Where to go in the Portes du Soleil for...

Insider's Guide To Skiing the Portes du Soleil...

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!

The Portes du Soleil Ski 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 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.

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!

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.

Chatel's wide range of skiing is best when it's quiet. The Linga sector is great with gondola access from resort level but it is over 1km from the village centre and needs a short (Navette free) bus trip, and Super Chatel (1640m) offers something, including some slightly more snowsure beginners runs for everyone and a couple of black runs, whilke the skiing beyond her towards Morgin and Torgon offers some pleasing long runs.

One last thing .. always check the lift closing times if you're planning to ski the Portes du Soleil circuit as it may take longer than expected. When the passes are closed with snow, the road distances between some seemingly-close villages are huge and expensive by taxi if you miss the last lift back to resort!

last updated 18-Feb-2008

Our Favourite Runs in Avoriaz & the Portes du Soleil

The Portes du Soleil ski area is so vast it can be difficult to know where to start skiing. So we have put together some of our favorite runs throughout the ski area. Whether you're into moguls, steep and long descents, or simply beautiful, quiet pistes with great snow, we hope that these suggestions will hit the spot. ... more

last updated 18-Feb-2008

Off Piste Skiing in Avoriaz & the Portes du Soleil

As well as the really obvious stuff between the pistes, there’s plenty more off piste in Avoriaz and the Portes du Soleil within easy reach for just a little bit of effort.

PLEASE NOTE: YOU IGNORE SAFETY WARNINGS AND BARRIERS/ROPES AND UNDERTAKE OFF-PISTE SKIING/BOARDING AT YOUR OWN RISK. WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND THAT YOU TAKE A MOUNTAIN GUIDE WHEN HEADING OFF-PISTE. THE FOLLOWING IS NOT A SET OF DIRECTIONS OR INSTRUCTIONS. ... more

last updated 18-Feb-2008

Snowparks in Avoriaz & the Portes du Soleil

Avoriaz 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 probably 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 mould 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 Avoriaz.

last updated 3-Apr-2008

Bad Weather Ski Areas in Avoriaz & the Portes du Soleil

The higher areas in, around and above Avoriaz exist above the tree line and lack the contrast required for orientation during white out conditions. However, Morzine, Les Gets and Linderets all sport runs below the tree line providing vast amounts of skiing/snowboarding when the flakes are falling. ... more

last updated 18-Feb-2008

Steep & Deep Runs in Avoriaz & the Portes du Soleil

If you like challenging steep runs that seem to go on forever then Avoriaz and the Portes du Soleil has got plenty to keep your legs working hard. The drop from the Hauts Forts to the head of the Prodains valley alone is over 1000 meters! It is therefore more than possible to take in some huge runs in and around Avoriaz and the wider Portes du Soleil ski domain. ... more

last updated 18-Feb-2008

Mountain Restaurants in Avoriaz & the Portes du Soleil

The hamlet of Les Lindarets reportedly has the greatest concentration of mountain restaurants in the Alps, and is a good place to head to if looking for somewhere to eat in Avoriaz. You can ski the runs from the Pointe de Mossettes including the Abricotine before heading down Parchets past the rustic chalets before stopping off for a bite to eat.

The mountain restaurants are too numerous to mention but here are a few individual restaurants that stand out;

Chez Flo - Avoriaz

Pierre aux Loups - Plaine Dranse

L'Abricotine - Les Brocheaux

La Crémaillière - Lindarets Village

Chez Pascale - plateau de Nyon

La Chanterelle - back of Mont Chery above Encrenaz

Le Rossettaz - top of the Rosta chair, Les Gets

For further details and more restaurant suggestions please see our Mountain Restaurants page.

Please take note that none of the mountain restaurantas allow you to picnic. All the restaurants have 'picnic interdit' signs on display, a condition applicable even if you buy drinks.

last updated 5-Aug-2008