Video: Champéry Still Rocks!

Jan 9, 2014 at 23:29
by ShapeRideShoot  
Champéry still rocks!

by ReyGaetan
Views: 54,803    Faves: 480    Comments: 33


Champéry is a Swiss resort well known in the MTB scene because it owns one of the steepest tracks which became famous with the amazing run of Dany Hart during 2011 world champs. What people know less is that you can find a few more trails as fun as this one there. I spent a few days up there filming with Julien Fournier, one of the locals, and my mate Vincent Tupin in unexpectedly dry terrain for the season in these mountains. This year, winter starts pretty badly with few precipitations and warm temperatures under the sun. We had such a contrast between the sunny areas and the shadows. On one side of the mountain you can ride in the dust with your bike while you can ski at the same elevation on the other.

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Member since Apr 10, 2012
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125 Comments
  • 58 2
 It is famous since Sam Hill made everyone look like fools during qualifying in 2007 I think.
And then he got 3rd in absolutely miserable conditions, while the others were riding the track in dry conditions.

THAT's what makes that track legendary.

And Hart did the same during World Champs, although on a much tamer track than the original one (still completely mental).
  • 12 193
flag SithBike (Jan 15, 2014 at 3:07) (Below Threshold)
 Too bad. Our Steve Smith does not come in 3rd in miserable conditions. Only first. Makes Steve a legend way more than any Champéry track or 3rd place finisher. In fact, what Steve did this year is not even close to contested. Steve rides in the rain like the ground is dry from drought.
  • 38 0
 Dude watch Kranked 5. Compared to Sam Hill in 2007, Smith was riding in the desert. Hill's run was in 15 inches of thick greasy mud on the steepest track the world cup circuit has ever seen, covered in roots from top to bottom. Now, I'm a big Smith fan, but MSA this year was a groomed out bike park with a couple rock sections and it had not rained that much, just enough to make the open sections a little slower.
  • 11 0
 Sithbike - pft Cool story bro
  • 2 112
flag SithBike (Jan 15, 2014 at 3:59) (Below Threshold)
 Yea @dovahkiin13 it's a pretty cool story. Told by people like Rob Warner. I hope your not going to give him a pft. And @fabdemaere, saturated ground is saturated ground. It can only get so wet. And Steve rides full tilt at max saturation. Get over it people. Steve Smith is the greatest DH'er to ever be born. Wait till next year, if this year was not enough to convince you.
  • 7 1
 @SithBike come back in 2 worldchamp and we'll talk about Smith as a legend.
(note that I consider he'll win both of them.)
(note I don't speak of Vouilloz considering it's not the number that make the legend.)
  • 116 0
 Sithbike - props for typing with your left hand, while taking care of business in front of your Steve Smith shrine.
  • 9 1
 This has nothing to do with who is "the greatest DH'er to ever born", because on that point, you're probably right (Smith is most likely going to dominate like no-one else until he gets injured). It's just about the conditions of their runs, and also the technicality of the track they were riding.
MSA was slower after the rain, Smith did an incredible physical performance, but apart from the open sections, the track was the same.

Smith's run was insane, Hart's was unbelievable and Hill's was just total Mayhem.
  • 4 99
flag SithBike (Jan 15, 2014 at 4:26) (Below Threshold)
 @ReformedRoadie you live in Philly. Do you even know what DH is? You should stick to road biking or the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. And your gay insults don't go to far considering you are a lycra wearing roadie.
  • 14 1
 smith isn't on the front page of great mountain bikers, He will get there a some point. but right now he's had one, two at most good seasons. Go speak to Barrel, nico, peat to name three. everybody knows but no one will admit it Greg is the best mountain biker ever still winning even though the competition is at it's peak.
  • 14 1
 SithBoy, you really could have gotten me with an '87 Cup reference, but you weren't born yet. Yell up the basement steps and ask your parents.

