The Portes du Soleil ski area is vast with 650km of piste and offers something for everyone. Comprising 14 resorts over France and Switzerland, the lift system of 209 lifts allows skiers and borders to freely enjoy this winter adventure park.
Lift & Piste Maps for Morzine & Portes du Soleil
The Morzine and Les Gets piste map gives good detail of the local area, listing piste names as well as lifts. The larger Portes du Soleil piste map gives you a broad picture of how everything is connected.
For a more detailed map when you get on the mountain, pick up a paper copy of the piste maps from the lift company when you buy your pass.
This region vies for the title "largest ski area in Europe," with 212 interconnected lifts servicing a mind-boggling 650kms of runs sprawling across 12 areas, seven in France and five in Switzerland. There are 273 marked ski runs as well as 216 km of cross-country trails. The Portes du Soleil region therefore offers a variety of skiing terrain to suit all abilities.
Circuits (taking approximately 2h30) organised according to ski levels have been designed to give skiers access to the various areas. Itineraries (blue runs, red or black) are marked by a specific mountain animal including a bear, white rabbit, jackdaw, ibex or reindeer!
... see "Morzine & Portes du Soleil Ski Area" for more
Morzine Ski Area
Chamossiere
Morzine has an excellent central position in the Portes du Soleil with several possibilities to start your ski tour. The resort pistes of Pleney connect to the larger ski area of Les Gets, an area with mostly gentle blue and red runs. The alternative is to head up the other side of the valley towards the more challenging ski area of Avoriaz, which connects to the ski resorts of Champery/Les Crosets and Champoussin in Switzerland and the La Linga section of the Chatel ski area. First time skiers will not be disappointed with Morzine's nursery slopes and have the opportunity to explore further afield if they wish!
Morzine has many runs accessed via the Pleney telecabine and a number of teleseiges; TS de la Crusaz, TS des Mouilles, TS d’Atray and TS des Fys. The runs are an even mix between blues and reds, the latter spanning the intermediate ability levels whereby some would maybe constitute black status if they were not running directly into resort.
... see "Morzine Skiing Area" for more
Les Gets' runs on Mt Chery are sunny and offer a choice of reds to longer blacks. Working from Pleney up to La Ranfolly there is everything from wider moderate intermediate runs and gentle cruises, all well linked to suit groups of differing ability.
Les Gets immediate ski area offers two lifts, the Chavannes Express and the télécabine des Chavannes. The latter services the beginner area above the Chavannes offering the wide but not so gentle gradient of Bruyère and the Gentiane.
... see "Les Gets Skiing Area" for more
Avoriaz is a vast ski area perched 600 meters above Morzine on the cliffs above the valley Ardoisieres. Access from Morzine is easy enough, either directly from town via Super Morzine and the Express du Zore or from the Prodains Valley. The latter offers two mechanisms of uphill transport; Prodains telepherique and TS du Verare and TS Combe du Machon. The former can get busy in the peak season and the latter is exposed to the elements but does take you higher up the Hauts Forts avoiding the busy Avoriaz town area.
Intermediates and above will appreciate the vast range of Avoriaz which has nearly 250kms of reds and blues to choose from. The resort is more snow-sure than Morzine due to its elevation of 1800m and snow lasts at village level for much of the season. You may, however, experience some bottlenecks during peak season; although the uplift is good and fast and there will be less traffic once you leave the lower runs to resort. Avoriaz offers some tougher terrain with runs on the Hauts Forts and down to Les Prodains including the World Cup downhill course.
... see "Avoriaz Skiing Area" for more
Chatel Linga Ski Area
Le Linga
The Châtel Linga section of the Portes du Soleil is accessed via the TS Chaux Fleurie out of Linderets. The Secteur is really two distinct geographies whereby Linga sits immediately the other side of the Col du Bassachaux ridge line. Châtel sits a little further down the Vallée Abondance and is the only broken section of the Portes du Soleil requiring a short bus ride to reach it.
