Great stuff guys, liking the sound of the ride tomorrow.
I'll just be going for elbow/knee pads, undecided on FF or Trail lid just yet.
I'll be happy with whatever. I'll probably pick a couple of red options if they are familiar from the trip last year, but I'll be taking it easy really.
I'm up for this if you don't mind another tag along.
Everyone welcome. There's no interview or pre-registration required. Not even a "P". We're all as rubbish as the next man or woman.
Stoner..low to middle aged is good..I hate climbing but I'll suffer in silence..are you ok to take another 4 under your wing with a possible 5th..( female )..
Photo's please, of course
Yawn. Its early!
No problem Tymbian. If numbers at lifts get a bit much there's places to split into two groups and regroup later. See you at the trough if you read this in time.
What a great idea. Have a good time folks.
Weeksy we're glad that was posted 3 hours ago and not 1 hour ago!
I'm here
Good lad weeksy. I've just had my porridge and starting my second coffee. Will be at the trough at 9
Ive marked up a piste map with the route and rendezvous points in case we need to split into two groups
Looking forward to this...5 of us to see you all at 9. I'll be on a black/ blue E29
Just got here, have I missed you guys?
Safely back in burgundy. Many thanks for a top day lads
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I told you it was a good spot for a drink 🙂
Anyway- top day folks, many thanks. We are here for another ten days or so and still up for a Bourgoisie (Sp?) ride. I can fit three people and bikes into the Go Go Berlingo! for the shuttle. Looking at the map, if we ride from Les Gets there is a some amount of climbing that is unavoidable. If we don't shuttle/ taxi there is a whole lot more!
Morzine is one of them special places, with an instant sense of occasion. Even when approaching it as you climb the twisty mountain road it builds the anticipation inside you. Each town you pass gets more and more like a picture perfect snow type town. Morzine is the epicenter of this.
Even at 8am when 99% are still sleeping from a night drinking Mutzig there's still a bustle.
Climbing on the Super Morzine lift up you begin to grasp the scale of things, higher higher, then onto the Zore lift up and you're on the ridge between France and Switzerland.
In some ways the riding can be an anticlimactic aspect of it. They don't really do the manicured Rowan Sorrel type sweepy swoopy trails and that immediately puts you outside of your comfort zone. Throw in the bike being something you've never ridden either and its a struggle to start with.
But what it does give you is rocky, rooty, fast descents, traversing ridges and insane reds. They're so so so demanding.
We did the Swiss world cup downhill and the French world cup, they're just hang on and try not to die type of hard trails. But the sort if you did them more you'd know what you can't and can't launch off, but as a novice to it, you're just fighting your mind, your fear and trying to accept the bike is way better than you, if you can hang onto it, it will get you down.
Your legs are hurting, you hands are burning and your breathing is pounding in your head, but finally you reach the end and its over, well, for 10 mins until the lift takes you up and you hit the next trail.
You then end up at a beautiful little place on the side of a mountain where you sink a large beer flavoured glass of courage and do it again and again.
It was ace riding with a few lads who are head and shoulders above me in speed and ability, you try and pick up tips and lines, well, until they're out of sight that is.
The one standout from the day is that mountain biking wipes the floor with motorbikes for me. The adrenaline, excitement and fear factor, I just can't do that on a motorbike, sure, I enjoy riding my KTM, but not like I enjoy mountain bikes. I just can't push boundaries, limits and drive myself in the same way.
Met up with 9 random people from the www and had an epic day!
Massive thanks to Stoner and Ambrose for showing us stuff.
Massive thanks to the superstars for talking me into stuff and making sure I ended up safe!
Glad it worked out so well, dissapointed I couldn't make it. Weeksy good to hear you are back safely. IME my riding improves massively over a few days in the Alps, not surprising as I do more descending in a day than in many months at home and on much more challenging terrain.
