My daughter is 18 and was due to go on a catered chalet DH trip with her friends in start of July this year. She can ride Antur black run, but has most fun on the reds or at Revolution freeride track. She isn’t amazing, but she loves it and is improving. We usually ride together, and although im a bit more experienced I am almost 50 and scared of getting badly hurt. We both ride DH bikes.

Having never ridden in the Alps, I thought rather than let Amy fly out with bike, I would drive us both over and she could do the chalet thing with her mates and I would camp and do the grumpy old man stuff. I was even going to see if any mates wanted to come and split the drive and cost.

Sadly my daughters trip has now fallen through, and I have promised we can go and do this….

So I now have 2 weeks off at the start of July. I cant really afford the fly and catered chalet for 2 of us, so it seems like drive and camp. However other than that I have no idea where to go or what to do. There is a chance my GF will want to come and ride her road bike, or walk in the hills. Amy’s sister may also want to come, but she isn’t a cyclist.

If anyone has a low stress, low cost, high fun solution to this then I would be delighted to hear any suggestions. We have the bikefax guide to the alps, but it seems pretty vague…is there a better guide or blog anywhere? We aren’t superstars, but just want to have some fun on our bikes.

thanks

Ian

Stayed in the Le Pleney apartments in Morzine this year, cheap & clean accomodation with a garage. Very short walk into town and just along the road from the Pleney lift station.

ok, will a google search pull that up? An apartment probably easier than lugging camping kit too…..

As for riding in that location, how do I find out more? What standard is your riding? can you rate the riding there?

Ian

Use the tourist office website to get prices for apartments – there are a big range and you can reserve online. Won’t be much more than camping if at all.

ok, will sort that and not taking kit for camping will be much easier.

As to riding there, is it really an embarrassment of riches where everywhere is amazing and I just pick it up when I get there? As I have to keep a daughter happy then id like a basic plan at least!

If a guided holiday is out then Morzine/Les Gets offers one of the easiest self guided options. As above rent an apartment via the tourist office. My 2 cents would be if you have two weeks do another week somewhere else or at the very least explore a bit. We did a split trip between Chamonix and Verbier this year (cheap accommodation in/around Verbier isn’t so easy but apartment rental there isn’t so insane either as it’s very quiet in the summer, for riding it’s good to stay in the valley anyway – you just need to stock up at French supermarket or at least in the valley not the resort) If you are going to do Chamonix/Verbier you need to be prepared for a step up in the riding vs most of the PdS

Note plenty of walking and road biking around Morzine. Non riding options excellent in Chamonix, Walking in / around Verbier very good with excellent but expensive mountain restaurants – so have a drink and take your own packed lunch

the riding can be as easy as you want it to be.
my 8&9 yr olds rode the greens and a few blues around Les Gets and Pleney on fully rigid 20″ wheeled bikes and had a right laugh.
I wouldn’t fancy camping after a day on the trails, its lovely getting back to a bath or hot showers then having a great nights sleep in a comfy bed..
try air b&b for accomodation loads on that site.

As for the riding, just chill out about it, as all standards go and enjoy themselves there.

Tignes has everything for everyone included so will suit you all if you all go along. plus it is all free which really makes for a bonus on top of the codt of getting there and accommodation.

http://www.tignes.net/en/summer-sports-7.html

Guys, this is ace, thank you!

Morzine/Les Gets will definitely get you cheap self-catering accomodation. Booking through resa-morzine is dead easy, don’t expect to see too much on it until the ski season is well under way (and probably when it’s starting to wind down)

on the other hand…… taking your 18 y/o daughter to Morzine could be an eye-opener for all involved. The ‘grabbing’ scenes from Big Fat Gypsy Weddings spring to mind 🙂

As for riding in that location, how do I find out more? What standard is your riding? can you rate the riding there?

Go onto the Morzine website, click ‘summer’ and have a look at the trail maps

gilesmartin81 – Member

Tignes has everything for everyone included so will suit you all if you all go along. plus it is all free which really makes for a bonus on top of the codt of getting there and accommodation.

Enough riding for two weeks though? Every report I’ve heard implies that 2 days would be pushing it

Camping is good in Bourg St Maurice, a range of accommodation including camping and their wooden/canvas tents that are pretty cool.

It is a 5 to 10 minute walk into town and the Funicular is a 5 minute ride away, this gives fantastic access to the very varied trail network.

