Skiing in Avoriaz

Avoriaz: a car-free resort on a cliff, at the heart of the Portes du Soleil

Avoriaz ski guide: every run by official sector, the car-free resort, Village des Enfants, 2026–27 Avoriaz vs Portes du Soleil passes and best snow months.

Resort altitude (m)

1800

Runs in the Avoriaz ski area (official count)

54

Lifts in the Avoriaz ski area

35

Snowparks

4

Linked Portes du Soleil resorts

12

Avoriaz adult 1-day pass at the ticket office, 2026–27 (EUR)

59

Portes du Soleil adult 1-day pass, 19 Dec 2026–19 Mar 2027 (EUR)

73

Skiing & terrain in Avoriaz

Avoriaz's own ski area only — the runs, beginner fields, snowcross runs and snowparks in the Avoriaz Tourist Office's Explore Avoriaz list (sectors Plateau/Station, Arare/Hauts-Forts, Chavanette/Cuboré, Lindarets/Mossette and Super Morzine, which includes Les Lindarets, Ardent and the Super-Morzine gondola side), plus four runs that appear on the official Avoriaz piste map and the Portes du Soleil map data but not in that list, and five area rows for the rest of the Portes du Soleil — 82 rows. Morzine's Pleney/Nyon side and Les Gets have their own SkiPair guide; Swiss sectors appear only as area rows.

Runs in the official Avoriaz count

54

Official count: green

8

Official count: blue

27

Official count: red

14

Official count: black

6

Approximate km of runs (official)

75

Lifts

35

Snowcross runs (marked, not groomed)

4

Rows in this table

82

Rows with an official length

0

• Green pistes in this table: 6
• Blue pistes in this table: 35
• Red pistes in this table: 15
• Black pistes in this table: 4

Checked 18 October 2026. Run names, sectors and levels come from the Explore Avoriaz list; the area labels are the sector names that list gives each run (older records use a shorter label such as 'Mossettes' or 'Hauts-Forts' — kept as published). Colours follow the list's four levels in French order: novice = green, easy = blue, intermediate = red, advanced = black; where the run is also on the Portes du Soleil interactive map we checked its grade there, and the only conflict is Séraussaix (blue vs green). The table counts 61 pistes (6 green, 35 blue, 15 red, 4 black, 1 without a colour) because the list includes variants and short sections; the tourist office's own count is 54 runs, given as 8 green, 27 blue, 14 red and 6 black (which adds up to 55), and another tourist-office page gives 51 runs — so treat the official counts as approximate. Beginner fields, snowparks and snowcross runs are not counted as pistes. No per-run lengths are published by the operator or the Portes du Soleil map for Avoriaz runs, so every length is left empty; the area total is about 75 km.

Avoriaz pistes: Arare, Chavanette, Les Lindarets and the way into the Portes du Soleil

Avoriaz sits at 1,800 m on a cliff above the Morzine valley, and its own ski area spreads from the resort in four directions: Arare and the Hauts-Forts above the village, with the black Coupe du Monde, Combe du Machon and Arête des Intrets; the Chavanette and Cuboré bowl on the Swiss border; the forested Lindarets / Mossette sector down toward Les Lindarets and Ardent; and the gentle Super Morzine side above Morzine. The tourist office counts 35 lifts, 54 runs (8 green, 27 blue, 14 red, 6 black), four snowparks and four snowcross runs over about 75 km.

The table below lists every run in the tourist office's Explore Avoriaz list with its official sector, plus four runs that appear only on the piste map. It has more piste rows than the official count because the list splits variants such as Grand Plan, Vautna and Cuboré. Neither Avoriaz nor the Portes du Soleil map publishes run lengths here, so the table has no lengths — use the official maps for route planning.

