Chamonix Mountain Biking

Chamonix's mountain biking splits between two lift-served bike parks, at Balme and Les Houches, and a wider network of natural singletrack radiating out from Brévent, Flégère, the Grands Montets and the valley floor. Between the two bike parks there are around a dozen named blue, red and black graded descents, backed up by classic valley trails like the Petit Balcon Sud and Petit Balcon Nord. Riding is lift-assisted downhill and enduro at altitude, with flowing, old school singletrack lower down that can be rocky and steep in places. Trails share ground with hikers in summer, so ride with care.

The Trails

The valley's two official bike parks offer graded, lift-served descents. Beyond them, the wider network is natural terrain, reached either from ski lifts or straight off the valley floor.

Balme Bike Park

• Marmottes - blue graded descent, 2.05km with 320 metres of descent, starting from the top of the Charamillon gondola.
• Chevreuils - blue graded descent, 2.43km with 319 metres of descent, from the top of the Autannes chairlift, with a harder red variant. Watch for several 4x4 track crossings.
• Cerfs - red graded descent, 1.61km with 248 metres of descent, from the top of the Charamillon gondola down to Le Tour.
• La Louve - red graded enduro trail, 4.02km with 678 metres of descent, from the top of the Vallorcine gondola.

Les Houches Bike Park

• Alpages Respect - blue graded descent, 4km with 640 metres of descent, from the top of the Prarion gondola.
• Bouquetins - red graded variant of the main descent.
• Chamois - black graded variant, for experts only.
• Saucette, Sauce Myrtille, Sherwood and Sherwoody - four further enduro and freeride lines joining the main descent, graded blue through to black, with jumps, drops and berms through the trees.

Wider Valley Riding

• Brévent and Flégère - reached by cable car from Chamonix, steep and technical natural trails with tight switchbacks.
• Grands Montets - reached via the Lognan cable car from Argentière, a technical descent with tight switchbacks.
• Petit Balcon Sud and Petit Balcon Nord - the valley's classic natural singletrack loop, running along both sides of the valley floor at around 1,200 to 1,250 metres. Expect doubletrack and fire road mixed with rocky, rooty singletrack, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off.
• Servoz Pump Track - a free, public asphalt pump track near the Servoz tennis courts and skate park, open all summer.

Some valley footpaths, including routes around Brévent and Flégère, are closed to bikes in July and August under a local byelaw that protects the summer's heavy foot traffic. In that period the Planpraz gondola only carries bikes from mid afternoon, and the Brévent cable car above it doesn't take bikes at all. Pick up the current trail map from the Chamonix Tourist Office, which sets out exactly which natural routes are open, before riding this part of the valley in July or August.

Admission and Prices

Both bike parks require a paid uplift pass: a single-site day pass costs around EUR 28 at Balme or EUR 28.60 at Les Houches, with a combined pass covering both around EUR 38.50. The wider valley network beyond the two bike parks is free to ride. Prices are correct as of September 2026 but subject to change, so check current rates on the Mont-Blanc Natural Resort website before you visit.

Guides, Shuttles and Hire

The lift network at Balme and Les Houches is the main uplift for the graded descents, and a number of Chamonix-based operators offer guided rides, coaching and bike hire alongside it, including electric mountain bikes for exploring the wider valley. Some natural trails, including routes around Brévent and Flégère, are closed to bikes in July and August, so ask a guide or hire shop which routes they can ride before you book.

• Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix: the valley's historic mountain guides company, offering guided mountain bike outings alongside its mountaineering and climbing activities, based at the Maison de la Montagne in Chamonix.
• eBike Chamonix: electric mountain bike hire and guided e-bike tours of the valley, based a short walk from Chamonix town centre.
• Evolution 2 Chamonix: guided mountain bike and enduro sessions for beginners through to advanced riders, plus e-bike outings, based in Chamonix.
• Legend'Chx: mountain bike, e-bike and enduro bike hire, based at the foot of the Aiguille du Midi lift in Chamonix.
• Season Guiding: mountain bike coaching, guiding and shuttle days for all levels, run by Chamonix-based instructors with a second base in Morzine.
• Slash Chamonix: mountain bike sales, hire and workshop, based on Rue Joseph Vallot in Chamonix.

Getting There from the UK

Geneva is the closest airport, around an hour to an hour and a half by road, and has the widest choice of flights from the UK. Chambéry is a little further, while Lyon Saint-Exupéry and Grenoble are both a little over two hours away. Shared and private transfers run from all four, and regular buses also connect Geneva with the valley.

By rail, take the Eurostar to Paris or Lille and a TGV towards the Alps, changing at Saint-Gervais-Le-Fayet onto the Mont Blanc Express, the valley's own line, which calls at Servoz, Les Houches, Chamonix, Argentière, Le Tour and Vallorcine. Bikes are carried on the Mont Blanc Express on specific services only, so check current times before you travel, and reserve a bike space on the Eurostar and TGV legs too.

Driving from Calais or the Channel Tunnel is around 895km, roughly eight to nine hours on mostly toll motorways via Reims, Dijon and Geneva. Having a car makes it easy to bring your own bikes and kit, and to reach the neighbouring valleys.

The Chamonix Tourist Office at 85 Place du Triangle de l'Amitié is the best first stop for maps and lift pass information, with pay car parks nearby in the town centre. For Balme bike park, head for Le Tour or Argentière and park near the Charamillon gondola; for Les Houches bike park, park in Les Houches village near the Prarion gondola.

When to Go

The lift-served season runs from around mid-June to late September, with the lifts at Balme and Les Houches reopening progressively through June and the last of them closing in late September. Outside that window the bike parks are closed, so a lift-served trip means booking inside those dates. July and August fall within the French school summer holidays and are the busiest months in the valley, with the UTMB Mont-Blanc trail-running festival adding a particularly packed week each late August. Note that some natural valley trails, around Brévent and Flégère, are also closed to bikes in July and August, so plan on the bike parks or the trails further up and down the valley in that window.

The lifts reach well over 1,800m, so it can be cool and windy up high even on a warm day in the valley, and conditions change quickly. Afternoon thunderstorms build through the summer and can close lifts and trails temporarily, so start early, carry a waterproof layer and check the forecast each morning.

Where to Stay

Chamonix town itself is the natural base, with the widest choice of accommodation, the tourist office, the main train station and bus connections up and down the valley to both bike parks. Argentière and Le Tour, further up the valley, sit closest to the Charamillon and Autannes lifts for Balme, while Les Houches, at the southern end of the valley, is a quieter village right at the foot of the Prarion gondola for its own bike park.

Accommodation runs from catered and self-catered chalets to hotels, apartments, campsites and mountain refuges. Most tourist accommodation includes Chamonix's guest card, the Carte d'Hôte, which covers the local town shuttle bus and Mont Blanc Express rail travel within the valley free of charge, plus discounts on the wider bus network and local attractions, though it does not replace an MTB lift pass.

Facilities

Both bike parks have car parking, toilets and cafes at their base stations, plus bike hire and bike shops in Chamonix, Argentière and Les Houches. Uplift runs on the resort's summer lift network only, so check current lift dates before visiting.

Local Organisations

The lift-served bike parks are run by Mont Blanc Natural Resort (Compagnie du Mont Blanc), which sells single and multi-site MTB lift passes. The valley's junior and race club, CS Chamonix VTT, runs cross country, downhill and enduro training for members from age 5 upward.

Women's Groups and Sessions

GLOW runs guided mountain bike, road and gravel sessions for girls and women of all levels, based in Chamonix and focused on confidence and riding together.

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