It's really difficult not to love Morzine (or rather, the Portes du Soleil area, which encompasses Morzine, Avoriaz, Chatel and les Gets, and also crosses into Switzerland). Even though lifts aren't everyone's cup of tea, it's hard to imagine anyone spending some time here and not coming away with fond memories and a huge grin.

Trails-wise, there is something for everyone at Morzine. The average trail is very much a big, fast, sweeping descent with wide switchbacks, much as you might expect from a ski resort. But there's also plenty of cross-country routes, and some testing technical tracks.

Quick links to sections on this page: top routes, amenities, links, photos.

Top Routes

There is one route worth mentioning over any other. Not only is it in my opinion the best route that we found, it's also not marked on the trail map which you can obtain from the Office de Tourisme. Getting there is very simple: take the Super Morzine bubble, which heads east from the centre of town, over the Dranse, towards Avoriaz. Get out at the top, and instead of cycling straight on to the télésiège, turn left and follow the track round the bubble cabin. Just as you pass the cabin, there is a small signpost pointing to the left, back down the hill. Follow it, and just keep going. It's a steep, technical trail which pretty much follows the bubble back down to the town. Much fun - we discovered it on our last day when it was soaking wet, and it was well worth braving the freezing rain for more runs. Thoroughly recommended.

27.08.02 - After this year's trip, I see they've added a sign saying "Interdit aux VTT" to the top of the trail, so it's now out of bounds. Not sure why. Bastards.

If you want another super technical trail, come down the hill into the village of les Lindarets (the goat village), and take the trail which bears right on the left-hand hairpin at the bottom of the village. It heads around the ridge to your right, high above the lac de Montriond. Continue until it starts to climb, then after about another 200 yards there will be a trail forking left with a sign in the middle of it which says "mountain bikers use this trail at your own risk" (but in French obviously). Take it. A word of warning - in the wet, it's a death trap. There is a huge drop to the left for the first third of the descent. There's also a couple of evil rock sections, one of which traverses a stream where if you lose the bike, you won't be coming back. Be careful. Very careful. But it's worth it.

Amenities

When we visited, we camped. The site where we stayed is well recommended: the ground is virtually impossible to get pegs into, but there's a babyfoot to while away the rainy afternoons, and when there was a torrential downpour the owner even let us crash on his TV room floor. I forget the name of the site, but it's first on the left as you drive into St Jean d'Aulps on the road north from Morzine.

Eating wise, Morzine is pretty variable. In general stay away from the places with verandas. The best place for daytime scoff is the tiny sandwich bar opposite the Office de Tourisme on the roundabout in the centre of town. Cheap, filling and run by very friendly folks. In the evenings, the restaurants seemed to be generally good, although nothing exceptional by French standards. One pearl of wisdom though, there is a restaurant set back from the main street in St Jean d'Aulps called le Feu Follet. The food is very good, but it's run almost single-handedly by an eccentric Australian bloke who will spend all night talking complete bollocks at you. Be warned.

As far as bike shops go, Morzine is pretty disappointing. A couple of known names such as Technicien du Sport and Inter Sport and that's it. I've heard good things about the mechanic services they offer, but the range of kit is pretty poor. There's Evasion in les Gets just up the road, which is better, but even then don't assume they'll have the bit you want. Bring spares.

27.08.02 - I'm not sure how I missed it last year, but the François Baud shop at the bottom of the Pléney lift stocks higher-end kit.

The Office du Tourisme, on the town's central roundabout*, sells the small maps you'll need to follow the bike routes. I'd strongly advise backing them up with IGN maps, because the piste maps are a bit crappy. The IGNs you'll need are 3528 ET (Morzine, Massif du Chablais) and 3530 ET (Samoëns), both in the 'Top 25' blue series. The latter is only really required if you plan to do the routes south of Morzine and les Gets.

* - No longer a roundabout.

Links

www.morzine-avoriaz.com - The official Morzine website, which will give you a bit of info on the town, including such things as where to stay and how to get there.

www.portesdusoleil.com - The official Portes du Soleil website, which has a bit more in the way of bike route info than the Morzine site.

Photos