by nitroboarderuk
| May 01 '01 (Updated Aug 11 '02)
Pros: Read
and see for yourself.
Cons: Often crowded at the
weekends
The Bottom Line: I hope this
winter brings you all the powder runs your heart desires, and your heart desires
Avoriaz. How do I know? the same way you do...Gandalph the Wizard
Recommended: Yes
Hey Guys,
My name is Nick Hornell, aka Gandalph. I'm an English snowboarder, and I'm 23.
The following review is an in-depth look at the ski resorts of Avoriaz &
Morzine.
Having spent around two combined years at this resort, I have gathered much
information, which is both accurate, informative, and better than any brochure!
This review is set out in chapters including how to travel to the resort,
accommodation, and local services.
During the review you will find many accurate contacts, most of who, speak
English.
I hope you enjoy the following review of Avoriaz & Morzine.
(Feedback & questions to: Nitroboarderuk@yahoo.co.uk
I will try to answer all letters within a few days days.)
1. Welcome to the 'Portes du Soleil'
2. Travelling to the resorts
3. Finding accommodation
4. Skiing in the domain
5. Apre-ski
6. Local services
1. WELCOME TO THE 'PORTES DU SOLEIL'
Two countries, France and Switzerland. 400 Square Km of skiing, twelve resorts
all inter-connected, and accessible on one ski-pass. Welcome…to the ‘Portes
du soleil’
Nestlred in the ‘Haute-Savoie’ this huge ski circuit is interconnected with
2 countries and offers a massive 650km of marked piste for you to explore from
morning to night, from beginners to experts, and with it's bold and jagged
summits, it’s no wonder France is known as the capital of 'serious skiing'.
This unique ski-area link 12 resorts in France & Switzerland, passing the
villages of Savoie, to the landscapes of the Valais. It is the best scenery in
the world.
Laid directly in the epicentre of this natural paradise, lies the two largest
resorts in the 'Portes du Soleil'-'Morzine and Avoriaz'.
Morzine.
Morzine is a charming, rustic resort, which displays the rich character of a
typical alpine village.
There is no concrete here, no decorated fake wood, just beautiful, solidly built
buildings and chalets of by-gone days, predominantly built of wood, stone, and
slate. It is like no other place I have ever seen, with it’s traditional
settings, combined with so may different Nationals living here, it’s no wonder
I'm moving to Morzine indefinitely this autumn (or for all my American friends
reading this...the fall).
Although the resort has adapted to the large number of tourist needs, the spirit
of the village remains intact.
Morzine is the larger of the two resorts and is situated in a long valley,
resting at a height if 1000m(3,300ft)
A few miles away lies the purpose built resort of 'Avoriaz', and combined with
Morzine, they are by far the envy of many ski-areas, boasting an alpine ambience
that can be matched by no other resort.
Avoriaz.
You have to see Avoriaz in the morning, when the sun hits the tavillions sending
them spiralling from snowy silver, to a brilliant red. You have to see this
village community with no cars, on the street, only horse drawn sleighs. Just
imagine a resort without cars!
Well, the village is entirely traffic free, and transport consists of
horse-drawn sleigh, and special 'Snow track vehicles'. This enables you to not
only ski-in and ski-out, but it lets you ski around the entire village. Because
of this you can really feel like you no longer live in a world filled with
pollution, and all the other life-draining crap that you have to associate with
on a regular daily
basis.).
The resort itself , was built in the mid 20th century, it’s architecture is
modern, and designed to blend into the mountain, although this is best viewed in
the summer.
The proximity of Lac Leman, and it’s high altitude ensures excellent snow
conditions and help the resort stay open for extended periods. You have to come
here at least once in your lifetime, as there truly is nowhere else like it on
this earth.
Avoriaz rests at a height of 1800m(5,940ft)
Contacts.
Office Du Tourisme
Tel: +33 (0)4 50 74 02 11
GETTING THERE.
If you are like me, then travelling to the resort is half of the fun, so this
guide is primarily for the independent minded.
By Air.
From the UK, you can get an early morning flight from Liverpool or Luton with
the low cost airline 'Easyjet'.
They offer a no frills service, and offer good value for money.
For those of you outside of England. You can take a flight to Zurich and connect
to Geneva.
Upon arriving at 'Geneva International', you will find that it is separated into
two sectors, the 'French' and the 'International'.
