Summer Euro Alps Trip Planning (Morzine, Les Gets, etc)

I travelled there for a riding trip with a couple of friends last year over the second half of August. We flew from Calgary to Paris, rented a van so we could haul our bikes around and stayed in Scionzier (about 30-40 minutes from Morzine, but about the same distance we have to drive to our local trails, so not a big deal at all). It ended up saving us around $1000 (give or take a bit) in accommodations over a couple of weeks. It also meant we were about 30-40 minutes from Chamonix or Geneva if we wanted to do some stuff on off days when we weren't riding. We had a couple of rain days, so that worked perfectly. It was also kind of cool to zip over to Courmayeur, Italy for dinner one night. 

We managed to get some good deals on things and all of us were able to pay for flights with points, etc, so I'm pretty sure our two weeks in France ended up costing less than what a week in Whistler would be. Lift tickets were around half the cost of Whistler. 

With the exception of two days, we parked in free, underground parking in Morzine every day, about a block from the Pleney gondola, which gets you access to Pleney Steeps, Mainline, etc and also a pretty easy traverse over to Les Gets. It was also just a few blocks from the Super Morzine gondola, which gets you access to Avoriaz and (after a few lifts), Chatel. The riding 

Weather wise, I think it was up to 37-39 degrees celsius in the days leading up to our trip, however I think the warmest we got was 25-26, with a few rain days that put some moisture back in the ground. I don't think we could have asked for better, especially in August. 

Because our trip was the last two weeks in August, it was cool to see the set up of the world cup stuff in Les Gets and to walk around the pits, see pros riding around, etc in the week leading up to the races. Unfortunately, we were on our way home on the first practice day, so didn't get to watch any of the practice/races. I think Les Gets would probably be the wildest stop to watch, just for the crowds and atmosphere. We also got to watch the Tour des Niares with Nico Vink and his crew at Chatel, which was very cool. 

The riding was super fun. Not necessarily the same kind of elevation you find in the Rockies, or Whistler, etc, but so much fun terrain. Pleney steeps are a blast. There are fun flow trails all over and Chatel has some wild stuff. More than anything though, the vibes are on point. Want to ride, sick. Want to sit on a patio of a local dairy farm, eating cheese and drinking a beer and watch people paraglide around the French Alps, they've got you. 

I'm not sure if I'll ever get the chance to go back, but will 100% recommend it to anyone who's considering it. 

Morzine is good but busy! I've heard a lot of the off piste stuff was getting shut down not sure if that is true or not. I honestly thought the actual bike park trails were bad. Les Gets feels like every trail is the same and is a blueish flow trail. Most of the bike park trails in Portes du Soleil area felt like the same style of trail. I am not saying all the trails are shit just the bike park ones everything right next to the bike park is good. The town of Morzine is easy to operate out of and your wife will like it. I went to the world cup 2 years ago and it was super fun. My wife and her friend came and they thought it was a good time as well but the queue for the lift were a bit longer than a few year before. 

I would stop a day in Chamonix and try to ride the midi with the wife then continue on to the Aosta valley. 

Go to La thuile the riding is insane the lift tickets are cheap and the food is better. 2 days up there would be easy. 

Then go to the town of Aosta. You can can ride Pila and the stuff outside of the park while she hangs out in a historic downtown. You can just ride over to the gondola and do pretty big laps all day. I did a guided day on Beca france trail and it was pretty sweet. It seems like there are a ton of other trails there as well. 

I did tran-savoie one year and we were mostly in haute-savioe and there was a ton of riding over there. Not sure most of the areas but Borg-saint-marie was one and it was really good. It worth to hire a guide in some of these places just to get a shuttle and not look at your phone constantly. I know they're running tour now as well instead of just the race.

I went to Morzine in 2023 and 2025 a week each time, I found Morzine to be a good base for sleeping as you can go very easy to les gets or go Up to super Morzine and the rest. plenty of good places to eat too.

 the trails in les gets in general are bikeparky obviously but there are alot of very cool off piste trails. 

went to Pila to times in my Life also, very good trails too but there is less to do in the town

Fly to Geneva, take shared shuttles and stay a couple of weeks in Morzine. Plenty of exceptional riding in PDS area for both dh/enduro and XC. Everything is reachable on the lifts with minimal pedaling. The very best is unmarked and not obvious to get to but heatmaps are a thing. On rainy days take public transport to Thonon or just chill/shop/enjoy life. Morzine is always busy with activities unrelated to bikes.

