Region of Portes du Soleil is the home to largest bike park in Europe. The facts and figures are certainly impressive, because it gathers into one big system of trails places like Les Gets, Chatel, Le Pleney or Champery. Together they offer over 600 km of bike trails, easy accesible with the help of 25 different lifts. Does this size and popularity also come with quality? Which of the bike parks offers the most interesting trails? Today I will take You to the Chatel bike park, which is located in the French part of the Portes du Soleil. For those planning to visit this region, I recommend also taking a look at our other articles about bike parks in the area: Morzine and the Avoriaz bike park, Les Gets and Le Pleney, Morgins, Champery and Les Crosets.
Chatel
Chatel is a small town located in the north of the French Alps, right next to the French-Swiss border. In the summer, Chatel, or more precisely the local bike park, attracts riders from all over the world. It is worth noting that bike park is not located in the town itself, but a few kilometres away. The lower station of the first of the lifts of bike park is located in Pré-la-Joux. From the town, you can get there by your own car or by city buses equipped with bike trailers. During our visits to Portes du Soleil, the base for exploring the entire region was mainly Morzine, although we also spent some time in town of Chatel while, participating in the Pass Portes MTB 2024 event, and later in the cheese festival. You can read more about the attractions of Chatel and its surroundings on touristic blog Bałkany Rudej.
Thanks to the amazing network of bike trails in the Portes du Soleil region, you can get even from Morzine to the Chatel bike park by bike. You just need use the lifts and connecting routes of the Avoriaz bike park. From the Lindarets valley, the Chaux Fleurie lift takes you straight to the upper part of the Chatel bike park. From the same place, you can take the Mossettes lift straight to Switzerland, where there are 3 more bike parks: Les Crosets, Champery and Morgins. Using the lifts, you will be able to get to these places much faster than bypassing the Alpine peaks by car. A good option to get from Morzine directly to Chatel, for example, is to drive to the Les Lindarets valley. From there, just one lift will take you straight to the upper part of the Chatel bike park.
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Chatel – Best bike park for experienced riders
Chatel is a legendary biking place on the map of Europe. Almost every year, new films are made here with incredible jumps and transfers done by the best freeriders in the world. Of course, social media is one thing, and visiting such a place is something else. However, I can personally confirm that if I could choose only one bike park from the entire Portes du Soleil region to return to, it would be Chatel. The map of the resort shows us a network of 18 routes served by 2 lifts. As many as 12 of them are red-difficult and black-very difficult variants. The remaining 6 are blue and green routes, which are more beginner friendly. However, advanced riders will find even on those easy ones the additional take-offs and jumps. Additionally, close to the parking lot there is also the Slopestyle zone and the famous Reboul Jumps. There are so many options to ride here that even in 2 full days of riding in Chatel it may be hard to try everything. Beginners will be able to test their skills on several variants of descents, but only the most advanced riders will be able to use the full potential of the chatel bike park.
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Bike Park Chatel – What is new for 2024
While in Chatel, I wanted to check out the new features prepared for this season. Thanks to the local tourism organization, I had the opportunity to spend some time with the head of the team that manages the bike park. During a short break from his duties, Remi told me a little about how his job looks like and what awaits for riders in the 2024 season. The most important change for me personally is the reconstruction of my favorite trail, the Black Shore. The wooden features were not ready yet for me to test them then, but now the refreshed trail is already opened. The course of the trail is similar, although some obstacles, including the last river gap, have grown up a bit. Other new features include the reconstruction of the Panoramic route, which was previously marked as green, and is now blue. In the upper part, there is also a new Eterlou route, which is intended to be a nice flow line. I also received information that the team will soon start marking out a completely new trail in the upper part in the cooperation with freerider Vinny T. However, the effects of this cooperation will not be visible until 2025. Besides all of mentioned, the main mission for the team is to maintain the already huge network of trails.
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Bike park Chatel – Easy trails – Panoramic and Vink Line Lower
The easiest variants of the Chatel bike park are the Panoramic trail in the upper part of the resort and the lower section of the Vink Line. Both are interesting options that beginners can handle, but advanced riders will not be bored either. These can also be good options for a morning warm-up. Panoramic trail will require a bit of pedaling at times, but as the name suggests, it will reward you with beautiful views. Several alternative take-offs on the route will not let you get bored on the way down. Interestingly, Panoramica was marked as green trail in 2023, now it is officially a blue route. Its middle section has been modified and the flying options have been tweaked. The only green variant at the moment is the lower section of the legendary Vink Line. The route is fully passable for everyone it leads mostly thru very gentle descent. However, if you decide to let go of the brakes, pump out the speed and take off sometimes, then entire sections of gentle rollers will turn into countless jumps and transfers, and the entire track will change from nice and easy into a serious jump line.
