Portes du Soleil

The Portes du Soleil is one of the biggest ski areas in the world and deserves its international reputation. In the heart of the French and Swiss Alps, with stunning views of Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc, the Portes du Soleil spans 13 resorts on either side of the French-Swiss border.

The Portes du Soleil offers 650 km of skiing and 286 pistes: 32 black, 101 red, 119 blue and 34 green. It also has 196 ski lifts and 30 snowparks. During a week’s holiday, you will only just cover a part of the available pistes; there is so much choice, you could easily come back year after year without getting bored.

Morzine

Morzine is one of the most popular ski villages in the Portes du Soleil due to its central location. On one side of the village the Pléney télécabine links into the Morzine/Les Gets/Nyon ski area. On the other side of the village the Super Morzine télécabine takes you up to Avoriaz, the highest resort of the Portes du Soleil.

The free ski bus gives very easy access to both Pléney and Super Morzine; in addition there is an interlinking bus service to the Prodains Express cable car which speeds you up to the Avoriaz slopes in less than 4 minutes.

From Avoriaz, it is easy to get into the rest of the Portes du Soleil. Alternatively a short drive away is Ardent where the télécabine gives very easy access to Avoriaz, Châtel and the Swiss resorts.

Ski Passes

Ski passes can be bought according to your ability. A local Morzine-Les Gets area pass will give loads of scope for beginners and the full Portes du Soleil pass will give intermediate and advanced skiers the chance to explore the whole area.

Ski pass prices can be seen on:
https://en.morzine-avoriaz.com/skipass-morzine-avoriaz.html

Morzine for Beginners

Morzine is great for beginner skiers and snowboarders.
There’s an excellent beginners area with a covered ‘magic carpet’ at the top of the Pléney télécabine, as well as lots of lovely wide blue and green pistes for progression.

A short drive to Les Gets takes you to the Chavannes area where several magic carpets and a rope tow enable you to get going and progress quickly to the slow easy Croix Blanche chairlift.

Morzine/Les Gets offer some excellent English speaking ski schools which offer personal tuition and small groups:
Les Gets Snowsports: https://www.skischool.co.uk
The Snow Institute: https://thesnowinstitute.com
Mint Snowboarding: https://mintsnowboarding.com

You need to book early though to avoid disappointment as the instruction is so good some people will book their ski school before they even book their flights!!!

In addition ski hire shops which offer overnight storage are great for beginners to safely store skis and boots. No walking to the lifts in ski boots, no carrying skis…just drop off the equipment at the end of the day and wander in comfort around town or go for an après-ski drink.

Ski hire shops we suggest:
Intersport Super Morzine or Intersport Plénéy: https://www.intersport-morzine.com/en/

Morzine for more Advanced Skiers and Snowboarders

The sheer scale of the Portes du Soleil ski area offers intermediate and advanced skiers and boarders the chance to clock up the kms on the pistes. You could ski a different area every day and go the whole holiday without skiing the same area twice!

The Portes du Soleil day tour is a popular option giving you the chance to take in a maximum of resorts across 2 countries in the space of one day!

In addition there are challenging red and black runs, epic off piste runs and world class snow parks.

A Winter Wonderland

When you take into account all the other activities available – ice-skating, husky dog sled rides, snow-mobiling, snow-shoe walks, parapenting, not to forget yummy mountain restaurants – Morzine offers all the ingredients for an amazing winter holiday experience!