Mad Dog Ski: Ski Resort guidebooks for Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland

Morzine - France

Part of the massive Portes du Soleil area, the traditional town of Morzine is spread around a wooded basin, and the town centre has a pleasantly traditional feel. If you plan to ski a lot of the Portes du Soleil area, which was finally linked together by the local downhill gold medalist Jean Vuarnet in 1974, getting to Avoriaz via bus then cable-car can be a bit laborious. The town provides a good base though, as it has the most extensive local piste of the resorts in the area with relatively few queues, and is much more attractive than purpose-built Avoriaz, with a very reasonable night life.


Morzine chalets - JP BertinUnfortunately, Morzine and the surrounding area suffer from low altitude, that said, the resort is located at the northern most end of French Alps, immediately between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc and these factors create a microclimate of weather fronts bringing precipitation to the area. Also the Morzine-Les Gets side is predominately pastureland so only 20cm snow is needed for good skiing conditions.

Pistes can get pretty busy at weekends. This is in part due to the resort's superb access by road, which makes this an extremely viable self-drive destination. Having a car in resort is also useful as it makes reaching other parts of the region much quicker, although some tour operators may provide mini-buses to drop you off.

Key Information

Resort altitude1000m - 1000m
Highest lift2460m
Lowest lift950m
Kms of piste650kms
No of lifts209
Black pistes10%
Red pistes37%
Blue pistes39%
Green pistes14%
Snow parks3
GlacierNo
Snowmaking577

Our penny's worth

There really are some beautiful lakes and trails around Morzine that are well worth going to explore. If you have little ones with them, keep them amused on a snow shoeing excursion or a horse-ride around the paths of Morzine.

Don't leave Morzine without

  • Visiting the Lac du Mondriond
  • Floodlit night skiing/boarding on the bottom of the Plenney
  • Watching the local ice hockey team ‘the Penguins’ in action
  • Mountain horse riding around the local lakes and trails
  • Paragliding around the mountain tops for the ultimate views

 

At a glance

Nearest airportsType of resortStay inGo for a
Geneva
Lyon
Mega resortChalets
Hotels
Independent Travel
Self-Catered
Tour operator
Week
Week+
Weekend
Good forOn the pisteChildrenFood and drink
Cross-country
Freestyle
Off-piste
Snowboarding
British ski schools
Online lift passes
Creches
Babysitting
Ski schools
Apres-ski
Evening drinking
Resort dining
Vegetarian
Family friendly
Live music
Late drinking
Mountain dining
OtherOther activities
Internet access
Churches
Adrenaline fuelled
Sightseeing
Relaxation
Shopping


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Snow Report:
Morzine
Report date:20 Nov 2008
Last snowed:na
Fresh snow:cm
Lifts open:na out of 84
Snow depth:
Lower slopes:0cm
Upper slopes:0cm
Piste information:
On-piste:na
Off-piste:na
Resort runs:na
Snow conditions:
Resort not yet open