France
France is the place to go mountain biking in Europe.
It has earned its reputation from being the innovator of summer biking
in big mountain resorts. The Portes du Soleil region, just 1 hrs drive
from Geneva airport, was on of the originators in creating the
mountain biking summer season, and still remains a favourite for many
Brits and World Cup riders that use Morzine as their base.
The
whole of France now attracts riders as it still has many unspollt resorts
with quiet trails, offering plenty of runs.
Most European countries are accessed through France so driving is an easy option for everyone and the resorts can make for a great summer road trip. Plus there is so much variety, you really can pick and choose the best resort to suit your riding style.
View GravityInc - MTB Resorts, France in a larger map
FRANCE MOUNTAIN BIKE CONDITIONS
Although the summer months are generally dry as with most mountainous regions, it can change quite quickly. It is safe to say that the southern resorts benefit from a more Mediterranean climate with bright blue skies and clear
sunshine.
1) Alp d'Huez
Home of the Mega Avalanche. The resort sits high up on the plateau and all the riding above the resort is above the treeline as you head up towards the Sarenne Glacier. As you head up, the landscape changes from green mountain pastures to a lunar moonscape of exposed rock and scree. In great contrast the riding from Alpe d'Huez down to the lower resorts is oftne through forest and gives a good mix of terrain.
2) Avoriaz - Portes De Soleil
Avoriaz sits above Morzine and has valleys that fall away on either side of it, giving access to some amazing tracks and incredible views. Many of the trails are fairly rocky and bed in very well making them great in all weathers.
3) Chamonix
Situated at the base of Mt Blanc (Western Europe's highest mountain at 4807m), Chamonix is arguably the world's most famous mountain resort. However, it is different from the typical notion of a resort, being that it is a self contained town with thousands of inhabitants.
4) Chatel - Portes du Soleil
More than just a 'freeride' park, Chatel now has it all - just before you reach the Swiss border, you come upon Châtel, a welcoming alpine resort, nestling in a valley of the Portes du Soleil mountains.
5) Courchevel
Courchevel is made up of several widely spaced out populated 'towns' all at differing altitudes. 1850 is the most central in terms of lift access, many people prefer the vibe of 1650 or La Tania, the latter having seen huge development over the last few years - it also means that you can end your day with a longer descent.
6) La Clusaz
La Clusaz is a beautiful, unspoilt, French mountain town, being part of the wider Aravis area which contains a further 3 small resorts and is a superb area to ride.
7) Lac Blanc
Lac Blanc in Alsace is in Northeastern France. It is part of the Vosges region that is currently experiencing a boom in BikeParks and well worth a visit! The resort has been working wise and spent a lot of time working together with local riders to create a great BikePark with plenty of trails.
8) Les Arcs
Les Arcs is like many other French resorts and is split up into several different villages/towns - Bourg St Maurice is the gateway at the bottom of the valley.
9) Les Deux Alpes
Located in the Oisans area in the southern French Alpes, Les Deux Alpes is a fairly large town strung out along the length of a narrow valley. Following much work and investment put into creating a strong summer package, riders from all over Europe are enjoying the facilities.
10) Les Gets - Portes du Soleil
Les Gets is just 1 hour from Geneva Airport making it extremely accessible from UK and Europe. There are two main lifts either side of the village which lead to a multitude of tracks for everyone.
11) Les Orres
Les Orres in the Haute Alpes is one of the most southerly French resorts and gets some great weather though the summer months.
12) Métabief
Métabief is located 75 km south of Besancon, 20 km south of Pontarlier and is just 5 km north west of the Swiss border, with Geneva airport only 90 km away making it an easy destination to reach.
13) Montgenevre
Montgenevre offers great riding at altitude for all levels and could be described as one of the original Alpine ski resorts. Just a few hundred feet from the Italian border, Montgenevre celebrated its 100th year as a ski resort in 2007 and is one of the oldest in the area.
14) Vars
The French Federation of Cycling have been working on more trails throughout the country and Vars is one of the resorts to benefit from this with some 100km of marked XC trails recognised by the federation. Offering wide gravel roads and paths for family riders through to slightly more challenging singletracks.
15) Valloire
Located in the Savoie region of the northern Alps and at the foot of the famous Galliber Pass, Valloire is a pretty resort made up of 17 traditional hamlets nestled in the Golden Valley.
16) Val d'Allos
Val d'Allos is split into three small Alpine villages - 1400, 1500 and 1800. For a mountain bike holiday, you will benefit from basing yourself in the lower village. The resort has good lift access up to all the trails and you can finish your days riding with a longer descent back down to the village.
17) Pra Loup
Pra Loup sits on a plateau overlooking the Ubaye valley on the North East side of the Alpes de Haute Provence, between Hautes-Alpes and the Mercantour and is linked to Italy.
It is a peaceful valley that enjoys the clear and warm sunny climate of the Mediterranean with the freshness that comes with the altitude.
18) Morzine - Portes du Soleil
One of Europe's best known mountain bike resorts - Morzine BikePark is in the heart of the Portes du Soleil region and not only offers great trails and also has chairlift access to all the other areas in the region.
19) Tignes
Situated in the mountain ranges of Palafour, Tovière and the Grande Motte, Tignes is a a high altitude mountain bike resort with rocky trails and a BikePark downhill runs and tracks for all abilities. It is close to Les Arcs, Pila , Courcheval and has good graded trails which will suit riders with rounded skills
20) Les Carroz
Les Carroz is part of the Grand Massif ski area... a peaceful resort situated between Les Gets and Chamonix that really seems to be working hard to make its BikePark work... Les Carroz takes pride in offering excellent facilities for mountain bike.
21) Val Thorens
Val Thorens inaugurates its new BikePark - this complex of more than 3 km is made of 4 zones and includes more than 25 modules (Gap bridges, Wall ride, Volcano box, North-shore…)
22) St Pierre de Chartreuse
One of the newest mtb resorts to appear in the French Alps. They have been pushing the mountain biking hard since 3 years ago, putting some real effort in to building new stuff on a small budget. They haven’t got the biggest mountain but have made much better use of it than a lot of bigger resorts. Its not a big resort but is defiantly worth a 1 or 2 day visit. Especially if your heading towards Alpe d’Huez or Les Deux Alpes.