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Bike park Chatel – Blue Trails – Fluid, People, Serpentine and Vink Line middle
The next level is the blue routes. These are mainly wide flow lines with countless large berms, rollers and some jumps. By design, the speeds on these trails are higher and the jumps are longer. Alternative take-offs on these blue trails may surprise you, because for expample this is where you can find a large gap above the river visible from the lower lift. Of course you can go around the largest obstacles with smaller versions on their sides, but you have to be aware that not all obstacles have the option to ride them thru. My favorite blue trail is the Fluid variant, which is exceptionally fast and offers several pretty big jumps, like the one on a large step-up or an equally large drop. The People variant also delivers good fun. This is where the previously mentioned gap over the river is located. The most options for jumps can be found on the Serpentine trail, but you have to reckon with the fact that in several places there are short climbs on the way. Unfortunately, the middle part of the Vink Line was in the worst condition and with the high speed possible there, it required a lot of effort to maintain control of the bike. However, this variant was supposed to undergo a major renovation, so it is possible that a new version of that trail is already done.
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Bike park Chatel – Red Trails – Vorachatak, Vink Line Upper, Haute Tension, Flash and Ric et Rac
The upper part of the Chatel bike park offers four different variants marked as red ones, so difficult. One of the first trails I tried was the Haute Tension route. This is an interesting sinlgetrail with a more natural character. Among the rather tight berms there are also some rocky sections. At the beginning of the 2024 season it was perfectly prepared. It was this route that the main EDR race (Enduro World Cup) went along at the end of the 2023 season. Another interesting variant that I really liked is the Vorachatak. It begins with this pleasantly winding single trail. But in its middle part a nice jumping section begins with drops, gaps and transfers.
One of the most famous trails in the Chatel bike park is Vink Line. Its upper part is marked as red. During my visit at the beginning of the 2024 season, it had just been renovated and offered phenomenal riding with high speeds and awesome jumps. However, riding it live, verified my desire to repeat some of the transfers done by the pros. Unfortunately, this section is also exposed to the wind and at the speeds you reach there, you have to know what you are doing and be careful not to overdo it. On the day of my ride, the trail was closed for almost 2 hours for medic team to pick up an unfortunate guy who had overdone it on the road gap.
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In the upper part of the Chatel bike park, there is one totally new variant, described as Eterlou. I had the opportunity to ride it during the Pass Portes MTB 2024 event. At the beginning of the season, this trail seemed unfinished because despite the nicely prepared berms, there was not much going on on the straights. I suspect that more obstacles will be created on this trail in the future. In the lower part of the resort, the only red variants are Flash and Ric et Rac. First one deviates from the Serpentine route and is an interesting alternative to the upper part of the People trail. The steep and winding path, with a more natural character, was prepared mainly for the previously mentioned EDR race from 2023. After riding Flash trail you can also turn for the Ric et Rac route, which offers several large gaps, tables and transfers.
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Bike park Chatel – Black Trails – Gueps, Dre dans l’Pentu, Coup d’Fouet, Bike Patrol i Cha-Nada
To get to those trails, you need to take a short ride on the Serpentine route. All of them are located on the steepest face of the mountain surrounding the Chatel bike park and require great skills and good bike control. The first turn is the Gueps trail, which greets us with a few large gaps, and then steep downhill trail take us straight to the Ric et Rac trail. Next option is the beginning of the Dre dans l’Pentu route, which I haven’t tried myself, but it probably offers a similar character to gueps. The next exit is Coup d’Fouet trail. It starts with a big drop and a few tight turns. Then a short ride along the ridge and then a very steep descent into the valley. The next option is the Bike Patrol trail, which offers an interesting natural descent with a few steep section on the rocks. The last black option in this part is the Cha-Nada trail. It seems to me the most technical and difficult. Steep descents with carpets of roots sometimes traverses the slope. There is also an interesting drop transfer and few jumps.
