Morzine and the idyllic Portes du Soleil region on the borders of France and Switzerland, has truly cemented it’s self as a mecca for all things mountain bike in Europe.

Situated smack bang in the middle of what is truly an amazing staging point for any Alpine adventure on two wheels, Morzine is only the start. With so much riding on your doorstep, and with all the amenities of decent sized town, you won’t be bored when the lifts close each day either.

So, it’s a pretty rad place to visit, but this is Europe and with a massive persuasion towards what happens in the winter, many of the of the chalet companies consider the summer as ‘off season’, and those that are open, are anything but bike specific…

Words: Olly Forster |Photos: Tom Richards

BikeMorzine is different. Set up by Yorkshire expat Russ Paver it is based on the idea of specifically catering to the every need of the growing number of mountain bikers who smash into the Portes Du Soleil area every year looking for good times and brown pow. Owned and operated by mountain bikers, this is a chalet company run “by riders, for riders” and with a weeks hospitality costing you only £150, and with summer finally here, we had to know more…

Russ, if you could introduce yourself?

Hi, I’m Russ Paver, a Yorkshire lad and BikeMorzine’s Owner/Host.

So what triggered the decision to set up your own mountain bike specific chalet company? A gap in the market, an excuse to move out to the Alps for the summer, or both?

I think there is a huge gap in the market. I’ve been staying in Morzine for years now in the summer and you either have overpriced ski chalets that don’t understand what mountain biker’s want, or the other option of cheap little apartments that have nowhere to store your bikes/gear and 4 filthy bikers end up spooning in the same bed. BikeMorzine is a chalet set up and hosted by mountain bikers, and with plenty of experience we know exactly what you need to have for the best time possible... Saying that, spending my summer riding bikes, eating BBQ’s and drinking beers in the best MTB area in the world isn’t too shabby either.

Having been a fair few times myself, the closest you get to MTB amenities is a hose outside to clean your bikes and bit of cleared space to store them. While this is still on the whole the norm, bike specific chalets are opening all the time… What makes BikeMorzine stand out?

Ha-ha, yeah if you’re lucky! I tried to think what I would like to have provided in a chalet and came up with a few things that really make us stand out. Firstly, we provide our in-house chalet videographer: Tom Richards of

A videographer? That’s pretty awesome, tell us more….

Tom will come out with the guests for 2 days of their holiday and spend the day filming on trails of their choice. I mean everyone wants to see them selves sending some hucks in the sun and show off to their mates back in rainy old England! He’ll then put together a sweet edit and post it on our Facebook/Pinkbike profile at the end of the week! Tom will also spend a couple of hours on a Friday snapping some photos of a particular trail for anybody who wants to head there and get some banging shots to take home with them.

Lets talk money. It’s £150 a week at BikeMorzine – what do you get?

£150 gets you a bed in the centrally located chalet – a 2-minute roll to the lifts and a 1-minute crawl home from the main strip of bars. A couple of days of filming with our in house videographer and an epic video and some photos that last a lifetime! You also get use of all the chalet facilities including 2 kitchens, 2 big living areas, a BBQ out on our sunny balcony, an XBOX, tonnes of biking DVD’s and mags; everything to keep you entertained even on rainy days!

With any new business comes the impetus and investment to get it off the ground and in these tough times how hard was it to take BikeMorzine from an idea and make it into a reality?

Not going to lie as it wasn’t easy – working a full time job chalet hosting out here in the winter meant a lot of working through the night, which in turn, led to falling asleep on chairlifts! My French is still a work-in-progress, which makes a lot of things harder than it should be. However, it has all come together really nicely and I cannot wait to get started with the season!

So, 2013. No Pleney lift… Do you think it will make much difference or will it just reinforce how well situated Morzine is to everywhere else in the area and encourage riders to go further afield?

Well… it turns out the 2 chairlifts on the Pleney hill will be open until 10 a.m. each morning to get over to Les Gets and there is a 30 capacity bike shuttle bus leaving every 45 mins, so its not such a big deal after all. However, not riding the Pleney really does back up how much riding there is in the Portes Du Soleil, making you head a bit further afield to things you haven’t ridden before and there are some absolute gems hiding in those mountains!

What’s new in the area for 2013? I’ve heard there’s been a lot of new stuff popping up?

Yeah, I think the Pleney closure has really made the big wigs running everything pull their finger out this season, with new stuff popping up everywhere. Super Morzine has just had a new trail built with some of the best berms and tables in the area, combine this with a steep technical “off piste” trail on the lower half of the hill and you’re onto a winner. Also, loads of stuff has been built in Chatel over the past few years, whilst a hell of a lot of work has been going into fixing up existing trails… One of the great things about the PDS is that they don’t seem to discourage people building their own secret tracks. This means literally every hill is littered with loamy goodness; you just need to take the time to find it!

What’s your riding persuasion and where do you like to go on days off riding?

Being a UK racer I am quite into my natural tech stuff. Hattock on SuperMorzine has to be a personal favourite: flat out, rooty and road-gaps the whole way down! It’s also pretty good to ride something different to what you race on all season, so sending hucks down the new super M trail or in Chatel is always a laugh. Plus a hell of a lot of sneaky tracks that I can’t mention here!

