Skiing in Avoriaz

I tested skiing in Avoriaz for you! It was great!

Ski at Avoriaz (pronounced avoriA, without the Z), it is skiing in the heart of the Chablais, a Haute-Savoie, in the French Alps. Chablais is a massif whose maximum altitude barely exceeds 2400 meters, but benefits from good snow conditions due to its geographical location between Lake Geneva and the Pays du Mont Blanc. In addition, Avoriaz located at 1800 meters above sea level, snowfalls are frequent there in winter.

The deep wooded valleys that run through it give way at altitude to meadows that cover the mountains up to their summits separated from each other by passes or plateaus. It was on one of these plateaus that the Avoriaz resort was built in the mid-60s. The Avoriaz resort, entirely pedestrianized, has continued to develop and shine internationally from the heart of the Franco-Swiss ski area: the Doors of the Sun.

Avoriaz resort

Among the stations built in the 60s, the station ofAvoriaz presents a form of so-called integrated architecture, which combines the imposing size of the buildings with the rocky cliff at the back of the resort. The wooden covering of the facades (with shingles, small wooden tiles arranged vertically on the facade) gives a more natural side to the stack of buildings of more than ten floors that have made up the resort since its beginnings. In winter, the Avoriaz resort thus appears dressed in snow and wood, as if placed on its plateau against the cliff. It faces the landscape, to the south, which dominates the Ardoisières valley up to Morzine in an aerial tête-à-tête with the Roc d’Enfer.

Imagined and thought by Jean Vuarnet, French Olympic ski champion, the Avoriaz resort was built little by little starting from the arrival of the Prodains Cable Car, and going up towards the Falaise district which dominates the Vallon des Ardoisières and the large cliff under the crest of the Saix du Tour. The central district, with its alignment of buildings at the foot of which we find the shops and restaurants is sunny and airy thanks to the presence of a large playground in the heart of the resort.

On a small hill opposite the central district, a small path crosses a small district of villa-chalets with unexpected shapes, just like the very beautiful villas which overlook the Ardoisières valley and which when covered in snow seem even more fantastic and mysterious, as much as they are discreet.

"Fantastic", because that was the theme of a film festival which took place in Avoriaz between 1973 and 1993 and which contributed to the resort's reputation by attracting big screen stars in the middle of winter.

Skiing in Avoriaz — Avoriaz, flagship resort of the Portes du Soleil

A smart one elevator system provides access to the different levels of the resort, and I recommend that you go up to the top of the resort at the Aster-Antarès building where you will have a breathtaking view of the resort and the surrounding mountains.

Finally, an essential point, on the creation of the Avoriaz resort. From the beginning, the aim of the urbanization and development of the plateau was to accommodate skiers. And they normally had to arrive by cable car and move around the resort on foot or by horse-drawn carriage. Even when the road from Morzine was built and developed for tourist traffic, the pedestrian vocation of the resort was preserved. Avoriaz is a car-free resort!

In winter, the streets of Avoriaz are only used by pedestrians and skiers, which gives it a unique dimension: everything is white, calm and silent. The tinkling of the bells of the horse-drawn carriages and the rare caterpillar cars that provide supplies to the residences and restaurants and transport customers to and from are the only noises related to transport in the resort.

Avoriaz, a car-free resort!

This is good for a peaceful winter stay in the mountains and safe for families who can walk in peace while respecting the sharing of the paths with skiers.

I'm talking about winter, but Avoriaz is also a car-free resort in summer.

On the plateau overlooking the station, towards the car parks, there is a small isolated chapel, the work of Novarina, the same architect who built the church of Passy, above Sallanches which is full of 20th century works of art.

Avoriaz is a family resort, but also a young and trendy resort, with entertainment at the end of the ski day around music and the pleasure of sharing a drink at sunset.

It is therefore accessed directly by cable car from the Prodains a few kilometers from Morzine (there is a car park, but also shuttles from Morzine), or by the panoramic winding road that passes through the Col de la Joux Verte before arriving at the parking areas. For stays in high season, it is essential to reserve a space.

From Morzine, shuttles also run to Avoriaz. And Morzine is connected to Cluses and Thonon, two towns with train stations that connect the region to the national rail network.

The Avoriaz ski area

The Avoriaz ski area is part of the Franco-Swiss international ski area Doors of the Sun. One of the largest in the world.

