Pass porte du soleil ebike class

[MarkH]

Anyone done this. I've thought about going for a couple of years but never got around to it. Really considering it for this year, registration opens next week.

Anyone had experience.

 

[Gary]

Have you been riding in the PDS area before? (do you know what to expect?) are you going with others?
I was in morzine the weekend of PPdS this summer and a big group of riders in our accomodation were doing it (not Ebikers). There were more Ebikes buzzing about (mainly in big groups) than I've ever seen anywhere and everyone seemed happy. Sun, Achohol and food at the feed stations probably helped.
Personally I think the weekend is a bit of a nightmare but I'm a DH rider when i'm in morzine, not a trail/Ebike rider and massive lift queues have never been my idea of a good days riding. It is a good route and it's good value. If it sounds like your kind of thing i can't see you not enjoying it. Definitely more fun in a group though.

 

[StuR]

Ive done the PDS twice but not on an Ebike
Agree with Gary that the queues can be a ballache .
However, it still ranks as my best day on a bike EVER !!!
Route is awesome . Need to be pretty competent on a bike
Its about 100km if you inc the lifts . mainly descending apart from a bit of a beast of a climb into Switzerland
An Ebike would ease that pain though .
If you get a chance do it its a belter !!

 

[StuR]

Strava route from 2011

 

[johnc]

Anyone done this. I've thought about going for a couple of years but never got around to it. Really considering it for this year, registration opens next week.

Anyone had experience.

How are you transporting your battery?

 

[StuR]

How are you transporting your battery?

Driving is probably the only option .
Unless you fly and hire a bike there .
Saw several shops hireing out Ebikes there last year . Mainly Haibike and Scott.
Not cheap €80-€100 a day
Gonna be snapped up quick on PDS wkend though
Personally id drive and take my own Ebike and as much kit as i can .
Its about 14hrs door to door for me from Gloucestershire. Its not so bad with a few mates.
If i wasn't transporting a battery id probably fly. Ive done both and flying is definitely quicker inc driving to the airport and transfer etc .

 

[Gary]

what bike do you have @MarkH ?
Bikes (even DH bikes) can take an absolute hammering out there compared to at home.
I've broken a few frames, suspension (f&r) the odd wheel and have had brakes crap out on me more than a few times out there over the years. TBF though bikes are a lot more reliable these days and the only issue this summer was one puncture and brake issues from bad pads (I was on a DH bike though so everything is a bit more durable/stronger)

 

[MarkH]

Levo carbon. If I go I'd drive over in my transit. Driven a number of times to ski but never biked the alps. I'm not too shabby on a bike (raced downhill in the dark ages) but no spring chicken at 57

 

[steve_sordy]

I first went to the PDS in 2010 with a bunch of guys. We were part family part friends and the age range was from 17 to 60. The skill level varied from competent red trail to hucking black. Only one of us had been before. The bikes varied from a 120mm XC bike to a 170mm Enduro (if there was such a thing in 2010).

On the morning of the first day, one of our number said "we have all week, why don't we start with an easy blue". We all agreed and were very glad we did! That blue was the scariest trail I had ever ridden down at that time (only been riding 2 years). The Alps will re-calibrate your view of what steep means and what rough means. At the PDS, the trails are graded similarly to the way they grade ski runs. ie it's all about speed. So because the blues were rough they were not fast. The reds were fast and steep but not rough, although you might need to do endo turns to get round some of the corners (on the edge of a big drop). Fast and rough was black (I was told!) I overheard two young guys talking about the double diamond black they were planning to do. I cannot imagine what that would look like. Every single day we we there, the helicopter was pulling people off the mountain, don't let that be you.

After a shaky start, I was riding the reds by the end of the week. But I was still being shaken to bits. Use loads of frame protection on your bike and take lots of spares (pads, mech hangers, tyres, tubes, etc). Unless you want to pay a fortune and queue up for it as well, then take your own tools, all of them.

 

[Gary]

Levo carbon. If I go I'd drive over in my transit. Driven a number of times to ski but never biked the alps. I'm not too shabby on a bike (raced downhill in the dark ages) but no spring chicken at 57

You'll be absolutely fine. the graded trails aren't difficult at all for a seasoned DHer. a lot of the off-piste trails are mental (in a good way). and nuts in the wet. general speed is a higher and lenght of the trails is way longer so take it easy for the first bit until you know where you're going etc. Common sense really.

