Morzine/Les Gets to Samoens ?

Its called the La Bourgeoise after the Hill behind the Joux Plane. Walk No. 6 - La Bourgeoise - Morillon Verchaix Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval / Grand Massif Montagnes du Giffre / UK (haut-giffre.co.uk)

Ride the top ridge line, open single trail first then steeper tree root sections. Clip the first two road bends, jump off the wooden barrier on the second, cross the road on the third and descend to Cessonex on the Joux Plane road. Pedal up the road for a couple of bends through Le Tour and at the next junction turn right and use the La Rosiere road to get to Chantermerle. Takes about 20 mins. From just above Chantermerle head up a track on the right for about 100m, this brings you to the top of the Les Suets trail (marked MTB #61). This is wicked. A tight contouring singletrack at first, past some house sized white boulders, then fast switchbacks all the way into Samoens. Takes you out just above Bar Aspen.

Don't bother with the Samoens bike park. They've given up on it. Sections were closed off this summer and there has been little or no maintenance done.

Oh that's a shame man... it looked ACE in the video i sent to the lads last night.

If you can ignore the bloke

They have given up on it but there's some incredible off piste to be found on the hill. We've ridden there for a couple of days on our trips the last couple of years and it's been some of the best riding we've done.

If you make your way up to the top of the Nauchets lift in Morzine, using Trailforks you ride along/down the road a little bit to the Joux Plane lake. Before it starts dropping down you take a left off the road and do some mild hike a bike up to a big cross at the top of the hill. There's then a lovely natural enduro descent all the way down to the valley floor. It's on Trailforks - there are 2 reds from where I described it so best to use that to get there. We did the one that hooks left early on and it was amazing.

If you send me a message closer to the time I'd be happy to point you in the right direction of some of the Samoens off piste. I bumped in to some other guys who were friends of friends in the park and took them down some stuff they were adamant was the best trail they'd ever ridden. There's on trail that's like a Golfie trail with 1000m of elevation drop, I'd hoof it over from Morzine to Samoens just for that!

Epic, thank you. We're there 10-17 Aug, well, this group is, we may be there an extra 2 weeks on top, depends on some plans/racing etc...

I guess the next Qn is...
What big days out like the Col du Cou are legal now ? I'm pretty sure that one is a no-no.... (or is it ? and is it actually enforced?)

Agree. The bike park is rubbish. The trails coming off the first lift up are excellent

There is going to be a lot of people on here with lots of knowledge and can provide routes and GPX etc, but I’d suggest getting a guide for a day.  Our first visit, yonks ago mind, we just bumbled around Les Gets as we didn’t really know the place.  Next time we went we got a guide and had a fantastic massive day out.  It also allows us to get our bearings for the place as the area is vast.

I can recommend Jo at Rideability. Top lad.  Let him know your level of gnar, and he’ll tailor the ride to suit.

Yeah i pinged Jo there last night.. Looking a bit spendy, but not impossible. We've been a lot... but the riding has changed as has the riding we want in the last 15 years.

We rode there last year as part of our Alps Trip. There's loads of off piste stuff that's not on any maps.

If you don't like roots best to start practicing as they are everywhere

Rode everything waymarked off the Grand Massif lift, brilliant day out, its a lot more natural than the Morzine/Les Gets main stuff, more similar to the off piste, but way less battered.

There is a lot of rock and roots there, so in the wet its going to be a tough place to ride.

I like roots, one of my mates less so... but we'll have plenty of blues up the top on other days for making him happy.

I just fancy something like jump crazy really... it's not my thing.

I've nothing to add trailwise, but I'm curious having been in Les Carroz but not venturing over the other side. I'm hoping to get a ride in there myself next summer, but that depends on other things.
Just a heads up that the French August bank holiday is the 15th and the weekend of the 17/18th  is the traditional drive home for most of France. By habit I avoid traveling on that weekend.

SO carrying on then... Anyone got any useful GPX stuff for days out with less 'park' and more XC/TechXC sort of riding ? Obviously that's quite a subjective statement but would be nice to find cool stuff without going massive gap world.

I can send you some stuff, PM me your email address. Lez Carroz is very bikepark, typical Zore kinda stuff, Sameons more of a semi-controlled crash down a very steep cliff full of roots.

@Weeksy - no idea how to upload a gpx file. DM me and I can send you one for one of the routes down from La Bourgeoise and some of the 'off piste' like Chicken Run on the Samoens side (hope you like it steep!), not sure I would describe it as XC though certainly wouldn't want to attempt it on a short travel xc bike.
Got a few good ebike loops I have done with a guide as well if you want.