You don’t really need a car there, but having one will definitely make it easier to explore the region, do day trips towards Mt blanc etc. 

I would thoroughly recommend a day in Morgins if you're riding in the PDS region. +1 for Aosta valley too if you're in that area. 

I was there for 7 days riding in late June shortly after the full Portes du Soleil opened up. I easily could have ridden for another 5 days and been entertained. It was pretty much perfect weather and dirt the whole time, but holy that dirt can get greasy (it pissed the final day). It would be a different experience if you were there for a sopping wet week,

- Les Gets is a bit lame & bike parky I thought, but worth a day exploring, especially Mont Chery

- Pleney mainline and associated pirate trails are fucking incredible. This is what I rode the most as our chalet was right at the bottom. The contentious/closed trails that have gotten some bad attention lately drop into a different area altogether (and weren't that good in my opinon), and my understanding is that the umpteen good tracks around pleney mainline are still good to go. 

- Super Morzine is fucking incredible, especially Hattock. I wouldn't bother with the pirate trails down from the gondola. They were pretty "meh"

- Chatel is fucking incredible

- Champery is fucking incredilble

- Morgins was closed for a chairflift upgrade when I was there, but it also looks fucking incredible.

🤌🤌🤌

First of all, congrats on having a cool wife that suggests a dope trip like this, 

I was in Morzine for 2 weeks in august and then subsequently after in Champrey for World Champs. We flew in and out of Geneva, and hired Bike Morzine to cover our transfers and accommodation. They were a huge help and had very reasonable prices- lovely people that appreciate people coming to ride their home.

It was an incredible trip, and I plan on going back. We ventured to the parks listed by others. To be honest, I didn’t have a bad day of riding, whether it was riding some loamers in the numerous parks listed or the sanctioned bike park trails. We had downhill bikes only, and I was happy with that call- there’s some sizable features around PDS, especially Chatel, that I would have not been riding on a 160mm bike. 

I’m glad we didn’t stay in Les Gets, its much more touristy than Morzine. Awesome to hang out in for Apres or for an evening though. The Let’s Gets Bike park was the most mid out of all the areas, but even it had some brilliance and really fun jump trails. There’s numerous videos that outline the areas and experiences, but really, just go experience it. Hire a guide and then explore on your own. 

If you haven’t watched a World Cup in person, do it. The experience of seeing the circus at work is second to none. The speed and detail of not only the track, but also team dynamics in real life makes you appreciate it immensely, even if you’re apart of it. 

TLDR: The corners are mind expanding. Go to Satellite Coffee. End. 

About the closed off piste tracks, everything that ends up on the road from Les Gets to Morzine is now closed and you will most likely get fined for riding there if cought... Things in the main Le Pleney area are fine, you can find the map here https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/le-pleneys-off-piste-trails-to-close-450754

Some random notes from last summer trip to Portes du Soleil. Stayed in Morzine and ride 6 days.

The Super Morzine Shuffle
Get to the TC Super Morzine lift early at the morning 30min before opening or prepare for a 500m line. Even if you make the first bubble, you’ll likely hit a 30-minute bottleneck at TSD Zore. It’s "relaxing" to watch the staff wait around for the official opening time while the queue builds, but frustrating if you want to actually ride. This show is available luckily only at the morning.

The Seraussaix Lag
The lift is beyond any reasonable minimum capacity if there's more than 30 people riding that sector. Budget an extra 40 minutes for TSD Seraussaix when returning from Châtel or Champery back to Morzine. It feels massively underpowered for the afternoon rush. It’s hard to tell if the Super Morzine sector is just laissez-faire or if they simply don’t prioritize the biking season.

Unsanctioned Trails
Word is there’s a new agreement between trail management and the city. Authorities are tightening up on "off-map" lines, so I wouldn’t count on using them right now. Some local got fined but I understood there was history for reckless riding for many months. Congrats for this fine gentleman.