The busiest heli airlift site by far is the 40ft step up/table on Zore/Super Morzine. it's a long table with a slight step up to the knuckle. not a difficult jump at all it's just that too many folk think they can have a go without actually knowing how to jump.

TBH I've never payed attention to trail grading colours. Been riding there regularly since '96 so trailgrading is a new thing to me.. isn't very consistent and I'm just not great with change. Unlike Steve I've never found a single corner that required an endo turn in all those years. if you head over to chatel plenty trails there are far far more advanced/consequential. Morgins looks amazing (didn't make it over this year becaause of the stupid PPdS queues, and still grumpy about it )

The busiest heli airlift site is the 40ft step up on Zore/Super Morzine. it's not a difficult jump it's just that too many folk think they can have a go without actually knowing how to jump.
If you're a decent jumper and are making the landings nicely on all the other tables and jumps on the tracks up there don't be scared of it. but a word of advice. when you pop off the small step down into the run in for it. Don't pedal at all, even if you pump/boost that little step down you can actually brake check/air brake in the run in and still make the landing tranny fine. pedalling will send you too far down the landing. sticking a nervous bitch crank in is one of the big reasons a lot of beginners get sent into a nose dive and end their holiday there and then. don't pump or pull at the lip until your comfortable with it. if I've just taugh a grandma to suck eggs ignore everything I just typed and whip and scrub it to your hearts delight

 

[johnc]

+1 for Morgins. Some of favourite trails out there.

 

[MarkH]

Levo carbon. If I go I'd drive over in my transit. Driven a number of times to ski but never biked the alps. I'm not too shabby on a bike (raced downhill in the dark ages and still have a downhill bik but no spring chicken at 57

Doing the Ard Rock this year as well.

You'll be absolutely fine. the graded trails aren't difficult at all for a seasoned DHer. a lot of the off-piste trails are mental (in a good way). and nuts in the wet. general speed is a higher and lenght of the trails is way longer so take it easy for the first bit until you know where you're going etc. Common sense really.

The busiest heli airlift site by far is the 40ft step up/table on Zore/Super Morzine. it's a long table with a slight step up to the knuckle. not a difficult jump at all it's just that too many folk think they can have a go without actually knowing how to jump.

TBH I've never payed attention to trail grading colours. Been riding there regularly since '96 so trailgrading is a new thing to me.. isn't very consistent and I'm just not great with change. Unlike Steve I've never found a single corner that required an endo turn in all those years. if you head over to chatel plenty trails there are far far more advanced/consequential. Morgins looks amazing (didn't make it over this year becaause of the stupid PPdS queues, and still grumpy about it )

The busiest heli airlift site is the 40ft step up on Zore/Super Morzine. it's not a difficult jump it's just that too many folk think they can have a go without actually knowing how to jump.
If you're a decent jumper and are making the landings nicely on all the other tables and jumps on the tracks up there don't be scared of it. but a word of advice. when you pop off the small step down into the run in for it. Don't pedal at all, even if you pump/boost that little step down you can actually brake check/air brake in the run in and still make the landing tranny fine. pedalling will send you too far down the landing. sticking a nervous bitch crank in is one of the big reasons a lot of beginners get sent into a nose dive and end their holiday there and then. don't pump or pull at the lip until your comfortable with it. if I've just taugh a grandma to suck eggs ignore everything I just typed and whip and scrub it to your hearts delight

Thanks for the advice. I'm a reasonable jumper as long as it just need bottle or speed to clear - I usually come unstuck if it's something that needs a bit of body english to get the distance. Biggest moment I ever had was on my only attempt at the second gap jump on the red at Revolution - 30 foot nose wheely....not pretty. ?

 

[MarkH]

Entered for the Saturday. 10000ft of descending in a day!!!

 

[MarkH]

The road trip begins - Chatel in about 8 hours. Plan is to take a Decoy test bike tomorrow and then the PDS itself on Saturday on my Levo. Then Monday down to Valmorel to ride that area.

 

[Dax]

Any other advice for a morzine noob @Gary?