Coach transfers with S.A.T. are available in both sectors. If you are in the
'French sector' follow signs for 'Accueil France, and in the 'International
sector' follow the 'Bus-Ticket' sign.
The desk clerks are helpful, and they all speak English, French & German.
Once you have your ticket, the staff will direct you to the coach.
An average ticket will cost around £45 and is payable in Swiss Francs or 'Euro's'.
The French Franc is no longer in circulation.
Unless you are in the 'French sector' you will receive any change in 'Swiss
francs'.
The journey to the resort will take 1 hour and 40 minutes, with some stops along
the way.
By Rail.
you can get the 'Eurostar' from London's 'Waterloo' which will take you to 'Lille'.
From here you can connect with the 'T.G.V' which will take you to 'Thonon-Les-Bains,
which is 20 miles away from the resorts by regular bus.
By Road.
From Calais, travel on the motorway bound for Lille & Paris. Once you are
past these two cities, follow Signs for
'Dijon, Macon, and the 'AutoRoute Blanche'.
Once on the 'AutoRoute Blanche' take the 'bonneville' or 'Cluses' exit.
(N.B. Although I have never travelled this way, several of my friends have and
with no problems)
Contacts:
Easyjet - www.easyjet.com
www.britishairways.com
www.americanairlines.com
S.A.T. - + 33(04)122 798 20 00
ACCOMODATION.
For your stay in Avoriaz & Morzine, I have selected a range of accommodation
including my local residence of 'Le Cedrat' which although basic has the best
view, and is in a good situation.
Morzine.
The listing in Morzine are all hotels, with their official star ratings.
(R=Restaraunt, T=TV, S=Swimming Pool, Q= Sauna, J=Jacuzzi,
W= Weight Room, T=Tennis, G=Garage, L=Lift.
Les Airelles '***' Tel: +33(0)4 50 74 71 21
55 rooms. R-T-S-Q-J-W-G-L
Le Petit Dru '***' Tel: +33(0)4 50 75 77 33
75 rooms. R-T-S-Q-J-T-W-G-L
Le Viking '***' Tel: +33(0)4 50 79 11 69
72 rooms. R-T-S-Q-L
Alt-Neve '**' Tel: +33(0)4 50 79 01 96
14 rooms. R-S-Q-S-W-L
Les Dant Blanche '**' Tel: +33(0)4 50 79 08 42
18 rooms. R-T
For a stay of six months or more contact:
Agence Baud. Tel: +33(0)4 50 79 07 13
Avoriaz.
The majority of accommodation in Avoriaz are run by a company called 'Pierre et
Vacance' and are studio apartments.
These are very basic but offer good value for money.
The apartments have a bedroom, living area(that sleeps more people),
kitchenette, bathroom and balcony. They all have radio and a few have a T.V. For
those that have no T.V. you can rent them locally (see 'Local services').
Alpages: Tel: +33(0)4 50 74 28 30
Cedrat: Tel: +33(0)4 50 74 28 45
Epicea: Tel: +33(0)4 50 74 24 60
Neva: Tel: +33(0)4 50 74 36 36
Sepia: Tel: +33(0)4 50 74 25 80
Sirius: Tel: +33(0)4 50 74 25 80
General P&V enquiry line: Tel: +(0)4 50 74 25 80
SKIING IN THE DOMAIN.
'Portes du Soleil' Statistics:
* 212 ski-lifts: 17 drag, 81 chair, 10 gondola, and
4 cable cars.
* An hourly passenger flow of 235,829 pax.
* 216km of cross-country skiing.
* Over 400 square Km, with 50 summits.
* 690 qualified ski & board instructors.
* 1200 Ski patrollers and lift company employees.
* A wide range of lift passes.
(Information supplied by the 'Avoriaz Tourist Board' and the Serma lift company)
The skiing in the 'Portes du Soleil' is vast and unlimited, and has areas
suitable for any level.
If you are an American and have never skied in Europe, then come over....and see
the real mountains. You'll never look back.
There are plenty of ultra-modern, ultra fast lifts, that can carry a large
amount of people each hour.
There is also a totally 'hands-free' lift system, that will read your pass, even
if it is in the depths of your rucksack.
