If you are looking for a family friendly resort with great skiing for beginners and intermediates alike, then Morzine is a fantastic choice. Located within the large Portes du Soleil ski area, there is around 650km of skiing terrain to explore both in France and across the border in Switzerland. With so much to discover from Morzine as a convenient base, there is little time to get bored!
In this quick guide, we will give you some top tips on snow sports for beginners, intermediates and the more advanced, the best ski pass for your trip, the weather you can expect, top tips on accommodation and further advice on weather conditions and getting to the resort. Read on and ensure you are prepared for your Alpine adventure in Morzine.
.jpg)
There is a great variety of different slopes at Morzine, suitable for all levels of ability. Plus, with the neighbouring resorts of Les Gets and Avoriaz easily accessible from the resort, you have plenty of additional pistes to try.
For beginners there are some ideal nursey slopes down into the resort village and a great selection of fun blues to try once you have found your feet. You can take the TS du Belvedere lift to the top of the green slope from where you can easily practice your new found skills as you make you way back down into the village.
You can also head over to Les Gets and access the free beginner’s area at the top of the Chavanne chair lift. This is a great option if you want a bit of variety while you are learning and includes 3 green pistes, magic carpet lifts and a rope tow for skiers. At Les Gets you will also find the popular family snowpark, Le Grand Cry, an American Western inspired playground.
When you feel more confident you can try some of the 29 blue slopes at Morzine, such as Pistes B, C and D. These are wide gentle blues through the tree line where you can take your time as you descend the mountain.
If you are looking for lessons for beginners, you have a few options directly in Morzine. The main company in the resort is the French ESF Ski School and you also have the British Alpine Ski School. Both offer lessons in English with the choice of group or private lessons.
Morzine is one of the best resorts for intermediate skiing with a great range of blues and reds and even further options at connecting resorts. The region as a whole offers 240 different intermediate slopes, so there is plenty to be explored!
To break yourself in slowly begin your week on the tree-lined Pleney slopes between Morzine and Les Gets for long, wide runs on Piste A. If you then want more of a challenge, you can head over to Les Gets and take on the more difficult runs on Mont Chéry.
Thrill seekers can race their way down Morzine’s Red Arbis for an exhilarating run which you can often enjoy all to yourself. Another firm favourite is the Les Lanches which winds down a challenging, tree-lined Alpine valley.
Further intermediate runs can be enjoyed at the higher slopes of Nyon and Chamossière which sit above the tree line and higher still over at Avoriaz and the Swiss resorts of Crosets and Champery. Enjoy some stunning views, unforgettable skiing and all on the one ski pass for the Portes du Soleil.
.jpg)
While Morzine is not so well known for its steep advanced slopes, there are still some reds and blacks that will put your skills to the test. Morzine and nearby Les Gets together offer 28 red runs and 9 black runs with additional off-piste areas to discover. The highest peaks offer some of the best advanced skiing with Chamossière at 2002m being the tallest, followed by Mont Chéry at 1826 and La Rosta at 1665m.
In Morzine you will find fast steep runs beneath the TS D’Atray on Piste A and J and can take on the task of tackling the resorts highest run at Point de Nyon to the Aigle Rouge and down the Chamois Red. Another treat are the steep runs around Chamossière which are usually overlooked by tourists and include the wonderful red Arbis with its challenging moguls.
You have two main choices when it comes to the Morzine lift pass. You can opt for the Morzine and Les Gets combined pass which gives access to 120km of runs or you can choose a Portes du Soleil ski pass which opens up over 650km of pistes across France and Switzerland.
Which one is best for you? This will mostly depend on your ski experience and your budget. If you are an experienced or competent skier then the Portes du Soleil pass is a great option. It gives you the chance to try something new every day and take in new aspects of the spectacular scenery. However, if you are just getting started, it is better to stick with the Morzine and Les Gets pass. If you are staying just a week, Morzine offers all you need with great nursery slopes and a fantastic range of blue intermediate slopes for you to master your new skills.
