Hi, me and the other half are looking to go over to Morzine in July for a weeks riding but I need a bit of advice as to which area to be based in. I’ve been riding for a few years and have ridden red routes at Coed y Brenin, afan, cwmcarn etc but still don’t feel 100% happy on black routes (can be a bit too technical and steep) and am really easily intimidated when the trails are busy. Are there any areas of Morzine that are a bit more laid back than others? I’m a bit worried that it’ll be all steep techy trails and groups of men in full body armour cutting me up!

Thanks for any help!

Look forward to hearing the responses. My other half is the same and we are off to Morzine to do PdS and some other riding soon.

I’ve seen vids and read threads on Les Gets having green and blue runs, that would likely be a good start. Theres a few vids on youtube that show they are fairly tame, not anywhere near as steep, and look much like fireroad. I guess once you get the hang of them then working up to the harder routes is just a case of giving them a go.

First off, take many spares, get a facer (if only so you can wear it and be rad, they are fun), Next off, ride within your limits, explore, and have fun. The blues and greend are AWESOME, and often less bumped and rutted. The Green from the non-chevannes side of Let Get is just rooty bliss, also the trail at les Linderats are more natural, less berms and table tops.

What will shock is the relentless gradient, do some arm and leg exercises before you go… I prepped last year by find a rought and rocky descent and riding it on the HT 3 times a week for a month, great calf workout.

Morzine is possibly the epi-centre of Brits in full body armour, that being said they are mostly focused on a few popular runs/areas.

As above there are many very pleasant trails graded green and blue. Obvious advice is to take it easy and build up, trail grading can be a bit variable, some of the blacks are fairly straight forward and others not – just ask in town. Suggest you explore and follow the PPdS links to visit other resorts. Definitely suggest you get over to Les Gets to take Mont Chery loft and then easy and scenic ride to Mont Caly for lunch in excellent localplace in small village (go on a nice day for view). Blue/Red/black (easy ish with one or two steep straights).

There are lots of alps threads here so search a few.

I guaranty by the end of your week your riding will have improved significantly and those uk trail centre blacks will seem tame.

Red downhill trails all do-able for anyone that can ride a red trail centre trail here. Longer and rougher than the trails here but nothing too technical or steep. pleney and les gets bike park are easy enough.

Thanks for the tips. Hadn’t even considered how much harder it’ll be on the arms and the calves because of the length of the descents and all that standing up! Good to hear that the red graded trails aren’t too far off the red’s over here too. That’s exactly the news I was hoping for. Now back to googling Les Gets! 😀

If you stick to the reds blues and greens you’ll be fine over there. Stay away from the Pleney/Most of Les Gets if you’re a little intimidated as those seem to be a magnet for Andy Pandy suited riders that can’t ride for sh** (There are a lot of good riders there too mind!) Head to Super Morzine lift (Thats the one with the pods not the chairs over the river by the suspension bridge) go up there then again up the next lift grab yourself a trail guide and just follow your nose. Loads of fun to be had. By the end of the week you’ll be a much better rider!

We did the passportes last year, my first time. I found it hard on my hands and arms. Good gloves are a must. I took some sudocreme (ahem!!) as I am not used to riding a bike every single day and it did wonders….sun creme is a must as you tend to be exposed most of the day too.

Going back in 2 weeks for the same. Can’t wait… 😀 😀

The `tourist’ map just has the main xc and downhill runs for say Les Gets and Morzine – bit like a ski piste map. Some of the blues/greens around Les Gets are just fire roads if i recall. I’d suggest you get the PDS area map from the tourist office which is basically a OS style map with the green/blue/red/black enduro/downhill/xc/VTT routes and PDS route marked on for the area, and other less obvious paths.

Using this map and you tube i’m putting together some routes which the missus will be confortable with and some extent away form the masses. For example the PDS GR5 route back from Mossattes to Lindarets past the lake and then the green DH down into chatel.

As already mentioned really! however Le Pleney is a great confidence booster towards the end of the holiday as even on the steeper bits on that they have chicken runs. Just forget the storm troopers do not let them put you off, those that are quick and good will give you space and the idiots just push them off 😉

Les Gets on the Les Chavannes has some cool stuff blues and greesn, but even the DH at the bottom which is like a giant 4X course with huge but smooth berms is really good fun. but there are a few runs that end the same place so if boyf wants to do reds and you do greens they meet at the bottom.

Defiantely wear glasses and I would probably recommend a full face too but I guess it depends on how quick you plan on riding!

Good luck and enjoy it’s a fantastic place.

