I'm back there 11- 28 Aug. Dreading the Bank Holiday Channel crossing on the return leg but have paid for 'priority boaeding' or somesuch. Watch this space.
I've lost count of the number of times we've visited but I've never ridden the Pleney in full. Probably ridden all of it bit by bit over the years with the exception of that God-awful drop. TBH, it doesn't really appeal.
Booked a chalet with AirBnB in Les Gets- at the same time as the DH World Champs which sould be a fun thing to watch. Hopefully the event won't interfere too much with our riding. I really don't wan't those youngsters holding me up on the trails...
Anyone out there at the same time fancy a meet up and a show around. We've done it a couple of times before and its worked well in a very disorganised, flexible way.
Whatever happens, say 'Hello' to the bloke in the Hawaian shirt.
I'm just back from a week riding mainly in Les Gets, Morzine and Chatel.
We had a fantastic time and got to ride in the dry and the wet - it's very different!
Not sure there's much to add that hasn't been covered?
The descent into Samoens is pretty awesome but you do need to plan how to get back - there are a couple of firms that offer a shuttle pick up
Looking at the trails/vids of Chatel, it's not very user friendly !!!! Looks very very gappy.
I think Serpentine is OK though, but some of the rest.. wowsers.
@weeksy There are plenty of really great and user friendly trails in Chatel - there are some serious blacks that get lots of feature in videos etc, but the Vink line down to the bottom lift is excellent and swoopy and in the Bike Park itself there are several great flow trails - including a green 'family trail'
Just back and we did do la Bourgeoise over to Samoen - one of my best days in the saddle ever. Pretty gnarly (for me) at times, with tight rooty-steeps and next to a cliff drop off to the left which was hidden by undergrowth but v close at points. We had a lift back up to the col and it would be a hell of climb back without on anything other than a road bike.
Les Gets trails all running great as were super morzine. I don't mind some rough but the Chatel area was not fun at all with Serpentine and middle Vink line all completely blown and needing surfacing work. Panoramic was smoother and good fun at speed though.
I did notice there's a new Blue back from Les Gets to Morzine since we were last over there. I think part of it is stuff that was previously there and i rode some of with Stoner, but i think a fair bit is new too. Would be a good one to have at the end of the days riding back over to Morzine as i think we'll spend a bit of time in Les Gets when we're there.
What are people looking forward to most then ?
I'm thinking my favourites are going to be a nice bit of Super Morzine Blues....
Lindarets : Dans le Foret.... i like...
I am meeting some friends from the Uk from 31st july till 6 of august.
Cant wait.
I've been intrigued with the ride from Avoriaz, via Morzinette and then onwards to Morzine. I've found a few conflicting accounts that include a fair amount of hike a bike, something that I can no longer do- bloody arthritic hip is no fun, especially if I have to lift an Ebike.
'Alps mountain biking' (Steve Mallett, Vertebrate Publishing) says "Avoriaz to Morzine. A brilliant enduro loop away from the park. From the top of the Prodains lift at Avoriaz, take a right and climb up the ridge in front of you heading for La Chaux. A panoramic traverse brings you to the small hamlet of Morzinette where the fun really begins. One of the fastest singletracks you'll ever ride, it sweeps through the forest on a gentle gradient and drops you back into Morzine centre".
Has anyone ridden this? How difficult is it compared with e.g. La Bourgouise in the wet? Do you have a GPX you'd care to send my way?
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Will be interested to hear how you get on staying at the Tremplin. We’re due to stay there later in the summer.
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Just on my transfer back to Geneva airport 🙁
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Tremplin was great. We had the same room as I had before. If you’re not bothered about large rooms and beds then I’d recommend it. Staff are great, gave me a late checkout without even asking and always happy to help. Rooms are clean and the breakfast was decent with plenty of choice. Secure garage to put bike (remember a lock), pump, jet wash etc, all very geared up for bikes. Great post ride bar with a DJ but the bar closed at 8 ish as people move off to eat. Location is brilliant, next to Pleney lift, and right near plenty of bars and restaurants.
Few quick tips.
- There’s a new blue and red to link part of the route back from Avoriaz. They’re very new cut and loamy and will be a nightmare if it rains a lot, there’s also bridges / north shore in weird places. I’d stay on the green which is much more flowy and it seems they’ve built more jumpable rollers on it.
- On the lower part of Fluid in Chatel there’s a newly built large wooden drop, there is a roll down option on the left but I saw no signage for it and rolling up to it it looks like a launch into the void. Be careful as one of my group came across a rider down who clearly hadn’t known.
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I'm in Chatel from 19th July until 29th if anyone's about...
