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  • Chatel, which one trail should I not miss?
  • Mugboo
    Full Member

    And is it on a map/signposted?

    I’ve never been before, I have some mates there for a couple of days but I am actually on holiday with my missus & 3yr old boy.

    I’m thinking, I’ll share a couple of days in the Bike Park with the boys but would also like to ride a couple of decent natural 1/2 days. So, is it possible to get a lift to the top and which way should I come back down.
    I’m a competent UK trail rider on a Nukeproof Mega & I know when I’m beaten so if I can’t ride a section I’ll push.

    tpbiker
    Free Member

    no idea…but im there from friday so will watch this thread with interest!

    chrismac
    Full Member

    Really enjoyed the blue fluid trail last year

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    Onzadog
    Free Member

    Depends what you like really. I’m a bit perverse and don’t feel I’ve been there unless I climb the col de cou from the swiss side although the decent to morzine from there is fast and fun, it’s not at all techy.

    I don’t know if it’s still there now but I also used to like to finish with a bit of a climb to a bit of singletrack that spat you out near the fountain in chatel.

    However, with all the focus on colour coded runs, my personal feeling is that the off pieste stuff isn’t what it used to be.

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Forgot to add, I’ve only got 26″ wheels 😉

    I’m dreaming of a nice singletrack trail that will take me from the top and spit me out somewhere near Chatel 🙂

    Failing that, favourite built trails?

    andytherocketeer
    Full Member

    Chemin des Ravines? From top of bike park, ride whichever trail you fancy (quite liked the Serpentine). From bottom of bike park, you ride up a hill (probably a ski piste in winter?), then it traverses pretty much straight in to Chatel village (definitely recall it traversing across the ski piste that goes down to bottom of Chatel Linga ski area.

    Plenty more lift-trail combos you can plug together to make a loop, or an out+back.

    eg top of bike park, down to Les Lindarets, up Mossettes, round and back down. or up to Avoriaz, and back down some ace flowy blues back in to Les Lindarets. (edit: and those are just the ones not straying too far away)

    or a big loop Chatel-Morgins-Champoussin-Les Crosets-Les Lindarets-Chatel Bike Park, or…

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    The three blues in the bike park are excellent, few bits of north shore too. There is a big gap option on one blue too. I like the red Air Voltage/Kumatrautrial, accessed from the middle station and a short roll down the road – note this is the read not the black. The reds from the top I thought where a bit “meh”, Ride Humble is perhaps good if you attack it, I didn’t enjoy it so much. I’ve not attempted the blacks there. The red trails down into Crossets are good.

    If you look at the maps (geoportal.gouv.fr switch on IGN) there are some trail options off the main Chatel village lift (the one that goes towards Torgon).

    Chatel Bike park is a bit out of the town, not really Chatel as such

    EDIT: you made me chuckle with “just push” when it’s too steep to ride it’s a slide on your butt with the bike alongside / on-top of you ! That’s my experience anyway

    EDIT2: There is a ride another STWer did with a Guide which is top of Chatel Bike Park/Linderets to Col Bassachaux to Les Roulaines then down very steep trail to Lac Montriond before riding around lake to Morzine, quite a long ride back though and you will probably get more bang for your buck in Chatel itself.

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    By the way for the Lac Montriond ride you can pedal up 100m or so to Tet Linderets for a bit more descending and it will be very quiet as most don’t bother with this.

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    Also if you ride Col du Cou / Arete Berrois – on the pedal round from Mossettes lift you pass La Lapisa, a nice little farm / restaurant which is worth a stop

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Ok, happy to slide on my but if needs be 🙂

    Great info, I’ll get a map when I get there and get plotting!

    unklehomered
    Free Member

    Over the hill to Les Linderats and hit the black. Its rocky peril of the highest order.

    Hob-Nob
    Free Member

    Air Voltage for sure!

    Oh, you said one NOT to miss!

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Unklehomer – Rockier than the Boulder Trail..

    Hob Nob – I’ll be sure to avoid it!

    chakaping
    Free Member

    down very steep trail to Lac Montriond before riding around lake to Morzine,

    Sounds like the Monkey’s Ass.

    If you like riding steep stuff then this is probably the longest sustained steep trail I’ve ridden (poorly). If you’re not so fussed on steepness, I wouldn’t bother.

    some trail options off the main Chatel village lift (the one that goes towards Torgon).

    The PPdS trail down into Torgon is brilliant and very different to a lot of the riding in the area, technical singletrack down through the trees.

    Have a look at the Col du Cou ride, I remember this being pretty epic – in several senses of the word.

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Chapaking – that technical singletrack through the tree’s sounds up my street 🙂

    fbk
    Free Member

    I’m watching this thread with interest as it kind of answers a question I asked on here recently…..

    … After I’ve sulked for a bit coz no-one replied to mine!

