Travel Eye on Morzine (Alps, France)

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Overview:

Below the cliff upon which Avoriaz sits is the market town of Morzine. In terms of skiing, it offers something for everyone, particularly for boarders, who can also head to Avoriaz. Beginners will appreciate some of the local runs, which help on those first tentative days.

Regardless of experience, no mere mortal will be able to cover the Portes du Soleil region in a week, as it offers a whopping 650km of pistes.

Morzine sits at 1000m, so resort-level snow can be scarce. This puts considerable pressure on the lift system up to the higher spots, which are not all well linked. Morzine was first a town, later becoming a ski resort - as a result there is more to do than in your average purpose-built resort.

The town itself offers a decent selection of shops and more non-skiing activities than you will need in a week. Accommodation covers a wide range in terms of size, age and price. Traffic in the town can sometimes be frustrating.

Morzine is an all-round resort with wide appeal, equally popular in winter and summer, providing a combination of alpine scenery and traditional atmosphere with a good range of sporting activities and excursions for all ages. Access to the extensive Portes du Soleil ski-domain means it has something to offer all grades of skier.

There are 50-plus hotels almost exclusively in the 1- to 3-star bracket. There is a wide choice of self-catering establishments from budget studios to smart chalets for up to 14 people, most of them self catering.

Overall, Morzine is a good base, especially if skiing is not the only thing you want to do in the Alps. The snow is occasionally unreliable but, if you can stand the queues at rush hour, you will soon have all the benefits of the Portes du Soleil and nearby Avoriaz.

Locality:

Morzine is situated in south east France, in the Haute Savoie region, close to the Swiss frontier (19 mls NE of Cluses, 20 mls SE of Thonon on the shore of Lake Geneva, 8 mls W of Avoriaz, 47 mls E of Geneva (Switzerland) and its airport). It is found at the convergence of several small valleys, this extensive development lies astride a river ringed by gentle slopes and is skirted by the main road to Cluses.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

The main ski-school has about 140 instructors, with a good number of English speakers.

There is a good selection for everyday needs as well as numerous gourmet delicatessens, gift and speciality outlets. It has none of the exclusive designer boutiques that grace some alpine resorts. Abundant ski-rental and sports outfitters.

During the daytime the winter activities include downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, rock and ice-climbing, snowshoeing, ice-hockey, winter walking on cleared paths, kite- and para-skiing, para-gliding, ballooning, dog-sledding, horse-sleigh rides and ice-skating.

In the summer time popular activities include mountain biking, climbing and walking, fishing, canyoning, bird-watching, horse riding and golf. There is also a children's adventure park, a sports centre offering various indoor activities all year round as well as tennis and a water park in summer.

The nightlife here is fairly low-key apres-ski revolves around the bars, there are many restaurants and a couple of discos. Its not really a place for the energetic 18-30 age group. There is a cinema and arranged floodlit descents along with night sledging.