Chatel Mountain Bike Park and Trails

Chatel is a lift-served bike park in the French Alps, at the heart of the Portes du Soleil network alongside Champery, Morgins and Morzine. The Pré la Joux park runs to 22 downhill tracks (1 green, 5 blue, 6 red and 10 black), served by the Pierre Longue and Rochassons chairlifts, alongside two slopestyle lines, a three-line dirt jump area and a beginner conveyor-lift zone for first-timers. Beyond the lifts, Chatel's wider valley carries around 90km of marked mountain bike trails including cross country and touring routes, plus a waymarked gravel loop starting right from the village.

The Trails

The Bike Park sits at Pré la Joux, in the Plaine Dranse sector, and is reached by the Pierre Longue and Rochassons chairlifts. Runs are graded and patrolled by the resort's own Bike Patrol team. If you plan to ride the wider valley network beyond the graded pistes, download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off.

Green

• Vink Bas: 1.2km, 300m of descent. The lower, easiest section of the three-part Vink Line, designed by pro rider Nico Vink.

Blue

• People: 2.5km, 360m of descent. The lower half was rebuilt with two line choices, a flowing beginner-friendly option and a steeper, more technical line.
• Serpentine: 3km, 360m of descent. Gives access to the shore zone.
• Panoramic: 2.8km, 300m of descent.
• Vink Inter: 1km, 300m of descent. The middle section of the Vink Line.
• Fluid: 2.5km, 360m of descent.

Red

• Ric et Rac: 2.3km, 360m of descent.
• Haute Tension: 1km, 300m of descent.
• Flash: 0.5km, 108m of descent.
• Eterlou: 0.8km, 108m of descent.
• Vorachatak: 1.5km, 300m of descent.
• Vink Haut: 1.8km, 300m of descent. The upper, hardest section of the Vink Line.

Black

• Dré dans l'pentu: 2.5km, 360m of descent.
• Gueps: 2.5km, 360m of descent.
• Zougouloukata: 1km, 150m of descent.
• Bike Patrol: 2.5km, 360m of descent.
• Komatrautrail: 3km, 360m of descent.
• Châ Nada: 2km, 250m of descent. Shore zone, accessed off the Serpentine.
• Coup de fouet: 2.5km, 360m of descent.
• Air Voltage: 2.5km, 360m of descent.
• Black Shore: 1km, 150m of descent.
• Vinny Line: the park's newest black, an airtime-focused line.

Freeride and Dirt

• A three-line dirt jump area at the entrance to the Pré la Joux site, with progressive levels for beginners through to experts.
• Two slopestyle lines, including a "pro" line with big doubles, a wall ride and a step-down.
• The Drop Zone, with step-downs and mulch jumps for freeride sessions.
• Bike Park 1st Wheel, a dedicated beginner zone with its own conveyor lift for riders getting their first taste of downhill.

Gravel Riding

Chatel also has waymarked gravel routes as part of the wider Portes du Soleil gravel network. A signed loop starts right from the village and runs around 18km, and longer routes head out toward the Col de Recon and Torgon or circle Mont de Grange on a mix of forest roads and quiet lanes. These are separate from the bike park descents and make a good rest-day or warm-up ride.

Admission and Prices

The marked valley trails are free to ride under your own steam, but the bike park and lift-served riding need a mountain bike lift pass. The Portes du Soleil mountain bike pass covers the whole lift network on both sides of the border, including the Châtel Bike Park. For summer 2026 it cost EUR 41 for an adult day, EUR 78 for two days, EUR 117 for three days, EUR 209 for six days and EUR 449 for the season. Children (5 to 15) paid EUR 31 a day, and youth (16 to 25) and senior (65 and over) riders paid EUR 37 a day. Buying online saves 5% (season passes excluded). Châtel also sells cheaper passes limited to its own Pierre Longue and Rochassons chairlifts or to the bike park.

Prices are correct as of September 2026 but subject to change, so check current rates on the Châtel Bike Park website before you visit.

Facilities

• Free car park at Pré la Joux, at the foot of the Pierre Longue chairlift.
• Bike wash station at Pré la Joux.
• Ticket office, tool area and a rescue post on site.
• Cafes, bike hire, bike shops and accommodation are available in Chatel village, a short drive or shuttle ride away.

Guides, Shuttles and Hire

The chairlifts do the uplift here: the Pierre Longue and Rochassons chairlifts serve the bike park, and a Portes du Soleil pass opens up the rest of the lift network, so you don't need a van shuttle to ride the park. Hire is available at the foot of the bike park and in the village, and several qualified instructors run lessons, bike park coaching and guided rides, with at least one also offering shuttle-supported enduro days.