    Wasn’t there a pleb on here a while back, who claimed you weren’t fit to ride a bike if you thought the Serpentine was a good trail?

    wysiwyg
    Free Member

    Yes there was. I challenged him to an Air Voltage off – he was a no show 🙁

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    Yes I second @Chapaking on the trail into Torgon, its like the Surrey Hills on steroids, steep, loose and loamy through the trees with Alpine sized roots. Quite different to the normal rock hard dirt of Alps riding.

    YGM on Lac Montriond (Monkey’s Ass ? 🙂 ) as do you @fbk

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Thanks Jambalaya, much appreciated.

    And yes, I believe Pussypillow…… was questioning the virility of those who enjoyed The Serpentine.. I’ve heard it’s v good fun.

    sherb
    Free Member

    Serpentine might be blue but is lovely flowing and fun and so sad i only discovered it on the last day of last years run, Mugboo you can be assured we will send you down that one. Theres a fun and fast little doubletrack run up the back of Morgins and over the to right to champoussins > Vallimoz > towards les crosets but back down into Morgins but to be fair its not singletrack but it was a lot of fun. The traverse back from the bike park – Chemin de ravines is fun even just for the pucker value when passing the couple of hundred foot drop to your left…
    Beyond all that the PPDS route we ran last year has so many fun parts that we should try and get down to run Morzine/Les Gets again and the Torgon piece we missed completely so that sounds like it needs investigation….

    fbk
    Free Member

    Thanks very much Jambalaya. Sounds perfect.

    unklehomered
    Free Member

    Unklehomer – Rockier than the Boulder Trail..

    Yes. But in a familiar way, it will feel a little bit like home, but on a bigger scale.

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Sounds like I need longer there..

    smatkins1
    Free Member

    The Panoramic trail!

    As much as I enjoy getting rad on the reds and scaring myself on the blacks. The panoramic trail really is a favourite. Fast and flowing! The Col du Cou is also well worth a ride.

    superfli
    Free Member

    If you need a gpx of the monkeys arse (didn’t know it was called that, but appears to be sane trail), plus more steep stuff, or col du cou, then pm me.

    chakaping
    Free Member

    That’s the fella.

    All fine up to about 50secs in the second vid, a bit “meh” even, but then it just gets bonkers.

    freeridenick
    Free Member

    does the PPDS trail to Torgon go to the tronchet chair?

    chakaping
    Free Member

    Ah, now come to think of it that bit of the route may just be used for the PPdS and not part of the permanent signed route.

    I dunno the name of the chairlift it goes down to but I don’t think it’s usually in use for bikes.

    I say that because the operator just handed us our bikes and indicated that we should hold onto the top tube. No bracket or whatnot to hold it!

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    As per @chakaping when I rode the PPdS from Torgon we had to hold the bike whilst it was balanced on the pedal ! @Mugboo told me the Torgon lift only runs for bikes during the PPdS event. I haven’t checked the map but the lift is the one that runs out of the small ski station/car park just out of the “main village” – it’s a real one-horse town though.

    freeridenick
    Free Member

    Looks like the Torgon lift is open Saturday/Sundays this summer
    http://en.portesdusoleil.com/summer-lifts.html
    and powered by donkey 😯

    heihei
    Full Member

    Excellent news re: Torgon lift. The yellow guide book also shows an extension of the Torgon ride down to the main valley bottom, giving over 1500m vertical descent in one hit. Only problem is no lift back up, but you can catch a train up to Champery and get back into the lift system there.
    There is some awesome natural stuff to the West of Chatel. PM me if you want any more details. Some of it easy to find, some much less so!

    freeridenick
    Free Member

    Heihei.

    just checked there is a Postbus up from Vouvry. have used these quite a lot around Verbier and great for bikes…and run like swiss clockwork!
    34 minutes
    http://www.postbus.ch/

    freeridenick
    Free Member
    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Thanks chaps.

    Superfli & heihei, emails sent.

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    FreerideNick, below Torrigon looks superb, only just seen your post. Ellands Woods x10000…. 🙂

    bigh
    Free Member

    There’s some tasty singltrack above chappelle d’ abondance, descending from the lake. The old vtt guide book mentions it twice, its called jenkins

    oliverd1981
    Free Member

    The Passportes route from the top of the Morgins lift to Croset is has ace views and a big mountain fell even if the riding isn’t to technical. You can come back from the top of Mosette down the Sassex valley into Morgins which (after the first very fast boulder strewn cat track) is a velveteen fireroad of unsurpased loveliness with a tiny mountain bar at the start. A nice break from shredding the bike park.

    zero-cool
    Free Member

    I rode up to the Mossettes lift last year on a bet/date. Wouldn’t recommend it. Was bloody hardwork. But meant I got beers paid for rest of week.

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