Les Gets & Mont Chéry
Les Gets is nice and easy-going bikepark. Not too much vertical. On the opposite side, Mont Chéry offers only two black trails and the lift feels a bit sketchy. There was no one riding in Mont Chery when we tried to ride the black trails as death-defying stunt.

Logistics (Avoriaz vs. Morzine)
Staying at the top in Avoriaz is the "extreme budget" and logistical winner, but it’s a ghost town. If you want any semblance of "life" or après-bike culture, you have to stay down in Morzine village. Morzine is the center of the PDS and easy to make trips to other bikeparks in the PDS. If you are looking 100% french experience the Morzine might sometimes feel like being in London due the great amount of british riders.

Châtel: The undisputed diamond of PDS with the fastest tracks in the region. 
Champery: The runner-up. Low crowds and great steep reds (if you aren't feeling the Coupe du Monde black). Grab a takeaway lunch from the local supermarket while waiting for the lift back up; it beats the mountain hut prices.
Morgins: Didn't visit as no one could define how to get back to for example Chatel. It's part of the PDS but lacks the logistics guidance

Some plans we didn't have time to ride:
Ride from top of Les Gets the trailforks trail "DH La Bourgeoise" down to village Samoens and go riding a day in Samoens bikepark
https://www.trailforks.com/trails/dh-la-bourgeoise/

Despite irrational French logic I would and will go there one day again.

Once you’re in the area, don’t forget to visit Verbier. I wouldn’t recommend staying there, as it’s really expensive, but the riding is top-notch.

Pretty much everything else has already been said. I gipsied in the van in this area for three months between jobs — one of the better life choices I’ve made. 😉

For Morgins you need transport as it isn't fully linked to the rest of the pds in the summer. It's a 10 minute drive from Châtel, much further from Little England.

pds is for people who don’t know anything better

It definitely appeals to herd mentality and the FOMO crowd.

Don’t let us wait too long for your list so that people can compare. Where would you go if you arrived from states?

Ya ya obviously there are lesser known gems across the alps, but if you're a downhill mountain bike rider,  PDS is probably as close to heaven as you can get.

When I was there in June, lines were non-existent (except on passports day) & the trails were empty and immaculate

You used to be able to take the bus from Châtel village up to the bike park? Obviously this assumes you have a bike you can pedal from Morgins to Châtel (not far and very doable on an enduro bike)

When we were there we pedalled from Chatel to Morgins and back on DH bikes, a bit of pushing, but it wasn't too terrible.

Summer 24 bus was still running from Chatel Village to the bike park, so getting back from Morgins won't be a problem.

Unless you actually want to be there for the DH I'd go any other time of the summer, trails will be quieter and accommodation more readily available. 

Pre-PDS is a good time to go, trails are in good condition and not quite so sun baked and rough, just don't go too early as not all area's open at the same time.

Try not to stay too close to l'Opera if you want a decent nights sleep on a Saturday night. 

I'm sure there's better places to ride in the alps, but I love Morzine, have been every year bar 1 since 2012 and have always had a good time.

if you fly to geneva i‘d go up the rhone valley and combine verbier, bellwald and aletsch in switzerland. you want to see the alpes, not the pre-alpes

If you're in the Geneva area, definitely try the Crozet/Lélex area. Small  but the trails are magic. 

Personally i dislike morzine/pds area these days. Been going for years, but recently had more fun at cluzas, bernex, carroz etc. The smaller quieter bikeparks in the vicinity.

Morgins is a gem though.

I did a very similar sounding two week trip last year with my wife (as well as 4 and 1 year old kids) centered around watching the Les Gets WC in August. Other than the WC, which was absolutely sick to see in person and I would 100% recommend doing, it was a bit less bike centered and more of adventuring around with the family. I will spare you most of the details but say we rented a sprinter and did have two adult bikes with us, on the way there at least...jury is still out on if travelling with the bikes was worth it depending on who you ask in our family 🙃 We flew into/out of Geneva and hit Annecy, Chamonix, Savona, Nice, Finale Ligure, and Les Gets. Definitely had it's challenges with the kids, but was a trip of a lifetime for sure. Happy to get into more details if you want to send a DM too. 

