Accommodation
Quick answer: Avoriaz suits families, beginners, intermediates, snowboarders and freestylers who want a snowsure, car-free base with easy access to the vast Portes du Soleil. It is less suited to skiers wanting a traditional timber-chalet Alpine village feel.
Quick resort facts
Ski area: 600km of pistes, 308 runs, 209 lifts · Altitude: 1,800m to 2,466m (Hauts Forts) · Ski pass area: Portes du Soleil · Season: early December to late April · Nearest airport: Geneva (80km)
Written by the InTheSnow editorial team. Last updated: 29 July 2026. Resort facts checked against official Avoriaz sources.
Avoriaz is one of the most distinctive resorts in the Alps: a car-free, ski-in ski-out village built into the mountainside at 1,800m, with direct access to the vast Portes du Soleil ski area shared between France and Switzerland. Its high altitude, snowsure slopes and striking wood-clad architecture have made it a long-standing favourite with families, intermediates and freestylers since it was first developed in the mid-1960s.
For UK skiers, Avoriaz is a strong all-rounder. It combines a genuinely snowsure home ski area with the scale of around 600km of connected pistes, a growing après-ski scene, and some of the best terrain parks in the Alps. It won’t suit everyone: the architecture is bold rather than traditional, but for a convenient, sociable, reliably snowy week on the mountain, it remains one of the Portes du Soleil’s best bases.
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Terrain split: Across the wider Portes du Soleil (Avoriaz’s home ski pass area), roughly 13% of the 308 pistes are green, 42% blue, 34% red and 11% black, a spread that favours beginners and intermediates, while Avoriaz’s own high sector adds some notably tough black runs and off-piste terrain around the Swiss Wall.
Best for: families, beginners and intermediates, snowboarders and freestylers, and anyone who wants a snowsure, car-free base with easy access to a huge cross-border ski area.
Not for: skiers wanting a traditional timber-chalet Alpine village feel, or those wanting guaranteed good snow across the entire connected ski area rather than just the high Avoriaz sector.
For a more traditional base within the same lift network, nearby Morzine, Châtel and Les Gets all share the Portes du Soleil lift pass but offer a more classic Alpine village feel.
Avoriaz sits on a shelf high above Morzine in the Haute-Savoie, at the heart of the Portes du Soleil, one of the largest linked ski areas in the world. The resort was conceived in the mid-1960s by former Olympic downhill champion Jean Vuarnet, who planned a new ski area on the slopes of the Hauts Forts. The result is a purpose-built village unlike any other in the Alps: tall, wood-clad apartment blocks and hotels designed to blend into the cliffs, entirely free of cars, with horse-drawn sleighs and snowcats used for transport in winter.
The local piste map is divided into four broad sectors (beginner, family, forest and expert), which give a useful guide to where to ski depending on ability and conditions. Beyond skiing, Avoriaz has a curious cultural history: it hosted the Avoriaz International Fantastic Film Festival, a festival dedicated to science fiction and horror cinema, from 1973 to 1993, and has been a Tour de France stage finish on several occasions.
Avoriaz’s own sector has around 34 lifts and more than 50 pistes (roughly seven green, 28 blue, 12 red and six black, though exact counts vary slightly by source), with a longest run of about 6km and four terrain parks, including the well-regarded Burton Stash freestyle park in the woods near the Prolays chair. Sitting at 1,800m, it is the highest and most reliably snow-covered base in the Portes du Soleil.
Beyond its own slopes, Avoriaz is the gateway to the full 600km Portes du Soleil circuit: around 308 pistes and 209 lifts spread across resorts in both France and Switzerland, including Châtel, Les Gets and Morzine on the French side, and Châtel’s Swiss neighbours Champéry, Morgins and Les Crosets. See the official ski area and piste maps for the full picture.
Avoriaz is a genuinely good choice for beginners: the nursery slopes sit right in the heart of the village, so there’s no need to travel to reach them. Progression onto longer, gentle blues is straightforward, particularly through the Super Morzine sector and down through the trees toward Lindarets. The main drawback is congestion at the start and end of the day, when skiers of all abilities pass through the same beginner zone.
This is a vast intermediate playground. Locally, the Arare and Chavenette pistes are wide, confidence-building runs, while further afield the slopes around Les Crosets on the Swiss side offer excellent cruising and the long descents into Morgins are a highlight. Confident intermediates should also make the effort to reach the tree-lined runs above Les Gets.
With an average of 8m of snow a season, Avoriaz is the most snowsure sector of the Portes du Soleil, and strong skiers are well rewarded here. Head for the long black runs above Prodains, or the infamous Swiss Wall dropping toward Champéry, a steep, mogul-strewn test piste that has built something of a cult reputation. Freestylers should head for the Burton Stash park.