I should be there before the end of the week and would definitely do Bourgesoie. There is the pedal in from the lake over a rutted cow path which is steadily up and a bit of a road climb in the middle. I am very unfit and I will manage. Ambrose if we could drop your car in Samoens that's perfect (so take two cars there and then return in one), either leave it overnight or take it round in the morning. We can decide on an exact plan but we could ride Samoens lift a bit too. There is a large free car park by the lift. Happy to ride together all day (fav trails in Les Gets and maybe "Stoner's col" above Ecrenanz) or just meet for that ride. As you are driving back you can ride it at the end of the day.
Will confirm travel plans shortly.
Thanks everyone for a cracking day out. Great to meet you all.
Mcbain I am so very sorry we missed you. I think I counted up to ten and then just rounded up. If you're around the while longer we might tray and catch up at the end of the week.
I will try and post some photos soon but got tied up with some work and am now en route to Italy. Back by Saturday evening so should be good for a bourgeoise ride. We have transport options.
Stoner we'll co-ordinate so you can join. I have flex on dates.
FYI will try and do my "usual" mini tour taking in Chamonix and Verbier. If anyone wanted to do a day in Chamonix its an hours drive although I think Brevent amd Flegre aren't taking bikes this August which is a pity. Les Houches has some good riding (eg Hughes Way, Pipeline, some vtt trails) if folk wanted to try somewhere different.
Thanks guys, great day out was had by all I think.
Thanks mr stoner for being our guide and making a good route that had something for everyone.
After going down the Swiss and French National DH tracks, I reckon the Frenchies have more extreme tastes!
Good work Weeksy for getting down them steep red runs, not too many things in the UK harder than that!
Thanks to Dean for keeping me on my toes! To think you had that injury 2 months ago that was some tricky stuff we barrelled down!
Oh and I've got a couple of pictures, I'll try and get them on here later
Oh and I've got a couple of pictures, I'll try and get them on here later
I'm now debating this thanks to you lot
🙂
Nukeproof Mega too ? Got to get yourself over to Surrey Hills as its the best chance of getting any practice in anywhere locally. That plus negotiating a trip out in 2017, long weekend or full week, guided or not ? Time to start reading the "which companies" threads and "liming" their facebook pages
No worries Stoner, it was my own fault for being late!
We had a late start today after driving to Les Linderets and finding that we were 'sans une casque'. Les Linderets to Morzine return trip, via a lot of goats is enough to remove an hour of your life and make me grumpy. Anyway, off to Chatel we did ride, via the forest tracks and then up into town. Overheard gossip about the Super Chatel being closed due to storms then made us return (via the navette, phew) to the bike park for some riding.
Thursday's forecast is looking wet so we are off to explore the St Jean D'Aulps/ Graydon area because it seems that the lift may actually be open.
Does the Grande Terche take bikes - is that the one you are taking about ? The ridge to Joranloup always looked intereting on the map and I think an offpiste ride write up I read went there. Can get there via Col Ecrenanz/Basse les bois noir / turn left early to keep some height I believe
Thursday the grand terche is open. No idea if for bikes though.
There's a small restaurant on the plateau, v nice, open too. It's also open on Sundays but accessible only by foot or 4x4 then.
Yes, you can ride around from bois noir via plan criou then up the road via bovis, graydon, and finishing with a nasty push (short) up on to the grande terche plateau. Not sure where you would want to ride from there as the Ridge to la grande terche summit is boring and steep.
I put some photos in mrsmith thread on walking the area.
Jambalaya: I'm sat on the ferry home now unfortunately 🙁
@mcb okee dokey 😐 at least its a rubbishy cloudy day
@stoner yes thats what I was looking at Bois Noir / Criou then round into Graydon, then to Joranloup and pick a way down, some look pretty steep eg direct to Plan du Chevacul or round to Riandet and on to S-JdA ? I spend far too long looking a maps 🙂 must try and dig out the blog route I read as I am sure you'd recognise it
The lift was open and it takes bikes but beware, they are not gentle with them. The bubbles are not permanently equipped with hooks so the operator drops the bracket thing into the ski holder and places the bike onto that- all well and good until you notice that it is a plain metal hook, no plastic covers 🙁
Anyway, at the top of the Grande Terches lift, at Sur Les Tetes, it is an easy gravel road to Graydon. Work is currently in progress to improve the track for vehicles. We nipped out to Joranloup, there is a VTT interdit sign there. It was a lovely spot, nobody else around. A steep drop down to the valley through the woods looks like techy rooty fun in the dry.