The cost of the passes will depend on several factors including when you go, for how long, you age, whether or not you book online and whether you purchase your tickets together as a group. If you plan to stay a week then a 6-day pass for Morzine and Les Gets costs €216 and for the Portes du Soleil €278 for the 2020/2021 season for adults between 20 and 64. You will find some great discounts if you book online, especially if book before the season begins with early-bird discounts offering as much as 30% off standard prices. Each resort offers a 1-day beginner’s discount and you will find some great savings for families.
.jpg)
The Morzine resort area enjoys up to 9 metres of snow every year and you will find reliable coverage outside of the beginning and end of the season. As Morzine village itself is quite low in altitude it can happen in these periods that there is no snow. However, there are snow cannons in place and you have easy access to the higher slopes via the lifts and the resort Gondola.
With the Portes du Soleil pass you can also enjoy much higher pistes with guaranteed snow coverage and great conditions.
You have plenty of different accommodation types to choose from in Morzine as it is one of the world’s most popular ski resorts. Its excellent location with access to some of the best runs in the Portes du Soleil, its close proximity to Geneva Airport and its family friendly laid-back vibe ensure that many skiers return here year on year.
You can choose from Morzine hotels, chalets, dorms and more with an option for every budget. There are several towns and villages around the resort and it is worth considering what matters most to you when choosing your accommodation. Do you want to ski in and ski out of your accommodation directly onto the pistes and lifts? Do you want easy access to the apres-ski and the bars and clubs? Then it is best for you to choose accommodation in the centre of the resort. However, if you want a more peaceful, family trip, it may be worth considering staying a bit further out of the resort in one of the nearby quaint ski villages.
If you are travelling with a group or as a family, a Morzine chalet may be your best option. You can choose from catered or self-catered and enjoy the true Savoyard ski experience in cosy, traditional chalet! If this appeals to you, then we recommend you check our Hunter Chalets and Apartments for gorgeous, luxury accommodation in Morzine and Les Gets. The company prides itself on providing a high-quality, personal service to all guests and with a concierge, a driver and a professional chef at their catered winter chalets, you can rest assured that all your needs will be taken care of. Outisde of the winter months, the chalets are offered self-catered. Depending on which one you choose, the chalets could be fitted with a hot tub, indoor swimming pool, a spa and sauna area, a cinema room, a roof deck, an outdoor fire pit and much more. With Hunter’s chalets you get the best of both worlds – an enviable location in the resort to access the pistes and a comfortable, welcoming chalet to come back to where you can rest, relax and recover.
Another of our favourites is the award-winning AliKats Mountain Holidays who can consistently be found at the top of the Tripadvisor rankings in Morzine. Their beautiful chalets enjoy fantastic mountain views and provide some of the best food around. If you like nothing better than a good meal after a long day on the slopes, then the AliKats catered chalets are the perfect choice. They use fresh, local and seasonal products with almost all meals made from scratch by their wonderful in-house chefs. The staff are friendly and helpful and the company has an outstanding environmental attitude, helping to reduce the impact of skiing on the planet. You will want for nothing when you stay with AliKats!
Morzine is not only well located for accessing some of the best skiing in the Alps, it is also conveniently close to Geneva International Airport. The airport is just an hour and 30 minutes away by private transfer and slightly longer by coach. It has excellent flight connections all over Europe and offers a great range of airlines to choose from.
Alternatively, you can drive to the resort with well maintained roads ensuring a safe journey up the mountain or you can take the train. There are direct TGVs from Paris and other major cities to Cluses or Thonon-les-Bains just 40 minutes transfer away from Morzine.
So, there you have it, our quick guide to Morzine. There is much more to discover but we hope we covered all the basics you need to start planning your holiday in one of the world’s best ski resorts!
Back to overview
Hi there!
We are Jacob and Taylor. Travel is our passion and we love sharing our experiences here at The Travelling Souk. Our hope is that you would be inspired by this little blog to try something new, embrace an adventure, and live life to the fullest.