Morzine France, the downhill mountain biking capital of the world! Sept, 2011

I can honestly say that I hadn't heard of Morzine France until moving to Switzerland.  Morzine is a major ski destination just across the border from Geneva.  Little did I know that it is also a world destination for downhill mountain biking.  It wasn't until a buddy and I decided to compare notes on which adrenaline sport we wanted to do last weekend that I ever dreamed of visiting Morzine France.

The plan was to drive down to Morzine after work on Friday.  Neither of us really knew what to expect.  Although we have both done a lot of cycling this was the first time for both of us to really don the full protective equipment and ride a full suspension bike down a mountain.  Sounds simple enough....right?

I woke up on Saturday to clear blue skies.  I have to admit that I was too excited to sleep in.  We walked into the first bike shop that we found and rented a full complement of protective equipment.  It's amazing how invincible you feel with a helmet, shoulder pads and a full suspension bike.

This is the view from the top of the area that we rode on day 1.  I was very surprised that for such a world renowned ski destination that it wasn't higher.  If this picture was taken in the opposite direction you would see Mt. Blanc!

Of course, our prework before this trip was quite minimal.  Otherwise, we would have known that this was the last weekend for mountain biking in Morzine for the season.  What this meant was that there was a full-on festival celebrating the end of the season.  Bands, BBQs and beers.  Tough to beat this weekend!

From the top you could choose any number of trails down to the bottom.  In this instance you can see riders taking off in all directions.  This was the last weekend of riding for the season so everybody was out trying to get in their last runs

Downhill mountain biking is set up much like skiing.  There are marked, graded runs to match all abilities.  Unfortunately, we didn't learn this until dropping into our first red (difficult) run.  It was possibly the most terrifying, out of control, exhilerating trip down a mountain that I've had in a long time.  There really is nothing like bouncing your way down a single track, hitting unanticipated table top jumps and flying around blind corners.... on a mountain!  Crazy.

I just think this is an awesome action shot of my buddy.  To was taken at the end of a long, steep forest section. 

We spent a good 6 hours riding on the first day.  Each trip down the mountain came with a bit more technique and a lot more confidence.  Needless to say, by the end of day one, the fear had dissipated and the adrenaline had taken over!  In fact, we had so much fun that we chose to rent bikes again on the second day and explored a completely different area.  

In the valley you can see the outskirts of Morzine.  From the village you have any number of lifts to catch to the top of the surrounding mountains.  The village was pretty quiet but preparations were already underway for the ski season

Every now and then you need to capture a legacy shot.  These are the photos that I collect to be proudly displayed at my funeral (whenever that might be).  Always good to reflect just how incredible life is!

All in all, we spent 140 Euro to ride the lifts, rent the bikes and protective equipment, and sport a permanent smile for two full days.  Unfortunately, like most of these weekends I now need to resist the urge to quit work, move to the mountains and spend obscene amounts of money on new gear!  If you're ever given the opportunity to ride a full suspension bike down a mountain, I strongly recommend that you do it.  You'll never look at single track trail the same way again!