Does anyone know what will be open in the 1st week of June?

From what I can gather, the lifts will not be accepting bikes at this point. I’ve fired off a few emails to some companies in Chamonix, but none of them seem to be able to advise me what sort of riding will be available if the lifts aren’t operating. Does anyone here know?

I’m happy to do a great deal of climbing, but will be on holiday with people where MTB is not the main focus so will need to convince them that I’m not going to kill them!

Does anyone have any advice/maps they could give me for some easy (read: Welsh trail centre reds) singletrack in the area in early June?

Best thing to get is ” the Chamonix bike book”.

Rides from XC to DH across the whole valley in there.

I do have one I can sell if your interested? 😆

I could be interested – what’s the riding like without lifts? I’m wondering if there might be some rides further towards the valley floor which might avoid a huge climb?

Was there around that time last year for climbing. There was still a hell of a lot of snow down to about 2000m or so and not many bikers about.

Likely to be a lot less snow below 2000m this year. It’s been quite a snowy winter, but very mild. There should be some good riding to do, especially lower down around Les Houches and Saint Gervais. It’s possible to use the train for “uplift” around here too. As above, get the bike book!

Same as above. There is lots of XC stuff to ride lower down the valley, there is a DH run over in Les Houches that should be open throughout the summer months, also another in over at La Tour, pretty sure you can use these trails and the lifts for these the whole season as long as you don’t stray from them, but don’t quote me on that, I think the bike ban is only during July and August.

Hello, the lifts usually open mid june, you can ride ride some lower trails in the valley, but it is quite a steep valley, and the climbs probably will kill your mates, unless they are pretty fit, there is also Pila, about an hour away through the tunnel, not sure if that will be open that early, but i would check if i were you. If you can get to st Gervais for the first or last tram up to the col de vosa or just passed it, you will get a good decent down to les Houches, bikes are only allowed on 1st or last tram (funicular).Also the Vert hotel used to do an uplift a couple of evenings a week, they might be worth contacting, as would zero g the bike shop. Good luck, hope you have a great time.

Be sure to stop by ZeroG bike shop at the end of town too. Tom, the guy who wrote the book that folk are talking about works there. A really nice guy who will deffo know trail conditions and might even show you around.

Make sure you go the M B C for the best beer and burgers in Chamonix!!

It would be a real shame to ride in Chamonix without some kind of uplift. I would investigate whether there are other places close by where you can use trains or buses for uplift. I have no idea, but places like Verbier, Villars, Samoens, Zermatt etc may have such facilities which dramatically increase the amount of “bang for your buck”, or in MTB-speak “eyes peeled back, mind blowing countouring, descending singletrack in return for the heartbreakingly interminable, multiple 1000 metre climbs”.

If you end up in Les Houches, Le Delice do good grub!
Le Delice