MOVING LAKE SIDE

Once you are sure that you have exploited Morzine and its bike riding, you’ll be ready to move on, out of the resorts and into an area far more populated, yet far less associated, with bikes:

Lac Léman, or Lake Geneva as it is in English, is one of the largest lakes in western Europe, spanning 95 kilometres on the northern shore. Close to a million people live around the perimeter of the lake, those on the northern shore enjoy gently sloping hillsides abundant with vines and castles and those on the southern shore benefit from the close proximity of the Alps. Life around the lake couldn’t be better; in fact Geneva itself is rated as having one of the highest qualities of life of any city in the world. It’s a pleasant place and the towns and villages that hug the shoreline play host to many visitors throughout the year, with summertime attracting people to the water and the beaches that look out over it.

The surrounds of the lake also offer numerous attractions for travelling bike bums: you have the skateparks, various sets of dirt jumps and a top level BMX track in Geneva; you can take boat rides, wakeboard or canoe around on the water (or, more to the point, wash in it); you can visit Freddy Mercury (statue of) in Montreux or you can simply get blind drunk in any of the friendly and vibrant towns. For resort based downhilling, a short drive from the northern shore of the lake you have the Jura mountains, which have several small lift systems operating, namely Métabief (open May until mid September) and Les Crozets (open July and August). But you needn’t go that far if you’re looking for a ride with a difference.

Two of the most used and popular lakeside locations you will find detailed below, their numerous trails I will have to leave mostly to your imagination and initiative. Don’t be afraid to ask the locals – they won’t bite and most will be more than keen to point you in the right direction. Remember that these two areas are not in a resort though – you won’t necessarily be finding trail markers, bike shops or restaurants in the vicinity so prepare accordingly.

LE SALEVE

Grade: Medium – Difficult

Rising up sharply from the southern outskirts of Geneva is the Téléphérique du Salève, an old access lift that was originally installed in the 1930’s to carry folk up to the ridgeline some 650 metres above the city (to an altitude of just over 1100metres) and onto an easy–going plateau with 360º panoramic views across the lake, the Jura and into the Alpine valleys behind.

If you’ve travelled from Britain to the Alps then you have most likely passed under the cables of the gondola – they cross the motorway just outside Geneva and any connecting transfer from the airport passes under them. If you have noticed the lift then you have probably also pondered the thought of potential bike riding but no doubt passed the thought off as the hill looks too steep to ride. Well, steep it sure is, a cliff in fact, but what you don’t see from the road is a more gently sloping hillside off to the left of the summit. The forest that envelopes this slope is riddled with trails – some natural, some hand built by local riders.

Until fairly recently riding on the Salève hill was more than limited, it was restricted. The first times that I rode this hillside I fortunately had some trail information passed quietly to me by one of the staff operating the lift – his boss was under the impression that all bike riders using the lift were coming down the road! Thankfully the ever–growing number of Swiss downhill riders visiting during the off–season has increased profit massively for the lift company and lead to a loosening of the ruling on bikes. A map detailing some of the available rides is also now available in the ticket office, although it is admittedly not particularly user friendly. Follow your nose and ask the other riders on the hill.

The riding down ‘the face’ of Le Salève is not easy. The hill is essentially split in two halves – with the upper section providing numerous tracks of varying difficulty and length, some snaking their way through dense trees and some traversing the hill at high speed. All the trails are rocky, rooty and very slippery when wet. Mid–way arrives in the form of a quick pedal up and through Le Salève – a sleepy and traditional village in the crook of the mountain. From the other side of the village the trails follow an old cart track, a remnant of days gone by, and then plunge directly down the face of the mountain visible from the motorway. The following steps are something of a local legend: slippery, steep and dangerous. Most locals prefer not to risk riding these regularly and you will see why if you ride here. Make your own mind up, but I would definitely advise against. The trails continue to plummet after the steps and you eventually enter a boulder–field of head sized rocks that do their best to throw you off line and off your bike too.

A run here is nothing short of physical punishment; you’ll be exhausted after a handful of runs and probably feeling ready to retire. It’s a good challenge though and there are plenty more reasons to visit if the tech riding isn’t enough, one being that every time I visited in summer 2011 it was pouring with rain in Morzine and yet miraculously dry and sunny down by the lake. If you’re in Morzine and it is raining check the weather at Le Salève – you’d be surprised how much less it rains outside of the mountains. The other beauty of the place is that access isn’t limited to the summer season; opening dates only depend on the weather and any maintenance works taking place on the lift, so off–season road trips start here…

Parking: There is direct access from the motorway (A40) – park in the ‘Aire du Salève’. Alternatively arrive via Annemasse.
Lift Cost: Tickets come either in single or packs of ten at a cost of €6.50 (€4.80 with concessions) or €42 – which isn’t expensive for the length of the runs (a typical lap takes 45+ minutes).
Opening Hours: 9 until late (the lift provides access to a restaurant so opens in the evening).
Opening Dates: Year round, dependant on weather and maintenance schedules.
Lift Altitude: 1100 metres.
Time from Morzine: 1hr.