Bike park Chatel – Black Trails – Zougouloukata, Black Shore
The Zougouloukata trail is located below the previously mentioned steep mountain wall. You can get to its beginning via the Gueps descent or the Ric et Rac trail. The main difficulty here are large jumps, drops and transfers. High speed and great faith in your skills are required. As a reward, there are several nice flights here. At the end of the trail, you reach the blue Fluid variant, from which later you can turn onto the Black Shore route. This short section, led by wooden footbridges, drops and interesting transfers, is my absolute favorite when it comes to fun on a bike. What is important is the fact that in 2024, the Black Shore was rebuild and some obstacles are now bigger and allow You to carry more speed. Since this trail can be the end for many different descents of the Chatel bike park, during my visit in 2023, I rode it a total of a dozen times and each time I had fun like a child. This is also where famous clip from You Tube is made. You need to be carefull with speed and take a good line but this technical ride mixed with nice jumps is simply amazing and gave me a lot of fun.
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Bike park Chatel – Black Trails – Komatrautrail, Air Voltage, Slopestyle i Reboul Jumps
On the other side of the valley than the black variants described above, there are more black trails. The Komatrautrail and Air Voltage descents have to be reached by a short ride on the asphalt road. From one of the asphalt serpentine, we enter the Komatrautrail variant. This is a difficult and technical descent with a natural character. It is led over numerous rocks and roots sections, but of course there are also some profiledberms and a few jumps. This is another trail that was used as a Special Stage during EDR 2023. After riding a short fragment of it, you can turn onto the Air Voltage variant. There You will have large jumps with gaps, drops and wooden transfers. Personally, due to lack of strength and time to unlock further obstacles, I didn’t try all of it, but if I will have time in the future, then would be amazing to check it out, because it looks impressive. Both descents connect near the Slopestyle zone, and here you will find few more jumps, transfers, drops, a dual track and much more. Also close to the parking lot there is famous big jump line Reboul Jumps. If You love to fly on some big features in Chatel You will feel like You are in paradise.
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Bike park Chatel – My second visit – 07.2024
My second visit to the Chatel bike park was at the beginning of July 2024. Unfortunately, the beginning of the 24 season was not kind in terms of weather and in order to have the best possible conditions here, I had to postpone riding until the last moment of the trip. Eventually, I managed to have a sunny day, but some parts of the trails were still very wet. Some of the descents were still under renovation and were closed. Unfortunately, one of the closed trails was my favorite Black Shore. I also did not manage to visit the closed Air Voltage and the soggy Coup d’Fouet. But on the other hand, the Serpentine, People, Fluid, and Haute Tension trails were mostly renovated and offered a great ride. The renovated upper section of the Vink Line was so amazing. I could fly over there at full speed in the perfectly smoothed berms. I planned two days of riding in Chatel, but unfortunately on the second day around noon a heavy downpour came, after which I gave up on further discovery of new things. I definitely have to come back here for more, and again I need more time.
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Bike park Chatel – my first visit – 08.2023
At my first visit to Portes du Soleil I went to Chatel bike park on the 3rd day of my stay in Morzine. I was already well warmed up, although also a bit tired. My inner drive to explore all of possible trails and routes worked well both in Avoriaz and Les Gets. In Chatel it was definitely more difficult. Usually I feel comfortable even when I discover new trails and their various elements by myself. In the previous places I had no problems with unlocking most of the obstacles just after 1 look. Chatel sets the bar much higher and it is clearly best to ride here with someone who knows these routes and will lead you through various options of take-offs, transfers and big jumps. Unlocking every elements of the trail by yourself was a very big challenge here. And although I am still happy with my ride, I had to let go of a few tempting options. Constantly stopping and checking what, where and how do I need to ride it killed the fun a bit, so on the second day I’d stuck more to the medium-difficult variants where I could really enjoy my ride. Coming here with a teammate, it is definitely worth spending more time in this place. As for the end of August, the trails were in good condition, although of course you can’t count on a complete lack of breaking bumps. However, the trail crews work here non-stop, constantly closing and opening new sections. The place is big and every day packed with riders. You can see that the dig crew is working hard to keep the trails in good condition throughout the season.
