Your best Morzine tips

local friend who is pointing us away from the motorways.

@HobNob, does your local friend want some new friends?

A group of us are heading out on the 8th. We’re not motorway riders and prefer the more natural trails over the balls out go as fast you can type of riding. Any pointers are greatly appreciated.

Made the mistake of riding the Pleney black after someone crashed, don’t plan on that again. It’s shyte & got more arm pump from that half a run, than the whole rest of the day.

That’s a mistake I think we’ve all made. Riding an “easier” trail definitely ends up far harder work than off-piste stuff when you’re having to battle with braking bumps.

Also worth mentioning that riding the off-piste in the wet is frowned up. Certainly not innocent here myself, but makes sense that the builders would like to limit traffic to stop them getting churned up

We’re not motorway riders and prefer the more natural trails over the balls out go as fast you can type of riding. Any pointers are greatly appreciated.

On the Pleney side you can’t go too far wrong (famous last words). Everything will eventually drop you back in Morzine.

I remember being invited for a lock in at Robbos bar having impressed the staff with my ability to kick flip a skateboard after 5 pints of mutzig. All went horribly wrong when some chap who worked there started to offer everyone the chance to dip their fingers in a suspicious white powder in a bag. Whilst i didn’t partake myself, my mate who did was later found wandering around the local countryside in his underpants..

I’ve just booked for 2 weeks from the 10th.
Lift prices, bloody hell!
Last visit was 2019 and I recall about 150€ for 10 days. Maybe I have my rose tints on though or am mixing up £ and €.
2023 403€ for 13 days or 407€ for a season.
So my tip is don’t fall so you can’t ride.
Wonder if I can sell the remaining season pass..

That seems expensive, I paid £145 for 5 days?

Just checked, £338 for 13 days? £26 a day seems like bloody good value to me.

Yeah ive just rechecked. I got my info from mtbbeds which seems wildly inaccurate.
https://www.mtbbeds.com/morzine-summer-lift-pass-prices

Im also seeing the 338euro cost on other sites now for 13 days. Phew, much more reasonable.

It’s slightly cheaper if you book online and if there are 4+ in your group there is 10% discount when using one payment method.

Still reasonable though at 26 euro a day, an uplift is 35+ at most uk places now

<p style=”text-align: left;”>I’m not impressed with the transport prices between Geneva airport and samoens return. 700 euro for 3 of us, it’s not much more to hire a van.</p>

Avoriaz into Lindarets is always fun (except for breaking fingers on pokey out rocks)
right hand? I think I know which rock…

I now know exactly which rock, I’m just hoping the finger is just bruised and missing some skin, and it owes me a pair of trousers from the subsequent fall.

My top tip- don’t develop an arthritic hip that’s so severe that you become pretty much uninsurable 🙁

@bear-uk

That sounds steep. assume just less busy/further than Morzine. 3 of use did Geneva – Morzine – Geneva last week with Alpybus and was £108 each in bikes.

I found it cheaper too book a car than get transfers, maybe I just wasn’t looking for the right sites?

Information on summer transfers, buses etc is pretty thin for the summer. I feel like someone could make a fortune filling the gap !

Skiidy Gonzales for the transfer win. About 100 return.

I’m travelling today and I’ll be riding solo tomorrow before my pal arrives on Friday evening.

Is anyone else around and fancies teaming up for the day tomorrow? I’ll probably start on Le Pleny and then see where the day takes me but I’m kind of up for whatever.

My main top tip for the Aples, is take it steady for the first day or so (unless you’re very used to long, strep mountain tracks) as I’ve come across too many people who’ve broken themselves within 48 hours of arriving.

I’m going to ride tomorrow, as it’s the last day – will be riding the hidden Nyon trails in the morning & on the Pleney steeps in the afternoon. We have had a bit of rain & some very spicy new lines have been cut in, so I’m going to go & have a look.

@hobnob maybe I’ll see you, and mayyybe we’ll recognise each other. I’m on a gold transition sentinel with your old fork 🙂

Oh cool ok, I’ll keep an eye out. I’m on a Red Deviate Claymore.

