Morzine MTBing

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.

Niv.

"Niv" wrote in message
...
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.


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

"Niv" wrote in message
...
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.


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 , Niv
writes
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 ]

In message , Niv
writes
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 ]

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

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

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.

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" writes:

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.

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 crap. 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.