Been editing up to my eyeballs and I’ve managed to cut my full race run down to about 10 minutes. Could possibly take slightly more out of it but I’m happy enough with it now!

Waiting for the STW criticism I guess 😉 .

Ignore the dashboard at the side as the stats didn’t sync up properly. And make sure you switch it to HD!

Filmed on a Garmin Virb.

Bike: Transition Smuggler (wouldn’t have changed a thing about the bike).

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zENXZMZBzA[/video]

The guy about 4 mins 5 seconds in = total muppet 😛

That would do my head in! All the people shouting at you to get a move on when there is a blatant jam, then people stopping at obstacles when there is no bottle neck. Great video and well done on completing but I’m not sure it’s for me now!

What’s the craic about entering? I’d love to have a go

That particular race is not for me! All the traffic jams and following people much slower/having someone up your chuff must suck a lot of the fun out of it.

Great edit! 20 years after moving over to the UK from Dublin, it did make me grin to hear someone say ‘f*ckin’ eejit’ on a Megavalanche vid 😀

Most of that just looked like it’d be annoying, muppets stopping dead in front of you on some of the bits you need to keep rolling to get round.

Nice vid but yes, does look a bit of a stress – suppose that’s half the point!

That particular race is not for me! All the traffic jams and following people much slower/having someone up your chuff must suck a lot of the fun out of it.

nah it all adds to the madness just encourages you to take some kamikaze lines to get down 🙂

OP, You have the patience of a saint. Some of those riders look like its the first time they ever rode a bike!

will everyone stop getting shot..

worse queues than a weekend shopping with the missus

I’ve always wanted to do it, and plan to next year.

Tell me, is it worth the hassle of the trail-mincers and traffic jams?

What happened to the dude with his hand in your wheel??!

Only watched some, but well done for putting up with it!

Is it possible to ride the course when it ISN’T raceday?

Just make sure you get off the snow near the front and you miss the traffic

How did that guy get his hand in between the chainstay and your wheel!?!?

Where there’s a wheel, there’s a way.

Pook – Member
What’s the craic about entering? I’d love to have a go

Anyone can enter, I think it was €90 a few years ago when I had a go. Race consists of a qualifier that decides which main race you go into. Only the faster riders go through into mass start main race.

My attempt when badly wrong as I smashed my thumb to pieces on the first day of practice!

I’ve always wanted to do it, and plan to next year.

Tell me, is it worth the hassle of the trail-mincers and traffic jams?

Qualifying puts you into the following catergories:
Megavalanche (Top 35 from each qualifier)
Mega Challenger (36-70th)
Mega Amateur (71-94)
Mega Affinity 1&2 (95-130)

This year was my first year, start on the 2nd row (35th) of the grid in qualifying, lost a few places off the start, but ended up 30th, so qualified for the main race.

I found the riding ability in the main race is still a bit of a mixed bag, some are very good on the snow and then maybe not so good on the rock sections. I made a mess of the snow, couldn’t get into a rhythm, once off the snow I caught bunches of people on some of the more difficult features.

There was no where near the muppetry in the main race as there was in that video above, people on the most part were pretty sensible, the ones I caught after the snow and then further down after the climb waved me through, likewise if someone wanted to pass, then I let them (its in the rules to let the faster rider past)

I really enjoyed it, the qualifying track is really good fun, flows really well and you can attack it, line choice is critical. The main race was really good to (apart from the snow, need to ride the top more next year).

I will be going back next year, won’t be going back to Morzine for the week after, preferred the tracks in Alp D’Huez & Les Deux Alps (Port Du Soleil has suffered as a result of all the rain)

That is hilarious. I got so much competition rage just watching that I don’t think I could ever risk doing the event 😀

That looked a lot like my race Challengers? I wasted my front row start by going to wide at the bottom of the first slope and hitting the snow wall, followed by getting caught up with everybody. Cooked my brakes following slower and probably lighter riders on the first bit, passing all the fatter guys on the climb. Also had the bit after the climb clear at which point I found my rear brake was gone, making tragic a nightmare resulting in no brakes.

Qualifying makes the week for me, I had a really fun one this year, just wish my lungs worked at altitude.
There is some poor riding, but it’s harder than it looks.

I in no way want to sound like a STW moaning old git, but some parts of that really don’t look like fun.

Not OP’s fault, but man all those people bitching, the jams etc. I got stressed just watching it 😉

Edit: Were there any fights?

I told my gf after the finish that if I entered again to cut my bike in half, that evening I’m planning brake choices for next year.

in a word its frustrating I did it for the second time this year and doubt I would ever do it again. I thought I would have a better go this year on the second attempt as with prior experience and hopefully a better bike handler having done a lot more riding. I actually did far worse in the qualifying this year even though I rode a lot better than the first time round ….and they reason for this is the qualifying lottery.