You also get to ride back to the site every day down fantastic trails.

As said above Morzine is great and has a bit more going on in the evenings.

http://www.camping-bourgsaintmaurice.com/en/summer/pitches-camping-bourg-saint-maurice

Great showers, laundry etc on site.

Edit – Tignes and surrounding areas accessable from Les Arcs and La Thuile, Pila etc a drive away and well worth a visit.

Whitewater rafting etc available too, makes a nice change when you fancy a day off the bike.

+1 camping in Bourg – Le Versoyen is ace and perfectly located for everything. We go every year.

It is a 5 to 10 minute walk into town and the Funicular is a 5 minute ride away, this gives fantastic access to the very varied trail network.

You also get to ride back to the site every day down fantastic trails.

The OP has mentioned they are on DH bikes. Les Arcs, La Plagne, La Thuile, etc are much more suited to #ENDURO kit

Morzine will be perfect. Big range of trail options from very easy to proper steep. The reds and blues are great for cruising down and pretty much any graded trail will be fine for you, if you want even more by the end of the week then go looking for the off piste. With the superb lift network its easy to just have a go. If it’s not right then just try another trail, and another, and another.

Its a nice little town with plenty of other stuff going on and many other activities. Easy to find accommodation, although they will be busy sorting out the ski season at the moment. Its also one of the easiest drives.

we also have 160mm enduro rigs if they would be more suitable? Amy isn’t the worlds best pedaller so would prefer cruisy and not too challenging DH runs. We love Antur Stiniog reds and black if that means anything!

What Jamby has said. There’s more than enough accommodation and runs that will suit you both, and decent night-life/restaurants/bars/people the same age as you both. Plus proper nice touristy stuff when you don’t fancy a day on the bikes.

I’ve organised rental in the centre of Morzine for £550 for 2 weeks. Slept 4.

edit, if that’s your standard, then you’ll love morzine!

we also have 160mm enduro rigs if they would be more suitable? Amy isn’t the worlds best pedaller so would prefer cruisy and not too challenging DH runs. We love Antur Stiniog reds and black if that means anything!

For Morzine if you have space in the car take both. There’s cracking rides for both styles of riding but if you can only take one then take what you enjoy the most. There’s enough lifts to never need to pedal but you will miss a few bits of the mountains. Its very similar to the riding at welsh trail centres with groomed, well used trails except much more of it and more lifts. Seriously, from what you’ve written you will love Morzine unless it rains every day (which it might)

I went to Les Arc and Tignes for a week a couple of years ago, the marked trails should give you enough to do for a week, but you may get bored after much longer.

Most of the trails are fine, nothing spectacularly tough, if she/you are fine with antur blacks then you’ll be fine with the vast majority of what is at les arcs & tignes. They’re great fun trails.

We took our 160mm travel bikes with us,and rode them most of the time, but we hired downhill bikes for a day, just to see what we were missing out on. I found our normal 160mm bikes were more fun and faster than the downhill bikes for the majority of the trails . Not sure if that was the case because I was unfamiliar with the downhill bikes, or whether the trails didnt warrant a downhill bike.

The advantage of Morzine is that there’s a whole network of trails to ride in the region so you can zoom over to Les Gets or Chatel or even further afield with a minimal amount of pedaling uphill (there can be a couple of road/fireroad sections but they’re fairly innocuous).

good range of options at morzine to accommodate all skill levels.

See what Zeb at http://www.chaletmontana.eu/ can do by way of a 2x half board room. Prices are usually very good, it’s a good location to get from and to without being right in the middle of Morz.

Nice one Ian, I first took my eldest son to Les Arcs in 2007 when he was 16; it’s both great and terrifying in equal measure to see them flying down the side of a mountain.

However, rather than tell you about my holidays lets see if we can answer your queries:

We both ride DH bikes – perfect. Full on DH trails (with graded trails and obvious signs to tell you what you are on and a proper lift system to get you to the top of them without pedalling). Answer – Morzine/Les Gets (which includes the whole of the Porte de Soleil area accessible via over a dozen lifts all on the same lift pass)

I would drive us both over – yup, usually the cheapest & easiest option. can take loads of kit you couldn’t normally take on a plane. Most alpine resorts are a broadly similar distance from Calais

I would camp – I really wouldn’t. After a day on the trails you want a nice hot shower and a comfy bed, not a tent. she’s 18, not you

