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 invite you to the city of Morzine and ride at the Avoriaz bike park. For those planning to visit this region, I recommend also taking a look at our other articles about bike parks in the area: Les Gets and Le Pleney, Chatel, Morgins and Champery and Les Crosets.
Portes du Soleil – France and Switzerland
The town of Morzine is located in the heart of the French Alps, close to the Swiss border. Its lower part lies in a deep valley, at an altitude of about 1,000 m above sea level, and the upper part, Avoriaz, at 1,800 m above sea level. Together they create the largest resort in the area and it is the heart of the Portes du Soleil region. In winter, it brings together a total of 12 different resorts, which are operated by 208 lifts combined into one masive system of ski slopes. In summer, these areas are dominated by bikers who can use the entire network of bike trails in places such as Les Gets, Le Pleney, Avoriaz, Chatel, Les Crosets, Champery and Morgins with one pass. The last three are located in Switzerland.
Morzine – The city
Morzine was already twice our main overnight place and a base for exploring the region and its possibilites. The resort may not be perfectly centrally located, but it offers easy access to most of the resorts of Portes du Soleil. With the help of lifts and connecting routes, you can easily get to Chatel and to Swiss resorts by bike and without driving the car. The city itself offers absolutely everything you need during your holiday. There are shops, restaurants, bars, accommodation of various standards, a swimming pool and many other attractions. When it comes to biking topics, you will find here a lot of well prepared bike shops, bike mechanics, bike rentals, and even the European headquarters of the Santa Cruz bikes with a room dedicated to the Syndicate team. Straight from the city center two different lifts start towards the bike parks Avoriaz/Chatel/Switzerland or Le Pleney/Les Gets. In short, Morzine it’s the perfect base from which You can explore the Portes du Soleil region by bike.
Super Morzine – Avoriaz Bike Park
Avoriaz Bike Park is the largest of the bike parks in Portes du Soleil. It has 19 downhill routes of varying difficulty, serviced by 6 different lifts. The entire bike park covers a huge area and is located along one long ridge and additionally on the slopes of the Lindarets Valley. The terrain we cover and the nature of the trails differ significantly depending on their location. The most flow and jump variants are located along the Zore lift. The gentle ridge is the kingdom of interesting flow lines, while the descents to the Lindarets Valley are definitely steeper and have more natural obstacles. If you are visiting Morzine and the Portes du Soleil region for the first time, in my opinion Bike Park Avoriaz is ideal for warming up and getting to know with style of trails here. From Morzine, you can easily get to the bike park trails by the Super Morzine gondola, which starts from the city center. If You are staying in Avoriaz, the routes pass right next to the resort. The next place where we can start the ride is the Lindarets Valley.
Bike Park Avoriaz – Whats new for 2024
Despite being the largest bike park in the Portes du Soleil region, Avoriaz is still developing its offer. The main novelty for the 2024 season is a completely new jump line in the central part of the bike park. The Chill Con Carne trail runs along the Seraussaix lift and is marked as red. The trail have plenty of interesting jumps, transfers and drop over the road. Some of the obstacles You can ride thru, but not all. Unfortunately, during my visit at the beginning of the 2024 season, the weather took its toll and although I managed to ride in Avoriaz at a sunny day, this trail was closed all day so that it could dry out after the previous downpours. So I only saw a few obstacles that look very good and I can only hope that I will be able to return some other time and check it by myself. Another novelty for the 2024 season is the fact that from the Lindarets valley towards Avoriaz, bikers now are going up by the Prolays lift, not Lindarets as before. In this zone, route no. 15 Dans La Foret has been cleaned up and reopened. In addition, minor improvements or some new things have been made on various trails. For example, on the Da Trail in the middle section, there are nice new transfers.
