[Closed] Passportes du Soleil - Who else is going

Doing the do from Morzine on Friday and riding generally Saturday and Sunday.

Based in Chatel but starting from Torgon on the Sunday then staying for the week.. can't wait! 😀

Keep an eye out for a red Mondraker, a raw SC Nomad and a black SC Tallboy.

Is he taking the Tallboy? He's got that 29er Spesh Enduro now hasn't he? Either works though, so long as his XXL rig fits in my car! 😀

I'm on the Nomad by the way, and yeah if anyone drops out and has an entry from Les Lindarets or somewhere near, i.e. Morzine, Avoriaz, etc, that would be a bonus, but can make do without I hope. Not fussed on getting a time (Strava will do). Just need to take food and be prepared to deal with my own recovery/medicals :D.

I thought he didn't get it in the end but could be wrong. He wanted me to buy it over on the mainland but changed his mind as far as I knew. I guess we'll both find out in a week.

Red, raw and black. Got it.... 😕

Any other distinguishing marks? 😉

I'll be on an orange pyga, with a black ano Canyon plus a.n. other.

I'm sure we'll bump into each other!!!

Was there last year, great event
make sure you do the optional extra downhills!

Two old gits on 15 year old single pivot Marins here. Friday from Morzine.
Driving down this saturday, hope the Super-Morzine lift has started ...

Have you lot checked out the amount of snow still in the mountains? Last week lots of the north facing slopes still had 2m of snow. Apparently people were skiing at prela Joux (Chatel bike park) above Plaine Dranse. Good luck

Hmmm, I'm not surprised. I was skiing there at the end March/beginning of April and did wonder how all the snow would go away by the end of June, even if it didn't snow anymore - which apparently, it has. A lot.

It snowed in Chamonix this week... 16cm due in Alpe D'huez

check out the link...

The Mega May be challenging this year

http://www.j2ski.com/ski-chat-forum/posts/list/14166.page;jsessionid=73379CDAF0BA4D50CA82AC6DDE2CBA57

It's only just got hot down in the middle of Europe. 31 degrees today. 15 degrees this weekend. I'm guessing there will be more shitty weather before we're done too. I rode Lac Blanc a few weeks back and it's the quickest clean to totally covered in mud time I've had. Bike and rider totally covered in half a run. Apparently now it's dusty.

So, deadkenny has the raw nomad with CB wheels, I've got a fire-engine red mondraker dune with bright orange CB wheels and to make sure you can't miss us, Nav on the Tallboy (or Enduro, who knows) is about 18 feet tall.

Maybe we should have a Friday night STW beer in Morzine as it seems most of us so far are doing the ride on Friday

Maybe we should have a Friday night STW beer in Morzine as it seems most of us so far are doing the ride on Friday

Well I'll be in Bar Robinson once I've finished - if I complete it unscathed. But then, so will everyone else...

Yep, me too....I'll be the pie eater on a Neon Green Five - Starting from Morzine on the Sunday and ar$ing about from Friday on 😀 Hope to catch some ppl there. Mutzig's all round in Robinsons then? 😀

yep, we're riding it on the Friday but arriving the Sunday beforehand for a few days of mucking about in the Les Gets bike park - trying not to break anything on the first day this time round, it was hard work holding on with a broken hand

Bike already packed up and ready to go - cant wait!

Bar Robinson it is 😀

I'll be wearing the red carnation. 😯

Arriving Wed pm - group of 3 - SC TRc, Scott Genius and a Zesty. Riding the full PPDS on Friday. 645 taxi to take us up to Avoriaz from Morzine. First time in the Alps mtbing - very pumped up - new tyres - plenty of brake pads - cant wait. If we survive Friday would love to do the Col de Cou on Sat......

@deadkenny - in theory the lifts are blocked for PPdS entrants until something like 9 or 10 but in reality its not the case.

Likewise on start location. We've started at different places than entry but it helps to get the tickets early (you can send one person in a car with the email entry confirms to collect the packs) or the night before which we managed once. By the way they give you a lot of stuff which you don't want to carry all day so best to be able to stash that in a car or similar of you are starting a little way from your accommodation.

Torgon on Sunday will be very quiet (started there in 2008), the lift up is interesting and ride to Chatel is over a field but the descent back through the woods is very good and great way to finish.

