Morzine & Portes du Soleil for Mountain Biking

The lifts are open from mid June until the first weekend in September and have specifically adapted racks for your bikes allowing you to spend more of your time riding incredible alpine terrain rather dragging yourself up super steep inclines! By using the lift system you can vastly increase the number of great trails experienced during your stay for riders of all levels. As an example the height gain for the Super Morzine lift would take a good three quarters to one hours worth of effort to ride. Only the super fit cross country nihilist would want to repeatedly do that rather than take the lift. There is plenty of pedalling to be done if that is to your taste but better to be doing it on sweet single track than the fire roads out of the village.

Lift passes can be bought at the base of the Super Morzine and Pleney lift stations on an individual ascent basis. However if you're here for a few days and are going up and down many times during your stay, it's more economical to purchase a multi-day all area lift pass which gives you unlimited access to all the cable cars and chair lifts throughout the Portes du Soleil (PDS) If you are a ski/snowboard visitor to the area you will be pleasantly surprised to find a week’s pass is €60 as apposed to around three times that for the winter.

In terms of the number of lifts, you can make use of 25 in total giving access to the whole PDS area. As with the skiing the big advantage is the linked nature of these lifts with the options of accessing the whole PDS MTB area in one day. You are not restricted to one area per day as is the case with, for example, Chamonix. It is not unknown for other ski resort/biking areas to sport one lift and a commensurate number of trails – Morzine really is the biggest and best!

Pass'Portes du Soleil - What’s that? If you’re around for the opening weekend of the full lift system then there is the opportunity to ride the Passport du Soleil formerly known as the Freeraid. This event is a circuit of the Portes du Soleil, all clearly marked with refuelling stops and technical assistance. You’ll be riding with thousands of other riders and in return for an entry fee will receive number plate, map, food tickets and a two day lift pass – don’t miss it.

There are a number of relatively easy and picturesque trails which criss-cross Morzine and its very near neighbour, Les Gets. These areas provide some excellent riding for the less experienced, less fit or those not inclined to defy gravity. The Dranse River, which runs through both resorts, has a beautiful trail alongside its banks that takes the rider to the picturesque St-Jean-D'Aulps from Morzine and in the opposite direction to Lac Mines d’Or, an excellent place to stop and soak up the sun whilst having lunch.

For those of a more adventurous disposition the best riding can be accessed via the Portes du Soleil lift system which has 25 lifts open to bikers in the summer. Beginning in Morzine with the Super Morzine and Pleney télécabines, from there the trails are endless and provide access to the wider Portes du Soleil riding area based on the villages of Les Gets, Linderets, Plaine Dranse, Chatel, Morgins, Champoussin, Les Crosets, Champery and Avoriaz. It is even possible to ride outside of the lift access areas and reach villages such as Samoens and return via the leg busting three hour ride up the Col du Golese. ... see "Morzine & the Portes du Soleil Mountain Biking Trails" for more

The main MTB season in Morzine and the Portes du Soleil is July and August. The full lift system is open from the last weekend in June and closes the first weekend in September.

However, from the middle of June the Morzine/Les Gets/Mont Chery areas are accessible via the ski lifts and there is more than enough riding to keep most people happy for a week’s holiday. This area alone is bigger than most other resorts that are moving into the summer MTB season. ... see "Morzine Mountain Biking" for more

These days there are many companies taking the thought process out of it all and offering a tailor made mountain biking specific holidays. There are a number of specialist Morzine based companies offering such packages including: EndlessRide, Trailalpine, FlowMTB, Justmountainholidays , BikeMorzine , RideSlide , One2Bike , Chillypowder , to name but a few. Tour Operators offering an ‘active mountain biking programme’ include Alpine Elements and Crystal Active. Most of the above companies will all offer comparable deals with a little extra here and there so perfectly suit a range of riding levels from beginners up to skilled riders.

EndlessRide is the original MTB specific chalet company in Morzine, they do not do winters holidays. They do however offer the full, classic chalet holiday experience, full breakfast, afternoon tea and a three course evening meal. The guiding service is included in the price and will be provided by one of four fully qualified MTB guides ( SLMBA Mountain Bike Leaders . The bikes are supported by a garage service staffed by qualified mechanics. The company also offers a more basic service in their B&B chalet to cater for those who wish to run their own show so to speak. Bike hire is also an option if required.

There are many other options for your MTB holiday with a number of companies, as listed, providing the full chalet experience with guiding. In addition there are many winter ski related companies who offer accommodation on a self catered basis during the summer season. This option is probably more suited to riders with extensive experience of the PDS area or those wishing to stick to the easier to find (but not ride) downhill courses. If you want the full PDS MTB experience then its probable best to go for a holiday with guiding thrown in or available as an option. There really are so many good trails out there but without an experienced guide with local knowledge they are very difficult to find. It is unlikely in the extreme that reading a map will gain you access to the trail Mecca that is Morzine and the Portes du Soleil. Why stand around arguing over which trail to go down or how to find it when somebody can show the way?

Wherever you choose to ride you will inevitably have a thoroughly enjoyable experience in and around the Morzine and the Portes du Soleil. The mountains are there to be enjoyed by everyone so remember to be considerate of others when on your bike, following the 'Mountain Bikers Code of Conduct' at all times.

If you really want to see some full-on mountain bike action this summer coincide your holiday with one of the many MTB events that will be taking place. The one that you don't want to miss is the mighty Pass'Portes du Soleil in June. There are also a number of smaller events and competitions taking place throughout the season, so keep an eye on our What's On Calendar to make sure you don't miss out.

After spending the summer based in the heart of the Portes du Soleil, I could hardly feel hard done by in terms of Alpine adventures. However, most of these revolved around the ski lift system emanating from Morzine and onwards to the further reaches of the ski area into Switzerland. Now the season was at an end it was time to access the abundance of trails a little further a field. For this particular adventure we would be getting away from the relative hussle and bussle to the wilder reaches of the Reserve Naturelle de Sixt Passy for a one way single track trip starting in Chamonix and finishing in Morzine.

After a day warming up for the big one with a pedal around Le Tour to Vallorcine via the Col du Balme and back to Montroc via the train, to take the strain, we recuperated over night in the Vagabond backpackers hostel. Duly restored to full pedal power by the previous evening’s refreshments we headed off to the Brevent telecabine early morning, we anticipated a ten hour ride after all and just to ensure we didn’t slack we did not pack any lights! By the time we had negotiated the patisserie and the vertiginous telepherique du Brevent, think Bond film set, it was nearly 10:30 am before we actually got rolling. And the rolling lasted all of a few hundred meters before we were off and walking. Well I say walking but it was more hiking with a bike which degenerated into scrambling down rock faces with the assistance of via ferreta, iron rods (literally) bolted to the rock to aid walkers down the terrain. The fact we had 40lb Freeride bikes swinging over our shoulders did not help. ... see "From Chamonix to Morzine on your Mountain Bike" for more

Having removed your stabilisers, here's a few ideas on how to tackle the local terrain. ... ... see "Tips and Techniques - Mountain Biking" for more

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