Avoriaz Bike Park – Zore / Super Morzine – Blue Trails
The Super Morzine Zone includes trails along the Zore chairlift. The terrain here is a relatively gently sloping mountain ridge, which the builders and shapers made good use of by creating a network of flow trails. I started my adventure with French trails with those marked in blue color. So Cap Canaveral and Tutti Frutti were my first choice. Both are twisted flow lines with plenty of table jumps and options to take off from the ground. The trails are smooth and very good for warming up, to get the flow. But by the popularity of these two main trails, there were bumps on some sections. Coming here, especially closer to the end of a season I already knew that they will be here, so it was no surprise. Shaping crews tried to fix some parts of the trails but it was so dry and dusty at that time, that it was hard do bring the propper shape. All in all it wasn’t that bad and definitely all the trails been ridable. Of the two blue trails at Zore, Cap Canaveral was in better condition and I could do a propper warm up on it. In its middle section there is also an option to go for the short air-line with one big jump called La Grosse Berth.
Avoriaz Bike Park – Zore / Super Morzine – Red and Black Trails
After the warm-up on the blue variants, it was time for the trails marked as red. While Racines Carree somehow did not charm me, I loved the Da Trail variant. Tight and technical, but sometimes also fast descent with great profiled turns mixed with some roots sections and a few small transfers. A great ride that quickly rise my appetite for more. I had yet to check Hattock trail marked as black. It turned out to be my absolute favorite when it comes to Avoriaz Bike Park. The route is a mix of large flights with a nice DH style segments thru the roots. There’s a little bit of everything here, from tight corners, through interesting jump sections, to steep and technical traverses. Good fun from start to finish. After unlocking all the obstacles on Hattock, I decided that I need to cool down for a while and it is a good moment to go and explore other zones of Bike Park Avoriaz.
Avoriaz Bike Park – Seraussaix – Stand High Patrol
From the upper station of the Zore lift, you can quickly reach other zones of the Avoriaz bike park. I could immediately go down the green variant, but I decided that I prefer to pedal a few meters and ride up to the blue trail called Stand High Patrol. After a few meeters on it, I realized that this was not such some simple touring or connector variant. If you let go of the brakes, you can have very good fun on various jumps and turns. There is even a wooden drop or an interesting step-up on the way. I think some bike parks could classify this trail as red, although of course all obstacles could be simply ridden thru or detoured. You can see that there are fewer bikers here than in the Zore / Super Morzine zone and the trail was in much better condition than the previous blue flow trails. The Stand High Patrol variant surprised me very positively and encouraged me to explore further zones of Avoriaz bike park. So I took the Proclou ski lift towards the Lindarets area.
Avoriaz Bike Park – Lindarets – Bleue des Brochaux
From the upper station of the Proclou ski lift there are beautiful views of the entire Avoriaz and the Alpine valley of Lindarets. I decided to explore further and went for a ride into the valley along the blue Bleue des Brochaux trail. This flowtrail showed a slightly more high-alpine single trail character. There were more rocks on the way . The views was amazing, but ride not as smooth as on the earlier descent. So I decided it was time for something more difficult.
Avoriaz Bike Park – Lindarets – Dans La Foret and Coupe De France
Along the Prolays lift there are two more difficult trails. The first one is the red Dans La Foret. It is an interesting enduro-style descent. There are no big obstacles here, but the smooth ride through the roots and rock sections can be some challange. The second trail is the Coupe De France. As I can guess from the name, a downhill competition for the French Cup was held here in the past. This is an interesting downhill trail that offers both faster sections but also steep and technical parts with some interesting rock sections. Due to steeper terrain, the nature of this trail is completely different than, for example, Hattock. A very nice addition and one of the most interesting trails in the area, in a slightly more natural style than those at Zore / Super Morzine area.
Avoriaz Bike Park – Lindarets – Chesery
The ridge, which is located at the upper station of the Chaux Fleurie lift, is the border of the Avoriaz and Chatel bike parks. I started slowly heading back towards Morzine along Chesery trail. This is another flowtrail marked in blue. This may not be the smoothest or most jumpy route in the bike park, but it leads through incredibly picturesque meadows and pastures. The ride is very pleasant, although unfortunately this variant does not reach the bottom of the valley and the entire lower part has to be ride down by a gravel road. Once I reached the bottom, it was time to head back towards the Super Morzine area. On the way, however, I had to pass through the Proclou zone.
