About Avoriaz & Portes du Soleil ski areas

The Portes du Soleil, meaning ‘Gateway to the Sun’, spans 12 French and Swiss resorts, offering 600km of snow-sure pistes. It features 307 runs—39 green, 130 blue, 105 red, 33 black—plus 30 snowparks and 208 lifts, providing vast terrain for all levels of skiers and snowboarders.

Avoriaz

Perched 600m above Morzine, Avoriaz is a snow-sure resort easily reached by the Super Morzine, Prodains, or Lindarets gondolas. It’s famous for its six snowparks, including Europe’s first freestyle park, and offers fantastic skiing for all levels. Beginners and families will find gentle runs, while intermediates and experts can enjoy 250km of blue and red pistes, powder fields in Lindarets and Châtel, challenging black runs, and the legendary Swiss Wall for true thrill-seekers.

Linga and Châtel 

The Châtel and Linga areas of the Portes du Soleil offer something for every level of skier, with a good mix of reds and plenty of long, scenic runs, though no black pistes. Experienced skiers will enjoy the steep reds in the Linga sector, accessible via the Chaux Fleurie lift from Lindarets, and the long Les Rochassons run, which takes most reds down to Plain Dranse. Off-piste enthusiasts can explore lift-accessible powder fields along the ridge between Pré la Joux and Lac du Montriond, just a short hike from Chaux Fleurie or Rochassons. In Châtel, the TS des Combes lift serves the red Le Linga, a long top-to-bottom descent into Villapeyron, with Gabelou and Portes du Soleil lifts providing further exploration. The area also has a freestyle park with an airbag and Nike Chosen Series modules, while quieter powder fields offer hidden thrills for adventurous skiers. 

Remember to catch the last lift back to Lindarets to avoid an expensive taxi home!

The Swiss resorts of the Portes du Soleil

The Swiss Portes du Soleil resorts—Les Crosets, Morgins, Champoussin, Champery, Val-d’Illiez, and Torgon—are reachable from Avoriaz or Châtel. They feature snowparks, challenging red runs, and the infamous Swiss Wall, a 1km unpisted mogul descent with 331m vertical drop, strictly for expert skiers.

Les Crosets

The largest resort in Swiss sector, Les Crosets is easily reached from Lindarets via the Express Mossettes lift. From here, a long red run descends all the way to Champéry, and there’s a large snowpark accessible via TS Crosets II.

Morgins and Champoussin

Further out, Morgins and Champoussin can be reached by following the long blue run from Mossettes. Morgins offers enough terrain for a full day’s skiing, but be mindful of the last lift back to France.

For a quieter experience, Torgon is often overlooked and has fewer crowds. It’s reachable from the Châtel sector, and offers empty pistes and stunning views, especially from the Morclan summit. The Tronchey chairlift area also has a fun freeride section when conditions are right.

If you head over to the Swiss resorts in The Portes du Soleil, ensure you leave enough time to reach the lifts you need to get home - taxis home aren't cheap.

St Jean d'Aulps

St Jean d’Aulps is a quieter, stand-alone area in the Portes du Soleil, though not connected by lifts or pistes to the main resort. Just a 20-minute drive from Morzine, it’s a hidden gem covered by a full area pass. With mostly blue and red runs, plus one black, it’s ideal for mixed abilities. The high points, Col de Grayon and Grande Terche at 1,800m, offer scenic, long red runs back to the base.

Morzine and Les Gets

If you are a beginner it's unlikely you would leave Avoriaz to venture down to Morzine Le Pléney and Les Gets; it's quite a trip, however you may make it down to the Super Morzine area. 

The ski area is loosely comprised of three areas - Pléney and Les Gets, Nyon and Chamossière, Super Morzine and the vast Portes du Soleil.

You can buy a ski pass for either Morzine and Les Gets or Avoriaz, or if you want access to the whole area you can buy a Portes du Soleil ski pass.

Le Pléney and Les Gets

Morzine is ideal for families, with a great mix of beginner and intermediate slopes easily reached from the town centre. You’ll enjoy 120km of pretty, tree-lined pistes perfect for relaxed, scenic skiing.

Les Gets

Les Gets is a charming, accessible resort with beautiful tree-lined runs and stunning views, especially from Mont Chéry. It’s perfect for beginners and intermediates, offering wide, scenic blues and a free beginners’ zone in the Chavannes area. Intermediates can enjoy the Chavannes Bowl, with lifts linking blues, reds, and blacks that all meet in the centre. Mont Chéry provides a quieter experience with steeper red and black runs and a sunny south-facing aspect.

