France / Spain MTB Singletrack Holiday

France / Spain MTB Singletrack Holiday

Author
Discussion

22s

Original Poster:

6,337 posts

215 months

Thursday 20th April 2017
quotequote all
Hi all,

So I'm planning to quit my job soon (hurrah!) and take 6-8 weeks out to decompress before starting my new job (hurrah!).

As a part of this time off, I'd like to head to France or Spain to do some good singletrack for 4-5 days. This will likely take place in mid-June, at which point I understand the lifts in France (e.g. Morzine) will have opened.

As a bit of background and criteria:
- I'm mid-twenties, very fit, do lots of road cycling, did quite a bit of MTB as a teenager.
- Want somewhere where I can go by myself and meet cool, fun people
- Want mainly fun, twisty singletrack. Technical doesn't bother me (did lots of XC when I was young), but don't want mega gnarly gaps and drops.
- Need to be able to hire a bike (all-mountain)
- Need to be able to hire a guide or join groups of riders
- Accommodation available close to lifts and town
- Budget not too much of a concern but not silly (e.g. not more than £1k for 5 days).

Now, there seems to be a plethora of options and I'm a bit stuck. From my days as a youngster when I used to read MBUK, they seemed to always mention Morzine which does look great - but as I'm now living in London and haven't done regular MTB for quite some time, and Morzine seems to be largely XXX-rated downhill trails, will I end up killing myself and/or pissing off other riders with how ste am I? I see there's 650km of trails - it can't all be downhill?

I've also heard great things about Sierra Nevada but is this "second best" to the French resorts? Will it be too hot in June?

Any recommendations welcome - thanks in advance!


Herman Toothrot

6,702 posts

197 months

Friday 21st April 2017
quotequote all
I went for a week to Spain with SierraMTB, I arrived on my own and we rode each day in a group of between 6 - 9 people, all good. Stayed in a villa together so ended up socialising each evening, was fun, I'd go again.

Sherpa

81 posts

175 months

Friday 21st April 2017
quotequote all
Have a look at action-outdoors.co.uk, they've got their summer MTB deals on at the moment. It's full board, all kit and equipment and guiding. Just need to add flights and transfers.

22s

Original Poster:

6,337 posts

215 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Thanks!

duff

976 posts

198 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
I've been to Morzine a couple of times, there are lots of trails for all abilities so I wouldn't worry about that. Personally I find a lot of it quite repetitive, just lots of braking bumps and berms however it's really easy to find your way around and all uplifted. You'd only need to go with a company for for the social aspect or for guided rides out of the main bike park.

Sierra Nevada has some amazing trails, in my experience it's more technical than Morzine and there are no lifts although I imagine most guided tours offer some element of uplift (I think Malaga has a fairly decent bike park with cable car?) I used to ride around Granada which had quite a few good trails but the best in the area were around Bubion iirc. I went in April or late Sept and it was perfect weather for riding, Granada gets very hot in summer.

Might be worth considering somewhere different like the Canaries which has some excellent mtb apparently, with the added bonus of some great road riding if you wanted to break things up.

Edited by duff on Tuesday 25th April 07:35

FD3Si

857 posts

143 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Madeira is currently the MTB destination of course. Loads of guided stuff. Also Finale Ligure in Italy. Go on a guided ride and any company with their salt will tailor to your needs.

Kermit power

28,635 posts

212 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
As duff said, Morzine has plenty for all abilities. There were ample trails for my boys (aged 8 & 11) to do, and equally plenty to keep the fully armoured-up downhillers entertained all day as well.

The big problem - and hopefully one you'd get to avoid going in June - is the braking bumps. I ended up totally knackering myself (both shoulders separated) going over the bars at 20mph not because I was on a particularly tough stretch of trail, but just because my arms were so completely worn out after a day of nothing but braking bumps that my hand slipped off the bars going over a culvert on a fire trail coming back into the resort. frown

One option - although I imagine it will shoot the accommodation cost well up, if there's any left available - is that mid-June is bang on the right time to be there for Crankworx Les Gets if you want to see guys doing unbelievable things on bikes in a massive party as well as get your own riding in!

Be aware though, that last year, Morzine/Les Gets was a complete mudbath right the way through until July, to the point that even the Crankworx guys decided it was too difficult for them to ride the full course, giving rise to a best trick competition on the last ramp instead.

