Morzine Summer riding

aguesty1

Hi all,

I'm off to Mozine in July and wondered if anyone has any helpful tips and advice for Morzine and Les Gets.

I'm going to be taking my Commencal Metta 55.

Basically any advice or tips welcome from the location, trails, eating out to getting the bike over there in one piece, I have heard all sorts of stores about bikes on planes! :?

Cheers in advance!

explosifpete

go to bar Robinson and drink some mutzig (if you see it for sale in other bars its not the same stuff)
Oh and drink demi not pints!

agg25

I flew BA and the bike was ok, but I unbolted the rear deraileur, took off pedals, stem, wheels and wrapped them in bubblewrap and foam and made sure everything was snug and pretty well drop proof in the bike bag before I put it on there. Unless you've got one of those £250 wheely bag types you will struggle through the airport with the bike and luggage but not much choice unless you drive there (which isn't a bad idea if you have a few people to chip in).
Morzine itself isn't big so you shouldn't have a hard time finding a few bars, restaurants. Just ask the guys at the place you're staying. I stayed with flowmtb who were fantastic.
The Les Gets trails were more downhill oriented, although I still took me 100mm down them. From last reports brake bumps are rife throughout the area so be prepared to have sore arms and hands for a week afterwards ;-)
From Morzine you can visit about 6 other town on the Passportes du Soleil route if you want, even head to Switzerland for a day.
Take spare brake pads, hangar, good tyres, any other spares specific to your bike. There's a few decent bike shops in town for most other spares.
The place is mountain bike mecca, you'll have fun.

aguesty1

Cheers guys the comments are appreciated, only 6 months of excitement to contain!! :P

Dave_P1

Let's start with the important things.....food:

There's a great bakery in Les Gets on the main hight street. If you have a sweet tooth then a visit is a must.
Just at the bottom of the Chavannes lift next to the bike shop is a place called Snack Attack......food of the gods if you like fast food.
Another good fast food place in Morzine, nice burgers. The place is located on the main road by the main chair lift, can't be missed.
If your in Chatel there's a nice restaurant just down from the bike park.

There's loads of trails over there, sometimes it's a case of following your nose and others are well marked. The areas are popular so loads of braking bumps which is annoying.
Make sure you visit Chatel at least once, loads of trails, great fun.
There's loads of vids on YouTube so you can get a good idea of what to expect.

aguesty1

Cheers Dave, some good info, thanks,

olijay

Morzine and Les Gets both have great bike parks and trails. I'd recommend a guide to find the hidden trails all around the area, that's one regret I have - I was a bit lost outside of the bike parks.

You must go to Chatel/Pre la Joux and spend at least a day there. So many fun trails, we spent almost a whole day on just the green and blue trails (just riding trail/am bikes like you).

Don't forget to think about water, I did the Passportes and I think I downed 5 litres over the whole day and that wasn't quite enough.

I envy you, I can't wait to go back some day.

bluechair84

Video of our riding there.
Talk through of our trip and experiences there and advice to drivers including tolls, fuel etc.
Costing our trip including links to lift passes and our chalet which I thoroughly recommend.

aguesty1

Cheers Ollijay and Bluechair84. Some cracking information coming from guys on here, really appreciate it!

miss notax

My top tip for the Alps / Morzine (and i'm sorry if this is a little depressing!) is to also pack some cold weather kit and prepare for it to be a lot colder than you expect. Hopefully the weather will be perfect in which case you won't use it, but better to be prepared!

It snowed last summer when I was halfway up one of the chair lifts. In shorts

aguesty1

miss notax wrote:

My top tip for the Alps / Morzine (and i'm sorry if this is a little depressing!) is to also pack some cold weather kit and prepare for it to be a lot colder than you expect. Hopefully the weather will be perfect in which case you won't use it, but better to be prepared!

It snowed last summer when I was halfway up one of the chair lifts. In shorts

Thanks miss notax, cheers for the advice, I heard another layer and a waterproof jacket is a must in the pack! Sounds like the weather in the alps is as unpredictable as it is her! :?

dhutch

Interesting reading. Im going to Morine myself in august with around 12 others, one of the guys in our group (who is organising it) has been before but the rest are alps virgins as far as I know. Looking forward to it a lot!

