Ultimate Guide to Skiing in Morzine-Avoriaz

Posted on 10/06/2022

A ski holiday is one of my favourite types of holiday; the mountain air, the adrenaline, and the crisp white snow beneath your feet.

And this winter season is the perfect time to head on that ski holiday, whether you are a beginner or you’ve been skiing in Avoriaz for years. Here is my guide to skiing in Morzine-Avoriaz.

Contents

Resort highlights

Chalet-style architecture
Over 650km of piste across the entire Portes du Soleil region
200 lifts to connect you from one area to the other
The Stash – a conceptual snow park
Close to Geneva airport
Extensive slopes for all abilities
Access to Morzine

The history

Avoriaz is a French mountain resort in the heart of the Portes du Soleil, located in the territory of the commune of Morzine which it is known for being joined to. Avoriaz is easily accessible from Geneva Airport, with transfers taking only around 90 minutes to get to the resort.

Avoriaz is built on a shelf high above the town of Morzine, which is among the pioneering towns of skiing with its first lifts dating back to the early 1930s.

Today Avoriaz is one of the major French ski destinations catering for all standards of skiing and ranks among the top snowboarding destinations of the world, whilst also gaining more traction for being a great summer destination.

The resort is designed to be fully skiable, with no cars allowed in the main area of the town – you will find most people skiing to pick up their bread, or from one bar to another. Other transport around the resort includes horse-drawn sleighs and snowcats during winter.

The skiing

The Avoriaz part of the skiing area consists of about 130 km of piste, but when combined within the entire Portes du Soleil area, it offers over 650km of piste – nearly all of it linked by more than 200 lifts.

The Avoriaz pistes are divided in 4 sectors: The Lindaret, Haut-Forts, Fornet and Super Morzine. It also has The Stash – a conceptual snow park based on ecological principles and is the only one of its kind in France. There are a number of restaurants and a small village at the bottom of the valley which are well worth a stop for a coffee, with incredible views across the ski resort.

The accommodation

For our five days in the region we stayed at the amazing Chilly Powder who have been operating luxury catered and self-catering chalet ski holidays and summer activity holidays since 1996.

In winter, the ski pistes from Morzine Avoriaz descend straight into their back garden and the main cable car is only a few hundred metres away. It is located in a great location to take you both in to Morzine and to the vast Portes du Soleil ski area.

Chilly Powder is owned and run by Francesca & Paul and with their 3 children Ben, Eloise and Jamie, and they all love living in Morzine and started the company to provide guests with a real home from home.

The main chalet, Au Coin du Feu, is situated at the foot of the ski slopes that link Morzine with Avoriaz in the area of Les Prodains. A typical day starts with a delicious mix of both cooked and continental breakfasts, and then on your return from the slopes, you can enjoy a sauna and massage, afternoon tea with cakes and hot drinks, and then a five-course dinner in the main room with other guests in the chalet. There is also an outdoor hot tub, Wi-Fi and lots more for guests to access.

They also have the amazing catered Chalet Plan des Rochers, with ski-to-door slopes only 50 metres away. The chalet sleeps 12 people, across six bedrooms, and you get everything guests get in the main chalet but for the evenings you get your own private chef.

Chilly Powder operates all year round, so it’s perfect whether you’re looking to hit the ski slopes or hop on your mountain bike. There are extensive winter holiday packages on offer for individuals, groups and families with winter prices starting from €995 per person per week based on two adults sharing a double or twin bedroom or €2,760 per week for two adults and two children sharing a standard family room. Prices based on a half board basis with wine included in evening meals.

To learn more or to making a booking, contact Chilly Powder. We also booked our ski lessons with Avoriaz Alpine Ski School and our ski equipment with Doorstep Skis.

The Skipass

Portes du Soleil is heaven for ski enthusiasts because of its diverse landscape and ski pistes, with one of the largest linked ski areas in the world. But don’t panic, this doesn’t mean a ski pass that will break the bank!

The Portes du Soleil ski pass gives you access to over 650km of pistes – all you have to do is book your ski pass online, zip it in a pocket and simply brush against a sensor on the barrier onto a ski lift. The Avoriaz lifts will be open from the 9th of December to the 24th of April 2023.

The snow

Avoriaz is high and super snowy (its average snowfall of nearly 8m a season is the highest of any resort in France), but the Portes du Soleil area as a whole is quite low. Lack of snow is very rarely a problem in the Morzine-Avoriaz region, but bear in mind from March onwards you may find some slopes starting to melt, if booking a late-season holiday.

The food

Speaking of food, there are a lot of delicious offerings in Morzine-Avoriaz if you’re looking for some delicious cuisine when the evening comes around.

You can head to the village if you want to, but the centre of the resort has more than enough restaurants to boast; most of them with the impeccable view of the Alps readily available. The food here really is delicious, so you can look forward to your fulfilling evenings.

The nightlife

If you’re thinking about hitting the hay a little later than some of the other skiers, then make sure you take a trip to the famous Folie Douce. They put on parties here, there is usually some live music on offer, and it’s a great place to grab a beer if you want to unwind and meet other skiers.

*I was invited to stay at Chilly Powder as part of a press trip, however all opinions are my own, as always!

If you on a bigger trip exploring more of Europe check out my guides to France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom.

My Travel Tips and Recommendations

Flights

To book flights, I always use flight search engine Skyscanner, I regularly use the Everywhere tool to find the cheapest places to travel. It’s how I get to travel so much all around the world. I find it the easiest way to compare flight prices across airlines and get the best deals.

Accommodation

For accommodation, I usually book most of my hotels or hostels through Booking.com. I love using this platform as it provides me with some amazing deals for accommodation all around the world. Or if you prefer, I also recommend using Airbnb.

Travel Insurance

Picking travel insurance that covers you in all eventualities is an essential part of planning a trip for every single person. If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel. You never know what’s around the corner.

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Thank you for reading and as always happy adventuring! If you have any questions about the destination please leave these in the comments below.

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Sophie X

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