Portes Du Soleil Ski Area
The Portes Du Soleil ski area is huge, Riders Refuge are proud to have their catered chalets in Morzine the principle village at the heart of the Portes Du Soleil ski and snowboard area. Morzine is one of 12 interlinked resorts that make up the Portes Du Soleil area, one of the largest ski areas in the world, it offers a vast domain and a huge variety of terrain for all level of skiers and snowboarders.
Commitment to Freestyle
For years now the Portes Du Soleil has been a huge draw for freestyle riders with 11 snowparks with jumps, hips, rails and air bags all immaculately maintained by the Portes Du Soleils’ team of dedicated park shapers. The Avoriaz park is used by the French team to train whilst in Les Crosets park the Swiss team do likewise.
The Stash
Avoriaz which is easily accessible from all or chalets is home to the stash. Burton snowboards in association with the Portes Du Soleil have created ‘The Stash’ which uses natural elements such as tree trunks to create hits and rails for a unique free ride park. There are many events and competitions in the stash across the winter.
Portes Du Soliel Ski area FACTS
- 650km of Pistes
- 207 ski lifts
- 2 countries
- 28 black runs
- 106 red runs
- 127 blue runs
- 35 green runs
- 13 snow parks
- 1 half pipe
- 4 boarder cross courses
- 1 night skiing run
- Hands Free lift pass system
Morzine Ski Area
The Morzine ski area offers visitors exceptional skiing within easy reach of Geneva airport. Morzine occupies a privileged position in the centre of the Portes du Soleil providing easy access to both the French and Swiss Alps. The Portes du Soleil itself is vast, offering a huge 650km of piste and all types of terrain. From gentle runs in Morzine and Les Gets to challenging steeps such as the Swiss wall into Le Crosets, there is something for everyone. If you really want to explore the full area, why not try the Portes du Soleil circuit? This loop will take you through several villages in both France and Switzerland covering over 60km of piste. Alternatively, why not take a more leisurely approach and enjoy some cruising pistes, superb views and great mountain restaurants?
Morzine – Les Gets
The linked ski area of Morzine and Les Gets enjoys some superb tree-lined runs. The gentle slopes round the top of the Pleney are ideal for learning whilst on the Les Gets side, the wonderful wide runs of the Chavannes area are famous the Alps over and ideal for intermediates. The Turche area also has a couple of fantastic runs particularly the red accessible from the Perrieres chairlift which has a fun series of rollers. Those looking for steeper terrain will find the black runs from the Chamosierre and La Rosta lifts ready to challenge them. Mont Chery is a bit of a hidden gem and enjoys a variety of cruising pistes as well as a black off to the back of the Chery Nord lift. Best of all, it is almost always quiet here even in peak season!
Avoriaz
Avoriaz is not just famous for its snowparks but also for its many fantastic runs. If you are beginner, there is a great slope right next to the Chapelle park near the centre of Avoriaz and a variety of gentle runs to help you to progress throughout your holiday. There are also some excellent intermediate pistes particularly from the lifts going up the Arare and around the Lindarets bowl. A favourite is the Combe a Floret winding down through the trees to the Ardent telecabine nicknamed ‘Star Wars’ by locals. For advanced skiers and snowboarders, there are several long black runs to be found on skiers left of the ‘Arare’ leading all the way down to the bottom of Les Prodains.
Le Crosets, Champoussin and Morgins
Those with a full Portes du Soleil lift pass will be able to venture over the border into Switzerland to enjoy a network of cruising runs with a few steeps thrown in. The lift system has benefitted from some updating in recent years with new high-speed chairs at the Grand-Conche, Ail and Bochasses. There are a series of blue and red runs leading over to the Foilleuse lift above Morgins from where a couple of nice tree-lined reds head down into the town. In the other direction, skiers and snowboarders can take the Crosets chairlift and Ripalle drag and then head either towards Champery or the Chavanette lift which goes over the mighty Swiss Wall. The moguls here are enough to test even the most advanced skiers and riders.
Chatel
The Plaine Dranse area is located just over the Chaux Fleurie lift from Lindarets and is therefore quick to access from Avoriaz. This is a great place to find powder after recent snowfall and a series of fun cruising blues and reds. The run down to Pre la Joux has a slightly steeper blue top-section then opens in to a brilliant wide green that is perfect for getting those turns nailed if you’re a beginner or playing around if you’re a more established skier or rider.
Slightly further afield, take the TS des Combes lift to reach the Tete de Linga. From here there is a long red run all the way into Chatel, which offers some steep sections perfect for getting up some speed. The total descent to the bottom of Linga takes about 10 to 15 minutes for advanced skiers or snowboarders. For those a little less inclined to super steep reds then there is a blue cat track to the edge of the steeper sections of the red run and the ‘La Leiche’ blue run continuing into the valley from the two thirds point.
Super-Chatel, accessible by a short bus ride across town from Linga is not only the gateway to Torgon and Chapelle d’Abondance but also offers some nice wide cruising pistes. The home run back to the bottom of the telecabine is a firm favourite.
Torgon
Torgon, due to its distance from Morzine is often missed off visitors’ lists. However, strong skiers and riders will find that it is possible to get here in just over a couple of hours. There are some quiet pistes and beautiful views in this corner of the Portes du Soleil so it is well worth the trip. The run down from the top of the Barbossine chairlift to the Plan de Croix is really fun with rollers galore.
