mtb AWARENESS CAMPAIGN. MORZINE-AVORIAZ - SUMMER 2025

MOUNTAIN BIKE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN MORZINE-AVORIAZ - SUMMER 2025

"Respect the mountains, so that they remain the playground for us all"

Les Portes du Soleil ranks as the best bike park in Europe and 2nd best in the world (Red Bull rankings). The quality and diversity of its mountain biking area has earned it the recognition of many French and international mountain bikers (1.9 million visits to the area during the summer of 2024).

Morzine-Avoriaz provides direct access to the 600 km of international French-Swiss mountain biking terrain, making it an exceptional biking destination for thousands of riders in the summer months. Faced with the growing numbers of visitors and of unofficial bike trails, the Morzine-Avoriaz commune, in conjunction with its partners in the area, has launched an unprecedented awareness- raising and enforcement initiative, through a collective communication campaign to be launched in the summer of 2025.

AN APPROACH BASED ON SHARED OBSERVATIONS

For several years now, unauthorised trails have been developing outside the official network, reflecting the mountain biking community's keen interest in freeriding.
But these trails are now causing serious problems:

• Environmental damage: when intensively dug in the forest ground, some trails damage the soil, prevent its natural regeneration and encourage run-off and mudflows towards the village.
• Conflicts of use: unmarked paths cross sensitive areas or areas shared with other users (walkers, families), sometimes leading to dangerous situations.

• Failure to respect private property: many routes pass through private land without authorisation.
• Safety: some routes lead directly onto busy roads, sometimes in road bends with no visibility, hence creating dangerous situations for both mountain bikers and motorists. In addition, many of the unofficial trails run through forests in areas that are difficult to access, making rescue operations extremely complicated.
• Coexistence in Morzine’s town centre: excessive speed and uncontrolled transit of bikers through pedestrian areas, inappropriate behaviour, etc. The coexistence of all in the town centre is threatening each and everyone’s quality of life.

A COLLECTIVE APPROACH TO ORGANISED BIKING

In order to better address these challenges, an intercommunal work group has been set up, bringing together the town halls of Morzine, Avoriaz, Les Gets, Montriond and Verchaix, the tourist offices, the ski lift companies (DLM, SERMA, SOLESGETS), the ONF ( (the National Forestry commission), the rescue services, business owners and bikers.

This consultation resulted in a structured action plan:
- Municipal by-laws reinforcing the ban on freeriding in particularly sensitive areas that were previously only loosely regulated.
- Reorganisation of mountain bike transit in the resort, with specific traffic zones and reinforced signage (bans, obligations to get off bike, dedicated bike paths).
- Creation of a rest area for bikers in the Tourist Office square.
- Development of coherent visuals for all communications.
- Deployment of an awareness campaign in the field, online and via various business owners.

A POSITIVE CAMPAIGN, TO SPEAK TO ALL FREERIDERS

#NoRespectNoFuture4Bikes
This campaign is designed to be educational, direct and considerate of all. It is aimed at all audiences - visitors, seasonal workers, locals - to remind us that if we all love these mountains, then we have a collective responsibility to preserve them.

It is structured around three pillars:

• The environment
• Respect for private property
• User safety

Explanatory signs have been put up in the field (bike parks, trails, village). The campaign was also publicised via a variety of channels (social networks, web, print, posters and other materials distributed to hire companies, accommodation providers, reception desks, etc.).

AND WHAT ABOUT FREERIDING IN ALL OF THIS?

Certain areas have been clearly identified as dangerous or sensitive and are therefore prohibited. The goal here is clear: to better organise the sport in order to both regulate and prolong it. The ski lift operators have emphasised their desire to develop new official trails that are technical, varied and safe. They aim at offering a global mountain biking experience that lives up to expectations, without having to resort to ‘unauthorised off-piste’.

Together, building the future of mountain biking in Morzine-Avoriaz. Because we all have to share the mountains together, we believe that this approach has to be collective, open and progressive. The aim is to ensure and consolidate good practice and encourage sustainable mountain biking that respects the environment and mountain bikers.