At Graydon we visited the cafe/ bar. It's a really great place, similar in ways to Mt Caly and well worth a visit. You can drive there in a normal car via a wholly tarmac road from Essert Romand. It is signposted.
After Graydon, down the lane to Les Place and a grassy track on the right up into the woods. This section is really cool- beech woods, narrow bits, big drops in places, rock sections and stuff. All in all really great to ride down but we ended up riding up it. It is about a 500 foot climb, all pedalable. Beware of constant false summits. The fire road at the top soon gets to Le Plan de Criou and then down a steep, loose rocky 4x4 track back to Essert Romand. The track has armco waterbars that are a bit super slippy in the wet.
VTT interdit 😐
Thanks for the research. Hope to see you next week
Friday's plan is to head from Morzine to Morzine, via Torvassieres. Returning via Chatel bike Park.
Nice loop. Dont forget your can catch a bus from the square in châtel to the foot of pierre longue under the châtel bike park with bikes. They have proper bike pens on the bus. Saves a boring slog
Guys, what say thee to bourgeoise on Sunday?
I have Van and rack to get me +2 back from Samoens. I'm hoping to extend an invitation to Zeb of chalet Montana fame to join us on his new Process. So if we can get another vehicle we can get a few bodies down there.
Is there a preference to go from Morzine via pleney, chavannes and a pedal up to the joux plan or to get dropped off by our respective lifts at joux plan and just drop in like the middle aged idle bastards we are?
Sunday too soon for me I think, I saw your earlier post and thought you where not returning till Sunday. However please go ahead if its suits all of you. Still in Paris.
The pedal round from the top of Les Gets/Chavannes is fairly straightforward, only the really lazy need to dropped off at the lake 😉
Jambalaya, we can probably sneak in our own 2 up later in the week. We're on our way back to blighty on Thursday.
I'm up for this on Sunday but cannot do the ride after that because we have friends visiting from Monday onwards. I need to be back in good time for the evening, we are out for food in Morzine.
I can fit three people and their bikes in my BlingO.
Sorry for the last-minute and slightly uninvited reply, but just wondering what sort of riding you guys are doing ?
I'm near Annecy for another week, with MTB/road bikes. It's just an XC hardtail, and I've not got pads or full-face. I've ridden at Let Gets before on this bike, and was a bit crap (Black Canyon 😯 ), but it was fun. So if you're just doing lift-assisted stuff, that wouldn't suit my relative crapness on a bike. Hope you're enjoying the nice weather anyhow 🙂
Ambrose, excellent. I will ping makkag an email to see if he wants to join in.
Given we're probably just doing the descent, maybe with a little climb , we'll only be out for a short time.
If it's just the two of us we can come back in the van as the van will be at Samoens regardless as Mrs Stoner will want to hand over the brats and ride back on her Road bike.
And if it is just the two of us, we could probably enjoy the climb from chavannes.
Edit, DJ the bourgeoidescent is quite short (being only probably a couple of hours of bike time. I expect to spend longer in the bar than on the bike) so might not be worth the trip over. I might only get one more ride in early next week and it will probably be the same one, but with jambalaya. Others in the thread may be around to ride with though.
Sorry been a bit absent , riding and falling off a fair bit inter spliced with gin and swimming (not in that order !) Great to ride with you all and great to be back on a bike !! here till next Saturday and have some day passes left if anyone wants a ride . Stoner Ambrose I could do Sunday if there is room and you don't mind swearing as I climb as I'm unfit as at the moment .
Makkag, bags of room and little climbing.
