Skidort Avoriaz 1800 / Portes du Soleil

Avoriaz 1800 is one of the snowiest ski resorts in the Alps and is located in the heart of the largest ski area in the world: the Portes du Soleil with 600 km of pistes. It must be said that among the French ski resorts, the Portes du Soleil is certainly not the highest: it is only 2,466 m high. However, this peak - Les Hauts Forts - lies directly above Avoriaz, which gives the resort a truly exceptional location.

From the beginning, Avoriaz has adapted its architecture to the natural conditions. The beginnings date back to 1965, when former Olympic downhill champion Jean Vuarnet took on the task of developing the Morzine ski area. Gérard Bremont is the true spiritual father of the project. He is the son of an industrialist who invested in the project and was personally a member of the French jet set. It is therefore not surprising that his Hotel Dromont, with its restaurant and discotheque, has become the "Saint Tropez of the snows" in the original core of the resort.

Today, the entirely pedestrianised resort has retained all its charm! Just before the entrance to the village there is a huge car park and from there the horse-drawn carriages cross the village all day long. Since its beginnings, the village has grown steadily, but everything has remained in a uniform dark wooden style. In the past, in the high season, there were still bottlenecks at the chairlifts in the heart of the village. Today, the state-of-the-art lifts guarantee adequate transport capacity and short waiting times in the village.

With an average of 8 metres of fresh snow per season, snow cover is guaranteed. The blue runs provide easy access to the neighbouring resort of Morzine, from where you can continue to Les Gets. Alternatively, you can take the black runs below the Hauts Forts summit to Les Prodains and then take the ski-bus to Morzine. The world famous black moguls run of Les Chavanettes takes you to Les Crosets, Champoussin, Champéry and Morgins in Switzerland. And via Les Lindarets, you can take longer routes to Châtel (F) and Torgon (CH). Here you can ski at least half of the way under the shelter of the tree line, while enjoying magnificent views of the Dents du Midi and the Dents Blanches. The Portes du Soleil ski area is truly the "Haute Route" for families!