Skiing in Avoriaz
For the dedicated skier, not only does Avoriaz offer some of the best skiing in the area but it’s the prime jumping-off point to explore the Portes du Soleil.
Avoriaz Ski Area Overview
The area can be divided into three sectors: Les Hauts Forts, principally reds and blacks and the highest skiing in the area, Chavannette, the sunniest and generally most popular sector and the Lindarets valley which separates Avoriaz from Chatel. The one drawback is that the ski area can become congested during busy periods, although Avoriaz has invested heavily in high-capacity, high-speed lifts at the bottlenecks to reduce this. It’s also generally possible to avoid the worst crowds by taking alternative routes: use the Cubore chair and the drag lift on the other side to access Switzerland, use the chairs rather than the cable car to ascend from Prodains, and the Brochaux chair rather than the main Lindarets lift back from the valley.
There is good terrain within the Avoriaz area for advanced & off-piste skiers, intermediates and beginners, but advanced and intermediates will want to go over the ridge to explore Champery & les Crosets, or down the mountain and into Morzine and across to Les Gets and the wider Portes du Soleil.
Beginner Skiing in Avoriaz
Novice skiers have a big area to practice, starting at the Avoriaz plateau.
First-time skiers have a bigger area than you’d normally expect. Starting on the Avoriaz plateau, as you gain confidence you can progress onto the wide sweeping blues of Super Morzine, Arare or down into the Lindarets valley. There are so many options that even a group of mixed experience should be able to arrange meeting points that will generally suit everyone.
Ski Schools & Ski Lessons in Avoriaz
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Intermediate Skiing in Avoriaz
Intermediates can explore the Portes du Soleil for weeks without ever skiing the same run twice.
Once you’re comfortable skiing reds and blues, the whole area opens up. There are virtually limitless choices as to how you plan your day and you can explore the skiing for weeks without ever skiing the same runs twice. Particularly good choices are Super Morzine, the runs to Lindarets or over into Chatel and the Linga Valley (you will need a Portes du Soleil lift pass). Ultimately though, the area is about scale so why not try one of the “circuits” – well-marked day-long ski safaris taking you around the ski area
Advanced & Expert Skiiers in Avoriaz
Advanced skiers should try the Hauts Forts black runs down to Les Prodains and the Swiss Wall – one of the steepest and bumpiest runs in Europe – then head Off-Piste, exploring all the Portes du Soleil has to offer.
Advanced skiers benefit from the size of the area as there’s great red and black skiing in every corner of the Portes du Soleil. Around Avoriaz head for the steeps of Les Hauts Forts, where the bumps on Machon are steeper for a shorter distance than the infamous Wall. As well as the official runs look out for the off-piste. If you traverse across the Les Crozats de la Chaux, you can descend through the trees to Les Prodains. But be careful, it’s steep and there can be avalanches,
Then it’s time for the Swiss Wall itself, which is just over the border in Champery. It’s one of the steepest and bumpiest runs in Europe and deserving of multiple descents. It’s effectively a bowl with South East, East and North East facing parts so if you traverse at the top, you can get very different experiences from different routes. If the snow is good you can keep going off-piste, heading slightly to the right until you join the long Grand Paradis red run, which is very enjoyable in its own right.
If you enjoy bumps, the former drag lift track up from Les Lindarets is now a long bump run with a near-perfect gradient. Watch out though, as once you’re halfway down there’s no alternative but to continue.
Then it’s time for more off-piste. A guide can show you the descent from the Fornet chairlift in Avoriaz to L’Erigne. It needs good snow though.
The Les Crosets ski area in Switzerland which is part of the Portes du Soleil easily accessible from Avoriaz’s lifts, is one big semi-circular bowl, with plenty of between-the-pistes freeriding potential for advanced skiers if they both know what they are doing and can see what they are doing. There are some good steep couloirs but take care (or better still, take a guide) because there are rocks, cliffs and hidden gullies here as well. When it’s time to leave the area, there is a good, North-facing ungroomed route (sometimes shown on maps as a black piste) from Pointe de l’Au which joins the long blue from Col des Portes du Soleil, down to Morgins.
Further afield, the Tete de Linga and Cornebois area in Pre la Joux (part of Chatel), the Pointe de Nyon and Chamossiere in the Morzine sector, and the North face of Mont Chery on the far side of Les Gets, are all good fun, and you can get to them and back from Avoriaz within a day.
Boarding & Freestyle in Avoriaz
Three snowparks and the Snowcross zone mean that snowboarders and free riders will feel very welcome in Avoriaz.
Avoriaz actively encourages new snowsports. Three Snowparks and the Snowcross zone mean that boarders and free riders will feel very welcomed. Out of the park, most of the lifts are chairs making life very easy.
Avoriaz Mountain Restaurants
Avoriaz has a well-deserved reputation for great mountain dining.
Avoriaz, in common with much of the Portes de Soleil, has a well-deserved reputation for great mountain dining. The Lindarets Valley has an entire village of good restaurants although the Terrasse merits attention for an excellent non-Savoyarde menu while the Cremaillere simply offers a great menu du jour each day.
The Station itself is so central to the skiing that it’s quite normal to eat in the village and again it’s difficult to go wrong. Otherwise, there are mountain restaurants sprinkled liberally throughout the entire ski area.
Click on the links for more information on the mountain restaurants serving other Portes du Soleil ski resorts of Les Gets and Morzine.