Went last year but only spent a day in morzine. Wasn't busy the first week of July and we pretty much rode straight onto all the lifts. Trails were fun and couldn't give you an idea of which ones we rode but it was unique to be able to ride to the different towns and back again. Topped off with a swim at the lake.

We flew into Milan as we were going to the La Thuile WC before spending the rest of the time in the Dolomites. Based our time in France in Saint Gervais outside of Chamonix as that gave a bit of a central location. Les Houches near there is supposed to be good riding. We took a mountain train up to above that park for some hiking looking down on Chamonix and at Mont Blanc. Chamonix is a worth a visit but it'll be busy. If it's nice the Aguille du Midi is good to do once but you're only doing it for the views. Past trips there I've take the train to up to the Mer de Glace then hiked down which is good day out.

Haven't ridden Pila but heard nothing but good things about it.

Hot take: put Davos on your list. When my wife and I rode bikes in Switzerland we both enjoyed Davos the most. Town is chill in the summer and the riding is world class. I’ve been itching to go back for years! 

Hey, I live in Chatel year round and have been here since 2012. If all you want to ride is bikepark then stick to your plan but definitely add Morgins to the list. You can access Morgins from Mossette lift and then get back by riding into Chatel village and taking a bus back to the Chatel bikepark. If you're interested in riding the lesser known but amazing singletrack around the PDS let me know and I'll show you around on my days off. I've also built +30 trails in between Chatel and la chapelle, some of which was used for the Chatel EDR. So if you like technical, steep, natural trails we can do those as well.

We've done this holiday as a family group several years in a row now. Wife, daughter and friends love morzine town as there's loads to do, nice little shops, cafes etc. Lots of off bike outdoor activities too - big public pool, tennis, via ferrata, white water rafting. I tend to get about 3 days riding and 3 days family time. At that point in the season, trails will be heavily braking bumped, big queues for super morzine area. Chatel has pretty serious airtime if that's your thing. As others have said Champerey is amazing, but takes a while to get to and from. Les gets less serious with fewer queues, wouldn't recommend staying there though. Pleney steeps are obviously amazing. Plenty of options for lift assisted tours especially round the back of Avoriaz. Be prepared for any weather from hot and dry to days of torrential rain. One year they closed the ski lift to Switzerland due to snow... Other local bike parks - La Clusaz is kinda fun and quiet for a day only, the enduro trails are pretty good but either a fairly long uphill push or an enduro bike pedal. Les Saisies is a bit meh, but amazing views. If you're there 2 weeks, it's probably worth heading to Samoëns /Morillon. There's a bus from there that'll take you back up to the top of Les Gets, so it can be done without a car. Normally, morzine chalet rental is not expensive as it's still more of a winter town. Big supermarket in town. Everything from nice restaurants to pizza takeaway.

We normally do a second week in Annecy, which is a lovely European town, with a very clean lake, shops, cafes, views. Normally 5-10 degrees warmer than morzine. They run a €5 public bus from Annecy bus station up to Semnoz 45 minutes uphill, which has some incredible steep enduro/hiking trails you can find on Trail forks. Normally my highlight of the trip, but easy to get lost! We normally rent a house down the lake from the town, as town can get busy. If you want variety, there's a load of good mountain hiking/climbing/scrambling from Annecy too.

Les Arcs is amazing for more natural/enduro trails, less so for bike park DH, but Bourg isn't the nicest town. Though you can stay in Peisey, which is nicer, but you'll use the car more. Still plenty of rafting, via ferrata round there for variety

That’s an awesome plan. Morzine/Les Gets is perfect for mixing park laps with XC and big alpine views, and then you can pivot to Geneva/Annecy for the culture side.

Late July through August is prime season. If you line it up with the Haute-Savoie UCI-DH round, that would be epic. Just book early since race week fills up fast.
From Morzine you’ve got easy access to Les Gets, Avoriaz, and even Champery, so tons of variety. We used loveholidays on a past Euro trip and found decent deals, but Alps peak season goes quick.

Hard to go wrong with that combo.