You’ve heard of Schrodinger’s cat right?
It’s April and the late entrance of the sun into the battle of the seasons is starting to tip the fight in favour of dirt over snow. Which means it’s time for the annual where can I bike and when post.
Which is where the Schrodinger’s lift comes in. A lift that simultaneously exists in the state of open and closed for the summer season, and we won’t know which it is until we open the box in June and see which Compagnie du Mont Blanc source is right.
And get mauled by an angry cat.
Bellevue: 6th June – 13th September (same as 2025)
Flegere: 20th June – 13th September (open a week later, closing a week earlier than 2025, but really just swapped positions with Brevent)
Le Tour: 20th June – 20th September (opening and closing 1 week later than 2025, which was a week later than 2024. So at this rate it’ll be open for the whole autumn soon)
Planpraz/Brevent: 13th June – 20th September. Then 17th October to 1st November, so same as 2025 at Flegere really
Tramway du Mont Blanc: tbc, mibbies closed, mibbies the same as last year 13th June – 27th September
Vallorcine: 4th July – 13th September (opening 1 week later, closing 2 weeks later than 2025)
Prarion: 27th June to 6th September. Plus the 2 weekends before that. Or… closed? TBC, but back in March 15m€ of works were announced for Les Houches ski area, including refurbishing the Prarion for winter 2026/27 and some CdMB media has the lift down as closed all summer. Hence an excuse to crowbar in a physics reference to the intro.
Grands Montets: Closed. They’re (yup, still) building a new lift.
Chamonix is Chamonix, elsewhere is elsewhere. Both have grand riding, so here’s some of the nearby elsewhere’s:
La Thuile: 6th July- 13th September. Home of the best open to the public DH track in the world? Prove me wrong… Also, for reasons unknown the La Thuile website now includes lift info for La Rosiere so mibbies a more formalised link between the 2 is coming?
Megeve: 20th June – 6th September. For the Mont Blanc Natural Resort bits. Jaillet side will remain a mystery until nearer the time…
St Gervais: 25th June – 4th September. Odd dates, but that’s what’s up on their site for 2026. Valleen goes 365 from Le Fayet to St Gervais and all.
Les Contamines: 27th June – 30th August. How the mighty have fallen. From consistently the first area up with the summer dates to last 2 years in a row so these dates are TBC. Still, don’t let that put you off, the 20€ day pass covering here, St Gervais and Megeve is one of the best value in the y’aute.
Grand Massif: 6th June – 8th September. TBC. Assorted start and finish times across the area, and each area has a different approach to communicating these. Full marks to Les Carroz, it’s go from the 20th June to 6th September. Guesswork and rumour gives Samoens Flaine and Morillon 4th July to 30th August (mibbies take your EDR pace notes for the Morillon visit).
Pila: 13th June – 13th September. New bigger lifts and new longer opening dates, Pila just keeps getting better.
Portes du Soleil: 29th May – 21st September. 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 29th May (probably, TBC) Then, Les Gets, Pleny, Super Morzine all open from 12th June to 13th September, Chatel is 27th June to 31st August, Morgins 26th June to 21st September and Champery 26th June to 31st August. Bernex, July to mid September based on their advert for more shapers… For better details, ask Atlasrideco
Verbier: 4th June – 25th October. For the limited area of park off Ruinettes at weekends at least. From 27th June for all the days and 4th July to 21st September for all the lifts, all the days, all the funs. 4th July – 30th August for Bruson.
Les Arcs: TBC 12th June – 13th September. Weekends only at start and end of that, but now the VeloVert festival is opening the season at Les Arcs maybe we can expect full opening and great condition trails from the get go. And rain. All the rain.
La Clusaz: 13th June to 20th September, which looks grand but is the weekend dates, open 7/7 between 1st July and 30th August.
All that’s grand and great for the summer. But it’s not summer yet. So, if you too have a sweet new bike needing dialed in and pedalling up the hill is getting too tiring, try this larger radius and non exhaustive list of options:
Bourg Saint Maurice: The Bourg – Les Arcs Funicular. After last years unpleasantness, the Funi is back to being where to go for spring lift laps up to the end of April. Quite important you stay on the marked trails but. Turns out freeride actually IS a crime, and punishable by fines.
Le Fayet Saint Gervais: The new Valleen telecabine gets you from Le Fayet train station to St Gervais with way less effort than pedalling, quicker than shuttling, is open year round and is free on the Chamonix Unlimited pass.
Pila: Until 3rd May. Which will be way the latest the lift has been open, and I’m kinda skeptical given the resort will be long out of snow by then, but that’s what their website says and the internet. never. lies.
Les Haberes: April 18th-19th then most weekends in May.
Verbier: Always! Kinda… The Le Chable – Verbier telepherique runs for bikes from 11am during the winter and all day the rest of the year. Except random closed days when they do repairs, but there’s usually a replacement bus, so should be reet.
Metabief: Friday to Sunday from the 1st May until 27th September. Plus a wheen of other days, easiest to check their calendar
Sept Laux. Probably weekends only from 1st May to mid June when it’ll open 7/7. Opening info is a better kept secret than when the US airforce would strike Yemen, so keep an eye on the socials. Sept Laux’s not Pete Hegseths.
La Saleve: Open all the time, the trail building association is doing their best to make the trails all time too
St Luc: 30th May to 1st Nov, Another FuniFun venue, one of the longest seasons in bikeparkland
Trail Taxi Are delivering you to the top of Valais and Aosta’s finest singletrack as of about now, give Jarno and team a shout for more
You know when the lifts are open, do you know what trails to ride? Have to find the best backdrop ever to give your socials the boost they need? A.I. can probably sort you out with all of this but if you prefer the human touch, here’s the staple plug for my guiding work. alpineflowmtb.com Go have a look. Please. Otherwise I’ll cancel the domain subscription. Although also as like most years I’m pretty much fully booked already, so check out bikevillage endlesstrailsmtb emilyhorridgemtb and MIAS for spaces on their tours and maybe I’ll see you there.
Also, I’ve got a new bike. And its sick! Thanks Raaw 🙂
What more info do you need? See yous out on the trails.
Or after. Cheers
