Downhill bikes are known and referred to mountain bikes with the highest technology. The unique nature of mountain biking requires light resilient mountain bikes which have high suspension abilities. The twisting, turning and descending while riding downhill, requires frames which allow riders to lean back and to the sides easily. Another important requirement for mountain bikes is high brake intensity. There are many instances which require a fast stop. Strong effective brakes are required in order to reach a full, quick stop.

Downhill mountain bikes usually weigh between 16 to 26 kg and have full suspension. Most downhill bikes have hydraulic disk brakes. Downhill bikes tend to be lower in order to provide bikers with more stability, specifically on turns. The components are always a compromise between weight and strength. Since downhill mountain bikes are manufactured with many innovations and high technologies, their price is quite high relatively to other mountain bikes. Downhill mountain bike prices range from 2,000$ up to 10,000$ in order to purchase a professional downhill racing bike.

Due to its dangerous nature, downhill mountain biking requires the use of high quality specially designed safety gear. Downhill mountain bikers wear protection gear which covers most of their body. Downhill helmets cover all of the rider’s face, resembling motor cycle helmets. Another integral part of downhill protection gear is chest, shoulder and knee guards. In addition, there are specially designed shorts and pants which minimize friction in case of a fall. Some companies offer full downhill body suites while other market every segment of clothing and protection separately. Choose whichever option you like, as long as you end up with the suitable protection needed.

If you’re planning to ride downhill trails, don’t spare on safety equipment. There’s a reason each safety accessory was designed. With the fitting bike and the right safety equipment, we’re sure you’ll have a great time!

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There are many ways to experience and enjoy mountain biking in the French Alps. One popular option is to stay in one area, and ride the different biking trails near by. The main advantage of a mountain biking vacation as such, is that you can enjoy exciting and challenging down-hill mountain biking, while getting to know and enjoy a specific area, such as Morzine or Les-Gets.

There is another option to get a taste of mountain biking in the Alps, which is geared to more experienced and fit mountain bikers. Many mountain bikers wish to experience completing a mountain biking journey through the Alps. For years, there has been a well known trend of crossing Europe with a bike. In the past few years, this trend has been transformed and renewed into crossing the Alps on mountain bikes. Riding on a mountain bike for days, from location to location, is not an easy task, not physically nor logistically. There are mountain bikers who wish to plan and arrange all the preparations themselves. For those of us who wish not to hassle with the many details, there are several companies which offer mountain biking traveling packages, that include all the necessary arrangements needed to enjoy an ongoing bike trip, from location to location. Some of the services which this sort of bike-travel packages offer are: delivering your luggage from one location to the next, so all you have to carry is your daily ride’s gear, reservations for accommodations, chair lift passage tickets and more.

The region of Portes Du Soliel is a region with a wide variety of towns and mountain biking trails. For your next mountain biking vacation in the area, consider trying out a bike travel package, which will take you on an ongoing bike trip through this magical area. We’re sure you’ll have the time of your life.

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The Alps are a long and wide chain of mountains which stretch out from Austria in the east to Switzerland and France in the west. The Alps present many beautiful sites for skiing in the winter, and mountain biking in the summer. The town of Morzine is situated near the Swiss border.

The best way to reach Morzine, is to fly to Geneva, Switzerland. Switzerland, we may add, gives the mountain biker many reasons to include it in his or her next mountain biking holiday. In this post, we would like to introduce you to one of the most beautiful and most exciting downhill trails in the region – the trail which connects the two towns of Champery and Les Crosets. Champery is situated under one of the highest, breathtaking ridges of the Alps in this region. The slopes reaching down from this ridge are one of the top skiing sites in Europe during the winter. During the summer, the ski lifts are being used to take downhill mountain bikers up to the top, and enable them to enjoy the amazing way down. There are two main options to ride down from the summit of Champery to Les crosets. If you wish to choose the shorter trail, choose the trail marked in blue. This trail will take you on a 2.5 Km of a fast and bumpy down hill ride, down a slope of 260 meters. At the end of this trail you’ll reach the chair lift, which will take you back up to the summit. The longer and more challenging trail, appropriately marked in black, will take you on an exciting fast and bumpy ride, which steeply descends a drop of 620 meters over only 4 kilometers. The trail has a long rocky start; nevertheless, it’s a ride you’ll remember for years.

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Photos Via redjazone And Morgan000

Lake Montriond, the 3^rd largest of the areas lakes, it’s as if it was taken out of a picture trying to grasp alpine pristine green scenery. No wonder that this lake attracts many tourists all year long. Lake Montriond is named after the close by town of Montriond. The lake serves as Morzine’s beach. Many locals and tourists come here to sunbathe, swim, hike or ride the trail which encompasses the lake. Lake Montriond is a perfect place for families with children. There is plenty of grass to spread out on, lifeguard service for swimming (opened July and August) and many other family attractions. The bike trail encompassing the lake is perfect for any beginning bike rider. It’s an easy ride through an amazing view.

