A few days before the Pass’Portes du Soleil event and suddenly Morzine is buzzing and full of mountain bikers.
The PassPortes du Soleil is an event which grew out of the old free raid mountain bike event. Going from strength to strength each year, there were 4500 participants this year. The event costs €40 to enter and for that you get your lift pass, a pass to use another day, plus access to all the refreshment stands around the route – lots of local food, as well as fruit, drinks and cake. This year participants also got a few other goodies, including a rucksack!
Each year the event is hosted by one of the 8 villages comprising the Portes du Soleil, this year it was Chatel’s turn although the event village was actually in the little hamlet of Villapeyron at the bottom of the Linga Secteur. There was the usual abundance of stalls from many of the major MTB manufacturers.
The route is 75 km long, taking in the 8 resorts that make up the Portes du Soleil. Most of the flowmtb guests were registered to do it, and most of the team headed out too on the Sunday. It’s a great fun event, well worth doing.
The weather stayed perfect for the weekend and throughout the following week. Bright blue skies, scorching sun, and amazing trails to ride. Can’t be beaten!
It’s Pass’Portes time once again. Morzine’s bars are buzzing with mountain bikers and everywhere you look there are bikes parked up or people riding. Great to see Morzine as a proper mountain bike town once again!
The flowmtb chalets are busy with people that headed out for Pass’Portes today or will be tomorrow. Looking forward to the tales over the Sunday night BBQ…..
Fresh from their racing at the weekend Fionn and Emmeline arrived in the Norco World Cup team bus to stay with us early this week. They’ll be based at flowmtb, along with their mechanic Dougie, right up to the Champery World Cup.
Fionn was here for a couple of weeks last year and has chose to return to Morzine once again with flowmtb as the perfect base for both resting and training in between races.
Local mountain bike guide and instructor Jo Pauly from Rideability, suggests us girls could try this, or come on dirtgirls or one of his half day skills courses!
Warning silly video content!
Thanks to Stewart from ReelFunMedia for these amazing videos of local riders and the Champery trail builders.
See what the pros will be racing on.
Video 1 Gravity Inc team on the Champery World Cup DH.
Video 2 Local girl, Tahnee Seagrave, on the Champery World Cup DH.
New nail business, Junkyard Angel will be out for this year’s dirtgirls MTB holiday in Morzine.
There are special prices for manicures and pedicures, plus goodies at the end of the week for all dirtgirls. They can’t cure your scrapes and bruises, but can make sure you go home with a rocking set of nails!
Check it out here.
Info on dirtgirls trips.
The lifts opened for the weekend at Les Gets, so, obviously, we were out checking out the changes and riding the old favourites.
The DH tracks were in great shape considering the rain we’ve had over the last few days. I hung out at Chavannes and Nauchets a while before heading off for an XC loop. Pictures here.
The Chavannes lift has a new carrying system that can take two bikes at once. You simply walks up, slot your front wheel into the yellow bike carrier and get on the next chair. Up top the lifties have got your bike down for you and off you go. This should really reduce the queues. Check out the photos to see it.
Very funny video just forwarded to us by Stewart Monk of Reel Fun Media.
Check it out
Dirt magazine decided to celebrate making it to 100 issues by picking their 100 favourite things in mountain biking. No mean feat.
Unsurprisingly the Portes du Soleil made it in there (Pages 102-103), described as ‘one of the worldwide strongholds of summer mountain biking‘. With a particular mention for Morzine as as the best resort to stay in.
Seems that we’ve been getting a bit of the summer sunshine recently here in the alps - so thought it best to make the most of it with a trip down the road to Dorenaz - near Martingy in Switzerland.
tiny lift - public transport, swiss style!
That’s the “bus stop” up top.. not a bad view.
Obligatory photographers bike shot 
The way down mostly looked like this. Was hard to concentrate on the exposed singletrack with that view!
There’s some really great rinding there, a top day out if ever you’re in the area! It’s only an hour and a half from Morzine as well - and as the lift runs throughout the year it’s a great off season option when the ski resorts are shut / covered in snow!