Don't miss the Champery option (turn left at hairpin by farm) the main route is a very dull roll down a farm road which just goes on and on.

Yes there is still snow, Chatel Bike park has delayed full opening due to snow

@Carlos Col du Cou is good, Les Gets/Samoens via Joux Plane/Bourgeoise is better - needs a taxi back to Joux Plane or Morzine. Suggest as a warm up Thur you ride MorzIne/Les Gets and get lunch at Mont Caly for epic views and ride the red or easy black Dans Le Gaz back to Les Gets. If you miss lift you can ride down to road to MorzIne from Les Gets.

Jambalaya - spot on for Thursday - thought that'd be a good warm up. Appreciate the alternate suggestion to Col Du Cou.

I suspect the decent to Samoens will be snow free as well - the Col du Cou most likely won't be - but riding it from Morzine and back should be OK - the swiss side less so.

and any dreams of riding the GR5 past lac vert...well, skis would be more suited still.

Temperatures well into the 70s (and higher) in the area now and a fair bit of rain so hopefully most of the last of the snow will be gone fairly soon..

Cheers @jambalaya. Hopefully it will work out. All you seem to get for the entry is just a pack of stuff you don't want, a lift pass you can get separately anyway, a number to stick on the bike and access to food stops. Plus insurance though I do have some that might cover me as the event is not billed as a race (mine won't cover me for races).

Been looking at the details and their terms seem to prevent you from picking up someone else's entry...

- All bookings are non-transferable and cannot be modified under any circumstances.
- Anyone who gives their registration plate to someone else so they can participate in the event without the
agreement of the organisers will be held responsible for any accident that happens to them or that they cause.
The organisers cannot be held responsible for this type of situation. Anyone participating in the event in
someone else’s name does not qualify for the organiser’s insurance.

Anyway, riding in snow is great fun 😀

Weather forecast is pretty good for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday so that's the important riding days (for me) covered. We're staying 2km from our start lift so should be nice and easy.

DK - You're not actually IN the event so I think you're fine for insurance. You're just riding along with people who are in it.

Arriving in Morzine next Thursday, couple of days to get to know the trails and lifts and then doing the do from Avoriaz on Sunday followed by a further week of riding/ falling/ walking the bikes around the area come sun or snow. We'll be the two girls on bright pink and orange Oranges, all the gear and absolutely no idea (but lovin' it anyway!) 😀

First time this year for me :D. Can anyone tell me if I'd be better on my 456 with Pikes and big tires, or should I use the downhill bike?

10 of us converging from various parts of UK and Europe. Staying at Le Boomerang in Les Gets. Sadly starting from Champery which is going to be logistically amusing. Arrive Friday for a 'don't crash ride', PPDS on Sat and then a week of lift assisted singletrack hunting.

Quite excited is possibly a little understating how I'm feeling right now 🙂 Forecast look like it's going to be great from the day we get there as well. I haven't been to the alps for 10 years and about all I can remember is being very, very ill the day after being introduced to Mutzig.

Can anyone tell me if I'd be better on my 456 with Pikes and big tires, or should I use the downhill bike?

Both will be enjoyable and horrific in different ways.

The pdf itenary shows "TS de Crusaz" chair lift up from Morzine to Les gets, I know the pleney cable car is closed for the summer, but does this mean there's a separate chair lift up from morzine?
I'd read earlier that there would be a bus uplift from Morzine to les gets, but only for PPDS.

Anyone know where the chairlift is and when its open? (and if its actually real??!!!)

There's a chairlift for the luge thing apparently and that's usable for other types of traffic now Pleny is closed

BTW, do most people ride normal helmets or FF?

wear a normal helmet, definitely!

[quote=jambalaya]Don't miss the Champery option (turn left at hairpin by farm) the main route is a very dull roll down a farm road which just goes on and on.

What are this and the other red 'DH' sections like? Are they pretty full-on or mostly rollable? We only arrive the day before so won't have had much opportunity to acclimatise to the local riding..

None of the DH options I rode were too gnarly, IIRC.

Just had a look on them on youtube as our first trail of the day will be the Lindarets DH option. Pondering stashing a car at the bottom of the next lift and riding that section in FF then swapping over.

