Two countries, one ski pass: everything you need to know about Avoriaz!

As a winter sports enthusiast, I am sure that sometimes it is difficult to choose the perfect destination to fully enjoy your hobby. That is why I am here to help you with this article about our skiing experience at the ski resort Portes du Soleil, from mid-March. I hope that by the end of the article, you will give the resort a chance too, Avoriaz.

Some useful information to know in advance

Avoriaz is a ski resort located in the French Alps, in the Haute-Savoie region, on the border with Switzerland. It is located at 1800m altitude and is part of the famous ski area Les Portes du Soleil, which has over600km ski slopes with 196–214 lifts, making it the second largest ski area in Europe. Avoriaz is just one of the main resorts in this area, much better known than the others, but you can also hit the slopes at the following resorts: – France: Avoriaz, Morzine, Les Gets, Châtel, Abondance & – Switzerland: Champéry, Morgins, Les Crosets

You basically have two countries where you can ski with a single ski pass, for all levels of skiers, with extremely wide and well-maintained slopes, where you won't even have time to wait in line because you'll want to try all the slopes. The area is also known for freeriding, but also because it is home to the famous Swiss Wall ( close to Champéry and Les Crosets) – considered one of the most difficult and steepest slopes in the world, with a gradient of ~37°, with much steeper sections and bumps (moguls) up to 2 m high after fresh snowfall, which is why it is intended ONLY for extremely advanced skiers.

About ski pass and ski rent

More information you can find on the the official website, where you can buy your ski pass (there is usually a 5% discount if you buy it online) and pick it up at the main gondola stations in the resorts. I also recommend checking the official website to see how much snow has fallen, which slopes are open, and the webcams for that morning. But as a general idea, you can opt strictly for an Avoriaz 1800 ski pass strictly for the slopes around the resort (good if you are a beginner, staying in Avoriaz or know you will be skiing less) or for the main Portes du Soleil pass, which offers access everywhere, including Switzerland. Prices vary from season to season, so it's best to check the website to see the exact prices. (We were there in March 2024, so they have changed quite a bit since then).

As for renting skis or snowboards, you can find specific places in all resorts, and the price is around 50-60 euros/day/person, including skis, boots, and poles. Helmets are paid separately if you need one. However, I recommend that you have a place to store them at your accommodation, or you will have to depend on the store's closing time, which usually coincides with the closing time of the facility.

Organizational details

All that's well and good, but how do we get there? Well, let me tell you how we did it. We flew from Bucharest to Geneva with WizzAir (in the meantime, the race no longer exists, you can opt for AnimaWings or fly with a stopover. But it's a good idea to check the WizzAir website because they may reintroduce it) and from there we rented a car from Hertz. How much we paid for the flight and car is irrelevant because we organized this mini trip a month in advance, so we paid more than we should have. For the car, I recommend you also check the platform DiscoverCars for very good offers.

Because we decided at the last minute, we found other accommodation options in the resort Châtel, an apartament without breakfast, about a 5-minute walk from the main gondola. It took us almost 2 hours to drive from Geneva airport to Châtel.

We couldn't find any reasonably priced accommodation in Avoriaz, so we changed our plans. Personally, I thought Châtel was excellently located, with quick access to the truly challenging slopes and good connections to the rest of the resort via chairlifts. Being in mid-March and at a lower altitude of 1200m, there was no snow left in the resort, but the slopes were fine. Check this out map of the area before choosing where to set up your base, so you can see how the connections are made to cross into Switzerland.

Avoriaz looks very different from many resorts I have visited. You cannot drive there, you have to leave your car in a parking lot outside the small town, and if you have large luggage, there are horse-drawn carriages that take you to the hotel. All the hotels are made of wood and have the same architecture, there are a couple of chairlifts that pass over the resort, and the scenery is superb. And what's more, all the hotels here are ski-in/ski-out? So it's a skier's paradise, hence the prices. But one day, we will return here and stay in Avoriaz to enjoy the full experience of the resort.

I don't have much more to tell you except to go with a lot of enthusiasm and a huge desire to ski because you'll want to go everywhere. The landscapes are extraordinary, especially when you reach the highest point of Pointe des Mossettes, located at 2,277 m. Here, the alpine valleys open up incredibly, there are some superb slopes where you love to ski, there are so many mountain peaks that you feel like you and the mountain are one at that moment. You can even see Mont Blanc if the weather is nice, the best place is at the top when you arrive with the Ranfoilly chairlift (Les Gets).

We enjoyed it immensely, and four days was just enough time to warm up and try out this place. We definitely added it to our list of skiing destinations and promised ourselves we would return to enjoy it even more. The only thing we noticed was that the snow was already half-melted, not ideal for skiing, with a thick layer of ice underneath, which was a bit dangerous, and it didn't seem like they were grooming the slopes in the evening. It was probably towards the end of the season and they left everything quite natural, at least some of the moguls were quite large. So next time I would choose January-February.

I hope this article has helped you add the Portes du Soleil ski area to your list, and I would love to know where else you have skied and if you enjoyed it. Keep following me for more stories 🙂