Portes du Soleil MTB — How to Make the Most of Your Multi-Pass

One pass. Twenty-four lifts. Twelve resorts across France and Switzerland. Six hundred and fifty kilometres of marked trails. The Portes du Soleil multi-pass is one of the most absurdly good-value things in mountain biking, and I'm still not convinced most people actually use it properly.

Look — most visitors spend the whole week on Pleney and maybe a day in Les Gets. Fine. Both brilliant. But if you've got the pass, you're leaving a ridiculous amount on the table. Here's how to fix that.

Les Gets — Start Here

Fifteen minutes from Morzine via the Chavannes chairlift. Always the first recommendation because the trail builders there have a specific talent for flow that's genuinely hard to match anywhere in the Alps — wide bermed runs, perfectly pitched gradients, trails that reward going fast rather than punishing it. The Chavannes park has jump lines and built features that are mint for a change of pace. Main descents are long and satisfying. Go Tuesday or Wednesday. Weekends it gets properly busy and the vibe shifts.

Châtel — Less Crowded, More Technical

Forty-five minutes by road. Worth every minute. The bike park is legitimately world-class — I know everyone says that about everywhere, but Châtel earns it — consistently less crowded than Morzine or Les Gets, with proper flow stuff alongside more technical natural terrain that feels less manicured than Pleney. Good food at the top of the lifts too. Make a full day. Don't rush back.

Champéry — Cross Into Switzerland

You get there by riding and lifting your way across the network — it's an adventure before you even arrive. The UCI Downhill World Cup is held here. That should tell you something about what the terrain is like.

Steep. Like, properly steep. The kind of steep where you're already on the brakes before you can see what's coming, and by the time you realise the line you picked was wrong you're fully committed and there's nothing to do but hold on and hope the tyres grip. The World Cup track is rideable by the public between race periods. Not for the unprepared. But if you're a strong rider and you want to know what actual world-class DH terrain feels like — this is it. Full day. Cross-border traverse, a few laps, traverse back. Absolutely worth it.

The Lindarets Bowl — Biggest Descents on the Pass

Sits above the valley between Morzine and Châtel, accessed via Super Morzine and the Avoriaz lifts. Feels remote and wild in a way Pleney doesn't — longer traverses between runs, more natural terrain, views that'll make you stop pedalling even when you're trying to make a lift. Some of the descents from up here are the longest and most satisfying on the whole pass.

Navigation requires local knowledge. Going wrong costs you forty minutes and a horrible amount of pedalling up stuff you didn't plan to pedal. Going right takes you down some of the finest enduro terrain in the Alps. Get a guide for this one. I mean it.

A Rough 5-Day Plan

This is roughly how we structure a week. Not gospel — adjust for your group's ability and how the legs are holding up.

Day 1 — Pleney. Get your bearings. Blues and maybe a red. Don't be a hero. Get calibrated.

Day 2 — Les Gets. Chavannes lift over, full day of flow trails. This is the day most people start to feel like they're actually riding rather than just surviving.

Day 3 — Super Morzine and Lindarets. Big day. Pack lunch. Guide recommended. Best descents of the trip, probably.

Day 4 — Châtel. Drive over, full day, try the more technical stuff, have a proper lunch at the top. Legs will be tired by now. Go anyway.

Day 5 — Rider's choice. Favourite sector, something left on the list, or a relaxed half-day. There's no wrong answer by day five.

On the Pass Itself

Weekly passes are significantly better value than daily ones — cost per day drops noticeably from day three onwards. If you're here for a week, just get the weekly pass. We sort these as part of the package, pre-booked and waiting. One less queue to worry about.

Honestly just go ride. You can't really go wrong out there.