After what seems like a post covid era re-birth ,normal service resumed last year and Summer 2023 promises to be another one to remember. We asked our partners at MTB holiday specialists Bike Morzine, to put together their top 5 reasons to visit Morzine this summer for the action packed mountain biking holiday of your dreams:
1. Worlds Biggest Lift Network
Morzine is the vibrant heart of the wider Portes du Soleil lift network and provides the perfect base for your MTB holiday. You can roll out of your central Morzine accommodation to lifts spanning off in every direction, the riding on offer here is endless and people visit for decades and are still discovering new trails to ride. The 25 MTB friendly lifts, spanning across France and Switzerland are effortlessly connected by a epic mountain bike trails and all of this is available under 1 affordable lift pass. The speed and efficiency of the lifts mean no uphill riding is required, however the amount of downhill you can achieve in a day is similar to a months riding back home, in one mammoth effort our team rode 125km of downhill in one day!
For more info see Bike Morzine’s lift pass prices and lift opening dates.
2. Variety Of Trails
Whether you’re looking for gnarly technical single track or flowing green family trails, you’ll be spoilt for choice in Morzine. The Portes du Soleil bike park literally has it all, from the fast flowy trails of Super Morzine to the infamous and down right rowdy Pleney singles, there truly is something for every type of rider to enjoy in Morzine. Most visitors to Morzine spend most of their time enjoying the main trails of the bike park… and why not right, you don’t have a chair lift to ride endless trails normally so fill your boots. However for those of you who are keen to explore a little more, then there is plenty of single track gold in them there hills too! More suited to those on enduro or e-bikes, if you’re willing to put some graft in on the pedals, there are even more options for things to ride. Some of these trails aren’t even signposted from the lifts or marked on any trail map, but if you know where to look, you’re in for a treat.
Finding your way around the bike park is relatively easy to achieve, however if you want to explore further afield then check out our Morzine MTB Guides.
3. Events
The events calendar for summer 2023 in Morzine is bursting at the seams. The pearl in the crown being the 2023 UCI World Cup being held just up the road in Les Gets. As well as that there’s also Bike festivals, firework parties, endurance races and don’t forget about the Bike Morzine Mates Races and Rip Off Worlds
June 23rd-26th Passportes du Soleil -The Passportes du Soleil 2023 is a major MTB race/gathering that takes place on 23rd – 26th June 2023 and marks the official lift opening of the full Portes du Soleil area for the 2023 season, with over 200 mountain bike industry stands offering demo bikes, samples and product displays. Les Passportes Du Soleil 2023 takes you on a tour of the full Portes Du Soleil summer MTB area, showcasing over 80KM of lift assisted Enduro trails, over 15 lifts & riding between France & Switzerland.
30th June-2nd July Spartan Race – Morzine plays host to one of Europe’s toughest endurance events with the Spartan. The race has multiple routes of varying difficulty and distance to test the toughest competitors on the planet. For one weekend a year the town is taken over by chiselled roman gods and goddesses, running, climbing, swimming and scrambling their way through the town and its excruciating assault courses., offering the following race formats:
SPRINT (5KM) // SUPER (13KM) // BEAST (21KM) // ULTRA (50KM) // KIDS RACE
Morzine’s mountainous stage provides one of the toughest races on the European circuit, with epic amounts of climbing over tough mountainous terrain, wading through icy mountain streams and rivers and even climbing out of the freezing cold Nyon Waterfalls! Alongside these natural features, competitors cover huge distances of man-made obstacles, electrocutions and other borderline torture devices! This stage of the Spartan race is renowned as one of the toughest in the World and is not for the faint hearted.
9th July L’Etape du Tour Morzine 2023-Every year L’Etape du Tour gives non-professional road cyclists the opportunity to ride one of the most gruelling Tour du France stages and to really get a feel for what the professionals go through in a Tour Du France stage. This year that stage will be the Stage 14: Annemasse to Morzine and will consist of several huge mountain passes over 152km of road and roughly 4100m of climbing! With the 1000m+ climb from Samoens over Col Du Joux Plane before an epic winding descent into Morzine town. The roads will be closed for this event and 15,000 “amateur” cyclists are expected to take part and experience how tough a Tour du France stage really is, the only differnce being that the pro’s do this every day for 3 weeks straight! L’Etape is going to be a great warm up for Le Tour and will really get the town in the summer spirit.
