The August edition of Singletrack Magazine will be a Portes du Soleil Special, with Benji, Mark and Sanny heading out to sample the trails in the area. Being riders more like you and less like Loic Bruni, they’re going to be taking to the trails on a selection of bikes like you might well have in your shed.
As the area shifts from ski season to bike season, the lifts are being readied for bikes. Here are the dates for your diary and discounts for your wallet.
Photo Credit – Les Gets Tourisme – Corentin Croisonnier
Thanks to the folks at Madison and The Hub in Les Gets, they’ll have a mix of ebikes, gravel bikes and enduro bikes from which to bring you amusing tales and useful guides to riding in the Portes du Soleil area, which consists of three main resorts: Les Gets, Morzine, and Avoriaz.
As the area shifts from ski season to bike season, the lifts are being readied for bikes. Here are some dates for your diary:
- Les Gets opens the Chavannes Express and Nauchets chairlifts this Thursday 29th May until 1st June for the first of two pre-opening weekends, the secondon theFriday 6th – Monday 9th June
- The main continuous opening is from Friday 13th June to Sunday 14th September
- The famous Mont Chéry cable car opens from Friday June 20th June to Sunday 31st August
- Morzine opens Le Pleney for a pre-opening weekend from Friday 6th – 9th June, and then the full continuous opening is from 13th June to 14th September
- Morzine will also have late bikepark opening evenings: Open until 7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays – From 11th July to 31st August
- Avoriaz has a partial opening from Friday 13th – Friday 20th June, with Super Morzine, Zore and Seraussaix Chairlifts open and their full continuous opening is from – 21st June – 31st August, then back to the partial opening1st – 14th September
If you’ve ever wondered if you’ve got the skills or equipment for the Alps, or where to find them if you don’t, this will be the guide for you. If you’re already tempted, perhaps we can tip you over the edge into booking that dream trip by telling you who will be helping us with ours – and even offering you a discount code.
Chalet 1066
In Les Gets, the STW crew will be getting their rest thanks to the folks at Chalet 1066. No creche or nanny services will be required (we’ve got the ride guides to keep tantrums at bay), and we may spare you viewing of any hot tub sessions.
Chalets 1066, the premier chalet company in Les Gets, is the place to book your unforgettable mountain bike holiday this summer and they are offering an extra 5% discount to Singletrack World readers on Summer and Winter bookings with the code SINGLETRACK5 (to be used before September 31st 2025).
Trusted by families, groups of all sizes, pro riders and teams they offer a selection of over 60 self-catered chalets and apartments – from cozy retreats for three, to spacious chalets with large terraces, hot tubs and breathtaking views for 10+ – all with easy access to Les Gets’ world-class trails.
Les Gets, home to the French round of the UCI MTB World Cup, boasts Europe’s biggest bike park with 130 km of trails, 30+ DH, Enduro, and XC tracks, 6 e-MTB trails, 3 lifts, bike wash bays, jump parks, and kid’s zones. It’s known as being arguably the ultimate mountain bike paradise and only 1 hour from Geneva,it’s the perfect MTB destination for riders of all levels.
The Chalets 1066 point of difference: Tailor-made holidays giving you peace of mind and the freedom of having your own accommodation on a mountain holiday, where you can choose exactly the level of services you want.Properties are available to be booked from a minimum of 4 nights during the Summer, great for long weekends,however with pricing starting from approximately £45 pppn, based on 6 people sharing across 7 nights, it makes for an incredibly good value week getaway, allowing you to live the dream for less than you thought.
Chalets 1066 also provides concierge-style services to make your trip seamless and have discounts with a variety of trusted partners and can recommend transfers, lift pass info, bike rentals, MTB tour guides, plus their friendly local team can advise on local spas, mobile massage services, new restaurants and private chefs to come to the chalet to prepare your evening meals.
Les Gets 2025 Summer season opening: Chairlifts are running for two pre-opening weekends from 29th May and then run continuously from 16th June to 14th September so get cracking, visit Chalets 1066 to explore properties, check availability, and book your dream MTB holiday.
Don’t forget to use the exclusive code SINGLETRACK5 for an extra 5% discount.
Bike Morzine
When the crew moves over to take in the Morzine trails, they’ll be catching their beauty sleep thanks to Bike Morzine:
“Bike Morzine takes the hassle out of planning a mountain bike holiday by offering everything you need, all in one place: MTB friendly accommodation, lift passes, premium bike hire, guiding, and airport transfers—all seamlessly organised to let riders focus on what they came for: more time riding, less time stressing.
