Whether addicted to an annual fix, a dedicated boarder or a just after an all-action family holiday, Morzine Avoriaz in the Portes Du Soleil seems perfect. And the icing on the cake is that it is just a short hop from Geneva Airport and, if you sort your own transfers, it is perfectly possible to get from the depths of Devon or Doncaster in the morning and be on the slopes by the afternoon.
Morzine Avoriaz are two separate resorts but marketed together as they have a slick transport network and together they offer every type of skiing and boarding.
Morzine is a typical Haute Savoie town, bustling with restaurants, ski gear outlets, bars and nightclubs, with slopes on both sides; one, the Pleney linking to the wide open areas of another near neighbour, Les Gets, and the other, via the Super Morzine cable car, to Avoriaz.
The two are connected by a charming, Disneylike ‘road train’. But many head straight to the free bus and the Prodains telecabine, which is a direct link to the mountain top village of Avoriaz..
The skiing on offer is virtually limitless. It is possible to ski all 12 resorts in the Portes Du Soleil in one day (but only in one direction at the moment) but, if that agenda seems more like a route march than a holiday, there are plenty of other challenges closer to hand.
For beginners, the slopes accessed by the Belvedere lift above Pleney look perfect, and once you have found your ski legs there is a network of blue runs, which all head back to the village.
For those with a few more miles on the clock, it is a big adventure playground – after a massive dump of snow, H19, just above the town, was fantastic sunny fun, there are some lovely reds in the Nyon-Champossiere area – one run ends by a mountain top farm yard - and the whole Les Gets area was amazing - parts of it were virtually deserted. The off-piste through the trees, accessed from the Zore lift, on the Super Morzine side were also fun without being scary.
Avoriaz is a car-free village built right on a mountain top, the architecture mirroring the cliffs on which it sits. It has one of the best snow records in The Alps and it really is worth a visit after dark, when the village centre magically lights up. For small children, the snow play area is bang in the centre of the village, along with an ice rink and, outside the main telecabine access, it is possible to take a sleigh ride around the village!
There are hours of fun to be had for experts – crowds gather to watch the skiers and boarders in the snowpark under the Produe lift – and The Stash is an off-piste, tree-lined area with natural jumps and ramps. It is possible to ski in Switzerland, too, as the resort links with Planachaux, Les Crosets, Champoussin and Morgins – but, if you want to stop for lunch, make sure you have some Swiss Francs.
If you don’t fancy skiing, then there are plenty of other activities – visits to the other Aulps valley villages can be made for one euro on the Balad’Aulps bus. Snow shoe treks can be made around the area, serious pampering can take place at the spas, and there are regular visits to the local cheesemaker and slate mine.
But where to stay? MorzineAvoriaz has accommodation for every budget but, if you fancy a little luxury, try Au Coin de Feu chalet run by English couple Francesca and Paul Eyre. At the foot of the Prodain Telecabine, it is possible to ski back to the garden, via a blue, red or black run. The food is great, there is an outdoor hot tub and, truly amazing in my experience, the beds are comfy! Bespoke breaks are available if you just want a few days’ escape to the slopes and they will arrange your transfers. They are ideally set up for families with small children, as there is an in-house crèche run by fully qualified nannies. Visit www.chillypowder.com
Forthcoming events:
Feb 2-6, White Week, learn to ski off-piste, try ski jeering (skiing while driving a horse), film festival etc
Feburary holidays – carnival time
March 16-20 – Zen Week – massage workshops, Tai Chi, yoga etc.
Further information on activitie,s contact Morzine Tourist Centre –www,morzine-avoriaz.com
I have met lots of people with stressful jobs, but for responsibility I have yet to meet anyone whose job beats that of Pascal Charles, the Chef Des Pistes for Morzine.
He has a passion for his job – that goes without saying as, during the season, he is on duty for around 12 hours a day.
• Pascal Charles, the Chef Des Pistes for Morzine
I met him in his office behind the Pleney telecabine, at the end of a busy day when there had been heavy overnight snow.
With his 40 staff, Pascal is responsible for the safety of everyone on ‘his’ mountain. His unit open the slopes, make sure all are properly signed and decide which are safe to be open.
They get injured skiers and boarders off the slopes, coordinating medical care. Pascal organises the snowmaking, pistebashing and avalanche blasting.
He says: " Everyday there is at least one person injured. In busy periods, we have had 20 a day. The nearest lift controller teleophones a call centre and they assess how to access the inured person.
"If it is steep, the ski patrollers ski to them. If it is flat, they use a skidoo. An ambulance meets them down at Pleney or, if it is a bad accident, a helicopter with a doctor on board is called."
There are 20 patrollers on duty each day with 13 sledges, but you won’t see many over the age of 40 – by then, says Pascal, either backs and knees can no longer take the strain or the lure of an all-year-round job proves too great.
His favourite days are those which involve plenty of snow – and the avalanche blasting that goes with it. "That is the most interesting because it doesn’t happen every day. The whole safely of the ski area is my responsibility and, if we don’t monitor the snow, an avalanche could see people dead or injured, and, don’t forget, that includes my staff."
