Chatel to Morgins and Monthey then back…

By Mike on 1:21 pm, 10 May 2010

This run is probably classed as our staple. It’s close to home, out in the wild and apart from being just a great freeride decent, it has a good bit of climb which makes it a good exercise day! – All the boxes ticked!

We set off from Chatel and climbed the Pas de Morgins which is a road climb out

of the village and has a couple of hair pins and is of about 150 meters vertical.

That took us into the village of Morgins. Through there, still on the road we headed up and around the front face which looks over the basin and has views of Monthey and the mountains which house Leysin and Barboleuse. That’s the training bit over! We’re at the top and getting ready to start our decent. Padding up and checking the various on our bikes.

We head down a gravel track which, to be honest , lulls you into a false sense of security as you turn right into the forest and the real decent starts. Down a narrow dirt/shale single track with a fair bit of vertical exposure on the right hand side. Winding on we go through some refuge gardens which are only accessible in the summer due to the heavy snow and the fact that there are no roads. We continue on to a nice leafy, steep Shute which is awesome! Going into natural banked turns and eventually spits you back out on to a road. We take a five to ten minute road climb and this takes us on to stage two, the half way mark. This starts with a sort of man made concrete foot path which someone has made to access another refuge easier. Then it splits right on to a leafy open decent and then heads into another maze of fast forest single track. Were nearly down now. This section comes out in a clearing which is actually the local trials club circuit with various ins and out from here we go right again and on to the final decent, again amazing single track, flowy and fast. Taking us to the local par course (fitness circuit). Going through this and onto the road at Collombey. Then we have a fifteen minute road cycle back to Monthey and the train station. We catch the train to Trois torrents and switch to the bus for Morgins. Then just a short up and onto a final decent on the footpath into Chatel. With a round trip of about three hours, this is a great morning or afternoon and just one of the many ‘off trail’ routes that are around.