If you like (very) steep natural stuff I’m happy to show you about a bit, might not be first day friendly however.

I’ve done 3 days based in Les Gets with a group, riding the non bike park trails mostly – couldn’t tell you where we’ve been but it’s been bloody fantastic. Lots of natural rooty steep goodness with some open singletrack, and some green/blue park trails as well. Was up at 2250m yesterday and we’ve done between 3200m and 4800m of descending each day. The forearms and thighs are feeling it today!

Off to La Thuile tomorrow!!

I know exactly where that pic is taken and No, I’m not jealous at all.

Have fun!

For anyone there or heading out soon, Bec Jaune reopened this weekend. Best food and beer in town by far

Depending on how some work stuff pans out, I may be down for 3-4 weeks over August and September

Did anyone take part in the chainless race on Friday? Eldest placed 17th out of 100+ field – with no bake brake either…he is mad.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zS2j8mDX9MzKpQon8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zS2j8mDX9MzKpQon8

My tip for Morzine would be don’t crash

I did !

Arm in plaster with a fractured scaphoid.

The medical centre is very nice …

Oooft, heal quick..

Can anyone give me a pointer towards the Nyon trails? Or will I find them if I look?

Or will I find them if I look?

Unlikely, they are pretty well hidden. Easiest way to find them is onto the Morzine Retour, at the section where it very briefly joins the road, don’t drop back in, stay on the road & climb it up to Raverettes for some of them, and La Combe for the others.

The first are easier to find, as you get to the lift station on the left, you need to duck into the field (it’s electrified, with cows in), then drop into the woods on the left. Watch out though, there is electric fencing in the woods too.

@ta11paul La Thuile is amazing, hopefully be there one day this week. Have fun!

Unlikely, they are pretty well hidden. Easiest way to find them is onto the Morzine Retour, at the section where it very briefly joins the road, don’t drop back in, stay on the road & climb it up to Raverettes for some of them, and La Combe for the others. The first are easier to find, as you get to the lift station on the left, you need to duck into the field (it’s electrified, with cows in), then drop into the woods on the left. Watch out though, there is electric fencing in the woods too.

That’s awesome, thank you. I reckon I’ve got it on google maps now, kind of follow the red lines? How does the steepness compare to the off piste at Le Pleny? I’ve got a friend with me who’s less keen on the mega-steep.

@appltn I don’t think those lines are quite right (at least, the lines i know are further left). I haven’t been up there yet this season so don’t know what newer lines there are, but was planning to head out on the bike a little later today , message me if you want to meet up and could ride a couple of the lines i do know (i’d say generally not as steep as pleney)

There are trails over by the right line, but the left one, there is a lift to the left of your pin, as the person above said, the easier ones to find drop in there.

In terms of steepness, they arnt as steep as the ones that drop off the Retour route to Les Gets, more in line with the stuff that drops off the Pleney black.

There are a few spicy sections, but not as sustained.

The Chavannes and Nauchets lifts in Les Gets broke my mudguard and my friends mudguards. Mine was an official Fox 40 one mounted to bleed ports, so not exactly a big mudguard and also not easy to take off trail side. The lift man was telling everyone to remove their mud guards (no muddy guards!). I’m sure I’ve not had this problem in previous years. So a cheap zip tied on one would have been better as this would flex out the way.

Was there last week for Mrs Readys 1st Alps experience.  4 days of Morzine / Les Gets / Chatel and then a day at LaBresse Bike Park on the long scenic way home (highly recommended – if you’re passing!)

Found this in those woods I think, pretty much where the other blue that’s not Family spits you out.  Turn left, and look for an in.

Starts pretty chill with some nice features.  Then starts to get pretty steep with some big dropoffs into tight chutes.  Then even steeper still down to the fireroad.  There’s one called ‘back of Natalies’ that was pretty spicy too.

Great fun!

Just got a message to say the Plenney is staying open until 7pm Tuesdays and Thursdays. A little bit of extra riding if the arms can take it.

i was there last week.

Bike park trails were ok, assuming you like berms, tables and braking bumps.

