Chamonix MTB

There can be. During the busiest part of summer, particularly July and August, some of the singletrack sees restrictions or reduced access for mountain bikers to prioritise walkers, since the same balcony paths are hugely popular hiking routes. Your guide will know which trails are open on the day and plan the route accordingly, which is another good reason not to try and freestyle it without local knowledge.

Yes, that's an option if you've ridden there before and know the network well - we can sort transport for around fifty to fifty-five euros per person without the guiding element. That said, even guests who've ridden Chamonix a few times often still take a guide for this one, simply because the trail network is big enough that local knowledge saves a lot of time that would otherwise go on route-finding.

You do, and it's honestly one of the highlights of the day. Several of the descents run along balcony trails with the Mont Blanc massif and its glaciers in full view, so you're riding with one of the most dramatic mountain backdrops in Europe right alongside you. It's a very different visual experience to riding in the Portes du Soleil.

We'd genuinely recommend taking a guide for this one, and it's not just us being cautious. Chamonix's trail network is sprawling and criss-crosses between five different lift areas, the signage isn't always clear, and there are enough unmarked junctions that even people who've ridden there before can end up taking a wrong turn onto the wrong descent, or onto a hiking-only path. Our guides know which lift gets you to which trail and how the descents link together, so you spend the day riding rather than backtracking up a fire road you didn't mean to be on.

We run it for groups of between four and eight riders. Below four people there's a minimum spend to cover the guide and transport, since the costs are largely fixed regardless of group size, but it works out most cost-effectively somewhere in the middle of that range.

Just let our team know you'd like to add it on when you book your Morzine stay, or speak to us once you're out here if you fancy it last minute and the guide availability allows. We'll confirm group size, dates and whether you want the full guided day or transfer only, and sort the logistics from there.

It's roughly an hour in the van from Morzine, heading down the valley via Cluses and Sallanches before climbing back up towards the Mont Blanc massif. It's a scenic drive in its own right, with Mont Blanc filling the windscreen for the last twenty minutes or so. We build the transfer time into the day so you're not rushing breakfast to make it.

We make use of ten lifts across five separate areas around the Chamonix valley, including Le Tour, Vallorcine, Les Grands Montets, Les Houches, Brévent and Flégère. The day typically kicks off with the gondola up at Le Tour, from where you're descending fast, flowing alpine singletrack, and from there we link across the different zones to make the most of the terrain on offer.

You're looking at over 20 kilometres of descending across the day once you add up the different runs, which is a serious amount of alpine trail by anyone's standard. It's spread across several distinct descents rather than one long run, so there's variety in gradient, surface and exposure as you move between the different lift areas.

Guiding for the day runs from around two hundred and ninety to three hundred and ninety euros depending on group size, split between the group. On top of that you'll need a daily lift pass, which is typically twenty-five to thirty euros, and if you just want the transfer without a guide that's around fifty to fifty-five euros per person. Get in touch with our team and we can put together exact pricing for your group size and dates.

Absolutely, it's one of the most popular add-on days for guests staying with us in Morzine, whether you're on a catered chalet week or self-catering. It breaks up a week of Portes du Soleil riding with something genuinely different, and because it's only an hour away it works comfortably as a single day out without eating into the rest of your holiday.

This trip is really aimed at fit, confident enduro riders rather than first-timers. The trails are natural, the descents are long, and there are technical sections with roots, rock and exposure that catch out riders who haven't spent much time off lift-served bike park blue and red runs. If you're comfortable on natural terrain and want a proper alpine challenge, you'll love it; if you're still building confidence, we'd point you towards the Portes du Soleil bike parks instead and save Chamonix for a future trip.

Yes, and this is one of the main reasons we suggest riding with a guide. A good chunk of the singletrack is shared-use, so you'll be sharing trail with hikers, and our guides know the etiquette and the sections where you need to be particularly aware of foot traffic. It also means timing matters - riding early in the day, which our itinerary is built around, means quieter trails and a better experience for everyone.

Some of the lifts take you up well over 2000 metres, right up into proper high-alpine terrain below the glaciers, so you do feel the altitude a little more than down in the Portes du Soleil. The air's noticeably cooler and thinner up top, the views across to Mont Blanc and the glaciers are spectacular, and it's worth packing a light layer for the lift rides even on a warm day, since it can be genuinely chilly at altitude.

It's natural alpine singletrack rather than manicured bike park trail. Think fast-flowing balcony paths cut into the mountainside, rooty and rocky sections through the forest, and open high-altitude descents with genuine exposure in places. There's very little in the way of built berms or jumps - the terrain does the work, which is part of why it feels so different from a day in the Portes du Soleil bike parks.

An enduro bike is what we'd recommend - something with a reasonable amount of travel front and rear that can handle both the pedalling sections between descents and the rough, natural trail surfaces. It's genuinely not one for a full downhill bike, since there's more pedalling and traversing involved than a typical bike park lap, and a downhill rig will feel like hard work on the flatter linking sections.

The price covers your guide for the day and, where booked, the return transfer from Morzine. Lift passes are bought separately on the day. You'll need your own bike and kit - we'd suggest full-face or open-face helmet depending on preference, knee pads at minimum given the natural, rocky terrain, and a small pack for water, snacks and a spare layer for the lifts.

The lifts generally run from around mid-June through to mid-September, and within that window we'd say late June and September tend to be the sweet spot - the trails are quieter, walker restrictions are less of a factor, and the weather in the high mountains is usually more settled. Height of summer is still ridable and the trails are in great condition, just expect more people about.

Because Chamonix is a completely different flavour of mountain biking, and it's only about an hour up the valley from Morzine. Where Morzine and the Portes du Soleil give you huge lift-served bike park mileage, Chamonix sits right under Mont Blanc and serves up proper high-alpine singletrack with glaciers and 4000m peaks as your backdrop for the whole descent. We run it as a one-off day trip precisely because it's worth the drive - guests who've spent a few days in the Portes du Soleil bike parks tend to come back from Chamonix saying it was the ride of the week.

The day is really built around maximising riding time given the drive involved, so it's not a leisurely town day, but there's usually a natural pause for lunch either in one of the valley villages or up at altitude depending on how the guide plans the route. If you fancy exploring Chamonix town properly, that's better done as a separate day rather than folded into the riding trip.