@Ambrose looks like we are there for pretty much the time, although we don't arrive in Morzine until the afternoon of the 13th as we breaking the journey up.
Would be good to meet up. We are staying in Morzine.
Razorrazoo, you’re a star! Looking forward to getting away and busy scoping out some of the quieter trails in the area.
Hi all, we are arriving on friday 15th, riding from the 16th to the 26th july. My girlfriend by her own admission can't ride for as long as i can, and will be needing more rest, half days and so on.
So, i'm looking for fellow riders to show me around (first time in morzine) and ride with. I'm a reasonable rider and enjoy all types of riding really. I can buy you a pint at the end of the ride if that helps ☺️
I'm not going to Morzine this year. Wish I was was. I hate you all....
(have a blast! 😉)
Ambrose Avoriaz to Morzine via Morzinenete is good, there is quite a long section of pushing/carrying at the start, exposed and rocky. Then mainly classic Alpine singletrack.
Do you happen to have a *.gpx or any other information? The brief description from the guidbook really tempts me but 'quite a long section of pushing/carrying at the start, exposed and rocky' really doesn't! Maybe I'll give it a miss 🙁
I'll be in Meribel 9th and 10th august and les Arcs 11th to 13th. With the GF who doesn't ride. Anyone about? Have the car so can travel..
Oh and i want to go to La Thuile. MTB beds needs a few more people who want to go the same week as me, 16th to 27th july in order to run a shuttle so let me or them know if you want to go too.
Well due to the boy breaking his arm it looks like the plans are swapping to Morzine on World Championships weekend to watch both the XC and DH racing.
Sure it's not quite the same as riding... but hey, it'll be a heck of a time for us i think 🙂
Got back on Thursday, Hell of a trip, including SleazyJet cancelling our flight 12 hours before departure and driving down (€2 really hurts over 1600 miles).
Arrvied to near perfect trail conditions, a storm was forecast the whole time we were there, but never arrived. les Gets mainline a continious line of painful braking bumps as per normal. Les Gets 2 side was reduced to a tough Black trail and an unmarked, off-piste line that looks like it might be easier, and really wasn't. The Bike Parks were in great condition, it seems they actually maintain the XC route to Chatel because it was lovely. The Retort DH from Les Gets back to Morzine was actually dry!
Thanks to some great company, I think it's the best trip there I've ever had, and I've been going since 2007.
@Ambrose
Can't really add anything, just remember it was hard finding the start as in not obvious, to start it takes a high traverse line on the left hand side of the valley, leaving Avoriaz it initially climbs a track in the direction of Haute Fort the high peak overlooking the village, used the local IGN map, surprised at how much pushing there was at the start.
Thanks for the reply, I will probably have to give it a miss.
Possibly.
@Ambrose
if you're on an ebike, the hike-a-bike section would be really tough. you could miss it out by cycling up the piste from Prodains to Combe du Machon and meeting the trail there, then its just an uphill push/pedal to get to the high point and start the traverse. There's a couple of points where you might have to lift the bike over rocks, and one very steep exit from a stream crossing, but you'll have missed out ~20 mins of carrying. I did it a few days ago, a small section of the trail in the forest has been flattened by logging/construction vehicles, but it's still all rideable and good fun. happy to give any more info
What I'm really after is some nice flowing French blue, possibly red singletrack. I'll be riding alone. Does anyone know if I can get to Morzinette on access roads? GoogleEarth shows what I interpret as gravel roads but I may be wrong.
AS a clue to what I like/ am after, The Pointe de Mosette- Lenderets GR5 is great. Les Bois Noirs down to Essert Romand ride is great. The Col de Cou is fabulous, esp down via Lac Mine D'Or or even betterer, the Arete du Berrois. The ride fom Col de Bassachaux- Les Roulainnes- La Barme- Lac Montriond was pushing my envelope. The self same envelope was pretty tattered after a wet descent of La Bourgouisse down to Samoens. I'd maybe do it again, in better conditions.
Cheers folks 🙂
I'm here, it is roasting hot. Still looking for riding buddies 🙃
Good to hear the weather is nice. So looking forward to heading there in 3 weeks.
Morgins today. 34c . The red road gap and the drops on la noire were amazing. Massive massive rush after doing those. Pila tomorrow !
Wheres the videos!
