PIZZA-POWERED PASS’PORTES

WORDS EMMA WHITAKER PHOTOGRAPHY EMMA WHITAKER & CARLY FRAME

The wildly popular annual event Pass’Portes du Soleil is a mountain biking shindig like no other. There are no teams, no winners, no timings, no pressure. It’s just you, your ride of choice and a handful of determination. OK, and maybe some beer…

When I first brought up the idea to take part in this event, Carly glanced at me, pulled a pained expression and continued on with her pint. That went down well then…

After a little more pestering, a heap of inspirational YouTube videos and a massive downplay on the amount of hill climbing involved, Carly finally warmed to the idea. Frankly, this change in tone didn’t matter a jot to me as I’d gone ahead and bought us both tickets the previous month anyway.

Our riding experience lies at opposite sides of (an extremely long) scale. On one hand, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to downhill riding in my teenage years, so I’m almost a decade in and feel as at home on a bike as I do in front of the telly with Netfiix filling my eyes and a deep dish, stuThed crust, six-cheese pizza filling my belly. Then we arrive at Carly’s experience. Three years ago I thought it would be hilarious (and it bloody was!) to ship Carly off down a black trail in Morzine on a borrowed bike, under the pretence that it was in fact a blue. Bless her socks, she pedalled down that thing like Napoleon riding into battle. Yes, she spent most of the descent on her arse and she’d ruined her favourite slip-on Vans shoes (she still talks fondly of them to this day), but she did it! After that traumatic encounter, Carly forgot about the bikey world until last summer when I spotted a beauty of a bike online that would suit her perfectly. Knowing nothing about bikes, when Carly saw the orange and camo green highlights on the frame, she was sold. My years of gentle brainwashing and subliminal messaging were beginning to pay off. You know those parents who force their – clearly unwilling – children into ballet and gymnastics, despite a hurricane of ensuing tantrums? Well, I was a bit like that. But in a completely healthy ‘I know what’s best for you’ way.