But the off piste stuff is utterly awesome. The steep stuff that you end up surfing down was such fun. Thankfully a buddy has been every year for the last 10, so knows a lot of off piste.

We went over to Champary twice and rode the WC DH track. I remember walking most of it 9 years ago. Either they have made it easier or i have improved greatly, as we did quite a few laps down it, without getting off.

But overall, was a great trip. The lifts just make the riding endless. Pretty tough on the bike tho, so that needs a good once over!

I’m out in Morzine at the moment but struggling to find any natural tech. Does anyone know any good enduro style loops? Would be great if anyone has a GPX they would be willing to share to get to know the trails outside of the bike parks. Could maybe use lifts to get out but get out the bike park on some backcountry Singletrack somewhere?

The Chavannes and Nauchets lifts in Les Gets broke my mudguard and my friends mudguards. Mine was an official Fox 40 one mounted to bleed ports, so not exactly a big mudguard and also not easy to take off trail side. The lift man was telling everyone to remove their mud guards (no muddy guards!). I’m sure I’ve not had this problem in previous years. So a cheap zip tied on one would have been better as this would flex out the way.

Same happened to me last year with my 38s mudguard and saw others with same issue this year.  Even the short Zeb guard I ran this year snagged.  I’ve got an old mudhugger which I also tried which snagged but the plastic is more flexible, I did break some of the fixing velcro on this too and the flex scratches the forks.  I think next year I’ll mod the mudhugger, apply some helitape to the rub points and cable tie it on.

@poshtiger here’s the strava activity from when we met up with @tfelotthgir the other day. There’s a great loop off the Nauchets lift in Les Gets (furthest south in the strava) and also a detour off the Les Gets to Morzine return that hits a Nyom trail (pretty much furthest east).

https://strava.app.link/yT5bzRpfmBb

Cheers @appltn, we’ll check that out.

Now that I’ve been and come home I can share my own best Morzine tips (a lot of these are repurposed from earlier replies).

1. Ask this forum for help – we discovered tonnes of great riding, great places to eat and drink and fun things to do so thanks to everyone and especially to @tfelotthgir for meeting up and showing us some trails we would not have found on our own.
2. The Pleny black run is amazingly fun and the best trail to build speed on. It was the one trail that I was able to get up to what I consider my fastest pace because it is just so well built and when the rest of the resort was a dustbowl it was still grippy because it’s in the trees so much. I must’ve done 30 laps on this, just going for one more again and again at the end of each day.
3. There’s a million off piste lines off of the Pleny black and blue. The gnarliest by far drops straight down the fall line from the point where the Les Gets retour and family blue split. I’ve never ridden a steeper, more sustained trail and it was terrifying and awesome.

4. Food: Bec Jaune (just re-opened), The Hideout, O Chalet Burgers, L’Etale (the Tomahawk steak was quite a thing), Kamado and Satellite Coffee for breakfast.
5. Swimming in Lac de Montriond after a day on the bike was awesome. We rushed there because google maps said it closes at 6pm but it turns out that’s just when the lifeguards go home so no need to rush the post-ride beers.
6. The red and black runs under the Lindarets chairlifts were different from most of the other trails we found. The black was very low speed rocky tech and the red was a mellower and therefore faster variation of the same.
7. Chatel has the best bike park style trails that we found in the area. Don’t be like me and ride the top reds before the lower trails though (we did this because we arrived over the mountain), a warm up on the lower blues would’ve probably helped me not to have my only OTB of the trip.
8. As @ready mentioned above, the off piste trail just off the other blue run from Pleny has these beautifully crafted wood & dirt features, it’s worth finding them just to admire even if you’re not planning to hit them.

9. BA left my bike at Heathrow and it didn’t turn up for the first 2 days which was very frustrating. I was able to hire a Transition Patrol from The Woods which was great, but I later learned that La Pédalerie have a fleet of Hope HB916 this year which I would’ve loved to have a go on.
10. Keep your eyes open! We were able to join a blue flow party train with Andreu Lacondeguy, queued for the Pleny lift behind Vinny T and look at Paul Aston’s new Sunn inspired bike outside a bakery.