Bex Refuge Trip « ridemorzine.org

category: Blog, XC / AM Routes

Bex Refuge Trip 0

With a steady spell of hot, sunny weather due, it was decided that we should take a ’split day off’ and head out of Morzine in search of new trails and adventure! This adventure included a night out in a mountain refuge (a split day off for Phil, Jess, Sian and Carl meant serving breakfast on Wednesday, missing wednedsay night’s dinner and Thursdays breakfast to be back in time for dinner on Thursday)…

We also wanted to ride out of Morzine on the bikes rather than drive anywhere new.

Who came? Myself (Guy), Sara, Phil and Jess from flowmtb, Sian and Carl from Endlessride, Catherine, Willie and Nick.

Day one

So come 10am on Wednesday we were almost ready to go – setting off at about 10.30 to find the biggest lift queue since the PassePortes weekend there to delay our departure. It took a good 30 minutes to get on the lift and out of Morzine.

The basic plan was to head out of Morzine on the lifts, over to Les Linderettes and down to Chatel. Then the Super Chatel lift followed by the lesser used Morclan Lift. From here we clambered up the Pointe Des Ombrieux (bike carrying necessary). Then it was a singletrack traverse around the Tour de Don before a descent into Torgon for the most cheese filled crepes you’ve ever seen (and the longest wait for crepes…)

Then from Torgon we descended on a mixture of tech singletrack and fast doubletrack to the Rhone valley floor just outside of Vionnaz. Once down at the bottom, we had to negotiate the maze of singletrack roads and bike paths to get to Bex and our train up the other side to Gryon.

Unfortunately we missed the once hourly train by a matter of minutes (damned Super Morzine lift queue!) – So a stop in the local cafe for a brew was called for. then we could all look at the map and see what a huge climb we had coming. All 700 meters of it. We best call the refuge and let them know we’ll be a touch late!

So then a train up to Gryon followed by a meandering road ride to Solalex before the climb proper really hit in. The sensible ones opted for the smoother, but longer 4×4 track, whilst a couple of us decided to try our luck on the shorter steeper track (on the GPS tracklog). I’d opt for the 4×4 track next time! although it didn’t take any longer, the hike a bike sections of the steep track did sap some energy!

waiting for the train in Bex

Finally we made it up to the Refuge in Anzeindez (1892m) at 20.15 – just in time for the sun set and a couple of well earned beers (from the tap – this was a posh refuge!). A great three course meal followed (wild garlic soup, potato, ham and cheese rosti and some great local yoghurt). Then a few nips of the Glenmorangie I’d carried all the way up there to finish the night off!

Cosy in the Refuge!

Day Two

Day two started off with a 45 minute climb / hike a bike up to the Col Des Essets (2029m) before we could even think about riding back down. The trail down started off with some super techy singletrack. 50m on the bike folowed by a bit of walking, followed by a bit of riding etc. Real Hans Ray stuff – Phil and Willie doing their best to stay on the bikes whilst others gave in to the tech – 2000m up a mountain is no place for heroics after all!

As the trail descended downwards so it got more rideable. Two really good flowy bits coming from La Vare down to Pont de Nant – a good 500m of glorious descent. Then we stuck to the river side trails as far as we could – some proving to be a bit harder than others – some great slow technical stuff: switchbacks covered in mazes of roots was the theme.

Then a final 100m tarmac and fireroad climb to get to some of the fastest (read: not too technical!) descending of the day down into Bex.

From Bex we road back across the Rhone valley to Monthey where we caught a train up to Champery to re-join the Portes du Soleil lift system and the short ride back to Morzine. We realised that this ’short ride back’ to Morzine was in fact a fair chunk of riding – especially for the average holiday maker! – but as we’d been so far away from home, this really did feel like a short ride back.

Obviously we finished it all up in Bar Robinsons where a fair few Mutzigs were had by all!

Bex Refuge Trip GPS log (Day one is fully captured from the GPS, whereas the descent back to Bex was plotted before we left – I forgot to turn the thing back on!)