Mountain Biking in the French Alps

The French Alps boasts an unparalleled network of tracks, making it a premier mountain biking destination in Europe. With convenient flights to Geneva, Grenoble, and Chambéry, accessing the resorts is a breeze—often allowing you to hit the trails on the same day you arrive. Alternatively, embarking on a scenic drive offers the chance to connect multiple resorts for an epic biking holiday, all while bringing along your own gear for the ride.

The opening dates for all the summer lifts vary and are subject to change due to weather conditions and snow coverage. As a general rule, they're usually open from early June to the end of August.

As on the ski piste, the downhill piste are color-coded:

GREEN: beginner level. Going with an instructor is recommended: a green level in mountain biking is not comparable to a green level in skiing
BLUE: initiated level
RED: advanced level
BLACK: expert level

If you would like to know more, including where to stay and rates, find inspiration below and call our friendly team of experts on 023 9283 9310.

Jump to mountain biking in Portes du Soleil | Les Deux Alpes | Tignes 

Mountain biking in Portes du Soleil

Open at varying point from June to September 2024

This is a very popular mountain bike area in the French Alps and includes 12 linked resorts with 600km of trails (75 downhill trails), including Les Gets, Morzine and Châtel, and 5 internationally renowned bike parks. You can purchase a Portes du Soleil MTB lift pass in the village for access to all 5 bike parks, which can be reached using over 20 mountain bike lifts open all summer! A score of Bike Patrols work daily on the facilities to ensure the safety and quality of the trails. There are also many mountain biking schools and equipment rental shops.

Châtel Mountain bike park: an area dedicated to mountain bike enthusiasts, developed on the Pré-la-Joux sector and accessible by the Pierre-Longue and/or Les Rochassons chairlifts. It offers about 20 downhill profile tracks of all levels of difficulty as well as several very fun areas. There is a kid’s shore, two slopestyle (including a pro) and a pump track.

Les Gets bike park: the resort of Les Gets has been a pioneering destination in cycling since 1992! Today, it is one of the world’s leading mountain bike spots, offering an exceptional Bikepark with 128km of marked trails, including for e-bike, and infrastructure for all levels.

Morzine bike park: Morzine's MTB facilities are on either side of the village; on the Super Morzine side (part of the Avoriaz sector) or the second side is on the Pleney, where the signposted tracks are on the main easier and aimed at a less experienced level of rider, from beginners to intermediate.

Avoriaz bike park: divided into 4 sectors: Seraussaix, Proclou, Lindarets (Lindarets + Chaux Fleurie) and Super Morzine (Zore). For the more adventurous, the Avoriaz mountain bike area has an E-VTT course that is an excellent playground. You’ll find linked enduro trails, DH trails, fun zones, hiking trails, picnic areas with barbecues available.

A date for the diary: The 20th Pass'Portes du Soleil will be held on the 28th, 29th and 30th June 2024! This is an organised mountain bike ride in both France and Switzerland where you can discover the Portes du Soleil terrain! There's an 80km route taking in 15 lifts! Find out more on the Pass'Portes du Soleil website.

Recommended stays...

Résidence Annapurna, Les Gets offers luxurious accommodation and a wide range of facilities and services, including an indoor pool and spa. It's in one of the best positions in Les Gets!

Hotel Le Cret, Morzine is a great base for any holiday. It has its own park, mini-farm and indoor/outdoor pools! A great option if you're looking for a hotel rather than a self-catered accommodation.

Les Chalets d'Angele, Chatel is a Directors' Choice residence offering luxurious apartments, an indoor pool and paddling pool. You may also find time to be pampered in the superb Ô des Cimes Spa!

Mountain biking in Les Deux Alpes

15th June to 1st September 2024

Les Deux Alpes is brilliant for mountain biking, with its huge mixture of trails for both those wanting to give it a go and pros. Highlights include family-friendly areas, green trails and more challenging red and black trails - experienced and more daring riders will enjoy Fury, a competition-level trail and the renowned piste de Venosc. You can buy your bike park pass in resort.

With 1,500 metres of vertical drop, going from altitudes of 2,400 metres to 900 metres in one fell swoop makes it one of the largest bike parks in the Alps with 103km of marked trails (21 tracks) and 4 lifts. There are also 4 E-bike itineraries for all levels. You will find a dedicated beginners area on Vallée Blanche sector.

