Roger Mandin the Man Behind Chez Roger

There’s more to Chez Roger than most of us realise

featured in Meet the locals Author Alice Gregr, Morzine Reporter Updated 17 August 2016

Roger Mandin runs one of the most popular and busy après bars in Morzine and at 63 is showing no signs of stopping both on and off the mountain.

He is without doubt a local legend when it comes to skiing and he’s got the videos to prove it! However, what few people know is – he’s also the brain behind what we now know as “Pass’Portes” weekend and is as good on two wheels as he is on two planks. He also tells me he created one of the first downhill mountain bike tracks in France...he kept that quiet…

Roger came to Morzine in 1999 after growing up in Saint Martin des Noyers. 2 years prior to that, he’d spotted the potential for mountain biking here and is due credit for creating our first permanent downhill track. His arrival in '99 also marked the birth of his brainchild, the Free Raid Classic VTT MAG and the Mondial du VTT, the model of which has now become something we all know and love…The Pass’Portes du Soleil.

After years of shredding the hills, Roger opened his bar Chez Roger, in 2007. The busy spot on the Rue du Bourg has recently had a refurb headed up by Roger himself. Photos suggest he did most of the hard work and is pretty proud of what he’s accomplished. More often than not you can find Roger sitting with customers offering either shots of Genepi or advice on the best runs in the PDS.

Roger chose to settle in Morzine because “it’s a beautiful village with both skiing and mountain biking”. However, Roger is quick to point out that he started skiing pretty late in life. He says, “I haven’t been skiing long, when I started I was 27 years old”. (That’s a fair while Rog!)

Roger says his bar is the most British of the French bars in Morzine and I guess he’s right. However, the large glasses of French wine, amazing Aperol Spritz and pints of Pelforth certainly keep the French ambiance of the place alive. It’s a great place to go after a day on the slopes not only because you’re guaranteed a plate of nachos with your drinks but it’s also a great place to regale your memories of the day (likely with Roger as he passes through the bar to speak to his customers).

Roger doesn’t have any big aims for the future really, just (in his words) “plenty more powder skiing and Mountain Biking”. If you want to follow in Rogers footsteps here’s a list of his favourite runs, mainly off piste and mainly involving plenty of jumps/moguls and hard things. He chose these because “of their difficulties and originality”