So, in Morzine you’ve picked a resort that has great apres-ski, is picturesque, and is one of the easiest resorts to travel to, either by plane, car or train. When it comes to skiing, Morzine has over 650km of groomed pistes, 11 snowparks, low-level beginner slopes and steep, mogul-ridden Black runs, such as The Wall in between Avoriaz and the Swiss towns of Champery & Les Crosets. However, you’re concerned its low altitude might cause struggles with snow? We hear this concern a lot but the Portes du Soleil region is one of the most snow-sure regions in France. Sure, the town itself of Morzine does sit quite low at 1000m above sea level, however within a few lifts, you can rise to 2000m quickly.
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Snow Depths by Resort
Let’s take a look at the below table, and you’ll notice that Morzine is comparable in snowfall per week to Meribel, a high-end, fashionable, snow-sure resort itself. The differences are marginal, and throughout February & March - typically peak-season throughout European resorts - historically Morzine has had slightly more snow! In comparison to Val Thoren, the highest resort in Europe sitting at 2,300m, Morzine & Avoriaz numbers stack-up nicely, only falling off noticeably in April.
Data taken from https://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Morzine/history
| Month | Morzine - Snow Amount (week) (cm) | Avoriaz - Snow amount (week) (cm) | Meribel - Snow amount (week) (cm) | Val Thoren - Snow Amount (week) (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 26 | 30 | 27 | 27 |
| January | 30 | 36 | 33 | 38 |
| February | 26 | 31 | 25 | 28 |
| March | 26 | 30 | 25 | 29 |
| April | 12 | 15 | 17 | 23 |
Where Morzine, and the wider Portes du Soleil region, start to separate from many other resorts is the inclusion of Avoriaz,a high-altitude, purpose-built resort that sits on a glacier at 1800m. As snow-sure as they come, with guaranteed snow all season (and even year round on rare occasions, where you can ski and mountain bike in the same day), Avoriaz is the perfect addition to the Portes du Soleil region, the largest interlinked ski area in the world.
How far is Avoriaz from Morzine?
So you want to visit Avoriaz from our chalet? With the Portes Du Soleil being interlinked by 650km of groomed piste, you can of course ski to Avoriaz. An easily skiable route for all levels via the Super Morzine cable car and Zore, Proclou, and Seraussaix Chairlifts, you’ll be in Avoriaz in about 30 minutes. Alternatively, there’s a road route and drop-off point at the Prodains cable car. From Avoriaz, you can swing down to the Swiss-side of the resort if you fancy lunching over the border.
Mountain top resort of Avoriaz
What is Morzine like for beginners?
Morzine is a great destination for beginners as it offers lots of different types of skiing and wide open nursery slopes ideal for learning on. The nursery slope at Pleney is serviced by the TS du Belvedere, and once graduated from the green, Piste B is the gentlest of the blue slopes that take skiers down to the town on the scenic route and ends at the Pleney Telecabine.
A benefit of being a lower resort is that a lot of the runs that end in town are tree-lined, so are great for when the weather comes in as visibility is easier with trees lining the pistes.
First time in Morzine?
For anyone new to the area, or indeed skiing or snowboarding, Atlas Ski Co can help put you in touch with experts to book ski lessons or guides to familiarise yourself with the vast Portes du Soleil region. The benefits of ski lessons for beginners are obvious, but even for people who go regularly, working on technique for a day at the start of the week helps you with something to focus on for your time away and improves your overall ability. It also gives you pistes to start on, taking away the first day of searching and meaning you can dive straight into enjoying your skiing.
At Atlas Ski Co we work with the best ski instructors in town, and through our relationship with them over the years, know which elements of lessons each are best suited to. In other words, a group of beginners might not get the most out of an instructor that excels at backcountry off-piste instructing, even though they are more than capable of teaching all parts of skiing, each has their specialities just like in any teaching.
Find out more about skiing lessons HERE.
Need a rest day? Morzine has plenty to explore
Skiing holidays are tiring, especially for beginners not used to using those muscles! Down time is important, and whether you want a day mooching the shops of Morzine or booking a sports massage to really work out those knots, our friendly staff at Atlas can always point you in the right direction and help with bookings. Morzine is a big town for a ski resort, and as it operates year round has more amenities than most. Check out THIS blog for a list of what to do other than skiing.
