Avoriaz & Portes du Soleil for Mountain & Road Biking

Mountain & Road Biking in Avoriaz & the Portes du Soleil

With the whole of the Portes du Soleil area to explore, Avoriaz is definitely a great place for biking as the different and varied terrains suit bikers of all levels. Just down the road from Avoriaz, Morzine is pretty much a Mecca for mountain and road biking. Whether you enjoy a leisurely cycle around some of the lower level trails, or a day's hardcore downhill mountain biking exhilarating extreme action is more your ‘thang’, Avoriaz definitely has something to suit all tastes.

Mountain Biking in Avoriaz & the Portes du Soleil

Avoriaz and and in particular, it's near neighbour Morzine, was the original and remains the best mountain biking (MTB) and specifically the mountain biking (VTT - Vélo tout-terrain!) area based in a winter ski resort. Its popularity with the MTB and wider cycling community has increased year on year, aided and abetted by the stunning alpine scenery and world class trails. The variety of terrain ensures that everyone from beginners to expert and pro level downhill and freeride riders can get many days riding on trials suited to their preferences and ability level. So whether you enjoy a leisurely cycle around some of the lower level trails encircling the village and surrounding valley, or a day's “X-treme” superlative filled downhill mountain biking action, Avoriaz definitely has something to suit all tastes. One thing is certain; after a week’s holiday here everyone leaves a considerably better rider than when they arrived! ... see "Avoriaz & Portes du Soleil for Mountain Biking" for more

last updated 19-Feb-2008

Road Biking Around Avoriaz & the Portes du Soleil

Have you ever aspired to test yourself on the same climbs as those on which the professional Tour de France riders earn there living? Opting for Avoriaz as a base in the Alps will allow you to do just that. Avoriaz is the near neighbour of Morzine, which is perhaps better known as “the” summer destination for the mountain bike fraternity. Less well known is the fact it is perfect for the road rider wishing to experience the challenge of conquering endless Alpine hairpin ascents and the corresponding vertiginous high speed descents. Avoriaz is located in the Haute Savoie region of France where geology has blessed it with exactly the type of topography made famous by the world’s biggest sporting event. ... see "Avoriaz & Portes du Soleil for Road Biking" for more

last updated 19-Feb-2008

Packing Your Bike to Fly

There are a few options available for transporting your bike. Hard bike boxes tend to cost in the region of Ł300 and like a hard case suitcase it will minimise the risk of damage occurring to your bike. A soft bike bag is the cheaper option, costing around Ł100. Whilst this will provide your bike with a little more padded protection it is not as reliable as the hard box. On our recent trip from the UK to Geneva, we transported our bike in its original cardboard box, protected the key areas with bubble wrap and cardboard and it arrived safely and undamaged. Most airlines stipulate the following:

• Bikes should be contained within a protective box or appropriate bike bag;
• Only one bike should be carried per box/bag, and no other items (except protective padding) should be included within the box/bag;
• Handlebars and pedals must be fixed sideways against the frame or removed; and
• Tires should be deflated slightly to reduce the risk of damage.

If you are transporting your bike, you should also check out your travel insurance arrangements. A lot of travel insurance companies will not cover your expensive mountain bike without an additional excess payment, and a lot of airlines will not be held responsible for any damage sustained whilst the bike is in their care. Check out your household insurance policy to see whether it can be covered as 'contents away from home'. There may be a slight surcharge for this option, but it's potentially better than having to fork out for a new bit of suspension, or a brand new bike!! We travelled using this option, paying an additional Ł50 to Direct Line for our Ł1000 bike. This option offered us up to 60 days European coverage which is plenty for a week's break or month touring the Alps.