Avoriaz is also one of the 12 resorts of the Portes du Soleil, which the tourist office describes as nearly 600 km of slopes across France and Switzerland. From Chavanette you cross into the Swiss side (Les Crosets and Champéry, home of the Swiss Wall), and a few more lifts take you on to Châtel. Those sectors need the Portes du Soleil pass and are only summarised as area rows here.

Avoriaz for beginners: the Plateau, Proclou–Super Morzine and the beginner pass

Beginners start on the Plateau at the edge of the resort, reached on foot or by the easy Dromonts drag lift, where the Écoles drag lifts serve a wide, gentle slope used by the ski schools. The next step is the Proclou / Super Morzine area a little lower down, with sunny green and blue runs in the forest, and then the Lindarets sector for more varied but still manageable terrain.

The 2026–27 Beginner Pass costs €33 for 5 hours, €39 for a day or €69 for two days at every age, checked 18 Oct 2026. It covers the Prodains Express, the Super Morzine and Ardent gondolas and the beginner lifts on the Plateau, Proclou, Zore, Séraussaix, Léchère and Barmettes. Most runs listed as novice are short practice slopes, so for a first week the Avoriaz pass is usually enough.

Getting to Avoriaz: Geneva airport, Thonon or Cluses, then the road or the Prodains Express

Avoriaz has no airport. The nearest is Geneva (GVA), about 85 km away and roughly 1 h 25 by car according to the tourist office; Annecy (about 95 km), Chambéry (about 137 km) and Lyon Saint-Exupéry (about 212 km) are the alternatives. By train, the nearest stations are Thonon-les-Bains (about 45 km) and Cluses (about 41 km), both on the Léman Express from Geneva, with TGV services into Haute-Savoie.

Scheduled coaches connect Geneva airport and the Geneva, Cluses and Thonon stations with Avoriaz: Altibus runs to the resort, and SAT Léman runs to the bottom of the Prodains Express or straight to the reception area at 1,800 m. Taxis and shared transfers also run from the airport and stations; book coaches ahead in season.

For the last leg there are two options. By road, the D338 climbs from Morzine to the reception area at the resort entrance, where you unload, park in the covered car parks and request a snow vehicle (or, while it runs, a horse-drawn sleigh) to your building — the resort itself is car-free. Or leave the car at Les Prodains (540-space car park) and take the Prodains Express cable car, which reaches Place Jean Vuarnet in Avoriaz in 4 minutes (2026–27: 11 Dec–18 Apr; single adult ticket €9).

Avoriaz with kids: Village des Enfants, car-free streets and family ski schools

Avoriaz is fully car-free and the tourist office describes it as 100% ski-to-door, which makes it easy with small children. The Village des Enfants, Annie Famose's children's ski village opened in 1975, is a ski school and leisure centre for ages 3 to 16 in the resort centre, within about 300 m of each apartment block; lessons are game-based and alternate with indoor activities. For babies, the Avrizou nursery takes children from 6 months.

The ESF has about 180 instructors and, according to the tourist office, most speak English, Italian, German or Russian; ESI, Evolution 2, Avoriaz Alpine Ski School, Easy2Ride, Avo Ski and a snowboard-only school also teach here. Children under 5 ski free (collect the pass at the ticket office with proof of age). The Lil'Stash forest park in the Proclou woods, with tree huts, a slide and a barbecue area, is reached by one green and one blue run; non-skiing parents have the Aquariaz water park, the cinema and sleigh rides.

Where to stay for Avoriaz: resort districts vs Morzine vs Les Prodains

Staying in Avoriaz itself means skiing from the door: the tourist office says all accommodation is ski-in/ski-out and you can cross the resort in under 20 minutes. Festival is the lively centre, with the Village des Enfants, Aquariaz and the cinema; Snow is the party district; Crozats sits high with direct slope access; Falaise and Amara are near the entrance car parks (Amara opens onto the Proclou beginner area); Dromonts and Hauts-Forts are quieter, close to the Prodains Express arrival and the Arare and Chavanette sectors. The trade-off is car-free logistics: luggage goes by sledge, snow vehicle or sleigh from the reception area.

