With biking routes suitable for all ages and abilities, this is a good location for family biking but equally good for the more experienced who enjoy the thrill of downhill riding or the burn of an enduro route.
Val Thorens has been FCC (French Federation of Cycling) accredited and so trails are way marked and graded so you know what you are getting yourself into. They are marked green, blue, red and black to show difficulty rating (similar to that of ski pistes) with the downhill trails marked with a diamond shaped sign and differentiated from cross-country which are two spots with a triangle.
Crossing over into neighbouring Méribel is easy from the St Martin 2 chairlift or from near the top of the Bruyeres 2 lift in Val Thorens.
The free resort bus service runs from early July until end of August and coversthe length of valley from Val Thorens at the top down to Saint Martin de Belleville, so that you can move freely between the lifts with your bike without having to pedal! There are only around four each way per day, and only two on Saturdays, so be sure to check the timetables before you set out and plan your day to get the most riding out of it.
In addition to this, the chairlifts and gondolas operate on a fairly peculiar system with various lifts only open on certain days, thus reducing easy access from Méribel over to Val Thorens. See here for more details.
You can find details of both the lift openings and bus times on the Three Valleys trail map.
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