Lift openings 2021 // Roll the dice

Les Gets opening day, 30th May 2020....bets for 2021?

Last years version of this was easily my most edited post ever as I tried to keep up with when lifts would actually open. Anyone want to put money on this year going to the original schedule below?

Nope, me neither. But here’s all the dates you want and need anyways, with updates coming thick and thick as I have them. Last update: 08/04/21 (post is up for a day and updated already)  09/04/21 18/04/21 27/04/2021 03/05/2021 19/05/2021 21/05/2021 29/05/2021 (and all lifts now updated so any changes from here in means la merde has met le moulin. Again.) 21/06/2021 (quelle suprise)

Not all lines are immediately obvious...

Chamonix, provisional dependent on government advice  (https://www.montblancnaturalresort.com/fr/ouvertures) 

Flegere: 12th June – 19th September,  
Brevent/Planpraz: 12th June – 12th September, then 23rd – 7th November
Tramway du Mont Blanc: 12th June – 26th September
Le Tour: 12th June – 12th September (but work has started on replacing the lower gondola, so this has even more chance of going wrong)
Bellevue: 12th June – 5th September
Prarion: 19th June – 19th September (+ weekends from the 6th June)
Vallorcine: 26th June – 29th August
Grand Montets: 3rd July – 5th September, WEEKENDS ONLY!. 

There’s rumours that good riding exists somewhere that isn’t Chamonix. If that’s true, it might be at one of these places: 

La Thuile: 26th June- 5th September although mind it’ll be closed 7th – 11th July for the EWS. www.lathuile.it/en/chairlift_time.html
Megeve: 26th June – 5th September. Mont Blanc natural resort bit is www.montblancnaturalresort.com/fr/horaires-tarifs-megeve and the Jaillet side 3rd July – 29th August but subject to change megeve.com/fr/ete/se-depenser/remontees-mecaniques-ete/
St Gervais: 26th June – 5th September. https://ete.ski-saintgervais.com/fr/parcours-vtt 
Les Contamines: 26th June – 5th September. Information up on their website, obviously, because Les Contamines is about the only place in Haute Savoie that can do in informative website. www.lescontamines.net/home_calendar.html
Grand Massif: 26th June – 5th September. Or at least, that’s what Les Carroz is running, plus the weekends either side of those days. Samoens, Morillon and Flaine are a week shorter either side of the Les Carroz season at 3rd July to 29th August. summer.grand-massif.com/mountain-biking
Pila: 26th June – 12th September, plus bonus weekends of 5/6th, 12/13th and 19/20th June for the gondola for 2021. Woop. pila.it/en/summer-season/
Portes du Soleil: 28th May – 01st November. That got your attention didn’t it… Obviously, that’s not everywhere. Champery and Les Gets open 11th June with Les Gets open fri – sun for the 2 weekends before that (then maybe not the 13th – 16th, bit unclear) , Avoriaz and Chatel open the 12th, 13th, 19th and 20th June, then all the days from the 25th June, Morzine 27th June then Morgins opens 4th July. Closing is 1st to 6th September except Champery and Morgins, but that’s all far to far away to worry about, lets see if things open first. for  en.portesdusoleil.com/
Courmayeur: 11th July – 30th August. Apparently the Mont Blanc Unlimited pass gives you 1/2 price tickets for the lift, and bikes seemingly now travel for free on the Courmayeur lifts. woop, etc. https://www.courmayeur-montblanc.com/?q=access_parking&language=en 
Verbier: 19th June – 31st October. The Verbier – Ruinettes lift is being updated this spring, so a slightly later opening. All the lifts open 3rd July – 20th September and a selection outside those dates. Also, Bruson 17th July – 15th August, now that is interesting…. www.verbierbikepark.ch/horaires_fr.php
Les Arcs: 26th June – 28th August. There’s a bit more effort getting put into the bike park, hopefully also into running a longer lift season one of these years….starting this year with the Funicular and Cachette open weekends from 5th June. lesarcs.com/hiking/summer-area-les-arcs-peisey-vallandry-opening-hoursprices.html 

Shimmy shimmy left, shimmy right, shimmy yah. Wu Tang is for the trails.

Here is usually the bit where I whimsically ponder on early season riding and try and mention stuff that’s new in the valley. Only I’m nearly done updating the “how to ride a bike in Chamonix” post from 2018 so that should cover the news, and early season riding has mostly consisted of either going ski touring (which I guess is not what you’ve come here for), or getting all my post brexit paperwork in order to still be able to guide in Switzerland and Italy as well as France (which I guess you also did not come here for, even if you might be pleased to hear it worked: alpineflowmtb.com) 

Patrick somewhere off the Col de Beugent, March 10th 2021. Honestly, would you go biking if you could be doing this?

So, you’ll just need to hold tight for another few days until there’s some readable content and make do with photos of the fruits of one man’s labour on a hill above Les Houches when he decided he couldnay be doing with skiing much this year and instead did a bit of trail work every time he took his 2 dogs for a walk.

And watched too many edits from Squamish of riding stoopid stuff. 

If you wonder why we run our brake levers at bit higher in the alps, this should answer your question. Cheers Toby