Morzine, in the valley, has a full town, more restaurants and often more choice of chalets and hotels. You reach Avoriaz by the Super Morzine gondola or by the free Line A shuttle to the Prodains Express, so expect a bus or lift before every ski day and a valley return in the evening. Morzine's own Pleney/Nyon side is covered in SkiPair's Les Gets / Morzine guide.

Les Prodains, at the bottom of the cable car, is a small base: you can drive and park, and the Prodains Express takes you up in 4 minutes. It suits people who want a car and quick access to Avoriaz, but it has far fewer services than either the resort or Morzine.

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Avoriaz ski pass vs Portes du Soleil pass: 2026–27 prices

There are two main passes. The Avoriaz pass covers only the Avoriaz ski area: in 2026–27 an adult (26–64) day pass costs €59 at the ticket office, or €43–55 online depending on the date, checked 18 Oct 2026. The Portes du Soleil pass adds all 12 French and Swiss resorts: an adult day pass is €73 at the ticket office from 19 Dec 2026 to 19 Mar 2027, €62 from 20 Mar to 18 Apr 2027, and a 6-day adult pass is €373 in high season.

Children under 5 ski free with proof of age; there are junior (16–25), child and senior rates, a €3 hands-free card, the Beginner Pass (€33–69) and a €37 Park & Stash day pass for the snowparks. The tourist office's advice is simple: beginners and light skiers are fine with the Avoriaz pass, and anyone planning to ski Switzerland or Châtel needs the Portes du Soleil pass.

Best time to ski in Avoriaz: snow history, 2026–27 dates and forecasts

For snow, February and March are Avoriaz's best window. In a SkiPair calculation from Météo-France daily records for the Avoriaz station (1,768 m, winters 2001–2024), average snow depth is about 163 cm in February and 179 cm in March, against about 121 cm in January. January brings the most fresh snow, about 156 cm a month on average, with February (about 133 cm) and March (about 129 cm) close behind. December and April are the shoulder months; the station has too few complete December and April records for a reliable figure. These are historical averages and don't guarantee any particular season.

The Avoriaz ski area is scheduled to open from 11 December 2026 to 18 April 2027, and the Prodains Express runs on the same dates. The tourist office describes the start of the season around the Rock On Snow event, a busy Christmas and New Year, a quieter January, a lively February during the school holidays, and softer spring snow, longer days and fewer crowds in March and April.

Before you go, check the official Avoriaz weather report and live openings bulletin, and read Météo-France's avalanche bulletin for the Chablais before any off-piste or snowcross run.

Finding ski partners in Avoriaz and across the Portes du Soleil

Avoriaz works well for a solo trip: there is no car to manage once you arrive, the lifts start at the door, and the Portes du Soleil gives you days of terrain. On SkiPair you can post your dates and level, filter for skiers or riders heading to Avoriaz or Morzine, and agree a meeting point before the trip — Place Jean Vuarnet at the top of the Prodains Express, the Lindarets hamlet at lunch, or the Arare and Chapelle snowparks for freestyle crews.

A partner makes the bigger days safer and easier: a Portes du Soleil loop through Switzerland, the Swiss Wall at Chavanette, the ungroomed snowcross runs or any off-piste. Agree on level and pace first, plan the route back into France before the lifts close, and check the avalanche bulletin together.

Ski pass prices for Avoriaz

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Weather and snow

A clearer view of the snow in Avoriaz: recent snowfall, what is forecast next, and an outlook for your dates.

Snow and temperature are model estimates. They do not confirm that lifts or pistes are open. Further-ahead dates show seasonal patterns rather than a weather forecast.

Flights & getting to Avoriaz

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Recommended airport for the French Alps: Geneva (GVA).

Avoriaz is better with your kind of people

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A glimpse of Avoriaz

Archive photos · cropped for display

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