Morzine is a slate-roofed valley town at 1,000 m that was a going concern long before the lifts arrived, and it still runs on its own life rather than on the ski week alone. It sits in the Portes du Soleil, with Avoriaz on the shelf above it.
How to get there: Geneva airport is 75 km away, Chambéry 127 km, Lyon-Saint-Exupéry 135 km. Coaches run from Geneva.
Slopes and lifts: the Morzine-Les Gets pass covers 120 km of marked runs, 68 slopes and 50 lifts. The Pléney gondola goes up from the middle of town and the Nyon cable car from the other side; both sectors are gentle ground for learning. The Super Morzine gondola from the village centre and the Prodains gondola are the two ways into the Avoriaz sector.
The wider area: the Portes du Soleil pass extends to 600 km across 12 resorts in France and Switzerland.
Where you stay: hotels, chalets and apartments are spread through the town, so a short bus or walk to a lift is normal here; in exchange you get a place that is open in the evening and does not close down in low season.