This one is usually open from mid-December to the third week of April. It connects 12 stations, including Les Gets, Morzine et Châtel in France for example, just like Morgins et Champery in Switzerland, with 600 kilometers of slopes served by more than 200 ski lifts. All this to say that when you are a good skier, get up early and ski all day you can visit the French and Swiss Chablais on skis!

Let's return to the ski area specific to the Avoriaz resort. This is spread over four main sectors.

Chavanette, Fornet
Lindarets
beginners
High Forts

Le first sector, around the resort towards the ridge line towards Switzerland, the one where you can see the Dents du Midi. We then skied on the slopes of the peaks of Chavanette, Fornet and Hauts Forts (the highest peak in Chablais). The lifts culminate at an altitude of around 2200 metres.

On the Chavanette side, the slopes switch to Switzerland. This is where you can take the terrible black run known as Swiss Wall whose verticality seems frightening at first.

You can also switch to another part of the Avoriaz ski area, That of Lindarets and the Brochaux valley. We then ski between the small village of Lindarets known for its free-roaming goats (especially in summer) and the summit of Mossettes, also on the Swiss border. From this valley we can go directly back up to Avoriaz by ski lifts that leave from the Brochaux valley and the village of Lindarets.

In these areas, you will find mostly red and blue slopes that descend quickly from the ridges with vertical drops of 400 to 500 meters. These are short and not too difficult slopes that allow you to enjoy beautiful landscapes.

For children, the long Abricotine trail offers a sunny stroll from the Pointe des Mossettes. The red trails in this area are short but steep.

To feel more sensations in the legs, you will have to stay on the Hauts Forts massif, accessible from the bottom of the Avoriaz resort. This is where you will find the most difficult red and black runs that go down to Les Prodains, at the lower station of the cable car. To be done rather in the afternoon when the sun warms this side of the massif.

The qfourth sector of the Avoriaz ski area is the beginners' sector. Easy, green and blue runs that run through forests on the ridge line that connects Avoriaz to Morzine. This is the sector below the Joux Verte pass and on the Zore ridges. It is also the arrival area for skiers coming directly from Morzine.

The good news is that you can ski in Avoriaz even if you are staying in Morzine, leaving directly from the village, with the Super Morzine gondola.

The beginners' area is located between this sector and the village centre, around the chapel. An intelligent system of chairlifts allows you to travel across the area by crossing the Avoriaz resort. A moment appreciated by everyone and especially by skiers who can thus regularly say hello to members of their tribe who do not ski.

All of these slopes constitute a ski area of 53 slopes served by 35 ski lifts and covering 78 km of slopes.

I talk a lot about downhill skiing, but Avoriaz is also a very fun and very cool resort with countless snowparks including the Stash, a snowpark designed to be in the heart of nature.

Skiing in the Avoriaz ski area — The cliff district in Avoriaz

What do you do in Avoriaz when you're not skiing?

When we're not skiing we're still happy in Avoriaz: the snow is still excellent, The resort site is very sunny and there are no cars. The walks are therefore extremely pleasant.

Le nordic domain for cross-country skiing it is very pleasant, even if to get there you have to go through a long descent and a long climb on the way back, and on the same site you can also follow the hiking trails on snowshoes or on foot.

All the classic winter sports activities are possible in Avoriaz: dog sledding, sledding, snow karting (Avokart), paragliding, skijoring, fatbiking, etc.

If you want to feel strong sensations you can try the Fantastic, a zip line that descends at 140 km/h while flying over the village of Plaine Dranse in the upper Châtel Valley. Côte Avoriaz, this activity is only accessible on skis. There is no road to reach the starting point of the activity.

If, on the other hand, you want to take advantage of it to recharge your batteries, then think about the Aquariaz water park, a sort of lagoon with warm water between rocks and palm trees. Relaxation guaranteed. For more peace and quiet, you will also find more intimate spas in the resort.

Going on a skiing holiday to Avoriaz means making the whole family happy. Skiers can enjoy a vast ski area with varied and clearly identifiable difficulties, freeriders will have fun in their element, nature lovers will contemplate magnificent sunny landscapes (or surpassing the sea of clouds that sometimes cover the Morzine valley) while strolling around the resort and its immediate surroundings. The car is quickly forgotten. We breathe, we breathe, we enjoy Avoriaz.

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