What you need to know about Portes du Soleil.
Portes du Soleil is HUGE and ranks within the 2 largest ski areas in the world. There are 400 miles of ski runs with 10 terrain parks and 201 lifts, all spanning 14 valleys.
Portes du Soleil is unique as it encompasses 12 ski resorts, straddles 2 countries, France and Switzerland and provides 1 lift pass to cover it all. The resorts sprawl from Mont Blanc on the French side towards Lake Geneva on the Swiss side.
An increasingly important factor when choosing where to ski and buy a property is a resort’s snow record. While the resorts of Portes du Soleil are relatively low-lying (with the exception of Avoriaz), the microclimate and atmospheric conditions are favourable for snow, with seasons lasting from December to mid-April.
1074 snow cannons cover 60% of the slopes across the area and the fact that the lower slopes are generally pastures, as opposed to rocky terrain, allows skiing on a base of as little as 10cm of snow.
The 12 resorts making up Portes du Soleil are as follows:
The 8 French Resorts within Portes du Soleil.
Abondance
Abondance is a historical and traditional town famous for its cheese making and being the gateway to the Portes du Soleil Ski Region. This peaceful, family-orientated resort is a wonderful place to learn to ski or to take it gently. From Abondance Village and the Essert region, there are 13 slopes (4 green, 6 blue, 2 red and 1 black) serviced by 8 lifts.
Other winter activities on offer from Abondance are as follows: Snow shoeing, cross country skiing, ice driving, husky sledding, snow joering (horse or dog-drawn skiing) and there is also an outside ice rink.
Abondance is linked to the Portes du Soleil by the regular shuttle bus services and is only 1 hour and 35 minutes from Geneva Airport by car.
Avoriaz
Avoriaz is the highest altitude resort and is situated in the heart of the Portes du Soleil ski area. Avoriaz is a large purpose-built resort, created to cater for the ski industry. Perched above Morzine on a huge south facing ledge, Avoriaz has been designed to fit into the environment and most of the buildings have wooden cladding to reflect this. As the area is pedestrianised there are horse drawn sledges transporting visitors around the village which adds a certain charm to the modern environment.
Avoriaz provides perfect access for the entirety of the Portes du Soleil ski area. It is a good resort to learn to ski in as there are a lot of blue slopes, but there is plentiful skiing for all abilities. There are 49 ski runs at Avoriaz (4 green, 25 blue, 14 red and 6 black) all served by 33 lifts. The most (in)famous of all is not a pisted run, the Mûr Suisse (Swiss Wall) at Chavanettes.
Other winter activities on offer at Avoriaz are as follows: ski joering, husky sledging, snowmobile hire, yooner sledging (a seated sledge with a steering stick), horse drawn carriage rides, Nordic walking, snow mountain biking, ice diving, ice rink, snow shoe walking, squash, bowling, water park, ice diving and free falling.
Avoriaz is 1 hour and 45 minutes from Geneva Airport by car.
With its roots firmly in farming, Chatel famously retains its authentic French alpine village ambience and is relatively unspoilt by the increase in tourism that has been a direct result of the recent expansion of the ski lifts to link the resort to the Swiss side of Portes du Soleil. The village is protected from any developers building in an overly modern style, ensuring Chatel’s charm.
Chatel is the closest of the French resorts to Switzerland and from here one can cross over to the Swiss side either through the interconnecting lift system at Morgins on the Swiss side or by skiing towards Les Lindarets and over towards Les Crosets, again on the Swiss side. Either route is an easy connection making Chatel a perfect base for skiing the Franco/Swiss border of the Portes du Soleil ski area.
Skiing in Chatel is predominantly on large open pistes and suits all abilities as well as disabled skiers. There are 46 pistes in the locality (9 green, 16 blue, 15 reds and 6 blacks) all served by 42 lifts. 15 of these mountain lifts have been specially adapted for Handiski users.
Other winter activities available in Chatel are: snowshoeing, indoor aquatic centre, zip wire, ice fishing, yooner sledging, ice skating, bowling and paragliding.
