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Summer Activities
Mountain Biking In The Portes Du Soleil
The Portes Du Soleil is the place for mountain biking in the French Alps. The area offers over 380 kilometers of marked itineraries from easy winding tracks along the river or through the forest to steep and very technically demanding single tracks. 24 of the ski lifts are specially adapted to carry you and your mountain bike. Every year the first lifts in Morzine and Les Gets open for the second weekend in June. All 24 lifts open for the last weekend of June until the end of August linking the Portes Du Soleil resorts of Morzine, Les Gets, Avoriaz, Chatel, Champery, and Morgins.The main lifts in Morzine and Les Gets continue to run until mid September.
Downhill Mountain Biking
For downhillers there are 9 permanent downhill courses all accessible form Morzine and Les Gets.
- Morzine Pleney, the Avalanche Cup course, (black) 3250m long technical descent, vertical drop 560m.
- Les Gets has 2 downhill courses. Mont Chery (black), 3000m long, vertical drop 585m and le creux du chateau, the World Championship famous cross country downhill, 3400m long, 450m vertical drop.
- Les Crosets in Switzerland also has 2 courses. Le Grande Conche (black), 300m long, vertical drop 470m and Les Crosets 11 (red) 2500m long, vertical drop 250m.
- Avoriaz Le Crot (black), 4500m long, vertical drop 600m.
For hard core bikers there is also: The Jump Park on Mont-Chery under the Grande Ourse chairlift, this Dirt and Freestyle area features a range of runs for experienced bikers : wallrides, bump fields, whoops, banked turns, steps up, chalet jumps, liftovers, double jump, north shore, etc and the 4-Cross Run reached from the Chavannes downhill run, this track can be taken by several riders together and features include banked turns, jumps, tables, etc and The Gibannaz Canyon, a freeride in the woods with several tracks with north shore features.
Family Mountain Biking
For Family mountain biking try the beginners downhill run this carefully chosen run in the Grand Cry area in Les Gets helps beginners to build their confidence and acquire the basic skills of mountain biking. Also in Les Gets are 2 MTB beginners' areas :
- The Kid Zone -for children aged 6+ : located behind the Maison des Gets and reserved for youngsters eager to learn the basic MTB techniques -banked turns, liftovers, whoops and much more.
- The mini Jump Park -for older bikers- : located near the swimming lake, this area allows more experienced young bikers to test their skills on a tougher run with mini north-shore, banked turns, etc
Cross Country Biking
The choice of cross country routes in the Portes Du Soleil is immense with the 24 lifts in the area accessing over 380 km of marked itineraries including the Tour Du Portes Du Soleil which covers all the resorts in the Portes Du Soleil and some breath taking scenery over the 75km long tour!
| | | Downhill MTB course at Les Crosets | The Kid MTB Zone In The Gets | View of Morzine |
Walking In The French Alps
Hire a mountain guide for the day or set off, map in hand, but be sure to take in a couple of the peaks while here. Local peaks include Nantaux just up behind Chalet Sol Re with views to Mont Blanc in one direction and Lake Geneva in the other. Others include Ressachaux, Roc D' Enfer and Col De Cou to name but a few. For dedicated hikers there are numerous 3 or 4 day trips. Mountain guides can escort you on either the Dents Blanches or Aiguilles Rouges Tours. For local day trips and gentle walks there are plenty we can advise on. Head For Heights
For those with a head for heights there is bungee jumping off the Nyon Telepherique (80 metres high) and also tandem paragliding. You can even arrange to land back at the Chalet Sol Re in Essert La Pierre. For the less extreme try your climbing skills on the Via Ferratta cliffs at Avoriaz or half a days rock climbing with a guide.
Canyoning At Nyon Waterfall
Equipped with helmet, wetsuit, harness and ropes and under the watchful eye of a mountain guide canyoning involves abseiling down the waterfall, jumping into rock pools and sliding down smaller falls.
White Water Rafting
White Water Rafting is brilliant fun for all the family from age 7 upwards. Make your way down grade 3 and 4 rapids in an inflatable raft. The guides are excellent at making the trip exciting but safe and encourage you to jump off small cliffs half way down the river, capsize and generally have a great time.
Hotdogging
Hotdogging is the same as rafting except instead of being 8 of you in a raft with a guide there are 2 of you in an inflatable canoe. As a group of several "hotdogs" you set off down the rapids accompanied by a guide in his own canoe to help you navigate a fun and safe route down the rapids.
Hydrospeeding
Hydrospeeding for the really adventurous, clad in a padded wet suit, helmet, flippers and using a float you "swim" down the rapids.
Golf In The Alps
Try the superb par 70, 18 hole golf course at Les Gets-Morzine. This golf course climbs from 1300m to 1600m, but don't worry there are buggies for hire! The views are stunning and the Vaffieu restaurant, is situated perfectly for a mid round lunch stop.
Morzine- Avoriaz also has a 9 hole course and there is a driving range at Avoriaz to practice those swings!
Nearby there are 18 hole golf courses at Royal Club at Evian (over looking Lake Geneva), Chamonix Golf Club, (designed by the world famous Robert Trent Jones Senior set in a stunning setting between the Mont-Blanc range and the massif of the Aiguilles Rouges) Mont D'Arbois Golf Course At Megeve (The challenging course is set on 124 acres of woodland on the Mont d'arbois plateau and has spectacular mountain views) and Flaine- Les Carroz Golf Course (set at an altitude of 1900m is open to both experienced players and beginners).
The French Haute Savoie And The Valais Region Of Switzerland
Morzine is an ideal place to base yourself to explore the Haute-Savoie region of France and the Valais region of Switzerland. On the French side of Lake Geneva you have Thonon Les Bains, Evian and the pretty medieval town of Yvoire. On the Swiss side, commonly referred to as the Swiss Riviera you have Geneva, Lausanne, Vevey and Montreux.
The stunning national park, Sixt Fer A Cheval is only 45 mins away from Morzine and the Aosta valley in Italy is only an hour and a half through the Mont Blanc tunnel. Chamonix at the foot of Mont Blanc is only just over an hour away and well worth a visit to go up the famous cable car at the Aiguille Du Midi (3842m high) and the beautiful town of Annecy is also within reach at an hour and a half away by car.
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