Avoriaz & Portes du Soleil Ski Area

Portes du Soleil Piste Map
Map of 'The Stash' Snow Park

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.

For the more advanced skier with a penchant for steep fast blacks and long mogul runs the Hauts Forts is the place to head. There are multiple black runs dropping down to the TS du Crot and onward to the valley floor, amongst them the Coupe du Monde downhill course. For those wishing to take a more leisurely approach then drop down the Bleue d’Arare and onward to the home run of Le Crot. Both are excellent runs and not as easy as you may think. The former is used for ski races and the latter does not see much action until the end of the day so you can be relatively unencumbered by avoiding hordes of your fellow skiers and borders. ... see "Avoriaz for Skiing & Snowboarding" for more

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 Avoriaz 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. Anyone seeking to ski one of Europe's tougher mogul fields should attempt the notorious "Wall" linking France to Switzerland via 300m of some of the toughest bumps around! You can always avoid the nasty rectangular moguls at the top of the run by heading off to the side and then rejoin when they appear slightly gentler!

Boarders will love Avoriaz for its snowparks consisting of a half pipe, a "canyon" slope and a new boarder slope. ... see "Where to go in the Portes du Soleil for..." for more

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.

The red Piste R, Piste F and Piste A runs above Morzine town are steep but generally wide and are perfect for the advancing intermediate skier/boarder. All can be repeated multiple times using the telesiege d’Atray after initially reaching the Pleney plateau via the telecabine. Piste J is a black run gaining its status as a function of dropping steeply down the mountain adjacent to the lift line. Piste H does likewise but is more frequently pisted, it runs into the Le Stade floodlit red and onward directly into Morzine at the foot of the Pleney Telecabine. ... see "Morzine for Skiing & Snowboarding" for more

Les Gets’s immediate ski area offers two lifts, the Chavannes Express and the telecabine des Chavannes. The latter services the beginner area above the Chavannes offering the wide but not so gentle gradient of Bruyere and the Gentiane. Many more runs are available over in the Chavannes bowl serviced by five lifts; Nauchets Express, TS Mouille au Chat, Ranfoilly Express, TS Rosta and Grains d’Or Express. There are multiple blues, reds and blacks in the bowl offering something for every level of experience and ability. All the runs converge on the lifts at the centre of the bowl making this the perfect area to spend the day, or longer, with a mixed ability group.

Les Gets/Mont Chery is a little visited freestanding mountain opposite the Chavannes side of the resort. In the depths of winter it is possible to ski across the road at the bottom of the Chavannes, adjacent to the excellent Bar Bush watering hole, and skate over to the bottom of the TC du Mont Chery. From the resulting Mont Blanc view point at the top of the telecabine two chair lifts offer access to the mainly red runs dropping down the face of Mont Chery; TS de la Pointe and TS Grande Ourse. A drag lift TK de Super Chery sees very little use and for those not averse to this mode of transport is a more than acceptable way to access the top of the mountain. This aspect of Mont Chery is south facing and does, later in the season, become slushy quicker than other aspects. ... see "Les Gets for Skiing & Snowboarding" for more

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 for Skiing & Snowboarding" for more

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

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