I dont really know what to expect but it appears we're investing in fullface helmets, as well as decent shinpads (apprently a must for fast fireroads) and a padded base layer on the top half. Im currently planing to hire a full susser in with, unless I buy one in the intervening months, but several others with spesh pitch's and the like are taking bikes.

Daniel

bluechair84

dhutch wrote:

Interesting reading. Im going to Morine myself in august with around 12 others, one of the guys in our group (who is organising it) has been before but the rest are alps virgins as far as I know. Looking forward to it a lot!

I dont really know what to expect but it appears we're investing in fullface helmets, as well as decent shinpads (apprently a must for fast fireroads) and a padded base layer on the top half. Im currently planing to hire a full susser in with, unless I buy one in the intervening months, but several others with spesh pitch's and the like are taking bikes.

Daniel

It's a lot of money to rent bikes out there, I think it was in the region of 90 a day where its around 35 to rent a day in England. You might be better buying a second hand bike and along the lines 'it won't depreciate as much as I'll have to spend on renting'.

dhutch

bluechair84 wrote:

It's a lot of money to rent bikes out there, I think it was in the region of 90 a day where its around 35 to rent a day in England. You might be better buying a second hand bike and along the lines 'it won't depreciate as much as I'll have to spend on renting'.

Yeah. We have been quoted £100 for a spesh pitch or kona stinky for three days, £180 for the full week, with use of a kona fire for 4days in with. Holiday is all booked, with provision on bike hire booked, but can be changed upto a month before we fly.


Daniel

aguesty1

dhutch wrote:

bluechair84 wrote:

It's a lot of money to rent bikes out there, I think it was in the region of 90 a day where its around 35 to rent a day in England. You might be better buying a second hand bike and along the lines 'it won't depreciate as much as I'll have to spend on renting'.

Yeah. We have been quoted £100 for a spesh pitch or kona stinky for three days, £180 for the full week, with use of a kona fire for 4days in with. Holiday is all booked, with provision on bike hire booked, but can be changed upto a month before we fly.


Daniel

I'm taking my Commencal Meta with me but not sure what to do with the wife, I have seen a cheeky cheap Kona Stinky that is only 2 year old, I'm sure I'd get back what I would be paying for it as well. So deduct the rental that I would pay and your quids in if you sell it or keep it!

bluechair84

aguesty1 wrote:

dhutch wrote:

bluechair84 wrote:

It's a lot of money to rent bikes out there, I think it was in the region of 90 a day where its around 35 to rent a day in England. You might be better buying a second hand bike and along the lines 'it won't depreciate as much as I'll have to spend on renting'.

Yeah. We have been quoted £100 for a spesh pitch or kona stinky for three days, £180 for the full week, with use of a kona fire for 4days in with. Holiday is all booked, with provision on bike hire booked, but can be changed upto a month before we fly.


Daniel

I'm taking my Commencal Meta with me but not sure what to do with the wife, I have seen a cheeky cheap Kona Stinky that is only 2 year old, I'm sure I'd get back what I would be paying for it as well. So deduct the rental that I would pay and your quids in if you sell it or keep it!

When we were there, there were also quite a few good deals on second hand bikes - a maxed out Rocky Mountain Slayer for 1400. If I had been renting, I'd probably have bought that and brought it home.

Muttly1981

aguesty1 wrote:

dhutch wrote:

bluechair84 wrote:

It's a lot of money to rent bikes out there, I think it was in the region of 90 a day where its around 35 to rent a day in England. You might be better buying a second hand bike and along the lines 'it won't depreciate as much as I'll have to spend on renting'.

Yeah. We have been quoted £100 for a spesh pitch or kona stinky for three days, £180 for the full week, with use of a kona fire for 4days in with. Holiday is all booked, with provision on bike hire booked, but can be changed upto a month before we fly.


Daniel

I'm taking my Commencal Meta with me but not sure what to do with the wife, I have seen a cheeky cheap Kona Stinky that is only 2 year old, I'm sure I'd get back what I would be paying for it as well. So deduct the rental that I would pay and your quids in if you sell it or keep it!

It also may be worth noting that you may be required to pay for damage caused to bikes, my mate was over there a few years back and he hired and he said a broken mech hanger isn't to bad as you just need to cover the cost of the parts, but unfortunately he hit a tree and trashed a wheel & bent the forks which pretty much ruined the rest of his holiday as he was skint

UH DH

In response to Dave_p1, Snack Attack is no longer there. The sports shop next door has extended over where it used to be.

