Morzine & Portes du Soleil Road Biking Major Climbs & Descents

The most famous climb in the area which always features as the last major climb of the stage and indeed the Tour when the famous race around France comes to visit Morzine. Not only is it the most famous climb in the area but the hardest too. The gradient is relentless averaging out at 8.9% over a distance of 11.1km for an altitude gain of 989 meters to reach the summit at 1691 meters. These statistics apply to the most popular way to tackle the climb which is to mimic the tour route from the village of Samoens as apposed to the opposite direction straight out of Morzine.

The road rises instantly in a shock contrast to the D907 valley road from Taninges, probably the flattest piece of road for miles around, and continues thereafter with the only easier section at Les Turches before half way. The lower slope is often shaded by trees with more exposed sections near the summit. Along the way there are spectacular but brief views of Mont Blanc at a number of hairpins, the brilliant white of the mountain in contrast to the trees in the immediate foreground. Frequent changes of gradient make it all the more difficult and there is a sting in the tail. Having reached the summit of the Joux Plane itself and starting what you may think is the decent proper through the Chavannes ski area it becomes apparent this is a false dawn as the road pitches up again for a nasty but fortunately very short section to the summit of the Col du Ran Folly.

Fitness permitting the climb will take anything from around 50 minutes for a very fit rider trying very hard to around 70 minutes for fit rider at a less enthusiastic pace. At the end of a long ride or for those a little less fit this climb could take up to 90 minutes. Floyd Landis allegedly took 38 minutes to crest the summit during the 2006 Tour. Some feat at the end of a 100 miles stage during the third week of the Tour!

This climb is rich in Tour de France lore being the only place where the seven times Tour winner Lance Armstrong was put on the ropes by rivals to his throne. It was the final climb on stage 16 of the 2000 Tour de France from Couchevel to Morzine. Lance Armstrong cracked on the climb and Jan Ullrich took over a minute out of the American. Armstrong had already done the work to win the Tour de France but described the stage as 'the hardest day of my cycling life'.

After all that pain you’d like to think you were in for some gain. And you are as the decent into Morzine town is among the best in the area. The road drops away from the summit under the ski lifts into a hairpin bordered by a low concrete barrier. From here the road descends in a sinuous fashion making for some high speed cornering punctuated by the odd hairpin to reduce the speed. The decent can be bumpy in places and does have some blind bends but there are plenty of fast open corners which are much more fun and technically demanding than late braking into a slow speed hairpin bend. Lower down there is flatter section at the Grand Pre ski area before again hitting the higher speeds through the farming areas marking the upper reaches of Morzine before emerging at the roundabout right in Morzine itself. I’m not sure how long a fairground ride lasts but you have approximately 8 minutes of high speed fun to drop from top to bottom!

The favoured approach for this ascent is to climb out of the small town of Mieussy situated on the D907, the Vallee Verte and follow the road for a further 14 kilometres at an average gradient of 7%!

Initially the road is of the classic switch back hairpin corner variety rising up through housing (think picturesque chalet style not housing estate!) and onwards through the meadows where your pedalling effort will be accompanied by the Alpine cow bells. The lower slopes offer glimpses of the spectacular rock faces that the higher road bisects on its journey to the ski resort of Sommand. The Ponte de Marcelly and its iron cross towering above you on the right and the Col du Foron and the Haute Pointe to your left. The road is painted with the names of the supporters favourites in the tour, it’s easy to imagine riding through a wall of spectators characterising the climb when the Tour visits.

The upper slopes, approaching the avalanche tunnels and immediately after, are the steepest but not quite in the league of the Col du Joux Plane. At this point there is an unfortunate combination of gradient and terrible road surface conspiring to impede your progress. The latter a result of the freeze thaw affect of winter when these slopes will be covered in a metre of snow and ice. Take a look over the edge at the tunnels for an appreciation of how much height you have gained since leaving Mieussy; it’s a great vertigo inducing view. Upon reaching the ski station of Sommand, indicated by a wide open meadow like bowl and its ski lifts, the gradient slackens considerable as you traverse around the edge of this beginner ski area before negotiating the final push to the summit at 1559 meters.

In terms of duration the climb is similar to the Joux Plane taking a fit rider pushing hard around 50 minutes of effort. A steadier tempo would see the same rider over the top in 65-70 minutes. The climb is easier than the Joux Plane in that it’s possible for a fit rider to cruise up the climb without necessarily making lung bursting efforts just to keep moving.

The decent drops fairly steady and straight into the ski resort of Praz-de-Lys. None the less the road is super fast a little bumpy and narrow before widening and flattening out through the resort itself. It’s an eerie place in the summer, the ski lifts standing idle as you rush by underneath. Leaving the ski area marks the start of the steepest section of the decent braking hard into classic switch backs followed by gravity assisted accelerations to the next corner.

Don’t leave all your effort on the climb as the decent brings you out on the D902 at the Pont des Gets from where you have a 20 minute climb into the resort of Les Gets, fortunately this is followed by a 5km drop into Morzine itself.

The last time Le Tour visited this climb in 2003 it saw the riders leave Lyon and head towards Geneva before tackling the Col de la Ramaz, with the stage finish in Morzine for the not inconsiderable distance of 226km. The darling of the French Richard Virenque led the race home after some 6 hours in the saddle.

