Chamonix MTB

There are not many bike park trails in Chamonix, the majority of the riding is on alpine paths or routes shared with walkers and other forest users. For this reason Mountain biking in Chamonix is a sensitive activity that, outside of designated trails, is best explored with a guide, they'll also make sure you're riding the best trails, staying on the right routes and keeping you and your group on track and safe.

This is not one for the downhill bike, but it is one for the books if you like your enduro trails technical and full of action. Chamonix is a labyrinth of singletrack, much of it looking like a magazine cover in its epic beauty, but there are many wrong turns to take, fire tracks to get lost on and politics to avoid. It's cool but this has been on the burner for a while for good reason. Les Houches is a real gem, a technical single-track heaven, a guide is recommended to make the most of it.

From many of the Portes du Soleil’s riding spots, you can see the Mont Blanc looming over the scenery. It’s pretty majestic and it’s also intimidating. If you travel to the Chamonix Valley for riding it’s a tough nut to crack without the proper knowledge of where to go, what the riding will be like or even what lift to take. Chamonix is actually a network of smaller villages and zones, all of which require a drive to interconnect unless you know what to do!

In Chamonix during the summer MTB season there are many lifts and trails open, here we detail some of them.  10 lifts in operation

• 5 Resorts
• 1 hour from Morzine 
• 25€ - 30€ daily lift ticket
• 55€/50€ pp transfer only price
• 4 person minimum number to run a trip / minimum spend if less than 6
• 8 person maximum
• Possible to stay in Chamonix for a beer and dinner!

This day is all about fast-flowing alpine single track, with a good portion of tech thrown in to keep you on your toes. Starting in La Tour, we’ll drive you to the base of the lift station where you’ll meet your guide over coffee and discuss the day ahead. Then it's up in the gondola to the top of La Tour, where over 20km of descending awaits. You'll spend some time in Le Tour, sampling the many different trails it has to offer, including descending down to the neighbouring valley of Vallorcine.

You’ll hit up Les Grand Montets, where you'll get the chance to hone your cornering skills on our famous switchbacks and take in epic high alpine vistas. Then it's a ride all the way back into Chamonix for a beer to cap off an awesome day. If you’ve made good time, and still have the energy, well, you can complete Chamonix in one day, with a trail down to the very bottom of the valley floor from Les Houches to Le Fayet.

A guide for a full day ranges from €290 - €390, depending on how many people are in your group.
 

Based in Les Houches all day, just outside of Chamonix centre, this is all about steep, technical singletrack that's a mix of official and unofficial (still legal) trails that you'll need a decent guide to open the secrets too! Les Houches has become a hot bed of riding in the valley, with a whole network of locally built singletrack and old walking trail now beginning to be embraced by the community. It’s all action with steep descents filled with roots and loam you’ll be lapping all day, as well as the official trails.

You’ll have the option to descend to the valley floor of Le Fayet Saint Gervais a couple of times in the day, you’ll definitely finish on one of these epics dropping over 1000m, with a beer at the bottom to cap off an awesome day.
 

Though it depends on where you go, it's best summed up as natural singletrack, sometimes flowy, fast and loamy, sometimes tight, technical and rocky. It's a huge area and so not easy to describe. It's definitely best left to the enduro bike as there are some sections that need the pedals to access, and you need to get from lift to lift on certain programs. There is plenty of politics in Chamonix as many trails have a high number of walkers, some are illegal and some are just hard to find!

It's definitely a good idea to get a guide. Not only will you be able to access so much of the Valley's riding, you also won't get lost. Even if you've ridden Chamonix before, unless you've spent several years there you won't know everything. Chamonix MTB can help and even if the tours we've come up with don't sound like your cup of tea, we can plan a bespoke trip for you. Even overnight refuge huts are options!

The only spot you could ride a downhill bike in anger without a guide would be Le Tour, there is a bike park here with berms, jumps and features, which are fun for a run or two, but to be honest, you are wasting your time riding there if you are staying in Morzine, Chamonix is all about the little bike.

Loads, everywhere. But again, you'll want to know where you are going so get us to organise a guide for you. Off piste a plenty but you're going to come a cropper without knowing where to start and we can't tell you where it is, we don't want any bad karma from the local guides and riders that built this stuff!

You'll find plenty of epic areas to get the Instagram following up, the views are incredible anytime the trees break, there's a photo opp.