UKC

I ve never been to any of the summer bike parks and fancy having a week at one with the kids in the summer . I think the obvious choice would be morzine But I’m open to suggestions and general thoughts . My kids are all reasonably  competent but it’s not any of thems first sport .
As with most things I like to go with “ value “ , so I’m interested in cost vs quality .Is morzine worth the money for the passes ? Is there enough mid level riding for a week ? Any suggestions on where to stay ? We normally camp but I’m thinking of cutting out a layer of faf and booking an Appartment for the week . We would be driving out for the week . My youngest, 10 ,  is still in on a hard tail so trails where it’s possible to roll over or around stuff would be good .

appreviate any and all general thoughts on this .

In reply to mike123:

Possibly not exactly what you are looking for but when Lodge Jnr was younger we holidayed in Les Deux Alpes one summer and hired downhill bikes, used the chairlifts and did some downhill runs.

The green and blue runs were well graded and gave plenty of fun for us with options around all the jumps if needed.

As for the reds and blacks, we just watched where they crossed our runs in places.

In reply to mike123:

Morzine is very bike parky, but there is a fair bit of xc riding there as well, you can buy a guide book with route descriptions online. The trail grading is totally different to the UK the family run at pleney is more like a two dot orange DH track. You can ride to Switzerland using the lifts and go to morgins bike park, which is amazing, but again the blues as more like hard forestry commission DH runs. I found the lift passes good value as it opened up so many different bike parks. There are lots of different things to do there as well, which is good if it rains. I would definitely recommend it as a first bike park destination.

In reply to mike123:

Go to Tignes.  Been riding there three times, twice with family camping and riding with two sons.

Lifts are essentially free if you stay or camp there.

Loads of other kid friendly stuff to do and a lot of it is free.

Can also head down valley to Les Arcs et al.

In reply to mike123:

We have done Morzine a couple of times and i agree with the comments above re grades. Would suggest you try the kids first at somewhere like bike park wales which is the closest I've found in the UK to alps riding. If the kids are ok on the blues there, they'll be ok on the greens in morzine and les gets, and maybe some of the easier blues. Also a good chance to try your kids using their own hard tails on bike park wales; if they get really tired from being bounced around on the long downhills there then they'll find it harder in the alps, so hiring proper downhill bikes would be better. There are also long sections with braking bumps in morzine and les gets which are no fun on hard tails

We loved morzine as there are so many other things to do alongside riding and has a lovely sporty family vibe.

Enjoy!

In reply to mike123:

Just checked back at photos.

When we went to Tignes with family in 2017, both my boys were on hardtails aged 8 & 10.  They've been back since on full sus.

In reply to mike123:

Thinking about it more, I wouldn't have contemplated taking my boys aged 10 to Morzine on a hardtail.

And they've been going to Alps since before they could walk.

... though last summer my eldest (15 at the time) just went off and did his own thing with his mate when were are at Les Gets / Morzine.

It's scary how quickly they grow up.

In reply to ChrisJD:

If your going for a bike holiday at any level Tigne would be a terrible choice over  Morzine. Morzines riding is 20 x bigger and better than tignes, as well as this the surrounding area and town also has much more going on than in Tignes, if you are only doing the easiest runs you might only have 1 or 2 routes in all of tignes, and its all in one valley so it wont feel like xc exploration like you can get in Morzine.  I don't know what level your kids ride but you see lots of young kids and elderly riders that make it all over the Morzine valleys, also if you find an area that has no easy run you can always take the chairlift back down (i think?).  Yeah tigne is cheaper but the lifts at Morzine are really good value, 139 quid for 7 days and 650km of trails is a bargain! Morzine is the biggest and best pike park in the world, will be totally inspiring for your young kids!   

I have climbed around both places also and particulalry if you want easy kid friendly grades Morzine has a much better crag nearby.

In reply to climbercool: 

I've biked all over Europe for 20+ years. Not just uplift areas. And so many off the beaten track areas and riding GR paths blind.

Met many riders who I've raced enduro with out in Tignes as well - they all seem to love it, so no idea what you're on about.

I've biked in Morzine/Let'sGet/Charel many times, first time over 20 years ago. Was also at Les Gets to watch the DH last year, (which was just crazy AF).  But Morzine is very low down on the list of places I'd go to out of choice nowadays with family (much rather go to Samoen's down the valley for the off piste stuff (which my lads will also ride)).

In reply to ChrisJD:

each to their own and maybe tignes has improved its been 8 years since I was their. I've spent 5 or 6 months biking  in morzine over the last 15 years and never felt that i'd explored it all or run out of new trails, spent a few weekends in Tignes a few years ago when I was living close by and felt that I'd done everything by day 2.  But a bigger reason is the surroundings, Tignes being a single valley and treeless is just no where near as beautiful as Morzine, and then their is the town, Tignes in the summer is fairly dead, where as Morzine is the most open and bustling of Alpine towns in the summer.  

In reply to mike123:

Drop me an email if you want any further info/thoughts.