I'll be riding from Morzine on the Friday, on a matt black Merida.

We're riding from Morzine as well.

I'll be on a Guinness foam coloured Mojo and my friend on a Zesty, pads, full face lids, looking gnar, riding meh...

😳

Guinness foam coloured

So... beige then 😉

I'll be on a Guinness foam coloured Mojo and my friend on a Zesty, pads, full face lids, looking gnar

I'll be in my regular XC kit looking worried.

So... beige then

Dark Magnolia actually..... 👿 🙂

Friday doing the PPDS , 8 of us. I will be on a Green SC Nickel with NWMBA jersey. Staying in Morziene. Say hello if you see me!!! 🙂

@zookman - doing the PPdS event on a DH bike is a buggar as there is quite a bit of pedalling (flatish). The HT will be fine for the trails and you see plenty of fast locals out there on them. You will get lots of vibration though.

IMO it's an ordinary helmet type ride.

@atlas - depends what you are used to, but I found the Champery option is pretty steep but definitely more interesting than the road and all rollable. You might need to give the brakes a rest.

I just checked the pdf for the route and it's different than 2012 and before when I've done it - the steeper option into Champery isn't there this year as the route seems to head to the town sooner. The two optional trails into Corsettes are good ones (especially from Champery side, nice and swoopy) so I suggest you do those.

So it's sounding like 80km of singletrack, doubletrack, fireroad and road. I can live with that.

@atlaz - yes you have it, it's a grand day out in the mountains in the company of 1000's of other mountain bikers. It's not the trans-provence/savoie but it's excellent fun and a good way to see the area.

Suits me. Introduction to riding in the Alps for me.

Then the Mega! 😯 😀 (next year maybe 😉 )

So am I looking at winter weather clothes & a snow shovel or t-shirt and sun cream?

[url= http://uk.weather.com/weather/10day-FRXX0251:1:FR ]Forecast here[/url].
I'm thinking warmish clothing as the temperature will be noticably lower at the tops of the lifts.

Just thought I'd let you know that I'll be taking pictures for my friends company "Mountain Event Photography" - find them on facebook... so get your berms railed and jumps sent if you want a nice picture on the day.

As long as it's not a swamp-fest I'll be happy.

So, yesterday WAS a swamp fest. Friday was lovely though. It definitely rates as one of my wettest days on a bike but even so, the ride down from Avoriaz to Morzine was still fantastic.

Hi to slackalice too, bumped into him as deadkenny was fixing a puncture on the first trail of the day

Muddy again today, busted my rear mech off with mud 😯 think it was jammed went to pedal and bang twisted rear mech. That or it sustained damage in an earlier fall, tried single speeding but wasn't working for me.

So managed 11miles off road and 9 miles road and vtt back to get sorted, ready for tomorrow suspect its still going be a mud fest in places.

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Very muddy today but happy not to have to have ridden it in the rain yesterday.

Was just like Mountain Mayhem, with mountains!

I was fortunate to do the tour on Friday, however not so fortunate to have a branch flick into my spokes on Thursday resulting in head first into forest road. Result was a messy face and 4 stitches in the chin (performed by a very nice dr in the les gets medical centre. Took me a while to get my mojo back....

Saturday must have been carnage as well as today - at least today was blue skies all round.

On the way back yesterday I was listening to local radio and they were talking about how few riders bothered with riding on Saturday. I'm glad we did ride but being perfectly honest I couldn't have done much more than I did on Saturday (Lindarets -> Avoriaz -> Morzine and back) as I came off the chair lifts shivering despite wearing loads of layers. Everything on me was soaked.

So sorry for those who did saturday. We've been here 10 days now and sat was the worst weather we've seen. We did friday which was cold but good.

Wall to wall blue skies today...we're here until saturday (gloat).

Yeah there were some very muddy & haunted looks on Saturday.

We rode Sunday which good but damn muddy, plus everyone got round OK too - Result.

We've been here 10 days now and sat was the worst weather we've seen.

Funnily enough on Friday when we came down from Mossettes we thought the mud off the top was pretty bad. On Saturday when we got back to Lindarets the people coming down from Mossettes looked pretty clean compared to us so I guess it's all perspective.

Great place tho. Looking forward to going back.