Linga offers some excellent terrain, a mixture of blues and reds but no blacks. However, some of the reds are extremely steep and are a challenge to more advanced skiers. Initially there is a choice of four reds dropping down to Plain Dranse. If you are heading onwards to Combe then take the red to skiers right, Les Voraches, which drops you to the bottom of the TS de la Chaux-Rosées lift. The other three reds run further down the hill converging into one red run - Les Rochassons. A green also runs in the same direction but the red is fairly tame, both lead to the TS Pierre Longue which will return you to Plaine Dranse ready for onward exploration.
... see "Chatel Linga Skiing Area" for more
St Jean D’Aulps Ski Area
Although not linked to the Portes du Soleil in that you cannot ski to it, the St Jean D’Aulps ski area is well worth a look particularly as a full Portes du Soleil area pass is valid here.
The resort is a little under used and you should find it a relatively quiet destination particularly in contrast to the busy sections of the Portes du Soleil. The skiing is suitable for a mix of abilities mainly constituting blue and red runs with one black. However some of the reds are pretty demanding and as usually there is plenty of scope for getting away from the piste.
The high points of the area are the Col de Graydon and Grande Terche at 1800 meters apiece. Both offer long reds, for example, the Le Grande Souvroz stretches to five kilometers and has the alternative of doing a shorter black section half way down if required - Les Vous.
Swiss Side of Portes du Soleil Ski Areas
The Swiss Border
Of the 14 resorts in the Portes du Soleil, seven of them are located in Switzerland: Les Crosets, Morgins, Champoussin, Planachaux, Champery, Val-d'Illiez and Torgon. You can ski to them from Chatel or from Avoriaz. Although alot smaller than their French counter-parts, it is well worth making a trip over to them, as long as you ensure you leave enough time to get home - taxis are expensive! ... see "Swiss Side Ski Areas of the Portes du Soleil" for more
Beginner Ski Areas in Morzine
Zore Blue Piste
Morzine is ideal for absolute beginners and advancing beginners alike with a multitude of blues for all tastes. Ski school is directly out the front of the exit of the Pleney télécabine so you’ll quickly learn the surrounding area during your lessons. The TS du Belvedere takes you from the Pléney to the top of the green run enabling you to work on that snow plow after school. For those graduating to easier blues then there are lots of options; Piste B, Piste C, Piste D all head down to the bottom of the Pléney télécabine but Piste B takes the most leisurely and longest route down the mountain meaning you’ll not encounter any steep sections as you build your confidence. Piste C and Piste G are serviced by the lifts TS des Fys and TS d’Atray respectively and have steeper gradients for advancing beginners to work on their technique.
The Super Morzine télécabine and the adjoining Express Zore service two excellent blue runs; Tetras and Zore. The former has a steadier gradient than the latter; both are long runs perfect for honing that technique.
Over in Les Gets the ski school meets near the foot of the Chavannes télécabine outside the ESF offices adjoining the Maries office. For absolute beginners your lessons will begin here graduating to the little drag lift to take you a little further up the hill once you have cracked that snow plow. Once you have a little more experience then you may meet ski school or practice your homework on the long wide blues from the top of the Chavannes Express. For those building confidence then stick to the Gentiane it is super wide and possible to find a quiet section away from the worry of other riders. Return to the top using the TS de la Croix. If you’re gaining in confidence continue on the Gentiane to the foot of the Chavannes Express for a quick ride back to the top, emerging next to the TS de la Croix to meet up with your less experienced friends. The Bruyère also departing from the top of the Chavannes is for the improving beginner and takes a slightly different trip back to the bottom of the Chavannes Express.
As with Morzine and Les Gets Avoriaz is ideal for beginners with a range of blues from absolute to improving beginner;Proclou, Seraussaix, Qu’mont, Gernes. It also has more demanding blues so don’t get caught out on these if you are still building confidence and skill; Stade d’Arare, Bleue du Lac and Bleue d’Arare.
Snowparks in Morzine & the Portes du Soleil
Morzine and the wider Portes du Soleil has such a wide variety of terrain it is ideal for both skiers and boarders spanning the ability range from absolute beginner to advanced off-piste hero.
Avoriaz was one of the first resorts to welcome snowboarders with open arms and a legacy of this is that the scene is still strong to this day. There are two freestyle parks in Avoriaz; Snowpark de la Chappelle and Snowpark Arare plus, as the name suggests, a rather large half pipe opposite the Prodains telepherique known as the Superpipe.