I cant really afford the fly and catered chalet for 2 of us – self catering is the answer. Plenty in most alpine resorts but we got a nice one in Morzine for circa 160 pp in July this year. Plenty of supermarkets to do a shop to allow you to cook/eat in/buy cheap french wine n beer

I have no idea where to go or what to do – so what you need is clearly marked trails and a well developed lift system that you can pick and choose whatever you want to do. – again the answer is Morzine/Les Get/PDS area

There is a chance my GF will want to come and ride her road bike, or walk in the hills. Amy’s sister may also want to come, but she isn’t a cyclist. – yup, Morzine again, everything from table tennis to tennis courts to walking to horseriding to open air swimming pools, to a luge type thing and more walking than you could shake a (walking) stick at.

I specifically commented to my mates last year that despite the fact there’s 5,000 lads in town ranging from 18 year olds to 50 year olds like myself there’s still plenty of families enjoying non-cycling holidays, old couples enjoying walking holidays etc. It really is a proper holiday destination

We have the bikefax guide to the alps – never even seen it but managed to find my way around Morzine/PDS area without it

We aren’t superstars, but just want to have some fun on our bikes – me too; again, see comment above re graded and marked trails

Do it, it will honestly be the best family holiday you will have ever had.

Guys, that is awesome, just what I wanted. Morzine it is….v excited now!

thanks to everyone for input 🙂

Bourg +1

Morzine. Definitely be best for a good intro to Alps. Cheap accomodation (see previos posts) and a massive area of trails of every level to go at. I’ve been there many times and in 2013 took my 11 and 12 year old boys who loved it. They were on 150-160mm bikes and rode tons of reds. Recommend you take the ‘enduro’ bikes as a bit of pedalling will see you go much further if you want to explore and will get you down pretty much everything there (I went first time in 2001 on a orange P5 with v-brakes and lived another day). Two weeks in Morzine would see you really getting to know the whole area and you could afford a good few rest days so it would be relaxed.

Definitely do NOT camp! Weather is generally good, (sometimes very hot) but can be unpredictable and its possible to get some serious storms roll through in summer. You’ll get properly knackered if you’re out riding most days and even in dry conditions the hassle in camping would distract from the experience (unless you’re on a really tight budget).

On the minus side: eating out can get expensive. Stock up from the local supermarkets and take a packed lunch. Also its very much a Brits dominated resort in July/Aug and can get very busy – not so great if you want a quiet more ‘authentic’ alpine experience. Tignes is another option. Passes are free. But two weeks would be too long there IMO.

Have fun!

I love the whole les arcs-and-surrounds thing, been there 3 times now but I wouldn’t have taken a dh bike.

Nothing else useful to add other than that you seem to be a pretty awesome dad!

I would recommend morzine for a week then do a bit of a road trip… Bourg highly recommended,

You can stay here for €25 a night pp and its awesome The Loft in Bourg

Happy days OP and as Northwind says chapeau to you, you’re lucky to have a daughter into DH MTB-ing.

Plenty of time over the winter to do some research … Also I’m 52 and no fan of getting smashed up, you might want to borrow some knee / elbow pads if you don’t have them, enduro bikes most flexible

Many marked bike trails but also lots of other options. There have been many threads on Portes du Soleil (PdS – the big area which includes Morzine/Les Gets) routes – you can search for Les Gets/Samoens, Col du Coux for example. A tour of the PdS area should be done and make sure to ride Chatel Blue trails, Crossetes reds, Morgins etc. Days out at Samoens trails, Annecy town and lake, Yvoire village on shores of lake Geneva ….

Will dig out some photos to wet your appetite further.

Les Arcs is really great, especially for lesser known trails with a guide company. I would definitely go back.

If your daughter wants a bigger bike park though, Les Deux Alpes might suit. Pretty extensive graded trail network with uplift, all the way from a glacier down to 3000ft below the town (The Diable – 666 – Venosc Red run down is great fun, though challenging on your arms if you do it without stopping). Alp d’Huez and all sorts of good road riding within reach. Self catering cabins or camping in Venosc, which is really peaceful.

(I’ve not been to Morzine, but heard a lot of people slagging it off this year. Sounds great if you want something exactly like a busy ski resort though)

I’ve not been to Morzine, but heard a lot of people slagging it off this year.

cant beat a bit of hearsay. So what were their complaints?

