Amie's muchbetter guide to mountain biking in Morzine

26th June 2011

Amie has been mountain biking in Morzine for a while now, so check out what she has to say about it...

The background.
When you are thinking of going on a mountain biking holiday in Europe there are a handful of places that come to mind, but none that rival the facilities of picturesque Morzine, France.

Situated an hour from Geneva airport in the French Alps, Morzine is part of the Portes Du Soleil area, which is made up of 12 towns and villages, across France and Switzerland. They are connected by 24 chair lifts which can take you and your bike on an adventure of a lifetime.

Road riding is popular (there was a Tour De France hill stage in 2010), and XC riders can be seen on the surrounding hills on any given day in Morzine, but my passion and reason for existing here is for the unbeatable world class Downhill Tracks.

The Portes Du Soleil has been home to many top downhill events including the Swiss and French Nationals, the IXS European Cup in Chatel and the UCI World Cup in Les Gets and Champery.

The World Championships are in Champery in September 2011. Morzine’s central location and diverse riding attracts many of the worlds’ top downhill riders who make the town their home and train here during the summer months.

The riding.
The new riding area called the Chatel Bike Park, and the Les Gets Bike Park, are both easily accessible from Morzine and have some exceptional facilities to help improve your riding skills.

Apart from Chatel’s large selection of technical and challenging trails, including some intrepid north shore, it has a pump track, drop off practice area and dirt jumps. It also hosts some unique and exciting competitions including big air and freeride events such as Mountain Style. An air bag can often be found just over the hill in the Lindarets for those of you who want to try something a little bit crazy without the prospect of a hard landing!

Les Gets has a range of clearly marked trails for all abilities, including family trails, as well as a park area with practice burms, table tops, wall rides and a four cross section. It is also a Kona Park where regular dirt jump big air events are common place, as well having Kona test days where anyone can come and test Kona’s latest bikes.

On the days that you fancy a little more of an adventure, a trip over to the Swiss areas such as Les Crossets and Morgins offer another world of downhill, which are normally quieter and smoother than those nearer to Morzine. Accessed by several chair lifts, a little peddling then followed by more downhill trails, the Swiss side of the Portes Du Soleil offers some amazing mtb trails and single track riding.

Morzine itself has some of its own infamous downhill biking tracks, with The Pleney being the star attraction. Starting at the top of the Pleney Gondola, a few sharp, fast and flat corners lead you into the first tight and muddy section in the trees. Following a few jumps and some fast but rocky burms you are left facing the legendary ‘Ten Percenter’, a steep rutted section of track where a bit of bottle and good brakes are essential. The track then speeds back into the trees to the hip jump which leads into the tunnel, which is then followed by some steep fast rooty sections until you end up on the fire road. After a bust along this long straight you are in sight of the finish line, with only a few loose corners, a jump and bridge to cross to take you back to the bottom of the gondola.

The apres-bike.
After a days riding there’s nothing like a a beer and BBQ down at Lake Montriond, where local riders can often be seen launching themselves into the water off of home made wooden jumps!

Morzine has its own some great evening venues to relax after a days exploring. A stop at Bar Robinson, which serves the infamous Mutzig beer, is a must before the journey home. Late night venues such as the Cavern Bar are a great place to relax, have a beer and watch some downhill movies on the bars tv screens.

Planning an Mountain Bike Holiday in Morzine?
There are a handful of friendly mountain bike specific holiday operators that are based in Morzine and offer a mix of catered and self catered accommodation to suit every budget. View Accommodation in Morzine. You can contact them direct through us to avoid commissions.

There are several bike shops in Morzine that have high quality bikes and parts for sale and rent, if you haven’t quite got around to buying your own downhill bike yet. All of these shops also have their own mechanics to help you when you’ve had ‘one of those crashes’.

Lift passes are also reasonably priced. A variety of passes are available from half days to full season passes. A week pass will cost approximately €82 and a season pass will set you back only €164.

The town also offers a range other activities to suit all the family so you don’t have to give up that amazing MTB holiday! Morzine has some excellent shopping, bars, coffee shops and traditional Savoie restaurants. There is a swimming pool, ice rink, tennis courts, rafting, arial assort courses, horse riding, golf and hiking to name a few.

If you want to experience a new adventure every day, never ride the same trail twice, with some traditional Savoie charm, awe inspiring cycling events and maybe even spotting your favorite downhill star on the hill then Morzine is certainly not to be missed.

Amie is the dirty girl behind Dirty Girls Ride, a biking group based in Morzine which is putting women on the downhill map. 

Been inspired? Why not check out our cycling and bike holidays page and start planning your trip! You can also find more info on chalets in Morzine through our ski chalets in Morzine page - don't worry, many of them operate in the summer too!

Got something to say? Be it about Morzine or somewhere completley different, we would love your input into the muchbetter guides. Contact us to find out about different ways to get involved.

Other Useful resources:
http://en.portesdusoleil.com/winter.html
http://www.mountainbikeparkchatel.com/
http://www.bikepark-lesgets.com/accueil.html
http://www.bikepark.ch/
http://www.passportesdusoleil.com/

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