Going to Morzine in September

pscarratt

Hi all,

The girlfriend and I are heading to Morzine for a week this September and are taking our bikes (she's a roadie too!). Looking for some advice on good routes, preferably more visually stunning than necessarily iconic or difficult!

Any ideas?

Many thanks,

Paul

ice climber

There is loads of info out there if u care to google it

pscarratt

Of course and I have been, just wondered if anyone had any personal experience or anything they feel they could recommend.

I apologise if i've offended!

paulontheroad

You've got the Col de Joux Plan on your doorstep which is visually stunning, iconic and difficult all in one hill! But well worth the effort, and the colombiere is just along the road and combines all three as well. I've found in the alps that there aren't really that many roads, so find a loop that you're comfortable distance wise and then enjoy the scenery.

Tusher

Don't know how relevant this it, but remember that (most of) France closes on Sunday.

pscarratt

Paul, thanks for the recommendations I will take a look.

As for France closing, we've already got accommodation sorted so we are not too worried; TBH its mainly going to be a BBQ and relaxing holiday with a couple of days of cycling thrown in (mrs will kill me if I try and push for more )!

Thanks again guys,

dodgy

Just got back from 2 weeks in the Alps yesterday (still tired from the drive!).

Anyway, I'm a fairly regular visitor to Morzine area, maybe this quick bulleted list will help:

Joux Plane (Samoens side):

• Prpobably the toughest climb in the area
• Visually stunning and extremely rewarding
• Restaurant at the top (in fact, there are 2, one further along at Col du Ranfolly)
• Road surface not that great, especially Samoens side
• Descent is one you're going to have to brake regularly on, it's reasonably technical

Joux Plane (Morzine Side)

• Supposedly easier from this side, though I did it after a very hard ride and found it tough.
• Beautiful just like the Samoens side (it's the same mountain )
• If you descend into Samoens, take care, fresh chippings are down and the road is a real 'patchwork quilt' of temporary repairs

Col de L'encrenaz

• Possibly the easiest 'proper' col in the area
• Manageable gradients
• Fantastic descent into Morzine
• Can be combined with a climb of Ramaz

Col de la Ramaz

• Great climb in either direction (clock wise/anti clockwise)
• Quiet
• Ski station with facilities near the top

Col de Joux Verte

• Climbs up the West side of Lake Montriond up to Avoriaz ski station
• Cafes dotted all the way up
• Lake Montriond is stunning
• At the top, another good cafe
• Absolutely brilliant descent into Morzine using the hairpins (known locally as simply 'Avoriaz climb'

Moving slightly further away, but still easily rideable:

Col de Colombiere

• Quite a long climb
• Passes through a nice village on the way up (Repessoir)
• Fun descent into Le Grand-Bornand, Grand-Bornand has good facilities
• Once in Grand-Bornand, there is a 16 mile (yes, sixteen mile descent) to Bonneville
• From Bonneville, it's a long drag via Marignier to get back to Morzine

There are other climbs of course (Des Aravis, Le Mole etc etc), but the above are the iconic local ones.

If it's hot (say in the 30C range), prepare accordingly!

Finally, I would recommend (for a real challenge), riding Encrenaz, joux verte, joux plane in a single ride, it's a beauty. I started/finished in Samoens, your route may differ if you want to start and finish in Morzine.

Have fun.

The Real Gromit

We went last year and did all the above with the exception of encrenaz. All are amazing, quiet roads and incredible views. Enjoy!

If you're into days lounging around after a ride the swimming lake on the way up to the joux verte is very pretty, if a little crowded on a hot day. We took the kids there and they still talk about it it was that good. 8)

bobinski

I am going to Morzine tuesday with the family but for various boring reasons cannot take my road bike. Absolutely gutted especially given i have not yet been able to sort out bike hire. I have either got negative replies to email enquiries or just no replies. Still going to take all me cycling gear in the hope I will be able to hire a bike. May even have to hire an mtb :roll:

dodgy

I was going to recommend Torico in Morzine, but they appear to now only rent DH and MTBs They certainly used to supply road bikes.

dodgy

dodgy wrote:

I was going to recommend Torico in Morzine, but they appear to now only rent DH and MTBs They certainly used to supply road bikes.