One of the main attractions of the lake is the annual fireworks display which is held by the lake every year on the second Saturday of august.

It’s pretty simple to get to the lake by public transportation – the ‘A’ navette bus which departures from the center of Morzine reaches the lake. The bus runs every 20 minutes during the day.

The view from the lake is spectacular. A dense pine forest surrounds the lake. Above the forest trees you’ll see some of the highest peaks of the French Alps. In Addition to riding the bike path around the lake I recommend renting a boat and float to the center of the lake.

All of these enjoyable activities will arouse your appetite! Luckily, there are two excellent restaurants close to the lake which serve authentic savoian dishes such as shepards soup and crepy wine. Alpine cuisine will definitely be one of the highlights of this outing…

When planning your next trip to the area, count Lake Montriond in for one of the calmer days of your trip.

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The region of Portes du Soleil is known for its ski opportunities in the winter and amazing bike trails which are opened mostly in the summer. The main towns that are identified with the region are Morzine and Les Gets.

Les-Gets is situated just a couple of minutes of a drive away from Morzine, on a plateau under slopes which offer plenty of amazing downhill bike paths. Les Gets resides under the famous Mont Chery. Mont Chery is known for its ski slopes in the winter and bike trails in the summer. We’ll devote one of our next posts to Mont Chery. Les Gets hosts many mountain biking events, particularly DH biking events. In the past 12 years, Mont Chery has been the site of the mountain bike world cups and championships.

Aside of its closeness to many mountain bike attractions, Les-Gets offers any visitor a wide range of options in order to enjoy a unique alpine vacation. Les Gets constitutes as a regional center for sports, music and cuisine. The mechanical music museum of Les Gets has been running for the past 25 years. In addition, the town hosts a bi-yearly music festival which is devoted to mechanical music.

The restaurants of Les Gets are known for their excellent tradition alpine dishes. When visiting in any restaurant in the area, don’t forget to order one of the local traditional dishes. One of those many dishes is Reblochon Cheese. Reblochon Cheese is made out of only three kinds of alpine cows. The process of preparing this dish has been a secret among the residents of south west France for generations.

In conclusion, when planning your next vacation to the French Alps, don’t forget to stop in Les Gets – we assure you that a good time will be had by all.

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As we have mentioned in our last post, Mont Chery is one of the main mountain biking sites of Portes Du Soliel. Mont Chery is a bustling tourist site all year long. In the winter it is one of the main skiing sites of the region and as soon as the snow melts in the spring it welcomes mountain bike riders from all over the world who are anxious to take on one of the exciting and adventurous bike trails in the area. Mont Chery elevates to 1800 meters – 700 meters above the town of Les Gets.

Kona Bike Park is situated on the center of Mont Chery. Kona Bike Park offers attractions for mountain bikers and BMX’ers as well: jumps, drops, berms and many other enjoyable and unique riding attractions.

In order to reach the summit of Mont Chery you can ride up a challenging trail or take the easier way – a comfortable bike chair lift. The view from the lift is breathtaking!

The 400m descent to L’encrenaz is a ride to remember – a long steep and challenging DH which goes through a thick pine forest. Make sure to check your brakes before setting out on this trail!

Tips and things to know about bike trails on Mont Chery:

- Opening hours: Before setting out to Mont Chery, find out what are the opening hours of the bike park and the bike lift. Most of the bike chair lifts in the area operate most hours of the day in the time between the end of June and the end of August.

- Clothing: Although the weather in Morzine or Les Gets may be warm, remember that the summit of Mont Chery is pretty high. Bring along some long clothes which can be taken off as you get warmer as a result of riding.

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As we wrote in our latest post, we highly recommend experiencing at least a bit of direct interaction with life in Morzine. In this post, we’ll give a few tips and information that can help you find your way around Morzine and help you enjoy the magical and authentic alpine atmosphere.

Supermarkets and shops

There are many supermarkets and shops in Morzine which offer many locally made products, mainly cheeses and wines. The main supermarket in Morzine, the Champion, is situated at the Place de Poste. Two smaller super markets, the Proxi and the Shoppi are situated on the Route de la Plange. We recommend visiting the local market which takes place every Wednesday at Plane de la Poste, near Champion supermarket. The weekly market offer local produce, fruit, vegetables, meat in addition to clothes and many other options for gifts.