As one of the original MTB holiday companies in Morzine, Bike Morzine has over 11 years of happy customers. They’re a team of passionate mountain bikers who live, breathe and ride the MTB paradise that is the Portes du Soleil. Their deep local knowledge, stoke for the sport, and friendly on-the-ground support make them the go-to crew for riders looking to get the most out of their holiday.
What really sets Bike Morzine apart is their commitment to the local scene. They actively support and help shape the Morzine MTB community, giving back through their epic free “mates races” series, advocacy, and a genuine love for the trails they ride daily.
If you’re looking for an MTB holiday that’s easy to book, expertly run, and packed with authentic mountain bike culture, Bike Morzine delivers every time.”
What’s On in Morzine?
If you’re wondering what else you could get up to while you’re out there, check out LoveMorzineLesGets.com
You’ll find restaurants, bars, events, trail guides, bike shops and spas. Off the bike and on, there’s plenty to keep you busy.
The new Chavannes Express opens fully from 5th July.
Looking forward to heading back to Morzine this August. As always, I’d be keen to hear if anyone has any tips for non bike park “down country" trails in the PdS area. I’m old and broken, so jumpy “feature" downhill trails aren’t for me. Bike park green, blue, and reds are all good, but I do like lift access singletrack trails. I’ll be the fella with the non full face helmet in the lift queue ;).
I’m tempted to call by the STW chalet for a 502 club coffee 😉☕
@ambrose
Where would you recommend as the best natural trail in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz? Has to be legal? Rides that really show what each area has to offer.
Cheers
Sanny. Ps 502 always welcome!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry. Gas to be legal should have been a statement and not a question. 😆
My favourite bike park, but still quite natural feeling in places trail has been the Goat Trail from Avoriaz down to Les Lindarets. Not as good now as it was for PPdS#1. I did go on a nice guided trail from the top of the Les Gets Chavannes Express lift – La Tour du plateau de Loex. Nice and rooty on the way down after the initial painful climb.
@Sanny- how much detail do you want?
We all want lots of detail …
Our brief on this trip is specifically less of the park/DH stuff.
@Mark. That’s my brief every time. Please share anything and everything you dig up. When are you peeps going to be there?
12-17th June.
We are taking a gravel bike too 🙂
Good good. That hopefully means you can pass on all that non-DH goodness before I head out there in August @Mark 😃
I am very definitely a wheels on the ground rider, so any airtime is big air afaiac which to many might seem to be the antithesis of the riding somehow expected in the Alps. So I suppose the best way to look at the question about the best XC ride is to think which trail I’m looking forwards to the most when I visit in August and why that should be so. It’s not a difficult decision to be honest and anyone who’s ridden with me will probably know already where we’re going.
The lift pass areas (Avoriaz, Chatel, Super Morzine, Les Gets etc…) are very much based upon the winter season which might be good for local bikepark riding but they don’t really match up with summer XC riding; one of the reasons that for a fortnight or longer visit we tend to go for the six day ‘non-consecutif’ pass and then top it up as and when. The whole area passes are well worth it but a bit of pre-planning one can save a bit of cash that can then be converted into for example, a croque messieurs in one of the many cafes.
Fly or drive? It’s not much of a difference coming from south Wales but we generally combine with a visit to family elsewhere in France so driving is our usual M.O. It lets us bring loads of useful stuff we might or might not need in the Berlingo and super conveniently it lets us access places that might otherwise be awkward if for example the weather changes for the worst. Flying however is quick, efficient and very well catered for with loads of providers of accommodation (who may very possibly sort those essential lift passes for you) and the transfers to and from Geneva airport to your pre-booked Morzine/ Les Gets/ Avoriaz accommodation. It’s just over an hour’s drive from Geneva to Morzine, maybe a bit less to Les Gets and a then a bit more if you are up in Avoriaz.
For an XC day, a favorite would be to start up the Super Morzine bubble lift and then hop straight onto the Zore lift. On the way up you can size up the many DH runs and perhaps take one in; there is such a wide range of lines to choose from so it might be seen rude not to. On the ridge at the top breathe in the air, take in the view but be prepared; this just gets better and better as the day goes on.
It’s going to be a wrench not to ride any of the Super Morzine trails so maybe take the super-mega flow that is the Soylent Green trail and then catch the Serraussaix lift back up to the ridge and continue onwards to Avoriaz. If you miss the turning on the right onto Soylent Green- no worries, just continue up and along the ridge, maybe picking blueberries and take in views up here are absolutely stunning- look northwards to the high snows on the Mont Blanc massif or closer, down to Morzine and the Pleney hiding all its steep slippery fun in the trees down opposite.
