Morzine 2021 Summer Highlights

2021 marked the start of our partnership with Specialized. We couldn't be more stoked with the bikes and the feedback from our clients in both Morzine and Finale Ligure was awesome, the Enduro hire fleet was definitely a hit. The team had to have the physically pried from their fingers to hand over to our first customers.

We've had these bikes deep in the back country on all day missions, firing laps on the Pleney steeps, upside down in Chatel and chundering through the rocks of Finale Ligure and we can't seem to find enough superlatives for the bikes performance.

The 2021 Enduro is a 170mm all mountain weapon, we can't see a better bike on the market that ticks every box like this one does and we're not the only ones with many high profile reviews to back up the claims. If you haven't ridden one on the terrain it was intended for, get it done as you won't be disappointed!

The new World Cup track in Les Gets was one of the highlights of the 2021 season. Steep, wide, fast, technical and for the most part raw and natural, this beast was a rider favourite from the first track walk. The French crowds did not disappoint, with the race marking the return of spectators to the outside of the tape for the first time in a long time.

The riders put on a show after some hairy moments in practice, with the Frenchies top of the qualifying list the stage was set for one hell of a party that night.

Though a Frenchman stood on the top step that afternoon it was not the rider anyone expected, with Thibault Daprela claiming victory in tricky conditions that got progressively worse throughout the afternoon. Anyone doubting the mans victory would not have been there, it was icey and slick for his run and though clearly not a tricky for the last 10 riders, it was still a well earned top spot. Of course props has to go to the GOAT Greg Minnaar who made the best of the heavy rain for a top 10 and Reece Wilson, for a run and spectacular crash that will go down in history as one of the most exciting rides ever, after lighting the track up all week in practice.

Though we were limited to self catered operations only for the majority of summer, from the 14th of August we were able to open the doors of Chalet Chapelle for catered clients. After a long season of pretty dismal weather the sun finally came out mid-August to welcome travellers who had held on as long as possible and those wanted a last minute break.

Clients did have afew hoops to jump through with testing requirements, masks, locator forms and health passes. Even though this seemed a drama to organise, we pulled some guides together and after the hoop jumping, everyone who made it happen thought it worth the hassle. You quickly forget all the hoops once that first lap of Pleney is under the belt.

Our Riders Weeks packages once again were a hit, with breakfast, dinner, lift pass, airport transfers and more all included it's a tough MTB holiday deal to beat, We had to shelve some big plans due to the pandemic but with things looking on the up now we are very optimistic we can bring them all to life for Summer 2022 in Morzine.

The big gaps in the Enduro World Series and World Cup schedule this summer led to some impromptu visits from some industry friends, we made the most of having a pretty quiet patch by our standards to get up onto the trails with them for some shredding, a dash of phone clips and a sprinkling of photos.

Highlights have to be watching Kade Edwards shred live, every time you see it you don't quite believe it. The man literally stops people in their tracks and will do things on a bike that mortals cannot. We've never filmed with him before but damn we can;t wait to do it again. It's always a pleasure to see Tahnee, fresh from her victory in Les Gets and full of stoke for the rest of the season.

Never, ever is it dull with Jono Jones about. The man is a stoke machine, while heading up to film with the Welsh rocket Mike Jones, Jono tagged along for a 'trail ride' to unwind after the long drive from the UK and ended up out hucking Mike on 10% with only a 150mm enduro bike and a trail lid!

Angel Suarez has been on our radar for a while, G our old mechanic used to wrench for the Spaniard in his first years on the circuit and now Chris Kilmurray of Point1 Athletic is his coach, we got to meet this ripper and spin afew laps of Le Pleney. It's a matter of time before this chap ends up on that top step and after that day we would not be surprised one bit.

Year on year the trail building in the Portes du Soleil improves both in scale and ambition, this year a considerable step up in the quality of the work across the resorts was evident.

In Les Gets we saw a complete overhaul of the four cross track to kick the summer off, then refreshing of The Shore, L'Arpette and L'Encape trails, with not just afew new braking bumps filled in, but entirely new sections packed with jumps and features. The top of the Mainline down from the Chavannes lift alos saw a hefty refurb with some big new table tops.

Avoriaz MTB continues their awesome work with a whole new top section to Hattock, a new jump line as alternative to the infamous widow maker (now sectioned off as an optional line, for everyone's own good!) and a brand new line to hit up on your way back from Chatel to Super Morzine's Serrasieux zone.

Le Pleney struggled against the mud all season. It's always last to dry out and due to the high clay content it's very hard to build and maintain in the wet. Added to this it's also THE best place to shred when the weather is bad, and it was a melting pot for alot of work for the trail crew. Remember, Pleney in the rain is all time, but after the rain leave Pleney alone for afew days, she needs her rest!

However plenty of work pre season stood Pleney well, with the new red line being a firm hit with locals, tourists and pros with new gaps and lines to keep everyone entertained.

This now annual event brings some the best riders from the Fox Racing roster to bike parks around Europe. This is 4th year Super Morzine has hosted the gig and as ever we were stoked to be a part of it and represent the brand.

This year Loic Bruni, Jackson Goldstone, Andreu & Luis Lacondeguy were out hitting the trails, mega trains and hip sessions with the pro's with a free BBQ lunch thrown in made for a great day despite the overcast conditions.

Yes, Brexit means that you won't be seeing some familiar faces around until the visa situation is sorted. Though it's a real shame for every negative we always try and look for the positives, and one of those is definitely the new family members we've been able to welcome on board. Gabriel, Santiago and Mark you'll all be getting to know in the coming seasons. Since bringing them in at the start of the summer we've grown pretty found of these guys and as the front line of the chalets, they are the faces of the business and we hope you'll be as stoked on them as we are!

We've just started our hunt for new team members for 2022, with chefs, mechanic and host positions all available. For more information and how to apply follow the link on the Jobs page HERE.

2021 is nearly a wrap, we all hope 2022 will be smoother sailing. Though we had our challenges this year, we're still here and can't wait to get stuck into another year of riding bikes, bringing the stoke and giving clients the best mountain bike holidays possible!

We cannot wait to get stuck into 2022. We have some exciting new developments happening in Morzine, aswell as improvements on the formula that has been so well received over the past decade. Yep, that's right, MTB Beds turns 10 in 2022 and we plan to celebrate with our best summer yet!

Bookings are already flying in so if you want to secure your spot for a Morzine mountain bike holiday, click on the links below.

#ONEPEDALAHEAD