Morzine MTBing

"Niv" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

As I now enjoy MTBing as well as roadie-ing (excellent word, shame it's

not

Quoted message said:

real), I was contemplating a MTB hol next year. I've seen Morzine advertised as a good MTB place,
can anyone confirm/deny? (I've skiied there and it was fantastic). I shall be practicing/training
around Rhayader/Nant yr Arian beforehand, excellent place for road & MTBers.

It's brilliant. I haven't been for 4 years but it will only have got better. I paid £169 for a
week's full board in a decent but slightly tired hotel - the upside was that you could bring in your
own beer and the table football was free.

A lift pass was £30 for 6 days and the lifts get you to places miles from Morzine. One descent into
Switzerland was 14 miles long.

So; highly recommended. One of our party just bought a chalet about 60 miles from Morzine, guess
where I'm going next summer? Full suspension and discs will no doubt be an improvement, but when I
first went in 97 I was on a rigid with cantis. - it was fun but bumpy.

John

In message <[email hidden]>, Niv <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

As I now enjoy MTBing as well as roadie-ing (excellent word, shame it's not real), I was
contemplating a MTB hol next year. I've seen Morzine advertised as a good MTB place, can anyone
confirm/deny? (I've skiied there and it was fantastic). I shall be practicing/training around
Rhayader/Nant yr Arian beforehand, excellent place for road & MTBers.

A friend was there earlier in the year, but his group was staying on the Swiss side of the border.
They made a trip over to have lunch in Morzine. Partway down into the valley they met some British
walkers coming up and stopped for a chat, in the course of which they learnt that the lifts on the
French side were not yet open for the summer. You have a mental picture of Morzine? Right.

They got back very late that evening, the more so as their last track down turned out not to be
rideable. He said it was one of those days when you have a great walk but wonder why you took a
bicycle along. He's doing another trip to the PdS next summer so apart from those two hazards he's a
satisfied customer. Of course you can find out about the lifts if you think of it, and you can find
unrideable trails almost anywhere if your luck's not in.

--
Sue ]🙁🙂

Quoted message said:

Partway down into the valley they met some British walkers coming up and stopped for a chat, in
the course of which they learnt that the lifts on the French side were not yet open for the
summer. You have a mental picture of Morzine? Right.

They got back very late that evening, the more so as their last track down turned out not to be
rideable. He said it was one of those days when you have a great walk but wonder why you took a
bicycle along. He's doing another trip to the PdS next summer so apart from those two hazards he's
a satisfied customer. Of course you can find out about the lifts if you think of it, and you can
find unrideable trails almost anywhere if your luck's not in.

Yep - did that. Found an unrideable trail and walked, bumped, rode down it. Then went back up to the
top in the lift and had a go at a different track. It's carrying bikes 1000m uphill I hate. Both my
trips were in August and the summer lifts were all open - probably best to ask the Morzine tourist
board when the lifts are open.

John

Quoted message said:

A lift pass was £30 for 6 days and the lifts get you to places miles from Morzine. One descent
into Switzerland was 14 miles long.

A lift pass for £30 for 6 days. Skiing lift pass was about £150 for 6 days. Anyone know why it's so
much more, or is it that skiers are seen as elite, rich people? (I'm not BTW).

Niv.

Eatmorepies said:

Quoted message said:

Partway down into the valley they met some British walkers coming up and stopped for a chat, in
the course of which they learnt that the lifts on the French side were not yet open for the
summer. You have a mental picture of Morzine? Right.

Quoted message said:

Yep - did that. Found an unrideable trail and walked, bumped, rode down it. Then went back up to
the top in the lift and had a go at a different track. It's carrying bikes 1000m uphill I hate.
Both my trips were in August and the summer lifts were all open - probably best to ask the Morzine
tourist board when the lifts are open.

The lifts open the weekend of 24th June when there is a big orienteering event anyone can join in,
and stayed open this year until the weekend of 9th September, although some of the smaller ones
closed a week or so earlier than that. This is pretty much the MTB season there, although out of
that season you can get places by being dropped off in a van if you're on an organised tour. It
really isn't the kind of riding where you can do the up as well as the down during a day because
it's a helluva long way up!

We went to www.alpine-tracks.co.uk (who were excellent) for the last week of August this year. First
time we've MTB'd abroad and the riding was utterly utterly superb (we're booked in again for next
year). The guides were great, the supporting industry in Morzine very receptive to MTBers. While
there were a few people in the group with hardtails, it is a better experience with a decent full
suspension bike (and the more downhill oriented the better). Our Marin's were fine (I've got a Rift
Zone, my husband has a Wolf Ridge) but he boiled his brake fluid and had brake fade quite badly -
because you really do use them a lot!

Sadly, on the second fantastic day out some muppet misjudged his route and left the very fast gravel
fireroad we were bombing down as a group, nicely spaced, and followed the (somewhat irresponsible
imo) guide who had taken a 'shortcut' across the grass. This obviously slowed him down considerably
and when he rejoined the path it was straight into the side of me as I was doing 30mph+.

That was the nastiest 'off' I've ever had. I was wearing shin guards (a must in that rocky terrain
btw) but no arm guards so I took all the skin off my elbow and some off my face (wasn't wearing a
full face either) which looked bad but wasn't much of a problem. What didn't look bad but was
considerably worse was I'd landed badly on my left hand and right shoulder. I only went out once
more during the week (such a waste!) because I couldn't pull my left brake with my hand so swollen
and I couldn't lift my right arm above hip height - so I was a bit nervous of doing serious
downhills without full control of the bike. I did ride most of the Swiss national downhill course
though - parts of it because I wasn't able to stop mind!

I'm still healing. I tore my infraspinatus muscle, part of the rotator cuff in my right shoulder,
according to my physio. I couldn't drive for 3 weeks and I still have a lump in my left hand and
slightly restricted movement in my right arm (but that's getting better with physio). These things
happen though, and it certainly won't stop me going back again. I've bought a Dainese gladiator suit
though and intend to wear it. It's a shame body armour has abit of a 'for poofs' reputation in this
country - most of the guides wore some out there. It isn't an admission of being [censored]. I hadn't
bothered because I reckoned I was a pretty decent rider and I didn't attempt bonkers stuff anyway. I
didn't reckon on someone side swiping me like that though - it can happen to anyone!

This meant I didn't get to go to Gwyder (however you spell it!) on Sunday with my husband and a
friend as I'm not riding anything serious until I get the all clear from the Physio (no point in
making it worse). Sadly, the friend had an off on a jump and broke his collar bone! That seems to be
a common injury in the sport though, particularly for broad shouldered 'well built' blokes anyway
(my husband broke his two christmases ago).

So, anyway. Morzine is fab, I do recommend you go, but I do advocate body armour and an experienced
guide (Petra Wiltshire, former world downhill champion, was the guide who put Iodine on my wounds
you know *&😉 and going when the lifts are open.

Claire
--
Still prettiest by far.

"Niv" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A lift pass was £30 for 6 days and the lifts get you to places miles from Morzine. One descent
into Switzerland was 14 miles long.

A lift pass for £30 for 6 days. Skiing lift pass was about £150 for 6 days. Anyone know why it's
so much more, or is it that skiers are seen as elite, rich people? (I'm not BTW).

The £150 includes snow.