Avoriaz Bike Park – Proclou – Wallibi
The start of the Proclou zone is a short, very gentle descent that offers great views of the resort of Avoriaz and the massive mountains in the background. Then you have to ride a short distance through the resort area on asphalt and gravel to reach a gentle traverse that goes around the local golf course. After a short descent you reach the Goupil and Wallibi trails. The first one is marked as a blue trail. Although there is no significant elevation here, the trail offers an interesting and technical ride. There are some sections with roots and also wooden footbridges in north-shore style appear here. The second trail is Wallibi, which is marked as red one. I would describe it as short but interesting. There are a few jumps here, as well as a few wooden footbridges, and some non-obvious drops. Despite the large number of riding on access roads, it is also worth checking out those two trails.
Summary Bike Park Avoriaz
All of the trails described above can be easily riden in one day. All the lifts and cable cars operate very efficiently here. The Zore lift is always the most popular, but even if the queue looks terible and reach the exit of the gondola lift, everything is smoothly and the maximum waiting time during my stays was 15 minutes. Some of the most popular flow trails were quite worn out and had some brake bumps on. The smallest amount of brake bumps was on the more difficult red and black trails. Some fragments have been freshly reshaped and in general it is clear that the shapers team has their hands full of work here. Previously, I’ also’ve heard opinion that Avoriaz bike park is boring and it is better to spend more time in Chatel or Les Gets. In my opinion however, it is a really good bike park with many different variants and I think everyone will find something nice for themselves here. My favorites here are Hattock and Da trail. Personally I started my adventure of discovering the Portes du Soleil region with full day at Avoriaz bike park and it was a great introduction to riding here. I have very fond memories from this first day. Also during my second stay in Portes du Soleil region in 2024 season I spent full day riding here. Also really cool thing with Avoriaz is fact that almost every week there is something happening to gather people and have some fun on the bike. There are organized sessions with Fox pro riders, special sessions on jumps, afternoon rides, or chainless pumptrack style racing. A lot of different events. When visiting the Avoriaz bike park, I definitely recommend seeing more of the area and riding further than just the Zore lift zone.
Infrastructure Avoriaz Bike Park
It is clear that all of the bike parks in Portes du Soleil region have been operating for a long time and simply offer everything that bikers need to be happy. Fast lifts, a simple system for loading bikes onto the lift and smiling staff who respond quickly and help if necessary. They also retrieve bikes at the upper station. Traffic is going very smoothly. Marking of all of the trails and connections to lift is excellent. Almost every upper lift station has a small service area and free to use tools. There are available bike washers, and in Avoriaz there is also an airbag jump for those who want to practice new tricks. There are several pubs near the Zore ski lift, in Avoriaz and in the Lindarets valley where you can rest and eat or drink something. There are toilets at every ski lift station.
Avoriaz Bike Park has its own “Avoriaz Up & Down” application on the smartphone where you will find current information on the operation of ski lifts and routes. An important element when exploring further areas is the storm risk indicator, which is located at the lower station of each lift. It should be taken into account that if a storm appears on the horizon, the staff may turn off the ski lifts and the return to Morzine may be difficult. During my visit, the risk was low, so I was free to use all transfers. As a complement to the bike park variants, there are also enduro/e-bike loops. There are also many marked trails available for hikers and trail runners. So many options to see and try that one week time isn’t enough to check them all.
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.
Avoriaz Bike Park – How to get there
The easiest option to get to the Avoriaz bike park if you stay in Morzine is to simply ride your bike to the Super Morzine gondola. If you choose your accommodation somewhere further away and would like to have a car with spare things closer to the ski lifts, there are many options. Right in the center of Morzine there is a large free car park hidden in the valley. From there you can take the lift straight to the bottom station of the Super Morzine gondola. Another option is the free parking lot located near the lower station of the Zore ski lift. If you are closer to the Lindarets valley, you can leave your car at the lower station of the Ardent gondola. There is also big parking lot in Avoriaz resort, close to the trails. This can be a good option when there is a large queue to Super Morzine gondola and Zore lift. There are also free buses running within the region, and some of them are also adapted to transport bikers and their equipment.