Another regular in the Tour de France and its associated warm up race the Dauphine Libere and not without good reason. Generally the Tour reaches this hill from the direction of Annecy, Albertville, Bourg-St-Maurice or a combination thereof. This means the riders get to ascend the easier side of the climb from Le Grand-Bornand. Climbing up from the direction of Morzine out of the less than picturesque town of Cluses is the hardest and longest way and generally only occurs in the Grand Boucle, as the tour is known in France, when it is running clockwise as it does in 2007.

As the road leaves Cluses you are quickly into the scenic lush valley road running alongside the Foron River which briefly punctuates the start of the climb. Again the lower slopes are often sheltered by trees and the view is of impressive chalets set back form the road. Your reverie will be rudely interrupted at le Reposoir as the gradient increases considerable through the switchbacks. From this point on the road is fairly straight and never less than relentless all the way to the top which is revealed to you soon after exiting the hairpin section. The cliffs of the Pic de Ponte Blanche to the right of the road seem a long way off and can be quite demoralising in conjunction with the bumpy road surface. But the sense of achievement when you reach the top is all the greater. Before getting to the sanctuary of the café at the summit, on a hot day those same cliffs will act as a radiator returning the heat of the sun back to the baking rider – classic stuff.

Duration for a fit fast rider is slightly longer than the other featured climbs at 60 minutes with a steadier pace seeing the same rider reach the summit in 70-80 minutes.

The descent is wide open and super fast all the way into Le Grand-Bornand but the decent is much shorter as a function of this beautiful Alpine town being at a not inconsiderable altitude itself. To tackle the climb in the opposite direction is a much less foreboding task but will mean you have ridden further from your Morzine base to get there and often means taking in the climb of the Col des Aravis, another alpine classic, on route – see suggested routes. Taking this approach renders the climb much more benign due to its reduced length but not its gradient. The reward for taking this approach is a fantastic decent into Cluses. Super fast, bumpy, exposed and scary at the top followed by heavy braking and sudden accelerations around the hairpins lower down.

This climb is one of the more frequently used local Tour de France options in the area forming part of the route when Floyd Landis performed his (in)famous feat on the road to Morzine in the 2006 race. The climb will again be included in 2007, the riders doing it the hard way from Cluses over to Le Grande Bornand for the finish.

The Col du Joux Verte has not featured in the Tour de France for quite some time; stage 19 of the 1994 edition won by Piotr Ugrumov, a classic featuring a time trial up to the ski station of Avoriaz above Morzine itself. The climb starts straight out of the old town near the Mairie’s office by the bridge over the Dranse River negotiating a couple of roundabouts before rearing up out of town for a hairpin filled classic 14km ascent. The first half of the climb is characterised by classic alpine hairpins, ski chalets perched precariously above you on the next switchback. The ski lift Super Morzine bisects the switchbacks and ruefully reminds you of an easier way up the hill as it passes over head loaded with mountain bikers and walkers. The chalets give way to meadows and assorted cows, goats and their bells approaching the Zore hamlet at the half way point. From here the gradient slackens but only slightly and the road straightens and traverses the cliffs above the village of Prodains at the head of the Vallee des Ardoisieres. The angular wood clad architecture of Avoriaz lies ahead but it is difficult for any rider to accelerate to the target destination, particularly if they have tried a little too hard lower down the road.

Legendary French rider Bernard Hinault holds the record time up this climb of 33 minutes, recorded during the 1979 edition of the race. Various other big names from Tour de France history have recorded times up the climb and you can compare your time with the greats of cycle road racing. The tourist information office in the centre of town provides cards which can be stamped at the start of the climb in the little blue box on the wall by the line painted in the road and again at the very top by Avoriaz tourist information near the road barrier. You can then get yourself a certificate from the Morzine tourist information with your time printed up for posterity!

The annual race up the Joux Verte usually produces a winning time a few minutes under the 40 minute mark. This will have been typically performed by a national standard elite amateur racer. A fit high standard club racer/rider will do well to come in around 50 minutes, the same rider taking an hour at a more comfortable pace. Not so fit or fast riders can cruise to the top in 60-75 minutes.

The descent is fast, as always, particularly on the top straighter sections before getting into the hard braking hairpins from the half way point onwards. These are usually delimited by a low concrete wall to prevent cars going over the edge and landing on the road below. Don’t let that put you off, a rider will typically be doing 20 mph max around these 180 degree bends so in reality very little chance for things to go too far wrong.

An alternative to coming straight back down the same road into Morzine is to take a right turn after about 1km of descending and head down through the goat village better known as Les Linderets and onwards past the stunning view of Lac Montriond. The road through the former is packed with goats and the tourists who come to see them but there is ample chance to slow down to walking pace in advance. Either side of the village the decent is excellent covering the full range of descending obstacles, lots of hairpins and fast corners and straight steep sections producing thrilling top speeds. Some of the corners are blind and not being a part of the Tour de France means you will meet oncoming cars – don’t get too carried away.

This is by no means the full list of climbs available in the area with many other excellent climbs forming part of the suggested routes. For example; la Cote-d’Arbroz, Col de Encrenaz, Col du Corbier, Col du Grand Taillet and Col du Jambaz.

A little further a field but accessible particularly if you have the use of a car and can park in Cluses are the better known climbs of the Col de la Aravis, Col de Saisies and the Col de la Croix-Fry.