For Beginners - The area offers many accessible runs which makes it ideal for
you to progress quickly.
the easy run from Avoriaz to the Super-morzine is fantastic, with incredible
views.
This said, for complete beginners, it is best to stay in either the Avoriaz-Supermorzine
area, or the Morzine-Le Get areas, which both have their own ski-pass.
For Intermediates - The best thing to do is take a passport, and head straight
for the 'Swiss border'.
The area has many mogul and tree-line runs that cross the French/Swiss area. For
the average skier or boarder, this is 'Nirvana'.
For Advanced - there are a lot of challenging runs, through-out the area,
including the 'Swiss-wall' that guards the border, and the run down the 'Hauts-Forts'
into Morzine (which unfortunately claimed my right collarbone).
For Boarders - Being a 23 year old boarder, I'm telling you, this is the 'Holy
Grail'.
The powder possibilities are endless, with virgin powder in every direction.
Unlike a lot of resorts, the whole 'Portes du Soleil' is pro-boarder, welcoming
us at every area. The resort is a pioneer of snowboarding, and you can often see
some of the pro's in the parks & pipes.
Speaking of such, there are many 'parks 'n' pipes' in the area filled with hips,
tables e.t.c. including a completely revamped snowpark with an on-going
half-pipe, and boarder-cross. There is even a micro-park for the kiddies.
Try joining the ‘midnight club’. It is not an actual club, but just a phrase
for the huge amount of boarders that surf by the light of the stars that reflect
the snow, and gently light up the resort.
(N.B. – I am not saying that this is a good thing to do, nor a safe thing, but
it is what I, along with a lot of other people do. It can be dangerous, and
there are a lot of piste-prep machines that are continually working, so be
careful, and never go alone. Medical assistance is hard to come by at 3.00am)
Also, to serve as your guide, there are circuits known as the exploration
trails. These are marked out according to you ability, and they will take you to
the runs with the most snow, sunshine and uncrowded pistes. The exploration
trails are depicted as animals.
Ski-Rental.
Absolut-ski: Tel: +33 (0)4 50 74 16 82
Intersport: Tel: +33 (0)4 50 74 13 73
Oxygene: Tel: +33 (0)4 50 74 22 46
APRES-SKI.
When the daylight fades, the fun doesn’t stop.
At night Avoriaz and Morzine come to life, with the streets lit up beautifully,
boarders & skiers put aside their on-piste rivalry, and join each other in
the alpine ambience of the ‘Portes du Soleil’.
Avoriaz and Morzine both have a muti-screen cinema which shows English films on
a regular basis.
There are also ice-rinks, swimming, saunas, squash, hammams, and bowling in the
resorts.
There are many places to eat in the resorts from traditional French dishes, to
Thai.
Try ‘Les Alpes’ in Morzine, or ‘Les Trappeurs’ in Avoriaz.
There are a lot of places that offer live music, in both resorts, and they
include’ Le Choucas’, and ‘La place’. The best however has got to be
‘Le Globe-Trotters’ in Avoriaz.
From here you could go to one of the night-clubs which open at midnight, and
close only when the lifts get going. The ‘Midnight Express, or ‘La
Festival’ are a good choice. Again these are in Avoriaz.
Selected Restaurants & Bars.
Morzine.
Les Alpes: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 79 11 96
Le Café Chaude: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 79 03 31
Patinore: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 79 05 00
La Rotonde: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 79 16 30
Avoriaz.
Le Bistro: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 74 14 08
Chez-Flo: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 74 19 94
L’Igloo: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 74 17 51
Les Trappeurs: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 74 17 33
Le Globe Totters: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 74 20 88
LOCAL SERVICES.
These are some more useful contacts for you.
Tourist office: See chapter 1
Medical Centre: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 74 05 42
Post office: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 74 05 00
TV rental: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 74 07 09
Codec: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 74 16 78
Pharmacy: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 74 01 41
Taxi: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 79 64 54
Ski School: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 74 05 65
Board School: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 7412 64
Mont Blanc
Helicopters: Tel: + 33 (0)4 50 74 22 44
Forecast: Tel: + 33 (0)8 36 68 02 74
www.morzine-avoriaz.com
www.avoriazski.com
www.ot.avoriaz.fr
Other resorts I have visited for an extended period include:
Chamonix, Flaine, Saalbach & Hinterglemm, Lake lousie, and Breckenridge.