Avorinet's Top Tip: In addition to bubble wrap, purchase some pipe lagging and zip ties from a DIY store to put around the frame of the bike for protection during transportation. If you don't have your original cardboard bike box, ask your local bike shop for one. By choice we would always use the manufacturer’s box and have adopted this approach on many flights without damage to our bike. However, it is worth noting that the most frequently damaged part of a bike is the rear gear hanger. Remove the rear gear mechanism and tie wrap loosely to the frame to avoid this scenario. This applies almost equally to disc brake rotors if your bike sports them. Take them off, likewise pedals, it’s only a five minute job and will prevent you engaging in a fruitless search for an obscure part in resort. Further information on getting to Avoriaz can be found in our Resort FAQs Travel and transport section.

Airport Transfer companies - If you choose to take a mountain biking holiday most holiday firms will collect you from the airport where the hours drive from the airport is often included within your holiday price (but do check!). However, should you choose to book your transfer independently most airport transfer companies will still permit you to take your mountain bike in the vehicle provided you give advance warning at the time of booking. See Airport Transfer companies for companies operating to Avoriaz. We did notice that Alpy Bus charged a nominal fee of €10 for bike carriage.

By car or hire car from the airport - If you prefer the use of your own car you can drive down the autoroutes to Avoriaz. It’s approximately an 8-10 hour drive (886kms/550 miles) from Calais and will cost around €65 in road tolls. Check out Viamichelin for exact route information. If you choose to hire a car from the airport, it's only a 1 hour drive down the autoroutes and will cost in the region of €5.00 in tolls.

By Train - If you choose to take a train to Avoriaz it may involve a couple of changes and cost slightly more than a cheap flight. If you take this option then the closest you can get to Avoriaz is Cluses requiring a pick up for the 45 minute drive on to Avoriaz itself. A far better plan is to get to Geneva and then onward to the airport, and either hire a car or arrange a transfer from there. Eurostar recommends using its registered luggage service for your bike if you’re travelling from London, Paris, Brussels or Lille and charges approximately Ł20 for carriage of your bike. If travelling by France's national rail system check here for further train and route timetables.

By Bus - It takes about 2hrs to get from Geneva to Avoriaz by the public bus and costs €34 single and €55 return. (There's no additional fee for carrying luggage.) Use our Geneva to Avoriaz bus schedules and timetables to help with your journey planning.

last updated 22-Feb-2008

What's the best way of getting my bike to Avoriaz?

There are numerous options for getting to Avoriaz:

By Air - Several airlines from around Europe will get you to Avoriaz without too heavy a hit on the old purse strings. Flying to Geneva from the UK is the easiest of all options available, check here for further airline information. Low-cost carriers such as Easyjet or Flybe regularly fly between Geneva and the UK. You then have a number of options to get from the airport to Avoriaz which are explained in the following sections.

A review of airlines terms and conditions in relation to sports equipment baggage indicates that it is highly likely that you will be subjected to a standard charge for taking your bike on board. Easyjet; bmibaby; Aer Lingus; and KLM indicated that there was an average additional charge of between Ł15 (€22.50) and Ł25 (€36) to take your mountain bike, one-way. However, having recently travelled from the UK to Geneva with our mountain bikes on a low cost carrier we feel the need to clarify this minor detail as we ended up getting stung at check in for 'excess baggage'!! Having duly paid the Ł15 for bike carriage, and with our luggage weighing in at about 20kgs, we were informed that even though we'd paid to take the bike on board, the combined weight permitted for all luggage was 32kgs. Anything over and above that would be subjected to 'excess baggage' charges. Full suspension bikes although light are generally not below 12kgs so our excess baggage payment ended up costing us another Ł35 - if you have a full downhill rig then I hope you have a heavy wallet to match or are good at trimming your holiday equipment – leave those hairdryers at home! Our bike was carried in its original cardboard box (the best and cheapest way) so who knows what the charges would have been had it been transported in a plastic case! It is worth noting that a judicious selection of your check-in staff, a friendly smile and bit of banter and you may be on to a winner, particularly on your return from Geneva, no excess baggage charges. I guess that's the random lottery that is excess baggage charges and check-in staff! The more conventional airlines such as British Airways and its code share partner Swiss airlines permit free transport of bikes providing they fit within the free baggage allowance, and are packed in a hard shelled container.

last updated 22-Feb-2008