If you want a flavour of some of the more tame trails then my vids on youtube should give you an idea. A bit tame it would appear but I do think the biggest thing you will notice is the length and angle of even the tame descents. It really can be very relentless and hanging on to the bike is hard enough if you are not used to it so I would stress that you need really really good brakes that wont fade and can stop you with one finger while you hang on. Large rotors front and rear made a real differance to my hayes strokers and they did not fade at all in my three trips so far. The last thing you want if your feeling a bit spooked is to grab a handful of bar, because the trail wont slow you down ’till you get to the valley bottom!

*sits back and awaits slating for using brakes in the alps.*

ps. it is ace. Going in August on “family holiday” 😉

Scamper – wave at me when you go over the bridge in my garden at Ardent – just before the lake.

I’d say red morzine is quite a step up from red coed/glentress etc and all runs can get pretty full of storm troopers at times

That said there are plenty of easier runs around to get your Confidence up and it can be quite a lovely place to enjoy working on your skill levels

Like anything take your time and do not be rushed into anything you are not comfortable with

The longer runs have plenty of run out and place to stop if you need a rest and a beer break is never too far away

Plum

If you have time I would do some upper body weights and squats, you will be amazed how your arms get ark pump and thighs kill from standing crouched and gripping saddle. For following year I did upper body weights and it made a huge difference.

Have you booked Morzine?? Some better areas if not

Main easy trails are normally full of people on DH bikes mincing it! Worth looking at some of the slightly more technical trails as they are quieter – or anything that involves pedalling.

Make sure you get away from Morzine would be my advice! There’s tons out there apart from the main runs.

On the Pleney side, the green back down to Morzine isn’t great, it has a lot of fireroad – but some really good bits too. Worth a crack for a warm up. The blue is ok, with some really nice bits in the woods but it ends halfway down so you need to either ride half a black or take the road part of the way. It’s also slippy in the wet! The Pleney itself is red graded, and apart from a couple of bits isn’t TOO much of a step up from red trail centre stuff. Far more roots and such though, just make sure you don’t come barelling over a rise into one of the hard bits instead of taking the chicken run. Or alternatively, come over said rise and clear the tech bit in one go!

From the top of the Pleney lift you can head over to Les Gets (turn right from the top of the lift and follow the signs iirc) – the run down is actually really good fun, as are a lot of the linking runs. More natural, less steep. That’ll bring you out to the bottom of the Chavannes DH / 4X track, which is great fun, but you do need to attack it a bit as the berms are MASSIVE. You can then jump on the Chavannes lift, which gives you LOTS of options.

You can take the main Chavannes DH, which is EASILY doable on a trailbike, and brilliant to session and get your confidence up on jumps and berms. It tends to be really busy though. So, take the green or blue run instead. These are both fun – the green especially in the dry, as it has some flat turns that get a bit slippy in the wet. They take you to a fireroad halfway down. Turn LEFT (away from the lift you came up on) and follow the road to another lift. From the top of this there are a selection of trails all of which are fun and all of which finish in the same place at the bottom of the lift. When you’re bored of these, take the lift back up and turn left back to the top of the Chavannes. From here you can either head back down to Les Gets, or keep heading in the same direction back to Morzine – again, bits of this linking trail are great fun.

If you head back into Les Gets, head across town to the lift that Unk mentioned, and try the green. Again it only goes halfway, but if you follow the road from there you can pick up the black which is dead easy from that point. (It’s trickier up top and fairly steep, especially in the wet). When you’re done, head back to Morzine via the Chavannes.

On t’other side of Morzine, take the Super Morzine lift then the next one after it. I don’t remember most of the trails from there, but if you head right you can pick up the track to Avoriaz / Lindarets. Iirc you head over a ridge then drop left on a fun bit of trail, pick up the road and follow it down into the bowl.

There are a selection of trails from the top of the lift on the Avoriaz side, all of which are more singletrack and natural feeling than a lot of the stuff around Les Gets. There are a few big features but they ALL have chicken runs, so take it steady the first time.

If you take the lift up the other side, you can drop down into Chatel for even more goodness. I would highly, highly recommend taking the green Panoramique route down – it’s kind of like Spooky Wood on steroids, and is just ridiculously fun. Coming back down into the Lindarets bowl, I’d recommend taking the red / black DH rather than the fireroad – there’s nothing really hard on it, it’s just a bit steep. The fireroad is horrible! Then from the bowl you can just follow the road through the goat village back to Morzine, stopping off at Lac Montriond if you are so inclined.