Chatel is 1 hour and 40 minutes from Geneva Airport by car.
La Chapelle d’Abondance
La Chapelle d’Abondance is an authentically traditional village which is considered a gateway resort to Portes du Soleil and also benefits from its own 2 ski areas. Considered by many to be one of the prettiest villages in the Haute Savoie, La Chapelle d’Abondance is a family orientated resort and retains its rustic charm yet has all the modern facilities you would expect to offer its visitors.
A great resort for the beginner and intermediate skier with 23 runs (6 green, 12 blue and 5 red) all served by 12 lifts with easy access to the extensive skiing of the Portes du Soleil ski area through Chatel, which is a short bus ride away. La Chapelle d’Abondance is a ski resort which gives you ‘the best of both worlds’ with quiet and peaceful skiing on your doorstep combined with the challenges offered by Portes du Soleil a very short distance away. There are also facilities at ESF La Chapelle d’Abondance that specially cater for the disabled skier with both standing skiing and seated skiing.
Other winter activities on offer from La Chapelle d’Abondance are: Snow shoeing, cross country skiing, husky sledding, biathlon and sledging.
La Chapelle d’Abondance is 1 ½ hours from Geneva Airport by car.
Les Gets is a popular family orientated resort. There are ski in/ski out chalets and apartments with more being built as we write. A definite boom area in the heart of Portes du Soleil, Les Gets is a pretty village which retains its traditional roots and has a protected status so that it remains so. There are also magnificent views over towards Mont Blanc from many parts of Les Gets.
The skiing in Les Gets is on 2 different sides of the village, Mont Chery and Les Chavannes. The latter takes you directly up to link with the Portes du Soleil ski area. You can ski directly into the village from most of the runs which is what makes Les Gets so popular and the resort suits all abilities. The village of Les Gets has quite a cosmopolitan feel with numerous hotels, restaurants, bars and pretty shops lining the main road through the town.
Other winter activities on offer in Les Gets are: sledging, ice rink, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, ski joering, paragliding, cinema and bowling.
Les Gets is the western-most resort in the Portes du Soleil ski area, but it is still possible to ski through Morzine and Avoriaz to get over to the Swiss resorts of Portes du Soleil in 1 day.
Les Gets is 1 hour and 40 minutes from Geneva Airport by car.
Montriond
Montriond is a small village perched directly across the valley from Morzine. From Montriond it is a short walk into Morzine and some say that it has better access to the Super Morzine lift and, in the opposite direction past the beautiful Lake Montriond, the Lindarets ski area, than from some parts of its larger neighbour Morzine. There are no hotels in Montriond but there is a plentiful supply of chalets.
Montriond is linked to Portes du Soleil by the regular shuttle bus services and is 1 ½ hours from Geneva Airport by car.
Sitting right in the middle of the Portes du Soleil ski region, Morzine is a sizeable and thriving hub. It has grown steadily over the years and is filled with restaurants, bars, shops and luxury chalet accommodation. Morzine has retained its alpine charm and promotes its farming roots by using local produce throughout the resort and it is very strongly family orientated.
Morzine is a relatively low-lying resort so in all probability you won’t be able to ski back to your door, but it is fantastically well placed between Avoriaz and Les Gets and, with the extensive bus network you will easily be able to return home.
For the purpose of counting ski runs, Morzine is generally lumped in with Les Gets and the 2 resorts have 69 of the total ski runs in the Portes du Soleil between them (3 green, 29 blue, 28 red and 9 black) all served by 52 lifts. It is easy to reach both Les Gets and Avoriaz and the extensive skiing beyond from Morzine, making this a very popular destination for holidaymakers and property buyers.
Morzine provides ESF instructors that are trained in all aspects of skiing for the disabled and who specialise in providing access to the thrill of skiing for most disabilities. The Portes du Soleil lift system has been specially adapted to provide extensive access to Handiski skiers throughout the region.
