Morzine / Les Gets — Portes du Soleil
- Location
- Morzine & Les Gets, Haute-Savoie — Portes du Soleil ski area
- Season
- Mid-June to early September (lifts)
- Lift access
- Yes — multi-resort lift pass, gondolas + chairlifts
- Trails
- ~600 km of marked bike trails across 24 lifts (Portes du Soleil network)
- Easiest grade
- Green
- Hardest grade
- Black / Pro Line
- Day pass
- Multi-Pass day ~€44, week ~€185 (Portes du Soleil 2024 rates) (~£38 day / ~£160 week)
- Nearest airport
- Geneva (GVA)
Morzine and neighbouring Les Gets are the gateway to Portes du Soleil — a 12-resort ski area that turns into the largest lift-served bike area on the planet each summer. One pass, dozens of lifts, hundreds of kilometres of trails between France and Switzerland. It's the standard against which every other Alps trip gets measured.
Anyone. Les Gets has the best beginner/family terrain (proper graded greens and blues straight off the gondola). Morzine leans steeper and rowdier with classic Pleney and Super Morzine descents. Crankworx Les Gets means the freeride lines see top-end shaping. The Pass'Portes du Soleil event in late June is the biggest enduro day on Earth.
A capable trail or enduro bike with a 160-170mm fork covers everything except the DH race tracks. Full-face for blacks. Pack pads for the alpine rocks. Most riders bring their own bike on the ferry; quality hire is everywhere if not.
Scale. You can ride for a week and not repeat a trail. The Swiss side (Champéry, Morgins) opens up huge alpine descents on the same pass. And every couple of years Crankworx rolls in and the whole valley becomes a festival.
Sample day: gondola up Pleney from Morzine first thing, lap the Pleney runs while the dirt is fresh, transfer to Les Gets after lunch via the chairlift link for the more polished flow trails. Or cross over to the Swiss side (Champéry, Les Crosets) for the day if your group is strong. Pass'Portes du Soleil in late June is the biggest one-day MTB event on the planet — booking opens months ahead. The Multi-Pass also includes the public swimming pool, which after a hot riding day is genuinely useful.
Top trails to ride
- Pleney runs (Morzine) Mixed
Iconic loamy DH and freeride straight off the gondola — Morzine's main hill. - Les Chavannes (Les Gets) Green → Black
Best beginner-to-intermediate progression terrain in the Alps. - Mont Chéry (Les Gets) Mostly Black
Steeper, more technical side — DH World Cup heritage.
Getting there from Ireland
Fly Dublin → Geneva, hire a car or shuttle (~1h15 transfer). Bring your own bike as hold baggage or hire a quality demo in resort. Driving from Ireland is genuinely viable in a week — Rosslare → Cherbourg, then ~12 hr south.
Where to stay
Self-catered chalets, MTB-specific lodges with bike wash and lock-up. Morzine town is walkable.