Nyon and Chamossière

Nyon and Chamossière offer excellent skiing for intermediates and advanced skiers, with a great mix of red and black runs and easy direct access from the Nyon car park, bypassing the busy Pléney area. Pointe de Nyon is a highlight, featuring the Aigle Rouge red run, a steep, winding descent with an Alpine pass feel. Confident skiers can venture off-piste to rejoin the main slopes or tackle the mogul-filled Aigle Noir and the wide Combe red. The Chamois red weaves through the trees to join the Lièvre blue, which runs all the way to the Nyon cable car. Beginners can enjoy the Nyon Plateau’s gentle blue runs, while Chamossière offers steeper challenges like the black Creux and the versatile red Arbis, which starts narrow and steep before opening into a wide, carving-friendly slope. Overall, it’s a brilliant area for varied, scenic, and exciting skiing.

Super Morzine

Opposite Pléney, the Super Morzine gondola links directly to Avoriaz and the vast Portes du Soleil ski area. While beginners can enjoy local slopes without a full pass, the wider area offers endless variety for confident skiers. Spanning 12 resorts across France and Switzerland, the Portes du Soleil boasts 600km of pistes, 307 marked runs, 30 snowparks, and 208 lifts. You’ll find everything from gentle greens and wide blues to challenging reds and blacks, all with reliable snow and stunning alpine scenery.

The winter season usually runs from mid-December to mid-April, with any early lift openings depending on snow conditions. Whenever you choose to come, as long as the lifts are open, the local pisteurs will make the best of the snow (real and/or artificial), and groom the pistes to perfection so that you get the best possible conditions.

If you're coming skiing early or late in the season

It's a good idea to check which lifts are open in Avoriaz. You might want to check the Avoriaz webcams too, for an up-to-the minute view of conditions on the ground.

Avoriaz is at the heart of the Portes du Soleil, one of the largest ski areas in the world. It's directly linked to Morzine and Les Gets in France, as well as Champéry, Les Crosets, Champoussin, and Champery in Switzerland. From Avoriaz, you can ski seamlessly across 12 resorts in the Portes du Soleil, giving access to around 650km of pistes, including a mix of French and Swiss terrain, without ever taking off your skis.

Avoriaz offers challenging terrain for advanced skiers, with standout areas including Hauts Forts, the Swiss Wall, and Secteur Chavanette. Hauts Forts features long, steep black runs like Combe du Machon and Arête des Intrets, ideal for expert mogul skiing, with slightly easier options like Bleue d’Arare. The Swiss Wall is a notorious 1km mogul field with a 331m vertical drop, rated beyond black. Secteur Chavanette provides wide, bowl-like freeride terrain with rock drops, natural gullies, and kickers, perfect for leg-burning descents after fresh snow.

Avoriaz is beginner-friendly, offering a special pass for access to dedicated beginner zones. Key areas include a kids’ club in the resort centre and a slope by Le Chapelle Park. Proclou is a wide, flat run next to Mini-Stash snowpark, while Seraussaix winds gently through pine trees. Qu’mont and Gernues provide easy blues for building confidence, and Ecoles Piste features two slow drag tows for first-timers. For progression, advanced blues like Stade d’Arare and Bleue du Lac offer slightly more challenging options.

Avoriaz is a pioneer snowboard-friendly resort with a vibrant freestyle scene. Most Portes du Soleil snowparks are based here, managed by the Avoriaz Snowzone team for all skill levels. Key areas include Snowpark de la Chappelle for beginners to intermediates, Snowpark Arare for intermediate to advanced riders, The Stash with natural and man-made features in the trees, and L’il Stash for beginners to intermediates. Additionally, four marked and secure snowcross pistes provide ungroomed fun for freestyle enthusiasts.

The ski area is so vast it can be difficult to know where to start, so we have put together some of our favourite runs throughout the Avoriaz ski area, whether you're into moguls, steep and long descents or simply beautiful, quiet pistes with great snow. 

Avoriaz offers accessible off-piste terrain for those seeking fresh powder. Gentle open fields above Ardent, the expansive slopes above Vallée de la Manche, the open pitch from Pointe de Nyon, and the shoots and couloirs into Crosets provide excellent freeride opportunities. Skiers and snowboarders should always check avalanche conditions and consider hiring a guide for safety. For more detailed routes and recommendations, a dedicated off-piste guide or resource is recommended.

In Avoriaz, when snow falls and clouds reduce visibility, head for tree-lined pistes, as the trees provide contrast and help define the slopes. Often, even if lower areas are in a white-out, the mountain tops can be sunny. Checking the webcams before heading out is recommended. For more guidance on skiing in poor conditions, refer to Avoriaz’s dedicated bad weather resources.