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Guest Omega Man

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Soooo, WHo of the Hubland is joining this time round??

sounds just so awesome...more so if a bunch of mates can make the trip together!!

 

Omega...

Hayle...

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Soooo, WHo of the Hubland is joining this time round??

sounds just so awesome...more so if a bunch of mates can make the trip together!!

 

Omega...

Hayle...

 

This year I think it's just Omega and his local-bicycle gang...

Next year however, it's Omega and his magic tour-bus (10+), as well as Peach, Super_mil, KathF, HayleyEarth, and myself.

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Guest Omega Man

This year I think it's just Omega and his local-bicycle gang...

Next year however, it's Omega and his magic tour-bus (10+), as well as Peach, Super_mil, KathF, HayleyEarth, and myself.

 

This year there's 11 of us going. Well one guy has a broken wrist so make that 10 possiby 11. 7 first timers and 4 repeat offenders.

 

So far 18 people have signaled their intention to come next year. Plus Vince and I. That's 20. I'm counting Hayley in there but I get he feeling she's probly gonna go with Patches's crew. (Not too worried as long as the gospel is shared) I'm also hoping a few other guys that have been before and know the scene will tag along to our dates. Though I'm not going to be doing any organizing for them.

 

I'm hoping that I can get this thing going every year taking a group of first timers out there. Then you'll know the scene and can do it alone the next year. Cos GUARANTEED you'll be going back.

 

If Patches can tie their dates in with us we could have as many as 30 Saffa's there at the same time. I know I'm being optimistic here.

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Guest Omega Man

Soooo, WHo of the Hubland is joining this time round??

sounds just so awesome...more so if a bunch of mates can make the trip together!!

 

Omega...

Hayle...

Haha. That reminded me of a song from my Surfer brah youth. Giver of life by Gangagang.

 

For what you count on for what you trust

Well it's a precious situation

Out in the cities

sold in the cellars

On the floor into the heart of clubland

The king of beat under the flashing lights

Uplifting moments of emotion

Edited by Omega Man
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Yup! in order of diffuculty... Green, Blue, Red, Black.

 

Don't be deceived like Peach and I were on our 2nd ever Alpine run... we saw what we thought was a "Yellow" trail. Thinking that it's somewhere bewteen green and blue, we took it as part of our warm up welcome to the alps...

 

it was the Pleney black run with some super nasty stepped rooty gullys. :lol:

 

LOL

 

I've noticed some yellows on snow piste maps, think they're newish. They're supposed to be more difficult than the blacks.

 

I've downloaded a map of the PDS area, at the top of Pleney there are 'broken line' routes and there's a orange(or is that yellow) trail to Les Gets. I don't see a legend on the map, just wanted to figure directions and general 'movement' around the area.

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Guest Omega Man

LOL

 

I've noticed some yellows on snow piste maps, think they're newish. They're supposed to be more difficult than the blacks. You can follow the PDS route any time during the season. It's about 80km of riding to get round.

 

I've downloaded a map of the PDS area, at the top of Pleney there are 'broken line' routes and there's a orange(or is that yellow) trail to Les Gets. I don't see a legend on the map, just wanted to figure directions and general 'movement' around the area.

The orange is the passportes du soleil route. It's a race that happens once a year to mark the opening of the PDS. The dotted lines are XC trails.

 

The orange line you see goes across to Les Gets. you catch the lift up to the top of Pleney and then roll across to Les Gets. you come out about 2/3 of the way down the main line in Les Gets. The sweet thing about the place is that even the commuting is mostly downhill. Remember it's a ski area in the winter and ski's don't work very well going uphill.

 

When you get there there are free trail maps available pretty much everywhere. the numbered trails are DH trails and the trails marked with alpha characters are XC trails. Of course the maps for the Swiss side are the opposite with the XC trails being numbered and the DH trails having alpha characters.

 

I only encountered one yellow trail and that was in Morgins. I'm not sure where it fits on the scale but it felt between red and black. It was KAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKK steep. Of course it was misty and I couldn't see more than 5m which might have added to the angst.

Edited by Omega Man
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There's tons and tons of ridgeline riding. There's also a lot of xc riding. Some of which we've used to get between the parks and those little bits were awesome. You'd still get a lift pass cos you wouldn't want to ride up an Alp every morning.

 

All of the downhill trails are graded yes. But it's not like here where they are graded on how much your lungs burn. Over there they are graded on technical difficulty.

 

From green up to black.

 

Green is more or less jeep track/smooth single track

Blue is flowy single track with berms and tables. Nice and safe

Red you'll start seeing big jumps and doubles. some small drops too. They will be marked tho.

Blacks you'll see big drops. Big gaps and proper steep trails.