Back to Morzine
Morzine’s gastronomic offer is full. You will find here everything from exquisite restaurants serving fondue made from local cheeses, to burger and pizza bars. The cost of dinner for two people, depending on your tastes and whims, starts from EUR 40, but it is not a problem to exceed the amount of EUR 100. We quickly stopped being surprised that many of the visiting guests barbecued or cooked dinner on their own at the accommodation.
Morzine – Attractions, swimming pool and Lac de Montriond
Morzine as a resort is full of attractions for both children and adults. There is, for example, a summer bobsleigh track near the Le Pleney bike park. Considering the intense heat, the main attraction for us, apart from exploring the mountains, was escaping into the water. In centre of Morzine there is a complex of nice outdoor and indoor swimming pools. Entry costs EUR 6 per adult. Another option is a lake called Lac de Montriond, a few kilometers away. You can get there, for example, when returning from a ride in the Lindarets valley. There is a nice beach at its western end. On hot summer days, it was full of people on SUPs, kayaks and other water equipment, and the views around made a great experience. The perfect place for a regeneration after a day of intense riding.
Morzine – Our second visit 06-07.2024
Our last visit to Morzine took place at the beginning of the 2024 season. One of the main goals of this trip was to take part in the Pass Portes MTB 2024 event, about which you can read about in other article. Coming here, we decided to stay overnight in Morzine again. The central location in relation to other resorts is a good option, plus the city has everything you need for a good time, from shops to plenty of good pubs. At the turn of June and July, the number of tourists and bikers in Morzine was already quite high. Unfortunately, the weather during this trip was very mixed and as soon as the sun appeared, there were queues at the lifts. When it comes to the preparation of the trails, then most of them were freshly renovated and the ride was very pleasant. Although unfortunately many rainy days meant that some trails were closed and on others there were soggy sections that did not dry out. However, even during rainy weather in Morzine and the entire region, there is definitely no room for boredom.
Morzine – Our first trip – 08.2023
Our first trip to this region we did back in august of 2023. Back then everything was totally new for us. We went to Morzine from Poland by car. We divided the long road from Warsaw into 2 days of driving, so that we could also see something while passing through Switzerland. In Morzine, we stayed in an apartment located on the main street and less than a kilometer from the very center of city and the gondola lifts. We spent a little over a week there, trying to see as much as possible. I had a 6-day bike pass for the entire Portes du Soleil region. My wife at that time explored the area by hiking and trail running. We supplemented our activities with scenic trips around the area. Our visit was at the last week of August. It was still the high summer season, but in reality there were no excessive crowds or queues to the lifts. We hit the incredible heat wave in France and during the first 6 days of our stay, the temperatures even high in the mountains exceeded 40 degrees during the day. The first single drops of rain fell only on the last day of the ride. The sky was mostly sunny, only occasionally covered with a few clouds. Below is a short video summarizing the entire trip.
Morzine and Avoriaz Bike Park – Summary
Morzine resort, the Avoriaz Bike Park and the surrounding area made a great impression on us from the first day. The city may not be as scenic as, for example, Livigno. However, using the excellent network of cable cars and lifts, you can easily get out to the surrounding Alpine peaks. The atmosphere of the place is also positive. In the last week of August, you could see that the city was alive, but there were no excessive crowds. When it comes to Avoriaz Bike Park and its trails, there is definitely no boredom here. Amazing network of various descents allows for great fun, and the location on such a huge area also adds a touch of exciting exploration gem.
More materials about Portes du Soleil region:
- 43ride: Chatel 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
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/
Media: facebook, instagram, youtube