Oh and PS, I think it's a cultural thing, but the French don't seem to respond to emails. Pick up the phone.

josephthomas

You should also try some of the routes around the Abondance Valley, Col du Bassachaux, Col du Corbiere and the routes across the border in Switzerland, Col du Morgins, Col du la Forclaz. All amazing rides and Chatel a great place to visit on route. SKY team base themselves there for training before the Tour!

josephthomas

Twinner in Chatel rent road bikes, bring your own shoes and pedals

bobinski

dodgy wrote:

dodgy wrote:

I was going to recommend Torico in Morzine, but they appear to now only rent DH and MTBs They certainly used to supply road bikes.

Oh and PS, I think it's a cultural thing, but the French don't seem to respond to emails. Pick up the phone.

Yeah, funnily enough I did that with the Hotel we are staying at when they didnt respond to email. Thank god they spoke English given the remnants of my cse French :oops:

Will try Twinner, thanks Josephthomas

ronnierocket

You can pick up a physical book of rides from the tourist office but I have included a pdf link below to the booklet. I am out here at the moment and the riding is fantastic. I picked up the booklet the last time I was here, some lesser know but fun cols to try.

http://www.valleedaulps.com/documents/guidevelo.pdf

pscarratt

Fantastic guys, this is a great help! I'm going to put this list in front of the mrs tonight see how many she can stomach on a 'relaxing' holiday

pscarratt

Thanks for all the advice here guys. We took on Route D'Avoriaz and Col de Joux Plane (from Samoens) before cycling was cut short as the mrs had a minor fall (few cuts and grazes and some bike repairs needed!). She is fine which is great and the routes were perfect!

For those who've never tried a climb like these before I can safely say just go and give it a go! The mrs and I did both climbs non stop (admittedly slowly and probably easier for me as I slowed to go her pace!) and we are not cycling superstars by any stretch of the imagination. Just start out slow and see how you get on, far better to get near the top with some left than blow half way and you can always have another go once you know what to expect.

My take on the whole thing is that what you imagine is far worse than the reality, as long as you are reasonably fit you'll be up no problem!

jaxf

I did the Joux Plane and Avoriaz climb one day in August and thoroughly enjoyed my day out (despite chain falling off rental bike 3 times at the start of the JP climb before I got over myself and properly fixed it). I usually cycle in the Savoie between the Col du Pt St Bernard and Col de l'Iseran and this area around Morzine is a lot more Heidi style pretty, rather than the spectacular austere of the Savoie. Glad you enjoyed it. Next year, why not check out the Cormet de Roselend, Col du PSB and Iseran all easily accessible from Bourg St Maurice?

briantrumpet

bobinski wrote:

dodgy wrote:

dodgy wrote:

I was going to recommend Torico in Morzine, but they appear to now only rent DH and MTBs They certainly used to supply road bikes.

Oh and PS, I think it's a cultural thing, but the French don't seem to respond to emails. Pick up the phone.

Yeah, funnily enough I did that with the Hotel we are staying at when they didnt respond to email. Thank god they spoke English given the remnants of my cse French :oops:

Will try Twinner, thanks Josephthomas

If you're looking for bike shops that hire, you might try googling local cycle clubs and emailing them - that brought a really helpful response when I was enquiring about shops near Montreux last year. I'll admit I still find phoning in French a bit daunting, so prefer to email if I can.

pscarratt

jaxf wrote:

I did the Joux Plane and Avoriaz climb one day in August and thoroughly enjoyed my day out (despite chain falling off rental bike 3 times at the start of the JP climb before I got over myself and properly fixed it). I usually cycle in the Savoie between the Col du Pt St Bernard and Col de l'Iseran and this area around Morzine is a lot more Heidi style pretty, rather than the spectacular austere of the Savoie. Glad you enjoyed it. Next year, why not check out the Cormet de Roselend, Col du PSB and Iseran all easily accessible from Bourg St Maurice?

We'll definitely be back in the mountains next year and having skied in the Savoie I know exactly what you mean about the views! How is BSM as a place to stay in the Summer? Plenty to do off the bike as well? Right now though the mrs has Ventoux on her mind so we may have to make it a two weeker and travel around a bit

rolf_f

Not to forget the Col du Romme - doing Columbiere without Romme could lead to accusations of cheating! I found Romme tougher than Joux Plane from Samoens though that was partly down to the heat of the day I did it. Also a nice climb in the area is Pierre Carree - actually the highest pass thereabouts.

SFT

Loads to do in BSM off the bike
Parapente
Parcour (like go ape)
rafting
canoeing
VTT
walking
chilling by the lake
archery
etc etc.....