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A few mates who ride regular xc and dh and the odd race are going soon for 8 days, I turned the trip down as I couldn't get that long off work and the wife wouldn't be too keen on me going abroad leaving her and kids at home.
But now thinking of going for 3-4 days with a mate.
So should I stay or should i go? Im at a lot lower level of riding than all the others going. I only ride about once a month, either local single track or welsh trail centres. I would be riding my only bike a 140mm Lapierre.
Is it an enjoyable trip if you're not into big gap jumps and so on?
Can we get lift pass and accommodation for 3 days?
Thanks for any help, I'm off to look at ferry prices and to mtfu
If you can afford it, then yes do it! Although you might wish you were there longer.
Most of the 'gnarly' stuff has chicken runs, and the other stuff that doesn't can generally bit hit at your own pace as long as you have a bit of courage.
You wouldn't regret it, your confidence would come on leaps and bounds each run. It's not all DH tracks, but some pretty good singletrack if with decent guides, and none of the pedalling up, unless you choose that option.
You can get lift passes for as long as you want.
If I had the cash, I'd go tomorrow, even on a hardtail...
If I was only going for a short break I'd consider flying (hand luggage only)and hiring a bike to maximise time and minimise faffage.
fly but take your bike IMO.
You'll have fun'. Doesn't matter what 'level' you are, it's built up so there's something for everyone. First year there I spent three whole days in les gets doing the green run. Wimpy I know but was just right and I got quite speedy. There's tons of xc stuff, it's fab.
How much is it for a beer there nowadays?
Definitely go. The "big gaps" are just a tiny part of the riding. The 140mm La Pierre can probably handle more than you can and in any case your riding will improve massively. You can do everything there from fireroads, xc singletrack up and down, steep and rooty to full on DH madness. There's tons of threads about prep but I'd say tough tyres (fat double ply high rollers) and some knee and elbow protection are sound investments plus spare brake pads.
You buy buy cheep beers in the supermarket if the bar prices are an issue.
I've got my first trip to Switzerland in 2 weeks, "just" some local trails above Nyon in the Haut Jura, just outside Geneva and accessed via mountain railway. Happy days. I can't jump for sh1t and it really doesn't matter.
Thanks, we were going to drive but flying is probably best, had a price of £400 for the 2 of us with 2 bikes and 1 suitcase.
I know the bike is far more capable than me my main concern is riding with much faster riders and getting lost.
Is car hire the best option to get from geneva?
Go for it
I rode a hard tail for a season when I first moved to Morzine, so you will be fine
Take the advice above re brake pads and body armour. May not need the dual ply tires as long as you have the downhill / free ride tubes in, however I do ride with both and have never had a flat on the trail. Many guests arrive here with XC tubes and single ply tires to spend the first day fixing punctures every 15 mins.
If your mates are really fast and better riders than you, then you may well be left behind so maybe consider riding some different trails to them and arrange places to meet up. Often you have several choices of trail to get you down to the same place.
There is a great book worth reading that lists and describes some epic routes. [url= http://librairie.vtopo.fr/vtt-portes-du-soleil-english.html ]Here is the link[/url]
Also, even though Les Gets is good and convenient there are so many better routes with less braking bumps further a field so make sure you go up the Super M lift and head over to the Avoriaz side and over towards Chatel. Also there are some epic single track routes over towards Switzerland.
So don't just buy a local area lift pass for the full holiday ( the cheapest option ) Buy a full area pass that allows you to access so much more.
Something else to consider would be splitting the cost of a guide between some of you, that way you will get to explore the area and ride trails suitable to your level without the fear of getting lost.
I would contact a guy called Joe [url= http://www.ride-ability.com/ ]here..[/url]
Re car hire - when you arrive at Geneva you can go back into the French side of the airport and car hire seems to be cheaper there. I have always used Euopcar.
Also, when you check in on the French side the Qs are a lot shorter so there is less hanging around for your flight back to the UK.
Have fun
Jon