Just booked for a week in the middle of July. Whoooo 😀

Just wanting a few recommendations on what to take. So far i’ve got:

– spare rear mech
– spare mech hanger
– set of mud tyres
– armour/full face
– brake pads
– waterproofs
– plenty of tubes

Are there any major things i’m missing? Also what do people recommend for tyres- is it best to stick on some dual plys or will the usual nobby nics do the trick?

On the basis that you’re riding full face and body armour, you definitely need to be running dual ply tyres.

Maxxis High Rollers are a good all rounder if it’s generally dry. If it’s mixed to sour then a really good choice is the Intense Intruder 2.35s, but go for the heavier 4-ply casing rather than the 2-ply.

The former is heavier and therefore more pinch resistant than a 2-ply Maxxis but the latter is less so than the 2-ply Maxxis. Does that make sense?

They aren’t cheap but they really good for the Alps in sour weather.

Tell a lie! On CRC the Intruders are a bargain!

Intense Intruders 2.35 4-Ply 50 Comp for £20

we are all taking 140mm full sussers and plan to do as much of the DH stuff as we are able to, but are by no means downhillers. still a wise choice to go dual ply?

As many spares as you can take, if you’re driving. We used spare forks, couple of wheels, mechs etc. Lots of clothes, you’ll need them if it rains.

If it is wet, the harder trails are much easier to ride – some of the blue / green graded ones have very flat corners which are far too easy to slide out on in the wet, the reds / blacks are much steeper bermed and nicer to dig into.

Agree with Geetee about tyres, though amazingly the week we were there we didn’t have a single puncture! I also only used a single set of organic pads.

Mark at Riders Retreat is a top lad, and will usually be around to help you out with repairs and such – he helped one of our group strip forks, though it turned out the damper cartridge was shot.

**edit** yup, I’d still go dual ply, just for the peace of mind – if you’re mainly doing DH stuff you won’t be pedalling much anyway! Make sure you do Dans le Gaz on t’other side of Les Gets, I think that was my favourite track of the trip

thats what i was thinking. cheers guys. its going to be my first trip abroad with the bike, cant wait!

Jammy you’ll have an amazing time.

Yes definitely take dual ply tyres. If you can fit a 2.5″ dual ply Higher Roller on your wheels, then that will give you quite a bit of extra control.

Also if you’re just going to be doing lift assisted riding, then go for the 42 durometer Maxxis tyres (don’t get the 40 also known as ‘Slow Reezay’ as these are ridiculously soft).

If you are driving then you should also consider taking a day out in Chamonix as the riding there is quite different and, in my view, a whole lot better than in either Morzine or Les Gets. It’s more like full on natural trail riding, whereas Morzine and Les Gets can feel very ‘manufactured’. La Flegere is as good a place as any to ride but you’ll need someone to show you around.

There’s nothing too scary in Morzine and Les Gets unless you go looking for it but what you will notice is that your speeds are very high and being able to control your speed is crucial to an injury free. 200mm rotors are a (very) good idea as is your choice of pads. Organics don’t overheat so much, but they also don’t work particularly well, whereas sintered pads may well overheat but they do at least stop you before you reach that point.

we are flying so i’m afraid stopping somewhere else isn’t an option. i’ve got hope m4’s with 203/183 rotors and kevlar pads so stopping shouldn’t be a problem.

I’ve got tyre envy now. did seven days in Morzine last year with a single ply 2.35 minion on the front and a single ply 2.35 Crossmark on the back of my Bottlerocket.

Only had one puncture (rear) the whole time I was there.

Going again this year for eight days, this time with single ply minions front and rear.