Ironically, I am a fan of Steve Smith, though not quite as big as some…and I know that he's no Nico.
  • 1 57
flag SithBike (Jan 15, 2014 at 5:38) (Below Threshold)
 Steve Smith has rode a bike better than anybody else in history during the last half of his season. It does not matter how great anybody has been in the past. And I am really a 50/50 fan because he bailed on his invitation to Rampage. But if anybody is going to talk about how great somebody is on a bike in crappy weather. Steve Smith has to be mentioned.
  • 7 0
 Im not denying that steve had an amazing season and an even more amazing msa run. One of the best. But in 2007 on a much more difficult track sam hill qualified 14 seconds ahead of second then almost won even with a crash in conditions that contrast significantly more than msa last year. That was truly awsome
  • 7 0
 The best rider in the history of the sport for half a season.... If he was the best he would have dominated for the whole season. You cannot compare a mans' half season to the rest of everyone else's career. Everyone has good seasons and bad, stevie had a good end to the season but he isn't going to be at that level consistently. In a few years he might become a ledgend of the sport, but not yet
  • 5 0
 How can you be so radical SithBike ??!
Just imagine some else might have another opinion.
No one says Stevie isn´t one of the greatest riders.. but reading your posts make me think you haven´t seen Sam Hill, Danny Hart, Steve Peat or Aaron Gwins crazy booming success within such a small time...
No one knows what Stevie might do in the future. but this year wasn´t enough to proof him as the worlds best ever rider.
Nevertheless Stevie was my favourite for this season and I couldn´t think of another rider I would have granted it more than him.. but don´t blame people for having other opinions than you might have.
  • 4 1
 @SithBike you were not at Champery. Anyone that has not been at champery should not compare that track to anything else. I've been to 4 other WC tracks and Champery really suprised me with how steep it was even when dry. MSA is an easy track compared to it. In Champery you won't stop before some corners even in the dry, in the wet you just pray.
  • 4 0
 Dude you live in Edmonton.
  • 27 0
 I hope sithbike is actually Steve smith
  • 3 0
 @fabdemaere Although the photo's show MSA as a tame track this year, I can assure you its still a cruel mistress, the middle section of the track was just so blown out it had to be rebuilt. I've ridden MSA twice in two years and they only do trail work when they have to. After riding Bromont for two days before I rode the MSA WC track, I can tell you that MSA is not a bike park course, but it certainly is not on Champery's level, just dont underplay it. But i agree, Sam Hill's run was absolutely legendary.
  • 8 4
 Only 1 legend up to now in DH history and that's Steve peat.....smith hart and everyone else just aren't quite there yet.
  • 8 0
 don't listen to this sithbike kid hes not acting like a Canadian downhiller we love everyone man just ride you bike and be happy for it every day also if you,live in Edmonton you really should preach to people about downhill when you live in the praries just an fyi you actually have to ride gnar to know what it is not look at it
  • 4 0
 Fabien aaand Steve
  • 4 1
 Only one thing to say when you talk about legends etc etc.... Steve Peat
  • 2 1
 Sithbike: harden the f*ck up!!!
  • 4 0
 Smith can be the greatest rider ever when he's won everything there is to win and is still a podium threat in 20 years to come
  • 2 1
 i love Steve Smith. But Sam Hill > Steve Smith. All day, every day.
  • 3 1
 Ask anyone who knows anything about downhill, and they will say the only true legend is Peaty, the rest are just not at the same level.
  • 1 0
 @Freerideglory aren't you forgetting Nico and CG?
  • 2 0
 SithBike sounds just like the Gwin fans from the last 2 years!

I will bring up [current world cup champion] in this conversation, even though it completely irrelevant. Stevie Smith is a better downhill track than Champery.