At 1,800m, Avoriaz is by far the most snowsure base in the Portes du Soleil, making it a sound choice for an early-season trip. The wider ski area drops much lower toward the valley towns, so snow cover across the full 600km circuit can be inconsistent, especially in a lean year; in those conditions it’s worth sticking to Avoriaz’s own high slopes or the higher Swiss sectors. The season typically runs from mid-December to mid-to-late April, snow permitting; see the official first-time visitor guide for current-season dates.
Short local passes covering Avoriaz’s own lifts are available for one or two days, but anything longer requires a full Portes du Soleil pass, covering all 600km of connected pistes across France and Switzerland. Discounts are usually available for booking online and in advance. Because prices and pass structures are updated each season, always check the official lift pass page for current rates before booking.
Planning a Portes du Soleil trip? Compare the latest ski holiday deals or browse more options in our ski resort search.
Avoriaz has a full range of ski and snowboard schools catering to all levels, from the long-established French ESF system to smaller independent operators; see the official ski and snowboard schools directory for the full list. English-speaking visitors may prefer ESF-UK’s Avoriaz page, which packages lessons for British skiers. Ski and board hire is widely available throughout the village, including shops right at the base of the lifts.
If you need to sort equipment before you travel, our ski gear guides cover what to pack and buy.
Because Avoriaz is entirely ski-in ski-out, almost every bed in the resort has direct access to the slopes. Accommodation ranges from simple studios to smart hotels and family apartments, with newer developments generally offering a higher standard of finish than some of the resort’s original 1960s and 1970s blocks. The official guide to Avoriaz’s neighbourhoods is a useful starting point, and the full accommodation directory lists options by type and standard.
Avoriaz’s après scene has grown considerably in recent years. La Folie Douce, which opened here in the 2018/19 season, has become a major draw, while long-standing favourites like Chalet d’Avoriaz and La Tavaillon remain popular for a more relaxed drink. Each spring, usually in March, the resort hosts the Snowboxx Festival, bringing live music and a lively crowd to town. On the mountain, expect a typical mix of self-service canteens and traditional Savoyard restaurants serving tartiflette, fondue and raclette.
The car-free layout makes Avoriaz an easy, safe resort for families, with beginner slopes right in the village centre. The Village des Enfants childcare and ski facility has a strong reputation, and Aquariaz, a large indoor tropical-themed water park, is a popular option for a day off the slopes. Other non-ski activities include dog-sledding and horse-drawn sleigh rides. See the official family-friendly resort guide for more.
Travelling with the family? Our family skiing guide has more tips on choosing and planning a ski trip with kids.
Because Avoriaz is car-free, most visitors park on the outskirts of the resort (booking an underground space is worth it after heavy snowfall) or arrive by transfer directly to the village. Full details are on the official access and transport page.
Comparing Avoriaz with other options? See our full guide to skiing in France for more resorts across the Alps.
Pros
Cons
Avoriaz isn’t trying to be a chocolate-box Alpine village, and it won’t appeal to skiers who want one. What it offers instead is a genuinely snowsure, car-free, ski-in ski-out base with direct access to one of the biggest linked ski areas in the world. For families, intermediates and freestylers in particular, it’s hard to beat.
Yes. Cars are not permitted in Avoriaz; visitors park on the outskirts of the resort, and transport within the village is on foot, by horse-drawn sleigh or by snowcat in winter.
Avoriaz’s own sector has around 50 pistes and 34 lifts, but it forms part of the wider Portes du Soleil, a cross-border ski area of roughly 600km of pistes across France and Switzerland.
The village sits at 1,800m, rising to around 2,466m at the Hauts Forts, making it the highest and most snowsure base in the Portes du Soleil.
Yes. Nursery slopes are located in the centre of the village, with easy progression routes onto longer blue runs, although the beginner zone can get busy at peak times.
Yes, particularly for its snow reliability. Strong skiers can head for the black runs above Prodains, the famous Swiss Wall toward Champéry, and the Burton Stash terrain park.
Geneva is the closest airport, around 80km and under two hours by road. Chambéry and Grenoble are also options, and a self-drive from Calais takes roughly 10 hours.
Thanks to its 1,800m altitude, Avoriaz is a good choice for early-season skiing from mid-December, and typically holds reliable snow through to April.
Yes. The car-free layout, central beginner slopes, Village des Enfants childcare facility and the Aquariaz indoor water park make it a popular family choice.
Avoriaz receives an average of around 8m of snow per season, making it the most snowsure part of the Portes du Soleil.
Yes. Avoriaz is part of the Portes du Soleil, which links French resorts including Morzine, Les Gets and Châtel with Swiss resorts including Champéry, Morgins and Les Crosets.
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