Restaurants and cafés

There are many restaurants and cafés you can enjoy in Morzine. Each restaurant offers its own unique mountain dishes. Anyone can find a restaurant fit for his tastes and needs. There are many pizzerias and bistro’s which offer family meals, alongside first class cuisine restaurants. In order to assure having an available table, most restaurants offer to reserve tables in advance. If you are planning to eat out on Wednesday, you should reserve a table in advance, since this is most of the chalet operators’ day off.

A visit to the old town of Morzine

I recommend devoting a couple of hours for a short stroll around the older parts of Morzine. Walk by the beautiful wooden houses, churches and picturesque streets. The calm feel of the town is special and unique. A guided tour can give you a lot of information, yet I highly recommend strolling around by yourselves at least once for a couple hours.

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Morzine is a leading destination for mountain bikers from Europe and around the world. Bike trails in the vicinity of Morzine vary in their length, difficulty and style. Any mountain biker can choose to come to Morzine on an organized tour, in which all of the details regarding the trip will be taken care of – beginning the shuttle taking you from the airport to the hotel, through guided tours, ending in the shuttle taking you back to the hotel at the end of your vacation.

Many tourists prefer not to take advantage of all-included tour packages and organize their mountain biking vacation independently, others order a partly organized vacation. The advantages of an all-included tour package are obvious. With all of the small details been taken care of, you can enjoy alpine mountain biking care free.

Nevertheless, there are many advantages in getting around independently in Morzine. The obvious advantage is the price – all-included vacations can be out of many bike riders’ reach. Independently organized vacations can reduce costs significantly.

However, even if you do have the means to afford an all-included package, I would certainly recommend leaving at least some of the details to yourself. Nothing can give you a local authentic experience more than finding your way around a local market, shopping in a local supermarket or bakery, especially regarding the magical and historical town of Morzine. Even if you choose to come on an all-included tour, we highly recommend not to missing the direct interaction with the local authentic atmosphere. The town of Morzine embodies a history and many traditions that go centuries back.

In our next posts we’ll give a few tips on getting around Morzine yourself. Even a few small direct interactions can allow you to experience the magical and atmosphere of Morzine.

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Photos Via mickey_bliss and ciscoblog

The region of Porteis Du Soleil is one of the areas with the largest number of mountain bike trails in Europe. One of the most magnificent and challenging trails which the region is know for, is Col De Bassachuax. This challenging, yet rewarding trail is located 7 KM from Morzine and only 4 KM from Avoriaz. This trail is unique thanks to the styles of bike riding and scenery which it combines. The trail begins in an altitude of 1025 meters. By the end of the trail, after 17 KM, you’ll find yourself at the height of 1783 meters – a total climb of 758 meters. I can assure you that you’ll feel plenty of satisfactions once you’ll reach the summit. The view from the top of the trail is spectacular. The whole valley of Dranse and the lake of Montriond span below you. The trail of Col de Bassachaux combines technical and physical challenges along with spectacular alpine views.

Due to the trail’s high altitude, the time for taking up the challenge of riding it should be at the peak of the summer. In most years it takes a couple of months into spring until the snow clears up from the trail, therefore, I recommend riding up this trail in August.

The climb is not easy and quite physical, yet at the same time very rewarding in its beauty. Any point is a wonderful point to take a break. The spectacular view will accompany you most of the way up. Make sure to bring enough water – you’ll need it.

After a day of riding up one of the most beautiful hills in the French Alps I’m sure you’ll feel happy and very satisfied. Don’t forget to bring along your camera!

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Morzine is an active tourist center all year long. There are many events and festivals which take place in the area of Porets du Soliel all year long. Here is a partial list of some of the main festivals and events which take place in the area. In our next posts we’ll give you some important information on the many festivals and events which take place in the area.I recommend combining a visit to some of these events on your next mountain biking trip to Morzine.

- Mont Blanc rally: For the past 20 years, the Mont Blanc rally has been one of the highlights of the summer. Top racing drivers race on a course around Morzine.

- Morzine Avoriaz Cycle race: This race is one of the challenging races in the region. The road from Morzine to Avoriaz is a 900 meter climb on a winding road throughout 12 KM. Although this is a street ride, we invite you to join the attempt to beat the 33 minute record set in the 1979 Tour de France, set by Bernard Hinault.

- Les-Gets Mechanical Music festival: A unique festival devoted to mechanical music. The festival includes shows, exhibitions, concerts and other events. You’ll be amazed at the different objects which are transformed into musical instruments…

- Lake Montriond fireworks display: As we noted in our post on Lake Montriond – this spectacular display takes place on the second Saturday of August at Lake Montriond.

This is a partial list of the many events which take place annually in the area. Its needles to say – even a regular day in Morzine feels like a festival. There are many festivals, events and tournaments mountain-bike related. Our next post will focus on festivals and events that are mountain bike related.

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