15th July- Le Tour du France Morzine 2023 –
The Worlds biggest road race will be visiting Morzine again for 2023. Morzine will see the finish to one of the major mountain climbing stages of Le Tour du France on the 15th July 2023. With the Le Tour departing Les Gets the next morning on 16th July. For any serious cycling fan Le Tour Du France is the absolute pinnacle of the sport, some of the Worlds best athletes, biggest and liveliest crowds and they sure know how to put on one hell of a show! The precession of Le Tour alone is absolutely huge with every truck and promotional vehicle you could imagine showing fans with promotional freebies.
Stage 14 of Le Tour de France 2023, Annemasse – Morzine is an absolutely gruelling mountain stage over 152km’s and boasting 6 gradually increasing cols that combine with 4100m of climbing! The grand finale of this stage is Le Col de Joux Plane with just shy of 1000m of climbing in one hit from Samoëns to the summit before a nail biting winding alpine descent into Morzine. Having such a huge climb at the end of the stage will really determine the best climbers in the World followed by an all or nothing descent in order to take the famous stage win. With the roads closed around town it’s important to arrive early and get in position to watch the show. We’d highly recommending heading up Le Pleney or Les Gets lifts and watch the action from near the top of Le Joux Plane Expect the Joux-Plane to be absolutely lined with screaming spectators the whole way up and down with a spectacular Morzine finish area!
This is the 22nd time Morzine has hosted a stage of Le Tour du France and the town is steeped in cycling history and home to a plethora of incredible cycling routes, Morzine and the Portes du Soleil should be on every cyclist’s hit list no matter what your discipline! With endless mountain passes and challenging cols on our door step, there’s no wonder Le Tour is a frequent visitor.
5th August Fete du Lac – Imagine a pristine mountain lake set against a stunning alpine backdrop, the smell of hog roast blowing on the breeze and the sound of live music filling the air as the sun slowly sets. Then as darkness fills the valley a light show illuminates the cliff face on one side of the lake before the biggest firework display you’ve ever seen erupts across the skyline…. Well that’s Fete du Lac….. and it’s awesome!
7th-17th September UCI Downhill World Cup in Les Gets -Morzine, Les Gets and Les Portes du Soleil are set to host the Worlds first 10 day World Cup Festival in September 2023. After the unbelievable scenes of Les Gets World Champs in 2023 there is no surprise to see downhill racing return for Les Gets World Cup 2023, What is surprising is the never before seen 10 day mountain biking festival accompanying the Les Gets World Cup, bringing together all major mountain bike race formats into a single event. This huge international festival will host multi-format events combined with a festival atmosphere designed to bring all mountain bikers and the whole MTB industry together in the epicentre of European mountain biking, Les Portes Du Soleil. Alongside the racing there will be major trade shows, exhibitions, entertainment, live music, parties and so much more.
Although the exact schedule is yet to be released, we expect the Les Gets Downhill World Cup 2023 will be held over the weekend of 8th – 10th September
Les Gets Bike park is hosting the following UCI events:
Olympic Cross Country
Short Track Cross Country
Downhill World Cup
Morzine & Chatel are hosting the following UCI events:
Enduro World Cup
Cross Country Marathon
As well as this incredible line up of events, the mountain bike lifts will be open well into September 2023 allowing for some epic late summer riding. Traditionally the weather is a lot more settled in September offering temperatures around 25 degrees, the trails are holding together a lot better without the peak summer heat and with the occasional shower, plus September usually see’s next to no lift queues, combine this with Les Gets World Cup 2023 and it’s the perfect time to visit!
