There’s 3 certainties in life; death, taxes and the annual what-lifts-are-open-when post appearing in April.
I’m not dead, it’s April in France so we know all about tax. I guess it’s time for the list of lift opening dates.
Bellevue: 7th June – 14th September (same as 2024)
Flegere: 7th June – 21st September (same as 2024) then 18th October – 2nd November
Le Tour: 14th June – 14th September (opening and closing 1 week later than 2024)
Planpraz/Brevent: 14th June – 14th September (same as 2024)
Tramway du Mont Blanc: 14th June – 28th September (same as 2024)
Vallorcine: 28th June – 31st August (opening 1 week later, closing 1 week earlier than 2024)
Prarion: 21st June – 7th September + the weekend 14/15 June (same as 2024)
Grands Montets: Closed. They’re (still) building a new lift.
Chamonix does Chamonix, but it also does a wheen of rad if you look an hour (hmm, hour-ish) away. Rad like:
La Thuile: 21st June- 7th September Probably, dates not officially up. Watch out for the UCI Enduro and DHI 3-6 July, DH track looks well well well good like.
Megeve: 28th June – 7th September. Megeve is really 2 resorts, so the Mont Blanc natural resort bit is staggered between 28th June and 7th September and the Jaillet side is always a mystery for the ages. After last years EDR/EWS there’s some more tyres on the ground around Combloux, so worth an explore. Less good are rumours of the closure of the Mont d’Arbois area due to a fight in the courts between Megeve and St Gervais over who should operate it, which would be rubbish news for both summer and winter.
St Gervais: 5th July – 1st September. In rare good news from St Gervais, rumour is the Wizz (funnest blue/green flow trail in y’aute?) is getting extended to run from Bettex to St Gervais and will be open by late spring.
Les Contamines: 28th June – 31st August. I think, first time in a long time they’ve not been first up with their summer dates!
Grand Massif: 6th June – 8th September. TBC. Assorted start and finish times across the area, with a usual caveat that these are the website gets updated late, so it’s off of rumours and guesswork. Les Carroz is go from the 21st June to 7th September, Samoens is hosting the Velo Vert festival again 6th, 7th and 8th June, Morrilion is hosting an EDR for the first time (although don’t tell anyone but the Samoens race in 2015 also went there) so expect opening weekend to be busier than a usual chilled out grand massif day. Flaine is maybe 28th June to 31st August.
Pila: 21st June – 7th September. The Gorraz Grand Grimond lift replacement of the Coulis 1 again this summer, so best 2(1)b ready for a climb…. The new lift should be open for summer 2026 but.
Portes du Soleil: 24th May – 26th October. It’s a big area, and stuff happens at different times, but it all roughly breaks down as: Les Gets Chavannes side open weekends only from 24th May Then, Les Gets, Pleny, Super Morzine all open from 13th June to 14th September, with the Charniaz lift linking Morzine to Les Gets opening in summer for the first time eva. Chatel is 27th June to 31st August, Morgins 27th June to 7th September and Champery 19th June to 26th October. Bernex “Mid June to early September” accuracy theirs not mine, along with a new shaper team for 2025.
Verbier: 7th June – 26th October. For the limited area of park at least. 19th June to 22nd September for all the funs, 5th July – 31st August for Bruson.
Les Arcs: 14th June – 14th September. Weekends only at start and end of that, but you get the jist of it.
La Clusaz: 2nd July to 31st August, and weekends all of June plus up to 21st September
All that’s grand and great for the summer. But it’s not summer yet, so if the uplift itch needs scratched now, mibbies try this non exhaustive list of spots:
Bourg Saint Maurice: The Bourg – Les Arcs Funicular used to be where you went for spring uplift, now bikes are banned until further notice. So that’s a bit rubbish. But the further notice is that mibbies playtime is on again from 13th April, just everyone will have to play nice and stick to the marked trails.
Le Fayet: The new Valleen telecabine whisks you up from Le Fayet train station to St Gervais in no time at all, is open year round and is free on the Chamonix Unlimited pass. And bikes go for free too.
Pila: Until 13th April. Even if you can’t be bothered getting on the lift it’s worth the trip to eat, drink and visit Gros Cidac, but if you’re through anyways, probably should go for at least a lap…
Les Haberes: April 19th -21st then most weekends through to the full opening 11th July to 17th Aug.
Verbier: Always! Kinda. And only from 11am…. Except 28th April – 25th May when it’s closed for repairs. But there’s a replacement bus service. Caveats done, enduro action available now from the almost always running Le Chable-Verbier telepherique.
Metabief: From the 1st May. Then every weekend until the end of September, plus lots of otherdays but frankly too complicated to understand, so just check their calendar https://www.station-metabief.com/fr/ouverture-ete
Sept Laux. Probably weekends only from 2nd May to mid June when it’ll open 7/7, but opening info seems to be some kind of guarded secret to only be revealed at the last minute, so keep an eye on the socials.
La Saleve: Is open all the time, and now even has it’s own trail building association
Monts Jura: Weekends only from 8th May to summer. Just outside Geneva, 2 lifts and more than 2 trails
Trail Taxi have already fired up the shuttles for 2024, trips to all the trails you can shake a stick at in Valais and Aosta on their website, give Jarno a shout now!
E-Bikes. I’ve got a eeb now. Every day is uplift day. Thanks SCOR!
That’s covered the certainties in life and uncertainties of lift openings. Which usually leaves room for some vague patter about how winter was better for skiing than last year, but worse for bikes. Still got out enough to get enough content (phone viewing optimized, still struggling with that one) to fill the gaps between the words.
Normally I have some random science thing I’ve liked and can tenuously link into the riding them of the post, but when the post has no riding and the main theme is that this is the last surviving thing that gets put up, there’s not much to link with.
Except, maybe….
The tardigrade. The tardigrade? Yes, the tardigrade. Like the when the lifts are opening post, they’re natures greatest survivor. The 8 legged little (very little, about 0.5mm long) invertebrates are about the only thing to have survived all 5 mass extinctions, along with Keith Richards and Shimano XT spd pedals. Having survived being jettisoned into space (for science), frozen for decades, boiled, irradiated, living at the bottom of the ocean and getting dried out, it seems likely they’ll survive the impending 6th extinction event too.
Unfortunately, unlike the blog, they can survive for years without liquid. Which would make them terrible ambassadors for Sapaudia Brewing. Although, having survived pressures of nearly 165,000psi they would be the perfect spirit animal for Krush.
Which leads to another post staple, the standard, throwaway, pretend-like-I-don’t-care plug for my guiding. alpineflowmtb you should have a look. Although also as like most years I’m pretty much fully booked already too, so check out bikevillage endlesstrailsmtb leripp and MIAS for spaces on their tours and maybe I’ll see you there.
Normally I’d now make a joke about how there might be some actual writing appearing here this summer, but realistically 2022 was the last time any creative content got published, so it’s pretty unlikely.
Bim, done.
See yous next year.