Dave_P1

UH DH wrote:

In response to Dave_p1, Snack Attack is no longer there. The sports shop next door has extended over where it used to be.

Noooooooooooooooooo!!!!!
I enjoyed the food those guys served up

UH DH

Dave_P1 wrote:

UH DH wrote:

In response to Dave_p1, Snack Attack is no longer there. The sports shop next door has extended over where it used to be.

Noooooooooooooooooo!!!!!
I enjoyed the food those guys served up

I know right.

The whole bottom of Chavannes has changed now. I went there in the summer on the first day and thought: "gonna go ride, get back to the bottom, have a shit in the bogs under the lift, then go get something at Snack Attack." Disappointment on all counts.

The sections on Chavannes with the danger-doubles above the carpark are now all big berms and no fucking fun at all. The bottom of the lift has been altered and no toilets there. And no snack attack.

So I had to up and have my shit somewhere else.

Dave_P1

UH DH wrote:

Dave_P1 wrote:

UH DH wrote:

In response to Dave_p1, Snack Attack is no longer there. The sports shop next door has extended over where it used to be.

Noooooooooooooooooo!!!!!
I enjoyed the food those guys served up

I know right.

The whole bottom of Chavannes has changed now. I went there in the summer on the first day and thought: "gonna go ride, get back to the bottom, have a shoot in the bogs under the lift, then go get something at Snack Attack." Disappointment on all counts.

The sections on Chavannes with the danger-doubles above the carpark are now all big berms and no ******* fun at all. The bottom of the lift has been altered and no toilets there. And no snack attack.

So I had to up and have my shoot somewhere else.

Are you talking about the jumps just before the last section, like where the lake is on the right hand side?

It's a shame really as Les Gets hasn't got as much going as it did have in the past. I have a feeling I'll be staying in Morzine this year.

UH DH

Dave_P1 wrote:

Are you talking about the jumps just before the last section, like where the lake is on the right hand side?

It's a shame really as Les Gets hasn't got as much going as it did have in the past. I have a feeling I'll be staying in Morzine this year.

No, the section before that. You had the upper fireroad, the fast section that crossed under the lift, a few tight turns then into the drop-off straight down, right at the bottom and into the open. You then had a few sweeping curves with a couple of doubles that went into the wooden ladder with the stepdown and into the jump park. Those sweeping curves, doubles and ladder are now several huge berms. They've also changed the bottom of the 4x section, and a new section right before the top fireroad.

As for staying in Morzine, I'd recommend that to anyone. It's by far the easiest place to get back to if the weather comes in and shuts the lifts, dead easy to get to if driving, and has the cheapest supermarkets.

Dave_P1

I think I know where you mean, great shame, I wonder why it's been changed.
What's the bottom of the 4x course like now?

I just need to find somewhere that does Half Board in Morzine now, that serves up good food!

bluechair84

Dave_P1 wrote:

I think I know where you mean, great shame, I wonder why it's been changed.
What's the bottom of the 4x course like now?

I just need to find somewhere that does Half Board in Morzine now, that serves up good food!

The Edge. Stayed there last year and Lindsay was great. Will very likely stay there again this summer.

aguesty1

Think I'm going to order new wheels, potentially new double crank set and pretty much gear the bike up for the Alps!
So excited, I'm trying to get out on the bike as much as possible at the minute to get my legs back (ended up on crutches for 7 weeks back in December)!

bluechair84

aguesty1 wrote:

Think I'm going to order new wheels, potentially new double crank set and pretty much gear the bike up for the Alps!

I did this last year, dropped to a double and bash, bigger forks, DH wheels and tyres... came back... bought a Canyon Torque for this years holiday You know you've got a DH monster inside you, just buy the big rig!!

aguesty1

bluechair84 wrote:

aguesty1 wrote:

Think I'm going to order new wheels, potentially new double crank set and pretty much gear the bike up for the Alps!

I did this last year, dropped to a double and bash, bigger forks, DH wheels and tyres... came back... bought a Canyon Torque for this years holiday You know you've got a DH monster inside you, just buy the big rig!!

Ha ha quality, I keep looking on flee bay and although I'm tempted I think my wife would kill me, think I'll just do some fettling for now! See how I like moraine this year and there's always next year to by a new big rig!!