the portes du soleil
The French Alps, Les Portes Du Soleil, Les Portes du Soleil is considered to be one of Europe’s greatest overall ski areas with over 650 km of groomed piste to explore. You also have the great advantage to ski in two countries in one holiday!

Transfer times to les Gets and Morzine is about 1 hour from Geneva international airport so transfers are much cheaper and quicker. Snow Trip can organise your transfers for you.

Morzine is a market town and long-established resort on the lower section of the road to Avoriaz. It has all the appeal of an old-style chalet resort set in charming, wooded surroundings. The town covers a large area on both sides of a river gorge and is on several levels. Morzine is a proper working town and as such, boasts a better range of shops and amenities than in most other ski resorts.

Lifts and Pistes
Portes du Soleil
Number of lifts:206
Total of trails/pistes: 650km

Morzine
Number of lifts:27
Total of trails/pistes: 140km

Portes du Soleil: 10% beginner, 44% easy, 36% intermediate, 10% difficult

The Domain
The circuit of Les Portes du Soleil straddles the French–Swiss border close to Geneva and is a collection of 12 ski villages, ranging from large, internationally recognised resorts to the tiniest of unspoilt hamlets.

To explore the region fully you need several weeks as it is such a huge domain. So perhaps, if you have a great first experience with Snow Trip, there is no reason why you cannot come back for a second time without going over the same old ground!

Snow-users are advised to carry passports as well as two sets of currency. Although Switzerland willingly accepts euros in border areas.

Skiing/boarding
The skiing/boarding in Les Portes du Soleil is ideal for all standards of snow-users. Above the village of Morzine is an extension of the main nursery slopes, with a variety of drag-lifts serving a series of confidence-building green runs, which link with the lifts coming up to Avoriaz.

Beginners
It does not really matter which end of the circus you choose. Châtel and Morgins both have easy nursery slopes and plenty of tree-level skiing to which novices can graduate after a few days. Morzine, and in particular the runs around Super-Morzine, are well suited to first-timers. (This is the lift that is near to the Snow Trip Chalet).

Intermediates
The whole of the Portes du Soleil ski area is ideal cruising territory. Less confident snow-users will prefer the long, sweeping runs at the Châtel end of the circuit. Linga and Plaine Dranse have entertaining slopes that keep their snow well. Stronger skiers and boarders will look towards the greater challenges of Champéry and Avoriaz. Les Gets is also an ideal base from which to explore the intermediate skiing.

Advanced
Accomplished snow-users should base themselves at the Avoriaz end of the circuit, although Champéry and Châtel are also really cool. Thanks to lift improvements, all are within easy reach of one another. It is perfectly possible to make a relaxed start from Châtel, explore Avoriaz and Les Crosets, and return to Châtel within three hours. The Wall is the most notorious run in the area; a sign at the top warns that it is to be attempted only by experts, yet it is usually crowded with intermediates. Certainly the initial angle of descent is such that you cannot see what lies ahead. After the first 50m the run flattens out considerably, though the moguls tend to be poorly cut by the high intermediate traffic. However, there are plenty of other equally challenging pistes in the region, including the World Cup run from Le Plan Brazy above Avoriaz all the way down to Les Prodains.

Off piste
The best powder runs are found within easy reach of the piste above Châtel and Avoriaz on both sides of the Swiss border. After a fresh snowfall various itineraries parallel to The Wall can be exhilarating. The area is prone to considerable avalanche danger, and the services of a qualified guide are essential. Other off-piste opportunities include the Crêtes, Le Fornet and La Suisse.

Snowboarding
Avoriaz was the first resort in Europe to appreciate the importance of snowboarding when the sport was in the early stages of development. It was also the first (in 1993) to build a half-pipe and is now recognised as one of the world’s major snowboarding centres.
The terrain park has been improved with the addition of a permanent boardercross course and a separate section with gaps, tables and rails.

Snow Trip are offering 3 options in les portes du soleil

Snow Trip catered chalets in Morzine Avoriaz	Snow Flexidays in Les Gets
The Full Snow Trip Experience in Morzine Avoriaz