There will only ever be one Steve in DH Wink ... (OK this last line is pure trolling, my bad)
  • 2 0
 Wait wut?
  • 4 0
 @SithBike your a pussy.
  • 1 1
 freerideglory - youre a self righteous English idiot if you think that. Sam Hill IS most definitely a legend. As is Chris Kovarik, and Shaun Palmer, and Cedric Gracia, and Greg Minaar, and Brendan Fairclough. There are too many to name.
  • 4 2
 Slow down buddy. Cedric Gracia has not had amazing results, Brendog has achieved absolutely nothing except piss away an obscene amount of skill by dirtjumping all winter long, instead of training and very likely becoming the best athlete the circuit has ever seen. If that guy had started training in 2009, maybe even 2010, we wouldn't even have heard of Gwin. Buuut, he didn't do anything of that, he's just a kid that has a lot of style. Not a legend
  • 1 0
 He tried taking his training serious a few years back and it was the worst season he ever had
  • 1 1
 That's how it always is: you lose fat, you loose momentum on the rolling parts, because mass pushes mass.
You also have to build muscle, which I'm sure he did, but he probably didn't go beyond the point where it really makes a difference.
  • 2 1
 How you can say Cedric Gracia and Brendan Fairclough aren't legends is beyond me. Results are certainly NOT the only thing that make a rider a legend. Memorable video parts and riding moments are what make a legend. Do you forget about Cedric in NWD? Do you forget that Cedric had multiple podiums in both World Cup downhill AND 4x? Do you forget that he also f*cking won Rampage? How about being one of the oldest guys on the circuit, nuking his pelvis into 500 pieces and then coming back to race the next season? Brendan, his results may not be there but he consistently amazes riders, photogs, and fans alike. I mean come on, how many World Cup racers do you see building and stomping the biggest rider-made features at Rampage? I don't know if you are a troll or what but to say these guys aren't legends is ignorant.
  • 3 1
 @Spaced; I agree that Nico and CG are legends but in a different respect. Peaty has been a threat for 20 or so years now, CG and Nico are legends in the same repsect as Nathan Rennie, that they're just mad! And @csermonet, a self righteous english idiot am I? As I say, they are legends in their own respect. Peaty is a legend of Downhill racing since he has been in podium contention since he started racing world cups. Sam has had a couple of runs which will go down in history and has come back from injury to be a podium threat, CG is a legend because he is bonkers.. 'nuff said. Instead of insulting people how about hearing what they have to say first.
  • 2 1
 freerideglory, with all due respect, you are way off on Nico…I'll admit, I wasn't following DH much when he was winning TEN World Championships, but if you watch video of him riding, it is easy to see why he had the nickname 'the Alien'. He was unreal.
  • 2 1
 @Freerideglory they are not mad. Nico has the most world champion titles in the men's field ever. Cedric has a great number of WC wins and podiums in BOTH DH and 4X AT THE SAME TIME and also a Rampage win. People forget how good Cedric was back in the day.
  • 3 2
 Trophys make legends.....nothing else. You ask all the riders and all they want is trophys.TO WIN. No one remembers second best. There are so many awesome riders out there as mentioned above but world titles and 1st place go down in history.
  • 1 1
 Triggstar ... one thing to say about legends.. its not just the results.. it is how far you go, what limits you brake, what you offer to do it, how brave you are, and sadly how many people know about it.
one name to support my argument: Josh Bender
  • 1 0
 I thought Champery was famous because half (or more) of the World Cup racers that showed up there for the first time were shit-scared of getting their asses kicked by that course. No?

Anyhow, the course still looks sick and the guy on the yellow Gambler was charging. Great vid.
  • 38 0
 Spend half an hour trying to pull a mate and his bike out of a tree when we road Champry......
  • 23 0
 That guy on the green gambler just cant go in a straight line. So sick!
  • 1 0
 Brendog junior?
  • 11 0
 Im pretty sure this is not the world cup track. its a track next to it that is also mental!!!! and yeah not famous because of hart, but because of Hill!
  • 1 1
 I didn't recognise any of it, and I've ridden the WC track a couple of times, so I'd agree!
  • 9 0
 I have a big scar on my arse from crashing on champery! Suuuper steep and super scary!
  • 8 0
 Looks good. How many tail flick skid things can you fit in 2 minutes of riding lol
  • 6 0
 Haha rad!! Everytime i hear that word i think of the cheesy 80's bmx movie. I am sure ill get neg proped since it seems to be a common term here on pb and i have noticed there are a lot of sensetive types on here.
  • 7 0
 I am not taking credit from Danny's run but that track was famous way before 2011.
  • 7 0
 Edit's waaaaaaaaaaay to short. Want MOAR!
  • 4 0
 I bet the dude getting debris kicked-up in his face the whole way down would've been happier with fewer "freeride flicks" haha
  • 6 0
 champery... the only track i walked a bit... :s
  • 3 0
 we rode the WC track in the wet, it was our biggest nightmare. we even crashed out on the chickenlines, unbelievable how Danny Hart railed this down in heavy rain!!! no waayyyy!
  • 4 2
 I'm so god damn sick of videos of guys doing stupid little fucking skids.....if your content isn't good enough to look rad don't skid fuck your way down the trail!! That dude was a solid rider and would have looked gnarly just pinning it a little out of his comfort zone.
  • 2 0
 Yeah I was thinking the same really. It just seems like a "hey look how rad I am" kind of thing rather than just letting the riding speak for itself. If you're going to do a skid at least make it a proper one.
  • 1 0
 I'd like to see more of the trail, seems to me the edit is just 5 short sections each shown from 4 or 5 different camera angles.
That said, class riding, personally I think the second rider has a more direct style, much more race oriented (straight line), the first guy does seem faster!!
  • 1 0
 Me and the missus went to Champery for the Friday of the world champs in 2011 (before the rain came) we walked down trackside. At one point I slipped and just fell and kept falling, grabbed a branch, held for a second then it broke and fell further. I eventually stopped several hundred metres further down. Riders were even laughing and whooping from the chairlift! I wasn't hurt apart from a few scratches. Trust me. It's fecking steep! And that was the path trackside, not the track!
  • 5 0
 Priest!!!!!
  • 3 0
 The original metal gods!
  • 5 0
 So refreshing to get a blast of metal with a face melter of a vid
  • 3 0
 I so much like this kind of edit!technical trail with good riders who shred hard!
  • 5 0
 Hell ya Priest!!!!!!
  • 1 0
 LOL!!! im pretty sure this isnt the champery track i rode, fucked up, slid down and knocked my self off every tree i dont remember any bits like that but that maybe due to concussion haha
  • 2 0
 Champery isn't just one track.
  • 1 0
 Riding was cool but music was weird. Not that I'm against that sort of music but it just sounded muffled, as if i was listening to it through a wall or something. Didn't really do the vid any favours overall.
  • 1 1
 Well well! So many comments on a seemingly good film! The tail flicks are a minor irritant, but Priest and a wild track make up for it! Plus being on that hill the day Danny Slutted everyone was great! I know that is a different track, but the entire hill is wild! Good work to all involved…

