Portes du Soleil - MTB

Comprised of almost a dozen resorts straddling the Swiss/French border, the Portes du Soleil region has quietly gained notoriety as the mountain bike Mecca of the Alps. With six different freeride zones and bike parks, over 650km of marked trails and hundreds of kilometers of secret stashes, this is the ideal place for your bike to take you on an adventure this summer. Champéry, a postcard-perfect Swiss village, makes for the ultimate base to access the region’s finest trails.

Ride 100km days from village to village using the dozens of lifts, never riding the same trail twice. Where the PDS really shines are the secret underground trails. These paths, well-worn by hundreds of years of use, crisscross the Chablais Alps winding up at remote villages. We’ll check out these uncrowded trails and discover the true meaning of Swiss bliss. Alternate from cross-country riding on the region’s high-octane freeride and downhill tracks. Demo one of the newest freeride bikes to unleash your downhill potential and push yourself in ways you never thought possible. Finish days of charging with a cold beer or hot fondue in an authentic mountain hut.

Fly into Geneva’s Cointrin International Airport. Here an EpicQuest guide greets you for the 90-minute private van transfer along the shore of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) to Champéry, Switzerland. In Champéry, check into a private chalet or traditional Swiss mountain hotel.

The mid-sized peaks of the Chablais Alps seem to be made for mountain biking. The impeccably-designed bike trail system that links the resorts of the Portes du Soleil takes full advantage of the topography. Lush, green peaks with just a hint of the steep granite of its neighbors to the south like the impressive Dents du Midi. Trails are lined with tacky soil that grips your bike tires, even when early-summer rains leave other parts of the Alps soaking wet and muddy. The diversity of resorts and exposures guarantees that you'll almost always be able to find somewhere in the 10 interconnected resorts to ride perfect trails, no matter what time of year.

Summer in the Chablais starts out wet making good raingear and a set of mud tires musts. But by mid-July, those showers give way to sunny days and cool nights, ideal riding weather. By September, you'll want a warm layer for the ridge lines, stash it in your pack on the climbs and descents. Fall is the best time to ride in the Alps, with a blanket of fresh-fallen leaves on the trail, it's like skiing colorful powder on your bike.