Going with the family for the last 2 weeks in June. I realise only the main lifts in the resorts are open and the rest of the Portes Du Soleil doesn’t open until my last weekend so i’m after some suggestions.

I’m going to have a play on the DH runs served by the lifts which are open but has anyone any suggestions for getting off the beaten track, either from the tops of the lifts, from the resorts, or from a short drive (upto an hour) away?

I’m not much of a DH’er and so am looking for some singletrack which takes me up and back down (or vice versa)with some good views and away from the main drag.

Morzinette for instance looks beautiful but I don’t know how accessible it is

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Anybody?

We were only there for 3 days last year, but found a couple of really good routes in this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morzine-Portes-Du-Soleil-Selected/dp/0954976258/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328189716&sr=8-1

Get yourself an IGN map of the region, they are like OS maps. More trails than you can shake a spoke at. Take a GPS or compass so you dont end up in a valley too far.

expect to see a lot of signs saying ‘VTT interdit’

i even got grumped at by a french biker for riding a non-VTT-specific trail.

i’ve been going there for years, i can remeber when a season pass cost E60.

don’t think i’ll go again.

http://vtt.librairie.vtopo.fr/vtt-portes-du-soleil-english.html

These guides are normally pretty good.

last 2 issues of Dirt had some off the beaten track trails in them.

Ianv- The guide has some good routes in it that I have done. The English is terrible though. Get yourself down the Semoens side as well.

The runs off the Chavannes chair back to Les Gets are mainly doable with a child seat on the bike if that makes a family holiday any easier – first hand experience and my son loved it.

The only family riding with me will be my two brothers – no child seat in sight!

That’s a lads holiday not a family holiday.

Lol. They’re family 😀

try the col de cou climb out of champery lol!!!

Take its tough then.

Not sure if it’s too far away for you, but there’s mint DH stuff at Dorenaz nearish to Verbier, and it’s served by a cable car thingy that runs regularly all year I think – it’s not a ski lift, it’s for local transport. The people to ask about anything relating to Verbier and the region are http://www.bikeverbier.com – fantastic company whose guides know (and probably pioneered from a biking point of view) many of the hidden gems of this area.

There’s some good routes a short drive away at Samoen and Sixt Fer a Cheval – everything from waymarked technical xc routes to full-on downhill. It’s not got the riding culture of Morzine or Les Gets but there’s some really good ‘natural’ riding which can be easily accessed from the main cable car at Samoen. I spent a couple of weeks there and rode both there and Les Gets. It’s a very different vibe and a nice contrast to the more popular spots

Is the main cable car at samoen open year round?

same as above. Get the OS map and explore. Theres much better trails to be had in Morzine than all that boring DH crap.

As above, the last two issues of Dirt had the OTA Morzine feature.

Got em thanks.

Any ideas if any other cable cars likely to be open in the area?

a good day out is Morzine – Lac Montriond – Ardent – Les Linderets – Col de Chesery – Champoussin – Col de Cou – Morzine. Try not to lose too much height on the Swiss side.

Chamonix, you can ride the valley using the Balcon paths, no bike ban in June. Might be lifts open earlier there too.

Samoens lifts are seasonal. Details are online from memory