Okay, recommendation time. If I was an Enduro/ All-Mountain rider, where would you send me and why?

Too much to choose from around here – this is the first year I’ve had my Enduro bike in the Alps and I’m absolutely loving it. PassPortes Du Soleil route is always epic, some great stuff on the Champery ridgeline and there’s an awesome route from Les Gets up around the La Rosta peaks.

Downhill rider looking for steep euro stuff and why?

If you are after truly steep euro stuff…Champery. The only trail I’ve ever ridden that makes me wish I still had stabilisers, need I say any more? Chatel has some nice steep blacks these days with plenty to keep you on your toes and Morgins isn’t exactly steep but some of the best riding in the PDS, with endless flowy berms and road-gaps!

And finally… Hucks and gaps?

The new trail on SuperMorzine has some pretty decent size tables on it, ideal for getting her sideways! Chatel’s Air Voltage has 3 big old hucks in it, the biggest is about a 20ft drop with a 30ft gap, also the “Zougouloukata” trail built by the Chatel mountain crew is purely senders and river gaps the whole way down!

Lets talk “bikes, beer and sun”. The first two are a given, especially with all the Brits, Irish, Aussies and Kiwis in town, but sun? Last year I had it especially good, but other years have been closer to a swimming holiday. When’s the best time to head over and for the fair weather rider?

The weather tends to be more predictable during August, the trails are quieter and any new tracks are open and bedded in. Either way I think you’ve just got to make the most of it and if it is raining, just get out and get loose!

While we are on the subject of weather, what are your Alpine kit essentials for riding, rain or shine?

A positive attitude and a can of “man-up” will get you pretty far!

Ha-ha, damn straight! Okay, if I was to take one pair of DH tyres and I had no intention to swap them regardless of the weather – what would you recommend?

Depends on your brand preference but something along the lines of a Maxxis High Roller will hook up pretty good.

How are things looking for braking bumps and holes this year, or is it too early to tell?

Been here a few weeks now and its look pretty good really. We rode main line Les Gets the other day and even managed a full run! Yet again I think the Pleney closure has made a lot of other areas sort themselves out and a lot of new trail crews are starting up such as the Avoriaz MTB guys, I think this year most areas have at least a 6 man trail crew to build and maintain trails.

Off-piste riding is getting more and more popular and the trails are getting wilder too… is this causing any friction with landowners or do you think it’s time for a little more investment into the official stuff?

I haven’t heard of any issues with landowners personally, I think as long as it stays away from farmers livestock they accept it as part of owning the land, just like how they will get skiers through their gardens in winter. A few off piste trails have been turned into official trails in the past so its not as frowned upon as some other resorts, I can remember hearing a Banksy quote years ago, “Its easier to ask for forgiveness than permission”.

Going back a few years now, I remember the then Kona Klump team being in the valley and they were all saying that with better management and communications, the Portes du Soleil area could blow Whistler out of the water. A totally different dynamic in the Alps with multiple land ownerships plus all the euro red tape, but do you think there could be something similar or at least an alternative to the Whistler Bike Park experience on this side of the Atlantic?

Without doubt, just look at the size of this place! It’s the largest bikepark in the world, but admittedly that’s not everything. The PDS is definitely heading in the right direction with new official trails popping up everywhere and the infrastructure is there with towns/councils/lift companies getting behind the summer season more and starting to see it’s potential, in turn investing more cash into it. However, there is definitely a lot more that can be done…

One of the first steps I would take is to build an A-Line style trail, machine built decent size tables the whole way down. It’s not everyone’s favourite thing to ride but appeals to the masses and then people can really see what the PDS is about. Also, employing more experienced trail builders such as Ben Walker (Morgins/Champery builder) and letting the locals have a bit more input with trail building.  What attracts me to Morzine rather than somewhere like Whistler is the sense of adventure you get from riding such a huge area, rather than just riding one hillside you can travel via lifts and downhill trails until you are completely lost somewhere in Switzerland, riding some trail nobody has ridden for years.

Five years time: Where do you see BikeMorzine and mountain biking in the Alps?

Bigger and better. Its only getting busier during summer in the Alps and hopefully in 5 years mountain biking will have continued growth… It amazes me how many more people there are year on year (there are now girls in Manzine?!?!?) and with this growth of people there will be greater investment into the local infrastructure and trail network. For BikeMorzine, I would love to have a few chalets by then but still be grounded and remember how and why we started up; providing affordable accommodation, that caters specifically to what mountain bikers need, nothing more and nothing less. As long as I can still head out most days for a shred I’ll be happy.

Sounds pretty rad! So, in a few words, why should someone hit this link and book a holiday with BikeMorzine?

Picture yourself out on our sunny deck, beer in hand, steak on the BBQ, laughing with your mates about what an unreal day you’ve just had riding Europe’s best bikepark. BikeMorzine provides mountain Bike specific accommodation, run by riders, for riders, within 20 meters from the lifts and crawling distance from the bar. All for around £150 a week…..

Awesome stuff Russ and hopefully see you later in the summer, cheers!

Are you ready to book your next trip to the Alps? BikeMorzine are taking bookings now for what looks like another awesome summer season, for more information or to make a booking, visit their website or like their Facebook page

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