Their words: Blown out trails and STDs. I think what they were actually complaining about was that it’s busy, noisy; they’re getting older and find they want somewhere quieter to be. They absolutely loved Les Arcs 🙂

Les Arcs is great, been there three or is it four times. BUT you need a guide to get the best out of it plus there’s only 1 proper DH course.

Plus it’s really, really boring in the evenings and if you ain’t riding (gf and other daughter) you will be totally bored.

For our man’s requirements that really doesn’t fit the bill.

STDs?

Blown out trails and STDs.

thats the problem with too much coke and hookers.

(I’ve not been to Morzine, but heard a lot of people slagging it off this year.

Well I’ve been 5 times in 10 years and it’s perfect for what the OP wants. It’s a great place to go for your first Alps holiday and with a it of effort there is some excellent t “off the beaten track” riding. I much prefer natural riding in the uk and as such a guided holiday away from somewhere like Morzine is fantastic but not for everyone.

(I’ve not been to Morzine, but heard a lot of people slagging it off this year.

Morzine has always tended to get a hard time from some who are regulars to the alps. Yes some of the trails can get blown out, braking bumps rule, and it does turn into a s**t slide after prolonged rain. But as an intro to the alps, its hard to beat IMO, especially given the OP’s requirements. Les Arcs riding is superb but you need a guide and/or van uplift and it is very, very dull in the evenings (if you happen to have any energy left…)

My first trip to the Alps was a last minute entry to the Pasportes du Soleil with my 18yo nephew in 2013. The only start point left was Les Croset, and the cheapest place I could find to stay was here.

We got the apartment for about £120 for 3 nights over PPdS weekend, so it was pretty reasonable (the website isn’t showing next summer’s prices yet, so I don’t know if it’s still as good). There were pros and cons:

-The riding out the door is probably a bit tame for you, but it’s very well connected by lifts
– It only has 1 bedroom, but there are four beds (and a very sleep-on-able sofa in the living room which I can vouch for)
– It’s in Switzerland and a bit of mission to get to – but in fairness it was only 10 hours drive from the channel tunnel so it’s perfectly do-able
– The resort was a bit dead. No real up side to this.

It all seemed a bit suss when I booked it: email correspondence with the (German) owner, you pay up front then they send the key a week or two before your departure (“Yeah, right”, I was thinking), but it all worked out well and did the job perfectly.

Two of you? Airbnb.

Like many of the posters above I wholeheartedly recommend Morzine/ Les Gets/ PdS area. I have been there with my family regularly since the boys were less than ten- both have now flown the nest but absolutely love the place. Whilst using Enduro type bikes both have ridden red DH’s as well as the enduro/ XC routes which are often if not always stunning in terms of both riding and scenery.

MTBidle has pretty much summed up my thoughts, to which I would add these thoughts.

If you have a car you do not need to stay in town. This means that you can stay in e.g. St Jean D’Aulps (10 mins drive). Accommodation is cheaper the further you are from town. Often considerably so. We have had some real gems, both chalets and apartments. I’ve never used AirBnB, we used Owners Direct. Ask the people if they have secure bike storage though, some don’t. Whilst I’ve never known any crime of any kind in the area you really don’t want the worry.

PdS is HUGE, like colossal- consider getting an area pass and commuting between the centers by chairlift. And get electronic passes, much easier. The further you are from the main centers the better the trail surfaces will be. The braking bumps can be ‘challenging’ later in the season. The trail-pixies work hard though and there seems to be a continuous maintenance program. New trails appear every year too 🙂

Staying in a valley bottom resort- eg Morzine, Chatel means that if you miss the last lift home (DO NOT EVER DO THIS, TRUST ME!) you can ride home. Taxis can help you out but aren’t happy to carry dirty bikes and riders and will cost you. TBH if stranded on the wrong side of the mountain and not wanting to push/ ride back up it may well be cheaper to get an overnight room if you get stranded in e.g Champerey and miss the last lift back up to get you back to e.g Mosette for the long downhill home to Morzine.

Consider driving in the morning to somewhere you can return to easily. E.g, if staying in somewhere like Les Gets drive the car to Morzine if you are off to ride to Switzerland that day.

Guide books can be had at the lift stations, as can free maps. I can send you loads of *.gpx files too.

Have fun, I’ll be there a few days after you leave.

And if you email me I can post you some electronic passes 🙂

Bourg is good. Cool Bus offer a day uplift sort of. They’ll take you to a trail top and follow the spray painted markers for the route down.