Improvements for 2024/25 summer seasons:

• The end of the Ange green trail is being improved for greater comfort and safety. The original width of the run has been tripled so its a great downhill run for intermediate riders,
• The iconic Venosc (red) and Black Garden (elite) trails were reworked last autumn for their pre-opening on the 6th of April 2024,
• The Easy Park beginner area has relocated to a new site. It is now situated on the Diable side of the Viking piste. This move represents a strategic decision and offers a more fitting location for those learning downhill mountain biking,
• The blue trail: Pied-Moutet (Vallée Blanche sector), developed in 2023, has been completed for greater safety. The goal is to ensure accessibility to a wide range of riders, mirroring the accessibility of other trails in the Vallée Blanche sector.

A date for the diary: 21st to 23rd June 2024 sees Mountain of Hell return to Les 2 Alpes. It's a freeride downhill mountain biking competition open to international downhill experts as well as amateur riders! The event (minimum age 15 years old) attracts up to 700 riders annually and consists of two races plus a children's race (9-14 years old). The highlight of the event is 25km of downhill riding from the top of the glacier - there's snow, rocks, single tracks, steps, and sheer descents (2,500 vertical drop). Find out more and register on the Les 2 Alpes Tourist Office website.

For 2024, a new mountain bike race is starting! The very first edition of the Urban DH 1800 will take place on the 13th to 14th July. A great turnout is expected for this individual mountain bike race against the clock! Riders ready to do battle on a technical course in an urban area. Downhill profile with obstacles. This discipline offers a unique spectacle for the general public!

Please note: after 3 August 2024, renovation work on the Jandri Express will mean that it will no longer be possible to up to 3200m.

Recommended stays...

Hotel Côte Brune, Les 2 Alpes is situated in the heart of the lively resort very close to the main gondola. The hotel offers a B&B service, has a lovely terrace and a pool!

Lodge, Les 2 Alpes is located in the more bustling part of the resort and benefits from its own pool. The chalet sleeps up to 14

Chalet Alpen, Les 2 Alpes 2 x lovely chalets and perfect for groups as it sleeps 12 each! For your comfort, there is a private sauna, steam room and hot tub.

Mountain biking in Tignes

29th June to 1st September 2024

Tignes is situated high above the tree line and known for its fast, open, rocky trails. Part of the Tignes Val d’Isère mountain biking area and access to the 6 mountain bike lifts and slopes are included with the My Tignes activity card! Otherwise you can buy a day pass for the bike park in resort if you don't want the My Tignes card.

MTB in Tignes is for all levels of riders. You will find beginner and family trails, practise areas, full-on downhill and freeride tracks and miles of singletrack - all very well signposted.

There's also a bike park, a water jump and an airbag that you can practise on too, depending on how brave you're feeling, plus you can link up to neighbouring Val d'Isere really easily and make the most of up to 220km of great riding!

E-bike is the solution to make mountain biking accessible to as many people as possible. Equipped with your E-bike, you can explore the Tignes Natural Stadium in the heart of the mountain pastures. There are 5 circuits, of 3 progressive levels will allow you to evolve at your own pace.

Lifts:
In the Tignes area, the following lifts are open to mountain bikes:

Tovière gondola: access allowed to all
Palafour chairlift: access authorised for child bikers from 1.10m
Tufs chairlift: access authorised for child bikers from 1.10m
Fresse chairlift: access allowed to all

You can rent your mountain bike and the necessary protective equipment on site. If you wish to be accompanied by a professional, several mountain bike schools are able to offer you an instructor who will teach you the right reflexes to adopt when practicing downhill mountain biking. He or she can also help you perfect your technique in this sensational sport.

Recommended stays...

Santa Terra, Tignes Les Brévières is a prestigious residence, enjoying an ideal, quiet location in the centre of the traditional Savoyard village. There's an indoor pool, separate children's pool and spa facilities to unwind in.

Le Telemark, Tignes Le Lac is one of our Directors' Choice prestige residences located at the entrance of Tignes Le Lac. Facilities include an indoor pool and spa facilities.

Ready to book your mountain bike holiday? Need some advice? Have a look at our summer offers, browse our Alpine resorts, then call our team on 023 9283 9310 or request a quote and we will help you get summer sorted!

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