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Looking at either a friday or a saturday ride, spending the week or so before in the alps.

no idea where to start from though and never been to alps before.

Anyone entering? where you starting from?

Any useful advice from past riders muchly appreciated.

Ive read about this in the mags and would be interested mate. Maybe a few friends aswell.

I've done the passport a few times - it's a really fun event - you'll have an amazing time!

Couple of pointers:

- you can start from any of the towns or lift stations making up the Portes Du Soleil area - details here:http://en.portesdusoleil.com/summer.html

- Morzine and Les Gets are the most popular resorts, particularly with Brits, with a bit more interns of bars / shops etc. but the downside of this is that you can get stuck in lift queues has you're heading round the passport course at the same time and in the same way as loads of other people

- Chatel or Morgins are good alternative places to base yourself / start from

- you normally pick up your rider pack the evening before usually from the local tourist info - this has your number plate which is supposedly needed for you to gain access to the lift without a ski pass but I've never noticed the lifts turning anyone away on the passport w/e plus has the usual goody bag stuff


- at the same time check the weather forecast - even in summer it can be v.cold and wet if a storm in the mountains - I've even ridden in a snow storm in August before now! and check you've got the right kit in your riding pack for the conditions - that said every time I've done it the weather's been brilliant

- I recommend starting early - think 1st lifts are at around 08.00 - as it is a full days' riding and you need to allow time for punctures / mechanicals / photos / eats / repeat runs down some of the DH trails!

- bike wise - you can ride any bike round the passport but best bet to enjoy it would be a 140-160mm full suss bike and well worth making sure it's in good running order before you get over there as local prices are astronomical

- also take over and carry with you spare break pads and derailleur hangers; if you really want to be safe - I'd recommend taking a spare rear mech as well to avoid the rip off feeling you get if you manage to smash one up on the rocks - or maybe that only happens to me!

- make sure you take plenty of inner tubes and go with a tyre pressure that you know will be ok on rocks - I tend to go 35 PSI min but I run tubeless (I'm c. 85kg riding weight) - there are a couple of real puncture alley sections (in particular the GR5 trail down from the top of Mossette / Lac Vert!!!)

- although it's 90% downhill and lift assisted - depending on the exact route there's normally a few sections of climbing / flat link ups - lots of folks on big DH bike push these but if you have one, or can borrow one, a dropper seat post makes these sections a bit easy to deal with

- one of the best things about the passports is the free food and drink - there are lots of stalls set up in the main towns and outside most of the lift stations which serve all sorts of local produce (goats cheese, ham etc), fruit, cereal bars, wine, beer, water, energy drink and some even do BBQ - from memory one of the best places was up near the lake above Les Gets - which is another reasons to start from Chatel or Morgins as you'll hit Les Gets nicely in time for lunch

- if you end up starting from Chatel - the tunnel br on the main road through the village is the place to enjoy the well earned post passport beers; if in Morzine - Robinsons bar; if in Les Gets - Le Boomerang bar; if if Morgins - think it's the one next to the church sq - sorry can't remember the name of it

Feel free to PM me if you need any more info

Forgot to add - there's some useful info on the passport here:

http://www.passportesdusoleil.com/index.jsp?SDP_CHANGE_USERLANG=en

also, I'd recommend riding the passport on the 1st day - with 4000 riders going round the trails take a bit of a beating - resulting it the rapid addition of braking bumps!!

Each of the towns have their own summer specific sites which have details of the mountain bike trails in their areas as well as the whole ports du soleile



e.g. for chatel - http://info.chatel.com/www-sommaire_niveau_2_liens_vignettes-2147-UK-ETE.html

Thats useful info there, does it sell out straight away? would there be passes in a week or so?

From memory one of the best places was up near the lake above Les Gets - which is another reasons to start from Chatel or Morgins as you'll hit Les Gets nicely in time for lunch...

That'll be Lake Montriond. ?..lovely place, check out my pic from this August.

What great tips people have printed.wish I was fit enough to do it..ha...still, hopeing to get out there at some point this summer. Agree with taking lots of spare parts..I once visiting every shop in Morzine and Les Gets chasing a hanger, I then wrecked my derailuer but some string held it together for the last day or so.