St Jean d’Aulps Ski Area
The St Jean D’Aulps ski area may be a little out of the way, however it is a really fun area included in the Portes du Soleil liftpass. The Roc d’Enfer circuit here takes about an hour to complete taking you down some blues and reds in this peaceful and scenic area. For guests wishing to explore this area, Riders Refuge is happy to help organise transport.
Morzine Snowparks
Morzine snowparks – The Portes du Soleil ski area is a freestyle lover’s paradise with no less than 11 snowparks, 4 boarder-cross, a superpipe and several airbags. A huge variety of modules are to be found across the area’s parks from kickers and rails to wall-rides and everything in-between, suitable for riders of all levels.
Snowboarding in Morzine has always attracted a strong community with regular competitions in slopestyle, pipe and bordercross. Many pro riders either base themselves in Morzine or return frequently to the area to take advantage of the amazing facilities. What’s more, Morzine’s central position within the Portes du Soleil allows easy access to all the best parks on offer. Freestyle skiing has also grown in popularity in the area and a visit to any of the parks will reveal a host of local talent.
Avoriaz
Avoriaz is a favourite for freestylers with no less than five dedicated zones for all levels and disciplines including half-pipe, border-cross, and a variety of parks for slope-style.
The Stash Natural Terrain Park
The Burton Stash has recently been voted the best ski run in the world by a panel of experts brought together by CNN. It is easy to see why when you visit this amazing alpine playground running through the Lindarets forest. Avoriaz, thanks to its strong reputation as a centre for snowboarding, was chosen by Burton as the site for their first European stash. This eco snow-park has modules exclusively made of wood including several wall-rides, rails, tables and even an incredibly shaped tree. View a map of what’s on offer on the dedicated Burton Stash website. Avoriaz also offers a mini-stash to allow riders to learn and progress.
La Chapelle Snowpark
The Chapelle park is located just under the top of the Proclou lift next to the beginner slopes in the centre of Avoriaz. The park is accessible from a number of lifts including the Lindarets, Prolays and Tour chairlifts. Known by locals as the ‘baby park’, in reality the park caters for a variety of levels. The Chapelle offers 3 lines of kickers (green, blue and red lines) as well as 2 lines of boxes and rails. Beginner freestylers can transition from the Avoriaz micro-park to the green kickers and flat boxes in the Chapelle, whilst the red kickers and good selection of rails on offer are perfect for strong intermediate and advanced skiers and riders. Avoriaz snowzone normally hosts a series of slopestyle competitions here throughout the winter season.
The Arare Snowpark
The Arare park is located above Avoriaz and is accessed via the Lac Intrets chair and the Arare drag-lift. Known as the ‘Big park’, the features here are generally larger and more technical than in the Chapelle and include several sizeable reds and a large black kicker at the bottom. There is also normally a hip and quarter-pipe depending on snow conditions. A boardercross runs from near the top of the park to the shapers hut and picnic area where there is also a free airbag. For sunny days there is a barbecue available to anyone who wants to bring and cook their own food.
The Superpipe
Avoriaz boasts its very own superpipe which is located at the foot of the Arare and hosts a number of competitions throughout the season. In the 2013/14 season, the Avoriaz team also built a ‘beginner-pipe’ alongside the superpipe which was really popular amongst those venturing into the pipe for the first time. This mini pipe gave many skiers and riders the confidence to approach this pipe’s big brother.
Chatel
The Smooth Park – Super-Chatel
Accessible via the super Chatel Gondola and the Coqs and Bossons lifts, the Smooth Park in Chatel offers beginner to advanced freestylers a great variety of features to try. The shapers here have been allowed to use their creativity to create a vast playground in this space. Features vary from green rollers to a wide selection of boxes and rails (including a c-box, rainbow box, a rail on a spine etc). There is also normally a quarter-pipe, butter box and several larger kickers. A boardercross runs the full length of the park’s left hand-side, whilst there is an airbag at the bottom of the park open between 13h30 à 15h30 each day. The Smooth Park website features photos, videos and information in French.
Les Crosets
The Champéry/Les Crosets Superpark
The Crosets park is the daddy of the Portes du Soleil parks and an ideal stop-off for advanced skiers and riders. The park lies under the TS Les Crosets II offering some eye-wateringly large kickers and technical rail lines. There are also some intermediate kickers and rails in this park but no features that are really suitable for beginners. Since winter 2012, the park has hosted the Swiss Freeski Open. For park maps, latest events and more, visit the park’s dedicated website.
Morzine
There is a small park in Morzine located up in Nyon under the Point de Nyon charlift. The features here are usually small (greens and blues), Whilst it may be a little limited, it’s always quiet and worth a look If you’re passing through.
Les Gets
The Mont-Chéry Snowpark
The Les Gets Snowpark is located at the top of Mont-Chéry, offering some of the best views in the whole of the Portes du Soleil. Take the Mont-Chéry Telecabine and Grand Ourse chairlift to access the park and escape the crowds! The features here are normally suitable for beginner to intermediate freestylers with boxes and rails in abundance. There are also normally a few kickers, a pole jam, a hip and a spine. Dependent on snow conditions, there is also an airbag on offer.
The Les Gets Boardercross
The Les Gets Boardercross is the real deal, used for international competitions and is therefore ideal for advanced riders. With its proper competition entrance, tabletops and fast banked corners, the course is super-fun but if you are looking for an introduction, you are better off heading to the Arare.