The rest of you stop bitching like little puuuusssssssyyyyyyyhhhhhhoooooollllllleeeeeesssssss and go ride you bloody bikes! I promise, riding releases good endorphins that can cure PMT! Go on, off you f*ck...
  • 2 0
 ÄHH iam every Year in Champery since 2007. I never seen this trail. I only know the world Cup Track. Nice.
  • 3 0
 champery trails are fucking amazing and scary... summer come quickly
  • 4 0
 PRIEST! \m/ Cool \m/
  • 2 0
 All the way!!!
  • 1 0
 Doesn't look like the world cup track to me, i have ridden it (and walked a little)
Still looks fun though and super sketchy..
  • 1 0
 This is not the world cup track, but it's pretty close from it.
  • 3 0
 The sentinel! Judas Priest rips.
  • 1 0
 Makes me remember my PDS trip... Rode champery with a local rider met at les crozets 1h ago. I wonder how dirt can cover a slope steep like this !
  • 1 0
 the 2nd guy: point and shoot! He hits everything and lets the fork get it done so sick
  • 3 0
 yeah thats downhill
  • 3 0
 worm style.
  • 2 0
 Hard to which I love more, that track or the worldcup!
  • 2 1
 I think it's more of a case of Danny Hart is famous because of Champery not the other way round.
  • 1 0
 Agreed. That was his five minutes of fame.
  • 2 0
 Dang... This place looks amazing for riding. Would love to go there!
  • 2 0
 All fear the sentinel!!! Long Live Priest!!!
  • 1 0
 Regardless of whatever you all are bitching and whining about above. THAT is shredding!!
  • 2 0
 Brenmaster.... Get a grip.
  • 1 0
 On the phone to travel agent now I wanna go there looks scary fast.
  • 1 0
 this is not the champery wc track for people who ar commenting above
  • 2 0
 You're right. That one is called Chevreuil.
  • 1 0
 Love the trail Gotta be pinned all. Day a+
  • 3 2
 Except for the useless roosting in corners - really nice vid!
  • 3 0
 you clearly have no idea about style
  • 1 0
 hey how did you get the moon to fly by with none of the shadows changing?
  • 2 0
 La piste c'est Chevreuil
  • 1 0
 All I kept thinking about was "wet, slippery, greasy roots".
  • 1 0
 Fully lit. "Nice work, boys."
  • 1 0
 Bet I'm faster than you Wink
  • 1 0
 Alwais the best
  • 1 0
 music ?
  • 2 0
 Priest..the sentinel
  • 1 0
 Nice Video
  • 9 11
 i just don't get all the track sweeping the first guy is doing. Second guy just gets it done.
Down hill is about going fast isn't it ? or has that changed
  • 28 2
 It's about having fun. Who gives a shit.
  • 8 9
 Yes and going fast is fun. I just don't get the need for all the show boating
  • 6 0
 It's a video and therefore filmed 5 seconds at a time. I think the first rider is going quite a bit faster than the second...It's just hard to tell because he never gets more than a short section of trail before they reset.
  • 2 0
 He was just practicing for the Canadian Kickout Championships in Whistler.
  • 2 0
 He is going fast and also having fun 'showboating', as you like to put it. Who cares, it's fun to watch.
  • 3 2
 Aparently you care Smile
I prefere the second riders style. Smarter lines and more DH.
It's my opinion who gives a shit Smile
  • 3 1
 yes you prefer no style cuz you know nothin about it
  • 2 1
 You think the second rider has no style ?
Unnecessary showing off is just that. Unnecessary. Let face it he's not world cup material just a joe like the rest of us.
I can guarantee you the second guy would be more fun to ride behind.
And probably a lot more fun to go drinking with to boot.
The first lad spends too much time watching
  • 4 4
 First guy is trying waaay to hard.
  • 3 1
 he shreds
  • 1 1
 Not my sorta song for a downhill vid
  • 1 4
 What is this? Amateur hour?
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