Other winter activities on offer from Morzine are plentiful: Heliski, outdoor ice rink, biathlon, cross country skiing, snow shoeing and climbing.
Morzine is 1 ½ hours from Geneva airport by car.
St Jean d’Aulps
St Jean d’Aulps is another traditional Haute-Savoyard village set in an unspoilt and charming setting which is quieter than some of the larger resorts that make up Portes du Soleil. The skiing here is plentiful with 30 slopes (7 green, 9 blue, 12 red and 2 black) serviced by 16 lifts and roughly 50km of skiing, 20km of which is through forested slopes. This forested skiing sets St Jean d’Aulps apart from the other resorts in the Portes du Soleil region so if you enjoy slaloming between trees then this is the place to be.
Other winter activities on offer from St Jean d’Aulps are: A skating rink, yooner sledging, horse riding, snowshoe archery and snowshoeing.
St Jean d’Aulps is linked to Portes du Soleil by the regular shuttle bus services just like Abondance and is a mere 1 hour and 10 minutes from Geneva airport by car.
The 4 Swiss Resorts within Portes du Soleil.
Champéry
Champéry is a beautiful and typically Swiss ski resort which enjoys impressive views of the Dents du Midi and the Dents Blanches both from the village and the slopes above. Whilst not a huge village Champéry is charming and provides swift access up to the Portes du Soleil ski area thanks to a cable car which whisks you straight up to the skiing above.
There is no direct skiing down to the village, but the resort provides easy access to the Portes du Solei ski area through Les Crosets and is a perfect dual-season resort for holidaymakers and property buyers. Champéry is not ideal for the beginner as there are no green slopes. There are 20 ski slopes above Champéry (8 blue, 8 red and 4 black) served by 15 lifts.
Other winter activities on offer in Champéry are: ice skating, curling, a swimming pool, horse riding tours, cross country skiing, night skiing and snow shoeing.
Champéry is 1 ½ hours from Geneva Airport by car.
Champoussin
Champoussin is a medium-sized and charming village, purpose built in traditional Swiss chalet style at the foot of the majestic Dents du Midi. The village offers outstanding views and is a key gateway into the vast skiing region of Portes du Soleil.
The terrain best suits snowboarders and intermediate skiers and there are 15 pistes and 7 ski lifts.
Champoussin is 1 ½ hours from Geneva Airport by car.
Les Crosets
Les Crosets is an ideal ‘micro’ village in which to base oneself to explore the Portes du Soleil ski area, offering speedy access through Avoriaz and beyond on the French side of the ski area on the Pointe des Mossettes lift. There is plenty of skiing in the combined Swiss resorts if you want to stay on the Swiss side, which is better suited to families with younger children or beginners.
Les Crosets is an important location for avid snowboarders as it offers one of the world’s best snow parks. You can ski back down into the village until reasonably late in the season and most of the accommodation here is ski in/ski out. There are 14 pistes at Les Crosets (7 blue, 5 red and 2 black) all served by 35 lifts.
Les Crosets is 1 ½ hours from Geneva Airport by car.
Morgins
Morgins is a picture postcard, rustic village with traditional style chalets and a modern lift system linking up to the Portes du Soleil ski area. Morgins is a particularly family friendly resort and the largest of the 4 Swiss ski resorts connected to Portes du Soleil. There are slopes to cater for intermediate ability skiers and above, but the lack of green runs means Morgins would not be an ideal base for a true beginner. There is easy access to the extensive skiing on offer however through the resort of Les Crosets and crossing from here into the French side of the Portes du Soleil ski area.
Morgins is the only resort on the Swiss side of Portes du Soleil to offer Handiski with specially trained disabled instructors. It also offers night time skiing. There are 25 slopes (14 blue and 11 red) all serviced by 35 ski lifts. Morgins differs from its neighbours in that it offers lovely long blue runs through the extensive pine forest covering the slopes.
Other winter activities on offer in Morgins are: Snow shoeing, ice climbing, paragliding, a snow park and a slalom slope.
Morgins is 1 ¼ hours from Geneva Airport by car.