In reply to mike123:

... Tignes is terrible, the views are crap and this 10 year old on a hardtail is definitely not having a good time. Also very crowded.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wLVCWdggzj1toD1T6

In reply to mike123:

Personally I wouldn't rush back to Morzine any time soon, but that's mainly down to it not really being the sort of trails I want to ride. Samoen and other areas offer much better steep off piste stuff. But, and it's a big but, most of these places would be totally unsuitable for your kids so the recommendations for these places seem a little ill-advised. Les Deux Alpes and Alpe d'Huez may have improved since I last raced out there but my abiding memory is of steeper and rougher stuff than you'd find in most of Morzine, not nearly such a spread of easier terrain because they're higher up rather than in the valley, and just generally not the place you'd want to hang out for a week outside of a winter season.

There's more than enough riding around Morzine and Les Gets to keep your kids busy for a week, plus of course you've got Lac Montriond nearby, the pool, and other more touristy/family stuff, and a more vibrant range of restaurants and such. It's a more family friendly destination than most mountain spots in the alps, and that's why it's so busy. Those things are what put me off rushing back but even then there's still enough to keep someone like me happy for a bit.

In reply to Al_Mac:

Another fan of Samoens! Been three times.  Love the steep off piste there. I'm like you, would take that over Morzine built trails and crazy busy anyday (Morzine does has great off piste).  I wasn't recommending Samoens for the OP as a main destination, though there is blue/red stuff there they would get down.  Friends have taken novices down some of the trails there.  Did you get to ride the EWS stages there? amazing.

Agree also on Deux Alps, tougher trails there for sure.

The OP would get a good time at Morzine; but he did ask for alternatives with value and with a 10 yo on a hardtail. can't beat free uplift! And it's only a week.

In reply to mike123: thanks all for taking the time to respond . All the above replies are help-full . I think the key is that I want the kids to have a taste of lift accessesed mtb fun . I hopefully won’t be chucking myself down anything silly . I’ve looked at the morzine ski passes and they seem reasonably priced . I first went to let gets about 40 years ago , have ski d let’s gets morzine several times over the years and been a few times . I nearly bought an Appartment there about 20 years ago but there was  sone legal wrangling and my then partner poo pood it . When with the kids I quite like a buzzy vibe , without them , not so much .  I’m thinking of trying to get a full sus for the 10 year old but he’s only just moved up to an Isla Creig 26 and is only just big enough for it . 
edit : we were going to go to bike park wales a few weeks ago but my work got in the way . Probably going in a few weeks .
 

In reply to mike123: I have messaged a couple of Appartment s in morzine via air b and b about bike storage , two answers so far - “ no “ . Hum . Since there will be four of us and four bikes there won’t be room in a small Appartment to bring them in . Hum . Any ideas ?

In reply to mike123:

Should be loads of options, but maybe not at cheap abb rates.   Google 'morzine accomodation with bike storage' seems to bring up options 

We normally van it at campsites.

In reply to ChrisJD: thanks Chris , I’ll will take a look .

In reply to mike123:

I haven't been to Morzine since the  pandemic but there's definitely plenty of apartments that have bike strorage - unfortunately Morzine isn't a cheap place to stay.   You might find cheaper stuff a bit further out but then you miss the easy access to the town. 

In reply to mike123:

As mentioned up thread Samoens may be worth a look.

https://www.samoens.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PlanGMD_2022_WEB.pdf

It's easy enough to get a lift up from Morillon and ride down to the bike park at Les Carroz. Long easy trails in the valley bottom and on to Sixt.

Kid friendly climbing nearby at Tines and Araches, via ferrata at Tines and rafting , rope park etc. for non-biking days. Nice little town as well with a camp site.

Near enough to Morzine for a day trip as well.

In reply to cragtyke:

OP said to they usually camp

We stay at the Samoens campsite by gondola. Really like it.  Some nice XC trails is the woods along the river as well (take a bit of finding); did some nice short loops last year.

Samoens a bit of a pain to car it to Let Gets/Morzine every day though.

Also the former municipal campsite at Taniniges.

Some canyon trips to be had down near Cluses for more hols options.

In reply to mike123:

Personally I prefer Samoens 100% but with kids you can do a 2-day lift-assisted MTB tour of the Portes du Soleil, staying in a refuge, they will love it.

In reply to mike123:

+4 for Tignes.  We've stayed at all  the following as a family and tignes was far and the way the best value and indeed the best biking unless you have insane budget.

Verbier

Champerey

Tignes

Val d'espair

La Plagne

Meribel

SAalbach Hinterglemm

Serfaus Fiss Ladis

LaThuile

In reply to RolandP:

Again thanks all for continuing banter. It’s really helpful .

roland - tell me more ?

edit : I ve stayed in samoens  for ski ing a couple of times as a work collegaue had a really nice Appartment there . However their  fruit loop partner spoiled that one .

In reply to mike123:

Your best bet is to get hold of the latest MTB map from the tourist office in Morzine (or any of the Portes du Soleil stations). Then plot out a loop combining green runs and lifts. I think when we did it (not with kids so we were also doing harder descents) we stayed at this place:

https://www.lacvert.ch/en/access/ 

From memory I think we did a sort of figure of eight, something like Morzine, Les Lindarets, Chatel, Morgins, Les Crozets, Avoriaz, Montriond.

That would be too long over two days for the kids but shorter circuits (and different refuges) are obviously available!