At the Col de La Jou Vert cross the tarmac and drop down The Goat, skirt the hairpin and then keep on keeping on all the way through the trees with glimpses to the left of Les Linderets way down below. It’s shown on Trailforks as ‘Transfer Mossettes’ popping out into the meadows at Les Broncheaux. La Refuge d’Abricotine at the bottom end of the ‘French’ Mossettes lift never disappoints, the short walk up to the cascade falling off the cliff into the meadow is definitely worth it.
The Mossette chairlift is the longest uplift in the area and crosses the border into Switzerland. At the top there will probably be folks taking memories up there, it’s a jaw droppingly beautiful view even if it’s a bit industrial close by at Pointe du Mossettes itself.
It’s a steep and loose gravel track to descend anti clockwise from the summit past a load of ski netting: it’s quite a way down, just keep turning left. The VTT (MTB) and walking routes intersect in a couple of places so stick to the proper route down to Lac Vert (a swim maybe? but beware of the nibbly little fishes by the shore.)
La Refuge de Cheserey is just the best. Great food and drink and you can see for miles. It’s just within the Swiss border but will take Euros as well as Ch Francs. Take cash. I’m planning to spend the night here one day.
It’s all about the GR5 now, one of the Grand Randonnee paths through Europe which in its entirety runs from Nice to The Hoek of Holland. The section here passes through high flora rich meadows on a specific VTT path with the walkers path off to the left. After the initial climb it’s just wonderfully smooth fast flowy swoopy fun down to the DH runs above Les Linderets on this side of the ridge and Les Chalets de Plaine Dranse on the other. So screaming down to Les Linderets it is.
Down the road is the pungent ‘Goat Village’ where it’s best to keep your wheels clean if you can because the fast tarmac descent will soon flick your tyres clear…
After a few kilometers of ultra fast tarmac descending with added hairpin shortcuts to possibly overtake those pesky cars there’s a huge! carpark off to the left. Peel left just past here down to Les Cascades d’Ardent and onwards into the forest with Lac Montriond to your right. Out of Les Alpages, the high meadows and back into the forest and glory be- it’s ice-cream time at the bottom end of the lake with added donkey rides too if you fancy it.
Catch a very short section of tarmac heading right from the bottom end of the Lac Montriond carpark and then drop left down a ramp off the lane onto a rocky track beside the stream towards Montriond village. It’s an absolute blast with that gorgeous little stream racing you down. I’m never sure who’s faster but who cares if the water wins this time.
At the busy junction at La Glière cross the road and head via the tennis courts or sawmill to the river Dranse in the valley bottom. The gentle path up to Morzine is a nice counterpoint to the earlier sections of the route winding gently up through the riverside fields and woods. Once back in Morzine sports centre carpark catch the lift (like, a normal lift) back up to start.
I always really the ride. Throughout there are loads of possibilities to catch a variety of runs especially early on around the Super Morzine, as well as in the Avoriaz and Linderets areas. It’s very easy to drop down here and catch a lift back up there if you feel like it. Just don’t end up on the Swiss side after the lifts close.
For me, my fav trails are:
– the one @Ambrose mentioned above from Les Mossettes, past Lac Vert back to Les Lindarets
– from Col De Bassachaux (top of Chatel bike park) down to Les Lindarets. There is also a more difficult, longer section of the trail which turns right instead of left and descends to Ardents, where you can take a bubble back to Les Lindarets.
– from the top of the Zore lift, down towards Les Lindarets from, but then round the hill and pick up the trail down towards Montriond
– the trail from Mount Cherry around the hill and off towards Essert Romand.
but also, some of the bike park trails are very singletrack-y. The new red and blue trails from Avoriaz down towards the golf course,e and also there is one from Avoriaz down towards Les Lindarets are excellent. I think it’s called Dans le forêt? The red and black are great. Personally, I hate the blue trail which simply seems to exist to rattle my fillings loose.
@johnhe – the trail from Mount Cherry around the hill and off towards Essert Romand.
Is this trail open? It’s been a while since I was last there but it looked pretty much land slipped away in one of the gully crossings. It’s showing on Trailforks but there’s no recent info.
The ridge from Encrenaz followed by The Gully of Dreams down into Essert Romand is an absolute delight.
@Ambrose; I rode the trail last year – the one round Mount Chery, to Encranaz and then down to Essert Romand. It was all fine last summer.
That’s good to know, many thanks. We had an issue there a while back when Son#2 took a big fall down the gulley. Potentially life-threatening but somehow he just got away with a whole bunch of cuts and grazes despite falling a long old way.