• Bike Léman: a Moniteur Cycliste Français (MCF) school offering private downhill and enduro lessons with video analysis, guided e-bike tours, shuttle-supported enduro outings, youth groups and e-bike hire, based in the Chablais and working in Châtel and the wider Portes du Soleil.
• Charles Sports: mountain bike, enduro and e-bike hire, plus sales, servicing and repairs, from a shop in the centre of Châtel by the church.
• Ecole VTT Châtel: an MCF school of qualified instructors running half-day and full-day guided rides and technique sessions for groups, including routes through the Swiss alpine pastures and along the Dranse, based in Châtel.
• Pré la Joux Sports: downhill bike hire for adults, juniors and children, e-bike hire, protective gear, spare parts and a workshop, at the foot of the bike park at Pré la Joux.
• Skills on Wheels: coaching and guided downhill, enduro and e-bike rides for groups of up to eight, including guided sessions in the bike park, run by a former Châtel Bike Park shaper and based in Châtel.

Getting There from the UK

Geneva is the nearest airport and has by far the widest choice of flights from the UK. It is around 80km and an hour and 40 minutes by road to Châtel, and shared and private transfers run throughout the summer. Lyon Saint-Exupéry is the main alternative, at around three hours away.

By rail, take the Eurostar to Paris and a high-speed train from Paris Gare de Lyon to Geneva. From Geneva, the Léman Express runs along the south shore of Lake Geneva to Thonon-les-Bains, and a regional bus (line 12) climbs the Abondance valley to Châtel in around 45 minutes. Buses run less often at weekends and on public holidays, so check the timetable before you travel. On the Swiss side, Monthey and Aigle stations are the other option, with a taxi or transfer for the last leg over the Pas de Morgins. Bikes need planning on the high-speed legs, where spaces are limited or bikes must be bagged, so reserve a space or pack your bike before you travel.

Driving from Calais or the Channel Tunnel is around 950km, roughly nine and a half to ten hours on toll motorways via Reims and Dijon towards Geneva, leaving the motorway at Annemasse and heading through Thonon-les-Bains and up the Abondance valley. Having a car makes it easy to bring your own bikes and kit, and to reach the other Portes du Soleil bike parks.

When to Go

The lift-served season usually runs from late June to mid-September, with the bike park and lifts open every day in that window and a few pre-opening weekends in mid-June. In 2026 the park ran daily from 26 June to 12 September, but dates vary a little each year, so check before you book. On Fridays through July and much of August the Pierre Longue chairlift stays open into the early evening for late sessions.

The season overlaps the French school summer holidays, so the resort is at its busiest from mid-July to mid-August, around the 14 July and 15 August public holidays. The Pass'Portes du Soleil MTB, a big mass-participation ride across the whole lift network, fills the area at the end of June each summer. Late June and the first half of September are usually the quieter choice, though some upper lines can open late after a snowy spring.

Châtel village sits at around 1,200m and the lifts climb well above it, so it can be cool and windy up high even on a hot day in the valley. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in high summer and can close lifts temporarily, so start early, carry a waterproof layer and check the forecast each morning.

Where to Stay

Châtel village is the natural base. The free summer shuttle bus links the village centre with the Pré la Joux bike park and the Linga lift base, so you don't need to drive to the lifts each day. Staying in Châtel also puts you on the lift links into the rest of the Portes du Soleil: over the Swiss border to Morgins and Champoussin, and via Avoriaz to Morzine and Les Gets. The other Portes du Soleil listings on iBikeRide are Avoriaz, Champéry and Les Crosets.

Accommodation runs from catered and self-catered chalets to hotels, apartment residences, holiday centres and a campsite. The Portes du Soleil Multi Pass, sold cheaply through participating accommodation, covers foot-passenger lifts and more than 70 activities across the area, which suits non-riding family members. It does not carry bikes, but its Rider Pack option gives a discount on the mountain bike lift pass.

Getting Here

• Pré la Joux car park, Route de Pré la Joux, 74390 Chatel. Free parking directly at the foot of the Pierre Longue chairlift, the main access point for the bike park.
• Village-centre car parks are an alternative if Pré la Joux fills up in peak season.
• A free summer shuttle bus (line 1) stops at Pré la Joux, connecting to the village and other lift bases.
• Chatel is around 1 hour 45 minutes' drive from Geneva.

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