 

As an example. The now deceased Snake trails at Tokai would rate as a green and the dh trail at tokai would rate as a blue. Maybe a red. But with added length and steepness. BUT! Built in a much safer manner. There are no sticks to impale yourself on and no stray stumps about to grab your pedal and send you flying into the undergrowth.

 

If you are a fairly competent rider you'll easily manage the greens up to reds. The blacks are where things get scary. You'd want to be on a bike with 160mm+ of suspension travel and have a dropper post on your bike. Cos even the XC trails have steep descents.

So a 100mm XC bike is not really good enough if you wanted to do some XC riding?
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Panorama (green trail) plenty of berms & table tops!

The town of Chatel is in the valley below and so is the Chatel bike park, with plenty more trails.

 

http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb9512554/p4pb9512554.jpg

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Guest Omega Man

So a 100mm XC bike is not really good enough if you wanted to do some XC riding?

The emphasis is on technical trails there. You certainly can ride a 100mm bike and you see them all the time but to have the most fun you want to tackle some of the singletrack and easier DH trails and for that you'll be happiest on a 160mm bike with a dropper post and 180mm brake rotors.

 

I've been there twice and I've never heard the words the words cadence or watts.

 

Words you do hear a lot of are Amped, Stoked, Fast, Holy f***, mega, pinning, rooty.

 

You must remember. This is Mountain biking. Proper Mountain biking. not the bullsh!t we are fed here by lazy race organizers who call an old cattle trail with **** on it in a wheat field single track. This is real. No half measures. Made to order. Mountain Biking. In the Alps. Not Helderkruin. You can see Mont Blanc from some of the places and some of the trails top out at over 2200m. This **** is real.

 

Comparing the mountain biking here to there is like comparing the skiing in Tiffendale to Chamonix.

Edited by Omega Man
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Guest Omega Man

Panorama (green trail) plenty of berms & table tops!

The town of Chatel is in the valley below and so is the Chatel bike park, with plenty more trails.

 

http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb9512554/p4pb9512554.jpg

Isn't that People?

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Guest Omega Man

People starts at the next lift down. I could be mistaken though.

Oooh. Never ridden Panoramic. Guess I'm gona have to scratch that itch in a few days then.

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Guest Omega Man

10 sleeps.

 

ok ok 8 sleeps and 2 sleepless nights

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Panorama (green trail) plenty of berms & table tops!

The town of Chatel is in the valley below and so is the Chatel bike park, with plenty more trails.

 

http://ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb9512554/p4pb9512554.jpg

Isn't that People?

People starts at the next lift down. I could be mistaken though.

Oooh. Never ridden Panoramic. Guess I'm gona have to scratch that itch in a few days then.

 

OMW... you haven't ridden Panoramic?

 

You're in for a treat! Probably one of the most fun "relax and flow" trails I've ridden in the PDS area. Simple as Chavannes, but without the braking bumps. Table after table. Berm after berm.

 

If you're at the top Chatel ski lift with Linderets behind you, Chael valley in front, and the giant foofey slide on your right. Then the start of Panoramic is a few hundred meters up that ridgeline to your left.

 

If you didn't ride panoramic, what did you use to get down into the middle section of Chatel? The fire roads... or Air Voltage :eek: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

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Guest Omega Man

OMW... you haven't ridden Panoramic?

 

You're in for a treat! Probably one of the most fun "relax and flow" trails I've ridden in the PDS area. Simple as Chavannes, but without the braking bumps. Table after table. Berm after berm.

 

If you're at the top Chatel ski lift with Linderets behind you, Chael valley in front, and the giant foofey slide on your right. Then the start of Panoramic is a few hundred meters up that ridgeline to your left.

 

If you didn't ride panoramic, what did you use to get down into the middle section of Chatel? The fire roads... or Air Voltage :eek: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

We rode the main line into chatel. where the slide is. if you are looking down the chatel valley you kinda roll down a bit of fire road to the right and into the trail under the zip line thingy. Lot's of berms and tables. Some motocross size tables. It's called Chatelanne on the map.

 

post-18968-0-59758500-1372247627_thumb.jpg

Edited by Omega Man
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Aaah gotcha!

 

One of the lines that end has that road gap into a carved out "gully". You can see it from the ski lift.

 

Whil we were on our way up the lift some guy on a green Scott Voltage ate it hard. He went down and his bike went shooting out the other end of the "gully".

 

But yeah, try panoramic, nice and laid back. loads of fun.

 

Panoramic and Serpentine combined make for a nice roll down the mountain. Especially for any novices in your group.

 

Just watch out for this blind gap jump...

 

http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/s720x720/205919_10151139187183394_317526245_n.jpg

 

(The bridge wasn't there, and Peach wasn't so lucky)

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