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  • Tell me about the Pass Portes
  • tpbiker
    Free Member

    So its cold, dark and a monday night. Trying to cheer myself up by looking at places to go for next summers alpine adventure.

    Thinking the Passportes looks amazing, whats the deal?

    When does entry open?
    Is it pot luck where you start from?
    Assume its not a race, but 2000 meters of climbing looks a bit stiff, thats like 5 times up inners! Do I (or rather my riding chums) need to be super fit?
    How challenging is the riding? On you tube it looks pretty simple, not to techy or steep and amazing views!

    Trekster
    Full Member

    Did some of the route in July when I stayed in Chatel. Quite fancy doing it next year. If I don’t I will be going back to Chatel the week after anyway. Riding does seem to be not too difficult and I think there are options to take difficult or easy routes. Only issue we had was one of the lifts had shut down due to poor weather. We took the optional route climbing up past the lift, stopped for a catch up/breather and noticed lift had started again. We decided to risk going all the way back down the hill to the lift house and chance it did not close again ❗ Was worth the effort for the ridge ride we got 😆
    We used the lift system and trails to go from Chatel over to Les Get one day stopping at a lakeside cafe for a break
    Sign posting looks good with big alloy plates attached to various direction posts

    http://summitdown.com/passportes/

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    @tpbiker – there are lots of threads on here. I like the event, think of it as a ride in company, a celebration of the mountains, an introductory tour

    Entry opens in February, popular start locations for Saturday sell out quickly /same day (eg Morzine/Les Gets/Chatel). Now run over 3 days (Fri Sat or Sun)
    A few 100m of climbing only (you can do more)
    Its a randonee – basically set up as an introductory tour of the area – food and drink stations (local produce, cheese, meats etc)
    IMO best thing to do is make it part of as holiday, a few days riding before or after
    A few technical sections/options but mostly straightforward (if you know the area you can add in some more technical riding or probably best to do that separately)

    Google the event website

    We stayed with Ski Blue Ridge in Les Gets one year we did it

    EDIT: I like the event and people have a desire to go to Les Gets/Morzine/Chatel at least once but you’ll get way more technical riding on quieter trails if you do a guided holiday elsewhere

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    sleigh62
    Free Member

    me and two friends did it this year … rode the event on the saturday in baking sunshine + you get a free lift pass for the second day but your not part of the event.
    The whole event is lift assisted (except one had temporarily shut when we got to it forcing us into a pretty gruelling climb). The trails are pretty good ….. some steep stuff if you opt for the downhill sections but all ok. Event is super organized, loads of good free food and even got free beer!!.
    Despite the fact that its all lift assisted… its a long old ride and after a few punctures etc we only just made the last lift at Morzine at 6.30pm (we started at 10.00am)
    We stayed in great hotel in Morzine but actually started from Les Gets. Best of both worlds as no queueing for the start in Les Gets, where we left the car … but lots of apres ride in Morzine when we got back.
    You do spend quite a bit of time in lift queues but theres lots to see and a fantastic atmosphere.
    It sells out really fast when registration opens so you need to be sat at your computer with all the details of your group at hand and be prepared for their website to crash due to volume of entries.
    It was our first Alps trip and I would highly recommend it … you don’t have to be super fit as the lift take care of most of the climbing but its a long day in the saddle.
    Our hotel in Morzine was about 500m from their main lift and the owners let us use their showering facilities after we’d checked out on day 2 …. lots of other mtb’ers staying there too … 90 Euro per night for a good sized room for 3 with great facilities and a very nice breakfast (though not a good old fry up!)

    Great atmosphere, well organized and breathtaking scenery … perfect.

    ianv
    Free Member

    Did it on the sunday, the weather was awful (wet, muddy and zero visability) so cant comment on the scenery. I thought the trails were generally pretty boring though(a lot of fire road) apart from the one down to torgon.

    Mondial du vtt week in 2 alpes was better.

    tracknicko
    Free Member

    shh. dont tell people about the torgon loop.

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