Whereabouts did you guys stay?
did you fly or drive over?
roughly how much did it cost you?

cheers

Lac de Montriond is one of my favourite chill out spots but was actually thinking of the small man made lake above Les Gets town - there's a restaurant there that normally does the free passport BBQ!! It's called the Lac de ecoles - just off the main les gets blue run that leads you into the 4x track at the bottom

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?client=safari&rls=en&q=les+gets&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=MIA5T4-UKoWo0QXF2ciqAg&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=3&ved=0CD4Q_AUoAg

Don't think it's sold out that quickly in the past but tI personally wouldn't leave it to the last minute!!

As I mentioned above - as well as riding it officially - I did it once unofficially with just my normal lift pass before I knew you could pre-enter and didn't have any problems at the food stalls or on the lifts - it is a pretty laid back affair...

.... that said the goody bags are normally pretty good so it is worth paying the entry and I think you get a free day pass for the ski lift thrown in as well....




For my annual trip own there I always do the car / ferry option down to Chatel - it's about 9 hours drive from Calais - fairly straight fwd drive - can't recall the exact costs, I'm afraid - ferry was fairly cheap when booked in advance ; think I filled up the car twice plus there's the cost of the tolls - so it does start to add up but on the plus side you avoid the airport hassle, you can take a lot of bike kit without the worry of excess baggage; plus you have transport when there, if you fancy riding a few different other resorts e.g. verbier, pila, chamonix

If you're flying - flights to Geneva in the summer can be quite cheap - easyjet fly there from Stanstead - but car hire tends to be quite expensive - or you can user one of the transfer services to get up into the resorts you're staying in (e.g. http://www.magic-transfers.com/

I am tempted to have a go at this, been skiing/boarding around the portes du soleil a few times so would love to try it by bike. got friends who have a flat half hour drive from Chatel so would be sorted for somewhere to stay. I have driven down a fair few times, its about 10 hours drive from Calais. Just need to sort out time off work might be a bit tricky during term time, pity its not in the six week break.

I rode to Montriond with intention of having a swim but was a bit cold..ha...I know lake you mean, its near the Les Gets lil jump park bit.

Andy

My brother runs chalet over there.. http://www.morzineholidays.com although they were thinking of selling business this year, I intend to try and sort something out if they don't though, with some mates (mostly non-cycling) and perhaps some others if anyones interested, but nearer the time.

Ive travelled there through various methods, plane to Geneva..you canm get flights pretty cheap from Luton, Stansted and City, check how much they charge extra for your bike though..prices are cheaper early on in June as oppsoed to August but Morzine/Les Gets is deff less busy at end of August/beginning Septemember (depending on lift closing times) and you can get on most lifts without major queuing although some of the minor lifts have stopped running.

Ive driven (well..my dad has and we stopped at Morzine enroute to my dads place at Lake Magoirie, Italy.

This year I 'hitched' a lift with a party from up north, they had a bus with seats stripped out one side and all ther bikes squashed in there..was very cheap..£300 for travel and chalet !

There are various other places to stay, most seem to charge about £400 plus per week, most are B&B. Lift pass is 83 Euros for 6 days...you can buy single ones too...although Ive been sneaky and borrowed one from guy my bruv employs...

Food n drink is pricey..well eating out is...I tended to buy Croisants for brekkie, a baguette n cheese n ham for lunch n then either out/cook in or BBQ in eve.....Supermarkets are cheap (but often shut lunchtime) and Sherpa bar (popular with riders) does a bring ya own meat BBQ night.

Andy

Andy

Wow thanks for the info.

jim 25, ive heard the more popular resorts like morzine sells out in an hour or so, so wouldnt leave it too long.

Neil, get booking time off.

Anyone else riding this year...

Yep, think me and Casey will def be doing this, drive down in the car Most likely.
Not sure starting where tho,

Hi Andy, does your brother offer accomadtion for just the weekend or do you need to book for the whole week, we would only need Thu,Fri,and Sat night probably