Chatel Bike Park is iconic and a true favourite of every visitor to the Portes du Soleil in summer. Home to the incredible Vink Line, plus its fast flow trails such as Serpentine, with mammoth berms, rollers & doubles, as well as steep tech in the woods, there's a reason it's the location for many rowdy edits over the years. Chatel Bike Park has it all!
Chatel Bike Park is located near the village of Châtel, which is within the Portes Du Soleil region near Morzine and Avoriaz. The bike park itself is a little outside of the village of Châtel, in the Pre la Joux area. Using two lifts, you can access the bike park's iconic downhill tracks as well as some mountain top restaurants, perfect for that mid session burger.
Chatel: The Stats
Chatel Bike Park has 19 official downhill mtb tracks, 2 greens, 4 blues, 4 reds and 9 blacks, plus a slopestyle course at the bottom! There are 2 chairlifts, with the bike park neatly split into a lower and upper section. There are also lots of natural off-piste to be found lurking just off of the main bike park tracks, but be warned, they can get pretty steep and loose!
What is Chatel known for?
If you’ve watched videos of Chatel, you’ll have seen the near vertical bowl berms as well as the methodically sculpted, art-like jumps of Vink Line, going from red to blue to green, a true do it all trail!
But it isn’t all jumps and flow, Chatel also being home to the shaley off-cambers and the steep natural chutes of trails like Gueps, as well as north shore inspired features found on Black Shore.
Morzine, Chatel & the whole Portes Du Soleil region is blessed with amazing trails, and a big shoutout has to go to the trail crews, who really put the effort into their craft, and Chatel is no different. The tracks take a beating, but are always so well maintained and with confidence inspiring lips, you know you can send it and the track will work!
Everyone loves North Shore
Racing comes to Chatel
In 2023, as part of the UCI Mountain Bike 10-day festival, which saw Les Gets host the UCI Downhill and XC on Mont Chery, Chatel played host to the UCI Enduro World Cup (EDR for short, formally known as the EWS).
With the race paddock based in Chatel, and using across the Portes du Soleil, the stage builders used some of the steep valleys surrounding Chatel for natural loamy stages, with a good helping of Gnar through in, as well as some bike park trails, including Hattock in Avoriaz and Komatrautrail in Chatel, making for exciting racing. Morgane Charre took top spot in the Women's category, and Jesse Melamed stood atop the podium in the Men's category.
views for days
Flow Trails of Chatel
Panoramic - A green run, which from the direction of Morzine, you can use to access Chatel Bike Park. With incredible views, as well as super fun tables & berms, this is unlike any green trail you’ll ever ride in the UK.
boost to the moon on Vink Line
People - One of the main blue runs from the mid-point down to the bottom of Chatel, this has plenty of berms and tables. You can split into Fluid as well.
Vink Line - Built by the one and only Nico Vink. A true masterpiece of a trail. Starting as a red trail at the top, with shark fins and road gaps, before turning into a blue mid way down, and a green at the bottom. As a green that can be ridden by anyone, but still featuring hips and gap-able rollers, we challenge anyone to have more fun on a green track anywhere.
Serpentine - a favourite of most visitors to Chatel, Serpentine starts from the mid-point, and has a HUGE berms as well as big rollers to huck, all while being completely rollable. With several turn offs to the steeper trails, Serpentine winds through the woods with a barrage of berms.
Air Voltage - A freeride track for advanced riders, with huge road gaps, wall rides and gap jumps, it’s a step up from the other flow trails around.
Jono Jones uses Vink Line Chatel for Red Bull Hardline Training
Tech Trails of Chatel
Gueps - a mixture of Tech and Flow, Gueps starts with some big gap jumps before diving into some tight switchback turns leading to some seriously rooty chutes.
Komatrautrail - Not the steepest, but with plenty of tech to keep you on your toes full of roots, steps and rocks, as well as some jumps, Komatrautrail is one to check out for sure.
Atlas Ride Co host Gabe trucking through the tech
Châ-Nada - Stay left on Serpentine, and you’ll find this Black trail with big, rooty steps, big jumps and steep sections. It’s pretty physical, but leaves you feeling good after!
Bike Patrol - Again, accessed from Serpentine, this track winds through the woods over roots and steeps, with a big huck to flat, before an off-camber exposed rock face. Fast and loose is the order of the day on this track.
Freeride Bro
Who remembers Chatel Mountain Style?! Rampage meets Slopestyle, with huge wooden features and a stacked field of freeride legends, this event WENT OFF.
Held when baggy kits were all the rage, this event was the perfect mix of small wheels and big jumps. Won by Cam Zink in 2011 and a certain Brandon Semenuk in 2012, the field were stacked, with Sam Pilgram, Kurt Sorge, Kyle Strait and Nico Vink all in attendance.
Big hits at Chatel
Chatel Mountain Style
How to get to chatel bike park from morzine
If you’re staying with Atlas Ride Co in our Riders Week Catered Chalets, or any of our other Self-catered accommodation in Morzine, it’s super easy to get to Chatel. Word of warning, leave plenty of time to get back. Lifts shut at approx 1630 and we all know someone that missed a lift and had to pay for an expensive taxi from Chatel… Don’t let it be you!
Take the Super Morzine gondola and Zore chair lifts to Avoriaz, passing over the Avoriaz Bike Park, before dropping down to the goat village of Lindarets (there is a blue, red or black trail to choose from).
From Lindarets, hop on the Chaux Fleurie chairlift.
You are now basically at the top of the Chatel bike park. From here, choose between Panoramic (don’t let the fact it’s green put you off this brilliant track) or Vorachatak, Red Vink Line or Haute Tension (all red) to the midpoint of Chatel Bike Park.
You made it! Now rip into it. You’ll need a Chatel Bike Park Map to tick off all the best downhill mtb tracks in Chatel.
Unsure on the best route? Just ask our chalet hosts at breakfast and they can point you in the right direction.
When do Chatel Bike Park Lifts Open?
Once summer comes around the MTB Chairlifts start opening, there is a buzz in the air around the valleys. The lifts of Chatel Bike Park are open from 16th June 2024 until the 1st September 2024.
Click here for full lift openings of the Portes Du Soleil this summer.
How much is the Chatel Lift Pass?
The riding in the Portes Du Soleil is unmatched, with over 20 chairlifts and 60+ official downhill tracks, with more being built every year. We think the Portes Du Soleil lift pass offers amazing value, with an adult, 6 day Portes Du Soleil lift pass costing approx €190, giving you access to the WHOLE area, including Mont Chery, Les Gets, Avoriaz & Morzine. A day pass costs approx €40.
Click here for full prices of Portes Du Soleil summer lift passes.
What Mountain Bike should you take to Chatel Bike Park?
An aggressive, long travel enduro bike is perfect for the Portes Du Soleil, although if you have one, a Downhill MTB is even better! Anything above 160mm travel front and back will do just fine, but as always, make sure it is properly maintained, with good dual ply tyres, and brakes that can handle the long descents. With chairlifts, you can get a whole lot of vertical descending in one day, so a well maintained bike is the most important thing.
Click here for more information on Bike Hire Morzine.