That makes three. Well give the thread another 18hrs and then probably move to email to finalise details tomorrow evening
Makkag- I've emailed you my phone number. Mark, I believe you already have my number. I have yours.
Bring on the sunshine and smiles.
Ambrose
Enjoy guys, you have all the route info you need ? In Chantermerle its up past the little chalet and look for right turn on overgrown double track, next little right turn off that should have a little vtt sign and be fairly obvious into the woods
Hope weather is good so this view greets you on the ride in to the cross
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Will let you know when I have firm date. Ambrose hope to see you anyway (to thank you for all the route info you've shared in the past), saw you where there till 26 so assumed you'd be free for "an audience" anytime 😉
@makk if you have spare passes I'll buy them
Change of plans means that we're returning to Morzine for a few more days, rather than heading home - I'd have liked to join Stoner et al tomorrow, but it's our travel day 😕 - if there's a group going to revisit the route next week I'd be keen to tag along if there's room for yet another - otherwise is there any practical (affordable) way of returning from Samoens if I did the trip solo?
Vinney, if jambalaya can sort his shit out in time I think wednesday will be my last chance to get out before we start thinking about packing up and winding our way back to Albion. There would be room in the van for the three of us to get back from Samoens.
Ambrose / Makkag YGM
Vinney, if jambalaya can sort his shit out in time I think wednesday will be my last chance to get out
There is much truth in this ! In my defence we have been "on duty" to make sure my 88 & 80yo parents in law are ok and get to/from the Normandy coast ok and its good news really they wanted to extend their trip.
@vinney let's try and make a plan to ride it together then. So you arrive sun and leave when ? We'd leave one car in Samoens. I think the cheapest way to do it solo aside from road riding back to Les Gets/Morzine via Taninges which is about 25k with 400m climbing or tackling the climb back to Joux Plan which is 1000m up would be to find a taxi from Samoens to Joux plan that could take your bike. We took a taxi with a trailer from Samoens all the way back to Morzine 60€ for 3 of us.
I'd like to do Stoner's Col Basse route too - I've done the Ecrenanz - Esserts bottom bit before. That ride is easy to do with the lift system plus pedaling/pushing up. Could do both in a day's mainly off-piste riding.
Here in Morzine finally after hellish journey, leaving again Friday.
Jambalaya/Stoner are you still interested in doing this?
Wednesday would probably suit me best, but can be flexible over date/time.
Hi vinny.
Im afraid we're probably heading back on Wednesday now. I'm taking Jr riding greens tomorrow and then we have the joy of cleaning the flat and packing in Tuesday so it doesn't look like we'll get a chance to ride. A few others in this thread may well be around though.
Today, Ambrose, makkag and I rode the bourgeoise. Has to be said it was v tricky after recent rain. Clay on the top was slippy, off camber roots on the rest were slick and just wanted to throw you off the hill. A real challenge. Would love to have another go when bone dry though.
So family Stoner are wrapping up for summer in Morzine. It's been fantastic this season. Predominantly great weather. Some massive walks and great to ride with some new faces. Same again next year?
'Today, Ambrose, makkag and I rode the bourgeoise. Has to be said it was v tricky after recent rain. Clay on the top was slippy, off camber roots on the rest were slick and just wanted to throw you off the hill.'
Too right! Some of those drops really, really worried me. I'd not really want to do the ride again unless it was properly dry. I am an old fashioned sort of bloke who likes his wheels to grip the ground at least some of the time 😉 An excellent ride though, superb.
Same again next year?
Hell yeah, why not. We're doing a slightly different trip next year, but we will be planning 1-2 days around Geneva way, so no reason at all we can't integrate one of them days into being a riding day in Morzine for me.
morning all lovely day in the PDS this morning - yesterday was a fine adventure with great company but as mentioned bloody tricky when wet!! im here till friday so may have one more day pass to cash in if people are around . Never done the col du coux if anyones up for it .
I will be here mid august again next year fingers crossed there will be an overlap.
