Every December, the same wall: the rider on your list already owns the bike, the tools, three helmets and more kit than they ever use. Buying them a part means guessing a standard, a size or a brand, and getting it wrong in front of everyone on the 25th.
There is a way out, and it is not a gadget.
The December problem: they already have everything
Bike gear is the hardest present there is. A jersey has a size, a grip has a diameter, a brake pad has a model, a chain has a number of speeds, and the rest of the bike has an opinion about all of it. A good part of what gets unwrapped at Christmas goes back to the shop in January, and the person receiving it usually knows that while they are still holding the paper.
The one thing a rider never has too much of is days on the bike.
A voucher cannot be the wrong size or the wrong standard
An Exoride voucher is valid on everything we do: shuttle days, riding skills courses, guided tours, week-long trips and equipment rental. The person who receives it decides what to do with it, where and when. You are giving a day out, not an object they have to find room for.
Christmas falls at the worst point of the season, and that is the point
Late December is not the moment to go riding in Switzerland, which is exactly why a voucher works better than a booking. It is valid for two years, so the person picks a date in spring, in summer, or the summer after that, depending on their diary, their form and the weather. Nobody has to commit to a Saturday in March on the 24th of December.
How much to put under the tree
The amount is free, from CHF 50. Two markers that mean something, rather than a round number picked at random:
- CHF 95: a full day of shuttles, uplift included.
- CHF 129: a riding skills course with an instructor.
Below that, a voucher still works as a contribution: several people can club together, or the person tops up the rest themselves towards something bigger. Above it, you are into a weekend or a week away.
Ordered at nine on Christmas Eve, printed at three minutes past
The voucher is filled in online and lands in your inbox within seconds, carrying the message you write on it. Print it, slip it into a card, or simply forward the e-mail if you have run out of wrapping paper at midnight. Nothing to post, nothing to wait for.
What is behind the voucher
Whatever the person chooses to spend it on, they ride with certified guides and instructors who do this full time, in the Valais and further afield. Across Google, Facebook and Tripadvisor we sit at 5 out of 5 over more than 360 reviews, which is the part of a present you cannot check before you hand it over.
Ordering
Amount, recipient, your message, and it is done. The gift voucher page takes about three minutes, card or bank transfer.
And if the person does not ride yet, that is not a problem: a course with an instructor and a rental bike is exactly how most of our regulars started.
Chris