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Bike park Chatel – The infrastructure
The Chatel Bike Park maintains a high level of infrastructure and preparation for bikers, just like the entire Portes du Soleil region. Both lifts are fast. They take 2 riders with their bikes on every seat and even if I saw some queues, it was going really fast. During my visit in August, everything went very smoothly and the longest I had to wait in the queue to enter was 3 minutes. There are also clean toilets, drinking water fountains, and a big choice of bars and restaurants. Basic tools are available at the upper lift stations, and there is a small shop and bike service in the car park at the bottom. The trail markings are simple and easy to read. It is worth checking the route map on an ongoing basis, which shows which variants are currently closed and which are open. It takes into account repairs, but also temporary route closures when, for example, someone needs medical help or rescue. It is also worth checking the official web site of Chatel. There You can find all the info about every zone and trail. Also in the Chatel city center, there is a interactive map that shows which trails and lifts are currently opened. But if You will search for the place tu sleep, You need to have in mind that Chatel bike park is few kilometers away from Chatel city center.
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Portes du Soleil – Bike pass prices
Whole region is connected to one system so everytime You will buy bike pass, it will work in all of the area. A one-day pass for adult in the 2024 season costs EUR 34. Of course, there are also several-day options available. 6 days of riding costs EUR 185, and 13 days costs EUR 348. These are not very expensive, considering that this pass entitles you to use all bike parks in the Portes du Soleil region on the French and Swiss sides. The prices are not much higher than in Poland or the Czech Republic and definitely lower than, for example, in Leogang in Austria (approx. EUR 57/day). The prices showed are valid when purchased thru online system. Directly at the ticket office, it is a few EUR more expensive. Interestingly, bike passes also entitle you to enter other cable cars that operate in the summer for tourists outside the bike parks. So when You plan rest day from riding, you can go on a trip on the lift leading to the Point de Nyon viewing platform, the gondola in Chatel, or the Prodains cable car.
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Portes du Soleil – France and Switzerland
Portes du Soleil region is located in the Alps, and covers the terrain of France and Switzerland. In winter, it brings together a total of 12 smaller resorts, serviced by 208 ski lifts connected into one system. In summer, bikers take over these areas, and with one pass they can use the entire network of trails in places such as: Les Gets, Le Pleney, Avoriaz, Chatel, Les Crosets, Champery and Morgins. The last three are located in Switzerland.
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Bike park Chatel – Summary
I have heard from many people that Chatel is the best bike park in Europe for them. I think I can personally confirm this choice, although with a clear addition that it is best for experienced or very experienced riders. Those who do not fly big things, strange transfers and stick to rational speeds on descents will not be able to discover the full potential of this place. On the other hand, amateurs who visit the Portes du Soleil region should also go on a trip along the Panoramic route and the lower section of the Vink Line. Personally, what I liked most about Chatel was the mix of technical and steep descents with big jumps. Although it is not the largest possible bike park, the number of descents allows for very interesting combinations of different trails. However, this is one of those places where you have to know your limits and it is worth being careful not to overdo it. As I mentioned at the beginning, if I could now return to only one bike park from the Portes du Soleil region, it would be Chatel. However, if I only had a few days of riding in this region again, I wouldn’t give up riding in Avoriaz, Les Gets, Pleney or Switzerland. In any case, I definitely recommend a visit to the Chatel bike park.
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More materials about Portes du Soleil region:
- 43ride: Morzine i Avoriaz Bike Park
- 43ride: Les Gets i Le Pleney
- 43ride: Morgins bike park
- 43ride: Champery and Les Crosets bike park
- 43ride: Pass Portes MTB 2024
- Travel Blog Bałkany rudej (only in PL) – Chatel rowerowo, biegowo i kulinarnie
- Travel Blog Bałkany rudej (only in PL) – Jak zaplanować aktywny urlop w Morzine? Praktykalia!
- Travel Blog Bałkany rudej (only in PL) – Atrakcje Morzine i okolic – przyrodnicze cuda i punkty widokowe
- Travel Blog Bałkany rudej (only in PL) – Morzine aktywnie: jazda w bike parkach, bieganie, trekkingi
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About Portes du Soleil
Portes du Soleil region is the home to the largest bike park network in Europe. It connects such legendary places as Chatel, Les Gets, Avoriaz, Champery and a lot more. One pass for the whole area will give You acces to more than 600 km of bike trails which are operated by 25 different lifts.
Official website: www.portesdusoleil.com/
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