride,” he said.

Carron sees particular opportunity among travelers in their 40s, 50s and 60s who remain active and want an extraordinary challenge but may never have considered crossing the Alps on a traditional mountain bike.

Advisors Still Need to Qualify the Client

Broader appeal does not mean every itinerary is right for every rider. For advisors, technical mountain biking ability may be more important than fitness alone. An e-bike can help compensate for differences in conditioning by adjusting assistance and pace, Mercadé explained, but it cannot replace the skills needed to handle mountain terrain. Guests should be realistic about their cycling experience so e-Alps can match them with the appropriate itinerary.

For clients with limited mountain biking experience, Carron recommends the seven-day Alpine Discovery or four-day Family & Friends itinerary. Both are more technically accessible while still providing a genuine Alpine e-MTB adventure. Private departures can work especially well for families and groups of friends. The overall itinerary stays in place, but guides can adjust each day’s riding and select easier or more technical trails according to the group’s abilities.

When an advisor isn’t sure where a client fits, Carron encourages them to ask. “We are always happy to help qualify them,” he said, adding that when there is doubt, e-Alps generally recommends starting with an easier product.

Selling More Than the Ride

The bicycle is only part of what advisors are selling. About 95% of guests rent their e-MTB directly from e-Alps. The company also handles guides, luggage transfers, midday battery changes, picnics and hotel selection. That support can be especially appealing to North American clients who want an active vacation without managing bike rentals, equipment and luggage logistics in an unfamiliar destination.

The days aren’t built around trail mileage alone. “For us, the trails are just as important as the food, villages, culture and accommodations,” Mercadé said. Hotels, meals and stops are selected to reflect the character of the valleys riders travel through.

North American guests are often surprised by both the trail quality and variety of accommodations, which can range from historic hotels to five-star properties and hotels with spas. Traditional Swiss dishes are part of the journey, too. For advisors, that means the product is more than an athletic challenge. It combines active travel with food, culture and comfortable lodging.

A Commissionable Adventure for Travel Advisors

Historically, e-Alps relied primarily on direct sales and a small number of distribution partners. Carron says working more closely with travel advisors is an area the company is now developing.

The typical commission is 10% to 15%, based on the advisor’s role in the booking and client relationship. That creates an opportunity for advisors serving active, affluent clients looking for a different way to experience Europe. The ideal prospect might be a repeat Switzerland visitor, an active couple in their 50s or 60s, a group of friends celebrating a milestone or someone looking for a challenge that still includes comfort at the end of the day.

For clients ready for the flagship Haute Route, Mercadé says the payoff comes after seven days of riding. As riders approach Zermatt and round the final turn, the Matterhorn suddenly appears ahead. After crossing more than eight valleys and sharing a week of climbing, descending and riding together, “everything from the previous seven days comes together,” he said.

For travel advisors, that may be the real selling point: not simply an e-bike trip, but the chance to offer clients an Alpine accomplishment they may once have assumed was beyond their reach.