Wingo

298 posts

170 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Morzine/LG is part of the Porte du Soleil area.


http://en.portesdusoleil.com/summer/bikeparks.html

There is this event which is a bit more xc in late June

http://en.passportesdusoleil.com/presentation/2017...

This lot seem to have a good time if you want to join/stay with a group.

http://www.bikemorzine.com/

There is a lot to choose from in the area, something for everyone.
I'm an old and slow part time DH rider and we have a great time in summer fitting in 3 or 4 steady DH days in a family holiday.

I have hired bikes but we take our own now, the hire bikes were not cheap and varied in standard of preparation.

The area has plenty going on in the non winter sports months.


Wingo.


P-Jay

10,551 posts

190 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Tonnes of riding in Morzine / Les Gets and the rest of PDS, braking bumps are an issue but that tends to be from the middle of the season (July) onwards and is weather dependant - it's also mostly on the 'motorway' trails aka the massive obvious ones.

There's about 600km of official trails, 25 lifts, 4 bike parks and 12 resorts.


I don't think the lifts open till the 23rd of June, bit later than mid-June, but some do open the week earlier for a few hours a day.

You can Day trip to other resprts in Switzerland (by bike) or Italy (by car).

Kermit power

28,635 posts

212 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
P-Jay said:
Tonnes of riding in Morzine / Les Gets and the rest of PDS, braking bumps are an issue but that tends to be from the middle of the season (July) onwards and is weather dependant - it's also mostly on the 'motorway' trails aka the massive obvious ones.

There's about 600km of official trails, 25 lifts, 4 bike parks and 12 resorts.


I don't think the lifts open till the 23rd of June, bit later than mid-June, but some do open the week earlier for a few hours a day.

You can Day trip to other resprts in Switzerland (by bike) or Italy (by car).
Surely the lifts will be open for Crankworx, won't they? It'll be rammed with bikers that week!

P-Jay

10,551 posts

190 months

Thursday 27th April 2017
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
P-Jay said:
Tonnes of riding in Morzine / Les Gets and the rest of PDS, braking bumps are an issue but that tends to be from the middle of the season (July) onwards and is weather dependant - it's also mostly on the 'motorway' trails aka the massive obvious ones.

There's about 600km of official trails, 25 lifts, 4 bike parks and 12 resorts.


I don't think the lifts open till the 23rd of June, bit later than mid-June, but some do open the week earlier for a few hours a day.

You can Day trip to other resprts in Switzerland (by bike) or Italy (by car).
Surely the lifts will be open for Crankworx, won't they? It'll be rammed with bikers that week!
You're right - I looked at the timetable back Xmas time and it showed the lifts opening 23rd of June - it's my 40th on the 16th of June and I wanted to go around then but pushed it back.

Seems (probably due to Crankworx and the terrible snow season they had) they're now opening earlier.

Pleney and Pointe de Nyon (which I think is the little one on the XC from Les Gets to Morzine) and both sides on Les Gets open on the full time on the 10th of June.

Les Gets 1 actually opens for weekends from the 25th of May.

Super Morzine is still TBC.

22s

Original Poster:

6,337 posts

215 months

Monday 1st May 2017
quotequote all
Hi all - thanks for the tips!

I've been engaging with some of the guys in Sierra Nevada, but no-one seems to have availability for the dates I want.

I'll hit up Ride Morzine - I'm looking to chill after a brutal few months at work, so might to catch the backend of Crankworx rather than the whole thing!

Cheers

Sa Calobra

37,011 posts

210 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
OP why not also try a ride(s) round the North Downs/Surrey Hills? Some great trails round there.

There's a mtb guide/hotel in Les Gets/Morzine that everyone raves about, I can't remember the name blue or white something. See if they have space.

I'd avoid Pleney. I hated that. Lots of queues for it but hardly any for the Super Morzine/Avoriaz over to the Swiss etc dh


TBH though I'd get used to more off road riding before the Alps. Why not a Spanish or Balerics singletrack holiday. I'd love to do them.

Alps with proper guiding can offer ace singletrack back country riding. My first visit was in 2003 and I was out of my depth. Well out of my depth. laugh with hindsight I'd have loved Finale Liguire