All Season Long – Bike Morzine Mates Races – Throughout the peak summer season we at Bike Morzine will be running out mates races series and the prestigour Rip Off Worlds. More info on Bike Morzine mates races here
31st-2nd September Rallye du Mont Blanc Morzine
– Morzine hosts a stage of the Mont Blanc rally so if you’re into fast cars going sideways round alpine hairpins then this is the place to be. The rally is for cars of all ages and you’re guaranteed to see some of the fastest current cars as well as some incredibly cool classics tackling the Morzine course.
4. More Than Just Biking
If you’re reading this then we know the main reason you’ll be thinking about coming to Morzine this summer will be to ride bikes, however there is so much more to Morzine than just riding. If you’re into having a good time then there’s almost unlimited options for you in Morzine. There is a huge array of non-bike related activities to enjoy too including epic nightlife, a plethora of shops plus some amazing restaurants.
Water Sports – As well as the iconic open air swimming pool in the centre of town, there’s also white water rafting, SUP’ing, kayaking, the Wibit (inflatable assault course on the lake in Les gets) and for the really adventurous among you, the canyoning trip down the Nyon gorge is well worth a go. The trip begins with a huge abseil from a bridge down into the gorge and ends with a natural water slide into the waterfall basin. These water based activities are also a great way to make the most of your time in Morzine.
High Altitude – If you like heights then the high ropes course by the Nyon waterfall is a great option. There is also the Fantasticable, a]a high speed, high altitude zip line where you lie head first in a harness whilst soaring high above the valley floor. The cable traverses the valley twice and you can get a unique birds eye view of the Chatel trails. The Fantasticable can be found above the Chatel bike park at the top of the Chaux Fleurie chairlift out of Les Lindarets. Closer to home in Morzine Paraponting is also a great option. There are multiple companies offering tandem flights where you’ll ride the thermals with an instructor high above the village. Taking off from the top of Super Morzine you’ll be treated to incredible views and a unique perspective of our little mountain town.
Hiking -If you like getting out into the wilderness, the hiking options in Morzine are almost inexhaustible. You are truly spoilt for choice when it comes to hikes, from gentle flat strolls along the river Dranse to high altitude mountain summits where the views are unforgettable, Morzine has got the lot. Hiking maps are widely available from the tourist office and the main routes are well signposted. Our favourite hikes out of Morzine include Col de Cou (an old world war II smuggling route to the Swiss border), Tete de Bostan and Pointe de Ressachaux.
Lac de Montriond – If relaxing in the sun is on your holiday agenda, then you have to spend a day at Lac de Montriond. This stunning alpine lake is the perfect spot to get some R & R. The clear waters are perfect for swimming and the spacious grassy banks are ideal for a spot of sunbathing or grab a cocktail at Hotel Du Lac. However, if sitting still doesn’t come easy to you, kayaks, canoes and SUP boards are available to hire.
5. Ease of Travel
Morzine is easily accessible by road or by air and both are great options. If flying is your preferred method of transport then the closest airport is Geneva International which is just over an hour away from Morzine. Most airlines offer bike transport and we can organise bike friendly airport transfers for you making flying a super simple option. If you’re travelling from the UK and you prefer to drive then the Eurotunnel or the multiple ferry operators offer quick and easy access across the channel. The drive from Calais to Morzine takes around 8 hours and is toll road for most of the way making for a nice easy drive.
More Morzine travel information can be found here.
6. Bike Morzine Holidays
Ok, Ok we know we said 5 reasons but heck, we have put so much work into our holidays that we think they are worth shouting about! For Summer 2022 we have added some incredible new Morzine accommodation to our portfolio that we are really excited about. We have added some awesome new hotels offering great value options in incredible locations and are especially great for shorter stays.
Our new apartments offer a great option for groups of all sizes looking for a self catered option and our new chalets provide a great option for larger groups. All of our accommodation options come fully equipped with everything you could need for your mountain bike holiday of a lifetime including secure bike storage, bike washes, tools and pumps. We can also arrange your lift passes, airport transfers and bike hire too, Check out our epic Morzine MTB Holidays here.
And don’t forget that both Yellow Jersey’s mountain bike insurance and mountain bike travel insurance policies can cover mountain biking holidays in Morzine. Make sure you’re fully covered for your mountain adventure.