@Ambrose there's (at least one) vehicle (4x4) track up to morzinette, but it's steep and very rough in places. Starts about 500m back towards morzine from the prodains lift, when you get up to bois de morzinette, take the track round to the right rather than the left. At the top, as you come out of the forest to the morzinette plateau, there's a narrower track going to the right, that's the start of the descent. On the way down, follow signs to l'acquy. As the trail gets very rocky, like a dry streambed, you can either go left at the signpost towards la mernaz (an up and down traverse) or follow the route downhill another ~100m to the prodains road and roll back into morzine. If you're happy on the arete berrois (now closed to bikes) and bois noirs, i think you'll like it
@howsyourdad1 i'm planning on riding a couple of loops around les gets tomorrow, probably starting from morzine around lunchtime. They head away from the lifts and marked trails, so require a bit of pedalling, not sure what sort of bike you're on but they'd be hard work on a dh. if you're free and fancy joining let me know
Ah sorry missed this ! We are off to samoens tomorrow, last day. We have a shuttle back but any tips on how to get there from morzine would be great. I have heard there are nice trails down to samoens from a certain lift, off piste stuff. Cheers!
Whats the deal with Col de Cou these days?
Any other good xc alternatives? We’ve done the one that drops through the woods back into essert romand but soemthing similar would be good?
@Ambrose looking at Google earth you should be able to bypass the first hike a bike section of Morzinette if you descend the jeep track down to L’alpage du Crot, from there climb another jeep trail up and you will meet the start of the traverse. Again, looking at GE, this has a large ish patch of brown on the map, it’s the only one in a sea of green, so it’s a good way to spot where the start of the trail is. Should be no problems on an eeb, also the traverse should be a good ride, I was pushing quite a bit here but would be a perfect e bike climb.
If you go to YouTube and search for “singletrack somewhere near Avoriaz” you’ll see me riding the whole lot. It’s a crappy handlebar mounted cam and I’m finding my way as I go, but gives you an idea. It’s a bloody amazing trail imo.
Sadly my Morzine riding got cut short after somehow clipping my handlebars on a poking out rock down a Lindarets blue run (first run of the day). Subsequently breaking my finger trapped between the handlebar and rock. Three days sat around the apartment while all your buddies go ride isn't much fun.
First time staying in Morzine itself though as we normally stay in Chatel. Really enjoyed the busier vibe.
Sadly my Morzine riding got cut short after somehow clipping my handlebars on a poking out rock down a Lindarets blue run (first run of the day). Subsequently breaking my finger trapped between the handlebar and rock. Three days sat around the apartment while all your buddies go ride isn’t much fun.
First time staying in Morzine itself though as we normally stay in Chatel. Really enjoyed the busier vibe.
Oh man, i feel your pain. I went there a few years ago when i bust my shoulder 3 days before leaving... I wasn't inspired... Although it was MotoGP weekend so i spent my time in Rhodos drinking beer and watching MotoGP.. it wasn't terrible.
As you may have seen i didn't even get to go this year to ride.... but looking forward to Worlds in Les Gets.
Sadly my Morzine riding got cut short after somehow clipping my handlebars on a poking out rock down a Lindarets blue run (first run of the day). Subsequently breaking my finger trapped between the handlebar and rock.
Its sad that I think I know exactly where that is.
I lightly grazed my arm on that rock, and I got my knuckles with a plant growing off it on two consecutive runs.
Oh man, i feel your pain. I went there a few years ago when i bust my shoulder 3 days before leaving… I wasn’t inspired… Although it was MotoGP weekend so i spent my time in Rhodos drinking beer and watching MotoGP.. it wasn’t terrible.
Yeah it's still a nice place to go hang out. I went for walks. Got lost in the woods and drank green beer 😀
(Also tried to avoid the Santa Cruz shop so my bank account didn't take a hammering)
Its sad that I think I know exactly where that is.
I can't remember exactly, but I recall traversing under the lifts after the half way point and then into some shade - which is probably why I didn't see it. Eyes were trying to adjust.
I'm here for a week right now. Been riding here for at least 12 years and even by normal PDS standards, the trails are a riot. Spent today lapping the pleney on and off piste, and everything is absolutely wrecked. As always, the black mainline run is by far the easiest.
Long shot...
Looks like were binning off Verbier and heading to Champerey for 3 days, in the hope of finding more paths with signs etc.
Hoping to find wooded singletrack if possible.
Is it easy/ possible to get to Morzine from there?
Any recommendations?
Anyone fancy showing us some wooded singletrack?
🙂
I've got a pair of 1 day tickets to Leeds festival which I've just put up for sale. Hopefully they get snapped up and I'll make plans to drive down for World Champs. Should be a good party.
Plus I want to ride some stuff I've missed before like Samoens and Morgins. Will anyone be around that week?
Is it easy/ possible to get to Morzine from there?
Possible, yes. Easy, yes-ish. Bit of a slog but it's the cable car up, ride down to Les Crosets, chairlift up to Pointe De Mossettes, ride down to Lindaret, chairlift up to Avoriaz, ride down the road to Morzine