Dean- it was a fine day indeed. After beasting myself on the Bourgeoise and then a bunch of Les Gets and Pleney runs I was dead beat- so I stayed up late watching vids and drinking vin rouge. And then rode Col de cou today, complete with a plate of cheese and meat from La Laspisa in my tum, like a big bloaty football.
It was great, the breeze at the top was most welcome after the ride/ push up to the col. There are a couple of erosion gullies to look out for on the descent. And no exposure!
Dean- my phone seems totally unable to save your number. I'm hosting friends who would like to take you up on your offer of the pass. Can you let me know price etc please.
Ambrose
Bourgeoise. Seems I may have to redfine my description of myself as a mincer then 😉 I confess I've only ridden it in the dry and the cow path at the top is a modest pita in the dry, enough to rattle your teeth out, the descent is a pleasure.
Stoner's prediction about me not getting my sh.t together is sadly prescient as still here in Paris 😐 Perhaps I should change my username to Mr Useless. Ambrose sorry not to get to meet up this time, La Laspisa is a great little place.
Weeksy if you are going to be in/around Geneva for 2017 and want some suggestions let me know. A good biking and sailing friend lives in Nyon and I have spent quite a bit of time around there. Only an hour to Morzine/Les Gets 🙂
Had a great ride with you guys on the 15th.
A big thanks to Stoner for taking the time to plan the route and even transfer the route to a map..ice cream and beer 2000m up next to a lake 23km ridden and all but about 100m of the 2000m of ascents via chairlifts and cable-car..2000m of descent s..fantastic..I'd do this again in a heartbeat..
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Love that GR5 route down off Mossettes, stopping there for a drink of course!
We went down the other side earlier, turned right for a steep singletrack descent to a cafe, a small black run down to another lift then took the lift up for a vicious twisty red through the trees..
My favorite descent..
cheers tymbian. Good to me your gang.
I even got a pic too 🙂
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and here's a pair of likely lads (Ambrose L and Weeksy R)
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and a fine view of the Swiss side from the top of the Crosets Red descent. That one:
...down to another lift then took the lift up for a vicious twisty red through the trees..
My favorite descent..
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And here's makkag and Ambrose on the Bourgeoise. No view that day, looking straight into the murk. But things brightened up once Ambrose had dug out his Hawaiian.
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Plans are falling into place for me and 2 of the lads to hit Morzine for first week of July next year.
🙂
Enjoy the birthday trip too !
In other news they've decided to close the super m and mossettes lifts a week early. Hope no ones enroute atm
unfortunately I'm still tied to school holiday dates so even if I smuggle Stoner Jrs out of the country and away from school early (as we didi this year to get to the TdF), It's usually end of week 3 beginning week 4 before I can get to Morz.
Our dates are decided by me really, i was thinking that it makes sense to go as early as possible as the trails will be in the best condition then ?
I'm still likely to do a day in Aug though as we're still passing through the area for the wifes birthday weeklong extravaganza
Thanks Stoner, what still amuses me is being at the cafe by that lake everyone sipping a cold one when Ambrose comes around the corner holding a phone to his ear and asks " does anyone know anything about capital gains tax?" Funnily enough 2 financial advisers in our group..who'd of thunk it?
Another pic..think this was returning back up to Mossetts lift
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I'll bet if he'd asked about building a citric server farm we'd have had a few answers too
😀
Doubly sorry to have missed it.
Hiraeth- ('longing' in Welsh) is calling me home to Wales but I have had a superb time here in Morzine. I met some great people, did some great rides, then broke some great forks. The hire bike was a bit of an eye-opener too. 650b, marvelous.
And Jo is always open for a bit of tax advice...
Setting off on the 15th
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Ambrose - you'll let me know where your based in Wales..I'll give you a shout on a future road-trip and grab some trail time...
Me and the lads have just booked 5th October at bike park Wales, but also up for a new thread for a day at Afan etc.
tymbian, I'm in Garnant, a sleepy hamlet at the south west end of the Brecon Beacons. Sort of between Swansea and Carmarthen. Nearest town is Ammanford. Give me a shout when you're coming this way.