Snowpark de la Chappelle is located under the Express Proclou lift adjacent to the car park. And right by the horse stables (for dragging the sleds around town) so you get the smell of the country whilst spinning those threes! This is an ideal park to develop your airborne skills as the jumps range from easy green through to fairly advanced blues. They come in rows of three so you get three jumps per run through the park before returning via the TK Chapelle drag lift. Fortunately it’s a rather sedate affair and will not rip your arms off leaving you sprawling on the floor for the amusement of the lift operator and the too cool for school crew in the queue. Keeping with the beginner to advancing intermediate park rat theme the other features are not too fear inducing and give you a chance to develop your skills without a do or die attempt at something way above your ability range. The rails, boxes, A frame and spine are not too far from the ground should it all go horribly wrong. For this reason the park is known as the baby park, despite this there are still plenty of riders performing some top draw moves, if not quite extreme channel standard, impressive none the less.
Snowpark Arare sits above Avoriaz and is accessed via the Express Lac Intretslift and the Bleue du Lac blue run. This is an altogether more serious affair. All the features are big in every way; air, height, speed and most definitely skill. The Red jumps are considerably bigger than the blues in the baby park; it’s quite a step up to clear these and another thing altogether to perform rotations, back flips, rodeos and the like. But that’s what you’ll see plenty of people doing up here. Whatever you do speed is your friend, the landings are perfectly graded, the only problem is if you bottle it and come up short, you’ll definitely get squashed on landing and lose an inch or two in height. The rails too are in another league; there is some drop if you get it wrong and don’t make the landing transition and jumping up onto the feature is a leap of faith the first time. There is also a Bordercross on the Arare area which is suitable for everyone.
The Superpipe is big. We're talking really BIG! Now 120m long (from 100m) and with 6m high walls (previously 3m) it takes some commitment to drop into. But there are plenty of good riders around making it look all too easy getting well clear of the top of the lip and performing tricks and spins to boot. With these latest changes in dimension to The Superpipe, it now means that the resort can host official pipe competitions.
New in January 2008 was "The Stash" - a 100% natural snow playground based on the US concept of the same name. Created in conjunction with Burton, the Avoriaz Stash run is the only one of its kind in Europe and it comprises 3 slopes of varying difficulty, punctuated with hidden wooden obstacles that riders happen upon with each descent. You have to ski or snowboard down the same slope many times to discover all the concealed modules. Suitable for everyone, the 3 slopes join up halfway down at a hidden cabin in the Lindarets forest, and then separate again to continue snaking through the pine trees. The message behind The Stash is one of environmental protection and preservation with the whole area being left unpisted and all the obstacles are made entirely from wood. (Total length = 1300m, vertical drop = 470m).
For kids and beginners, there is also the Trashers Snowpark in the Falaise sector of Avoriaz, with small jumps, slides and obstacles upon which to find your feet. Or you may like to try the "Canyon Slope", a piste that follows the natural terrain of the Pschott Canyon with banked turns, bumps and dips providing great fun for all the family.
The natural terrain in and around Avoriaz is abundant but mainly above the tree line. The Secteur Chavanette is probable the biggest natural fun park around. You can freely scope out the multiple lines as you take the Express du Fornet lift to the top of the ridge line marking the French/Swiss boarder. Natural half pipes, kickers, drop offs are everywhere you look.
Les Crosets offers a big Snowpark in the mold of Snowpark Arare above Avoriaz - more of an advanced affair. The park lies under the TS Les Crosets II out of the centre of Les Crosets and is well worth the visit for some truly big jumps and features. To return home simply get on the TS des Mossettes and you are back in the Linderets valley with only one more lift from making it home to Morzine.
To see more of these snowparks for yourself, click on the link below for an interactive map and helicopter video footage of each area.
With such a big ski area to explore, it's sometimes good to have a little bit of inside information… For your pleasure, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite runs throughout the Portes du Soleil and suggested some itineries for you to try. There are also sections on where to find the best off piste, where you're most likely to find the quietest pistes, and where to find the nicest mountain restaurants for lunch. Happy exploring! ... see "Where to go in the Portes du Soleil for..." for more
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