The key to having a good run in the mega is having a good starting spot in the qualifier which as far as I know if you are not a pro or recognised rider you take pot luck and are allocated a row. This year I was in one of the rows at the back of the group there was a bottleneck from the intial fireroad all the way to the first techy singletrack and from there on in I don’t care if your Sam Hill you wont be doing enough overtaking to make it count as there isn’t enough opportunity.

As you can see in most peoples vids you eventually get stuck behind singletrack sections behind slower riders and are dragging your brakes all the way down you do get a few openings but at that point id lost the will to ride

It is however more open on the main event as you have a longer run on the snow in a wider area and so the field thins out a bit more allowing the faster and fitter riders to get away from the pack.

you can go up and ride the mega course any time before or after the event and it is an official trail

I have heard the mountain of hell has a fairer way of qualifying and may try this next year

That would do my head in! All the people shouting at you to get a move on when there is a blatant jam, then people stopping at obstacles when there is no bottle neck

Yeah that does do your head in a bit. I’ve heard it’s not a problem if you’re in a top 20 out of the start, but bit of a chicken and egg situation as bloody hard to get in the top 20.

At some of the bottle necks there are alternate lines, in practice I made sure I knew where all the shortcuts were (the taping is not that strict) so I could avoid bottlenecks/make up places.

20 years after moving over to the UK from Dublin, it did make me grin to hear someone say ‘f*ckin’ eejit’ on a Megavalanche vid

Haha yeah was just the first thing that came to my head! Looked like he hadn’t looked up the trail at all.

worse queues than a weekend shopping with the missus

😆 😆

Tell me, is it worth the hassle of the trail-mincers and traffic jams?

What happened to the dude with his hand in your wheel??!

It’s soo worth it if you just think of it as a fun week of riding in the alps, rather than being so focused on the main event (which is what I was advised to do as it was my first time). The riding there is just amazing and its just a really fun week.

Erm, I saw in my peripheral vision – he fell on the switchback and looked like he grabbed the back of my bike in an attempt to stop himself falling into oblivion 😀 . He seemed ok, not the best move though.

OP, You have the patience of a saint.

Thaaanks 😳

Have to say I think I preferred the qualifying run . It was more of a bucket list event for me, and bloody happy I managed to finish it first time. The queues of riders did get a bit old in the main race.

I made sure I knew where all the shortcuts were (the taping is not that strict) so I could avoid bottlenecks/make up places.

Isn’t that called cheating?

Parts of it look fun, parts or it much harder than I thought they would be. Looks like a lot of it could be run quicker !

Not cheating, anything you have the bottle/tyres for within the tapes is fair game. Went Procore this year allowing me to get away with overtaking to the side of the trail on the rocky(er) bits, and a miss-judged drop off I thought would end my qualifying.

Enjoyed that – thanks for posting it up!

Why’s everyone so obnoxious to each other?

Why’s everyone so obnoxious to each other?

In general, or in the race?

In general, or in the race?

In this race. Screaming at people to get out of the way when there’s obviously no way they can. Find it bizarre and ugly behaviour.

If you mean the race, people are in reality nice. when I ran out of brakes, every time I ended up on my arse the following rider asked if I was ok. In fact a guy who binned it in front of me on the glacier causing a pileup apologised. The atmosphere surrounding the whole event is awesome. If the French had won the football it would have been even better.

I think it stop, sit down, wait for 1hr for everyone to go past, then rag it down to the bottom.

I guess that’s not the point though!

Thanks OP.

I think I am right in saying if you don’t qualify high enough you don’t get the snow start ?

Mountain of Hell have some epic vids on facebook linky

Why’s everyone so obnoxious to each other?

‘cos they think they’re much better than they are.

Big bikes, not so big ability.

I quite enjoyed it when I did it. I’ll go back with my boy in a couple of years I reckon.

Isn’t that called cheating?
Parts of it look fun, parts or it much harder than I thought they would be. Looks like a lot of it could be run quicker !

The course is taped quite wide in places, which gives a lot of line choices, the easy lines are slower and longer, whereas there are more direct/quicker but higher risk lines.

Jamba, everyone gets to start on the glacier, even halfwits like me who royally messed up qualifying 🙂

The difference is that you don’t get the mass start but have a timed run down, less bottle necks to deal with.

I’m going back next year to be part of the traffic!

Looks like some great riding … ruined by a “race”

sorry but I think I’d just have stopped* and waited for them all to **** off

*right across the main line, obvz