Morzine this summer?
Discussion
if you want some advice for it, wear body armour at all times you have your leg over!!! it aint worth losing out on your hols, i thought better of it last year and the 1 run i did, not even at race pace ended me up with this...
(that mark on my hip went to the bone!)..the bike was fine before you ask!
also keep riding through the arm pump, after a few days it does go and then you'll really fly!
(that mark on my hip went to the bone!)..the bike was fine before you ask!
also keep riding through the arm pump, after a few days it does go and then you'll really fly!
Edited by mark.h on Wednesday 20th June 15:43
I got back from Morzine on Tuesday having had a long weekend since last Thursday. It was my first trip with a group who have been going for a few years now. Although I've been mountain biking on and off for almost 20 years, it was my first experience of a true downhill course of that length and with the lifts, being able to do more than one or two runs in a day.
I've now decided to do as much of it as possible, and although I'll not entirely give up XC, it'll be secondry now and my bike will be making way for a freeride or downhill bike!
Agree with the body armour side, full face helmets and at least knee/shin and elbow pads are essential, with full body armour being the safest option by far. As a snowboarder, I took along an old set impact shorts and a pair of Arnette goggles which worked a treat in the muddy and wet conditions on Friday. Between the 7 of us, we managed to break a couple of bikes but no serious injuries, although I was lucky to escape when I made teh decision to jump off the shed roof drop-off in Les Gets and took it a little too quickly and nose-dived the bike into the ground!!
I found bike hire pretty pricey at 80Euro per day, but we did get brand new Giant Faith's hire from (http://www.dertmtb.com and owned and run by an English girl called Nikki)which performed well and were pretty robust. One of our group took his own bike and blew his forks up on the last day .... glad I didn't take my Enduro S-Works as I really don't think it would have lasted the continual pounding down the Les Gets course.
All in all, a great experience and can't wait to go again!
I've now decided to do as much of it as possible, and although I'll not entirely give up XC, it'll be secondry now and my bike will be making way for a freeride or downhill bike!
Agree with the body armour side, full face helmets and at least knee/shin and elbow pads are essential, with full body armour being the safest option by far. As a snowboarder, I took along an old set impact shorts and a pair of Arnette goggles which worked a treat in the muddy and wet conditions on Friday. Between the 7 of us, we managed to break a couple of bikes but no serious injuries, although I was lucky to escape when I made teh decision to jump off the shed roof drop-off in Les Gets and took it a little too quickly and nose-dived the bike into the ground!!
I found bike hire pretty pricey at 80Euro per day, but we did get brand new Giant Faith's hire from (http://www.dertmtb.com and owned and run by an English girl called Nikki)which performed well and were pretty robust. One of our group took his own bike and blew his forks up on the last day .... glad I didn't take my Enduro S-Works as I really don't think it would have lasted the continual pounding down the Les Gets course.
All in all, a great experience and can't wait to go again!
breaking bits can be avoided generally if you have a well serviced rig and ride smooth. Ive noticed the vast majority of breakages ive seen are due to inexperienced riders overstepping their boundaries(which isnt a criticism atall) or bike parts not being maintained well, in the alps you need to be constantly stripping/cleaning/lubricating everything.
glad you had fun, i cant wait!
glad you had fun, i cant wait!
mark.h said:
breaking bits can be avoided generally if you have a well serviced rig and ride smooth. Ive noticed the vast majority of breakages ive seen are due to inexperienced riders overstepping their boundaries(which isnt a criticism atall) or bike parts not being maintained well, in the alps you need to be constantly stripping/cleaning/lubricating everything.
glad you had fun, i cant wait!
Agreed. The two bikes which broke were riden by less experienced riders who penny pinched and hired XC bikes which were not up to riguers of DH in the Alps!glad you had fun, i cant wait!
You'll love it! Are you taking your own bike or hiring?
mark.h said:
im driving down with a team mate with our own rigs...
ive got the green one, 2nd year im going, almost regret the decision as i promised myself id stay to race the nationals but its won me over!
That'll be a nice drive, best way being there for a long period of time. No doubt you'll be seriously quick after 3 weeks!!ive got the green one, 2nd year im going, almost regret the decision as i promised myself id stay to race the nationals but its won me over!
mk1 .... if you don't wear protection, you're asking for trouble!
protection is always a question for alpine riding. Its rough and fast but its also bloody hot.
I ride with knee pads and full face at all times. If we going out to hit some of the more out of the way rough stuff the back plate goes on, same if we're riding with some really quick boys.
Mainly I find a full jacket just ruins my riding experience in 30c heat.
I ride with knee pads and full face at all times. If we going out to hit some of the more out of the way rough stuff the back plate goes on, same if we're riding with some really quick boys.
Mainly I find a full jacket just ruins my riding experience in 30c heat.
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