Few Alps threads starting to emerge now. anyone doing the PPDS this year? we are booked in on the friday which is the last day of the trip. the thinking was a good few days DH then a nice long XC day to finish off, big lash up friday night and bugger off in the morning... (although some mates are driving down and staying a few extra days so i might consider stopping on if im having too much fun)
anyways, question was; we are starting in Les Lindarets. do you have to actually start there (the lads can drive us over there in the van so its not much of an issue) but if we did set off from Morzine following the route to Lindarets, then signed on n'that before continuing onwards... then we wouldnt have to bother with the last stretch at the end of the day and we (they, id ride anyway) wouldnt have to drive back to Morzine?
Also if you do start in Lindarets. do you head toward Chatel first or Avoriaz, or does it not matter?
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If you've got a Les Lindarets start then thats where you'll pick your pack up from, number board, lift pass etc. So yeah you'll have to start from there.
Doesn't matter which way you go from Les lindarets either.
ok thanks. im guessing the best direction would be toward Chatel/ Swiss side first? looking on the map there appears to be a few 'new for 2015' sections and DH options!
The course is "one way". You can start at a different point (you are not supposed to but they don't check) however you have to collect your start pack at Linderets this may mean a drive elsewhere is pointless time wise, we have managed to collect the night before once and once I got he packs at 7am whilst the rest had breakfast. You will ride Les Gets before the PPdS and the even link there is dull do perhaps skip that. You could consider the Torgon loop, there is an awesome descent through loamy trails in the woods there, it probably wont be the official PPdS route but it comes out at the same point, the small car park by the lift station. Do all the DH options. When coming back into Linderets do the Toboaggan black and not the fire road. If you ride the area before you may be able to figure out some extra runs, we did some in Morgins and Les Crossets for example one year, offically the PPdS lift ticket isn't vaild for the other lifts butwe didn;t have a problem, you can apologise and say you got lost 😉
Have fun its a grand day out, IMO you are doing it just right which is to ride the area before then finish with the PPdS and a big night, skip riding on the Sat.
Heads up, we had the same issue last year, staying in Morzine, and starting in Les Lindarets. Its actually a long way (like 50 mins one way). We had a big group, so getting us all there was an issue. But if there are just a few of you, make an early start so you can collect packs in time. We thought of riding through, but the lifts connecting to Lindarets didn't open in time. Best bet is to drive through, or buy another lift pass and make your way over. Check when you need to collect your packs though, I think its before 9am? Either way, its a pita.
We eventually managed to convince PDS staff to change our starting point to Morzine, but it wasn't easy.
Did it a couple of years ago, we were quite a big group and the registration was a total gang**** so we ended up with 3 different starting points.
The best course of action for us was to head out early to pick up the packs by car and then all start from our base in Morzine. It's not too hard, I believe you can collect packs from about 2 hours before the lifts open.
I think the whole point of PPDS for the organisers is to attract more visitors to the quieter resorts in PDS - but Morzine and Lets Gets are still by far the most popular so, are hugely over subscribed, the other centres are often massively under subscribed - lets just say we're not the first people to come up with the idea of driving to pick up packs so there was a MASSIVE queue to get onto the lift at Super Morzine the year we did it, and the first couple of hours meant riding in a massive long line of riders, when everyone was in good spirits it was a laugh - but soon enough there were a few people who were looking to 'win' the untimed event and started trying to pass everywhere and leaving chaos in their wake. It sorts itself out by mid-morning though.
There were lots of 'optional downhill' buts the year we did it too, usually being buzzed about by a small, but constant stream of Helicopters - seems sending tired, slightly sunburnt, slightly dehydrated riders on light bikes down alpine DH courses lead to some accidents.
OP, some further thoughts on PPdS. I have done it three times. Given you are there for a week you could explore a bit and create your own PPdS version which could be epic and adds in some spice on top of the official route and still take in the free food and atmosphere.
1) get the van up to Linderets you can phaff with trying to collect stuff Thur night, we've done that once as they arrive to setup the night before and with a bit of sweet talking you can get your stuff. One note with the van if you can get them to wait so any freebees they give you you can hand to the van rather than lug around all day.
2) use the week to explore. Ride the Les Gets link to see what you think and whether its worth doing on the day. The route into Morzine which will be at the start of your ride I think is one of the best bits. In the week before you might want to do Mont Chery / Col Ecrenanz / Les Praz / Essert Romand / Morzine off piste route (email me for a map) and then consider adding that into the PdS as a much more interesting way Les Gets to Morzine - if you think you have time. Or you can leave out Les Gets totally which we've done before riding the area before the PPdS as the route on the day isn't so special.
I assume you are going to ride the Col du Coux (you should) threads on here recently about it and a route in Issue 91 of STW. You can add this to the PdS route as a much much more interesting way into Champery which in the past is 80% a roll down a paved farm road 🙁 (or a very spicey option in the woods which doesn't appear to be in this years course). To add the Col Coux you might need an extra uplift on the Crossets side Mosettes lift. Again time dependent.
As you will "finish" in Linderets, in addition to Toboggan how about taking Chaux/Fleurie again but heading to les Roulainnes then straight down past La Barme to the lake at Montriond and back to Morzine (note this was also part of the the issue 91 route). Alternatively you can just roll down the road to the main Linderets goat village for a beer with a great view, bars behind the touristy shops have terraces. We did that and then off piste down a ski run which was a bit rubbish TBH but more interesting than the road. Col Roulaines would be a great finish to the PPdS back to Morzine.
Use the week to explore and look at IGN maps etc. The standard PPdS route is OK and a good laugh but you can spice it up ! You can leave out Torgon or Les Gets too.
tasty food for thought. thanks
according to the map there appears to be a DH option in Les Crosets under the Mossettes lift, that pretty much cuts out all the Champery stuff?
will definitely check out some of those options while were there but i reckon we will do the full official course on the day tho, first time n'all that.
Well that was a bloody great sodding marvellous trip. After last year's biblical rain and boiler suits 25 degree wall to wall blue skies every day was an absolute dream!
PPDS was a cracking event too. Ride it Friday which was the quietest day so hardly any queues to deal with but the terrain was just so much better than I expected. Maybe a bit flat and tarmaccy on the Swiss side but had fun on those tearing down as fast as we dared! All the other descending was great and raced them all like enduro stages! All the DH options were good but my fave was the long dusty singletrack from Crosets back to Lindarets! Loved it