The day we met, the TS de Chamossiere lift had been closed and, earlier in the morning, it had taken a long time for the lifts to open in Avoriaz. All the holiday skiers, keen to sample the powder, were champing at the bit, but probably would have been a bit more patient had they known why.
Pascal explained: "The previous day there was a lot of rain, then the temperature fell and the water in the cable of the lifts froze. We can’t open the lifts until it has all thawed as it causes the wire to expand and could cause it to jump off when travelling over the wheels."
He has been doing the job for 12 years. "It is a passion. I love working outdoors all the time, although I am getting more and more paperwork. I have skied since the age of four and love the fact that there are so many different aspects to my job, although I guess not many people would want the responsibility!’
WITH some of the World’s best skiers gathered in the French Alps for Tignes Airwaves – and 150,000 Euros in prize money – it was always going to be an attractive event.
For the fifth successive year, Tignes Airwaves drew thousands of visitors to the famous glacier resort to see skiers at the top of their game.
New this year was The Riderscup – directly inspired by the golf tournament between the United States and Europe!
The Riderscup was based on a team format – something new for freestyle skiing – the Americans and the Europeans going head to head in the Big Air and the Half-pipe.
Stars of freestyle, Candide Thovex captained the European team, while T J Schiller headed the team from across The Big Pond.
In the spectacular Big Air and Half-pipe events (see the photographs), 16 riders battled it out two by two, with points being awarded towards the trophy.
It didn’t take long for the atmosphere to build as the Europeans started to edge ahead thanks to some amazing rides!
After the opening Big Air – where skiers hurtled down a slope and then rode up a specially made slope to pull off tricks – the Europeans were comfortably ahead by 10 points to six.
Despite a brave effort from the Americans in the Half-pipe – where skiers rode the high walls and created spectacular technical turns and jumps – the Riderscup went to Europe, who won overall 23-11.
One of the highlights of the week was the Fourcross Mountain Biking event – where riders hammer it down a pisted – but extremely tricky – track. Yes, it sounds crazy and it is! Imagine sitting in the saddle and pedalling like mad down an icy hillside with jumps and banked turns…
The following day came the Skiercross, one of the most technical events where six skiers battle away down a 1,500m long course of enormous rollers and banked turns – a bit like the old film Rollerball except on snow!
For the past two years, the girls have also competed in their own Skiercross – and they were certainly not to be outdone by the guys for bravery as they hurtled down the steep track.
But the highlight of the week, for me, was the floodlit mogul skiing competition. Imagine standing at the top of a long, extremely steep slope. Then flinging yourself down the mountain and negotiating huge moguls (bumps) and finishing off with a spectacular leap – where skiers pull off some amazing tricks.
Eight of the World’s best mogul skiers battled out for the coveted title of King of the Bumps. The action was amazing – it still seems incredible that someone can ski straightline down a series of bumps and stay upright!
The whole Tignes Airwaves event was a marvellous experience. As well as being able to get close up to the action, there were giant television screens showing the competitions, too. The evening events were floodlit and incredible sound systems bellowed out great music – and lively DJ-style commentary – as the action unfolded.
Why not give the event a whirl next year? Find out more by visiting
www.tignes.net
• There were no snowboarding events this year due to lack of support from top World riders in recent times, but it is hoped to attract boarders to next year’s Tignes Airwaves.
• Tignes will host the only French leg of the Freeride World Tour from March 8-14.
EARLY season skiing and Austrian resorts do not normally go together too well due lack of snow reliability. BUT there is at least one exception – and it’s a real "star" – Obergurgl.
For the past three seasons, a ski buddy called Snowy (yes, it’s true) and his family had been extolling the virtues of this charming small resort and this season managed to persuade me to break away from the reliable high French Alps bases to give it a go.
With European ski resorts enjoying some of the best early season snow for years, a quick check of the internet confirmed that Obergurgl was also disappearing beneath metres of the white stuff.
Any seasoned skier or boarder will tell you that, if you have the nerve and hold out until the last minute, there will always be a bargain to snap up. It’s a balancing act: book too early and it’s going to prove costly, book too late and the last few places will go back up in price.
I was luck enough to grab an absolute steal – a three-star hotel with half-board, flights and transfers with Thomson Ski – a snip at £275.
With Obergurgl convert Mark Snow in tow, we couldn’t believe the deal, especially when we arrived at the Hotel Lohmann. One of the best hotels in town, we had an enormous room with twin beds, double sofa bed, dining area and fridge, and a sitting area with television. And the bathroom was something else…
There had to be a catch, but the hotel’s first impressions did not disappoint, with sumptuous food – unlimited free wine or beer with evening meals – rounded off with a banquet on the last night.
The village itself is compact and attractive, with the skiing linking with nearby Hochgurgl – and the huge ski area of Solden being only a 15-minute free bus ride away.
Obergurgl boasts some fine bars and restaurants, but it is certainly not for the lager-swilling brigade – a la St Anton.
But, yes, there is a crazy Austrian bar with live music just a little way back up the home run to the village. The Nederhutte encourages dancing on tables and is in stark contrast to the tranquillity of the rest of the resort. After a few beers, you might not fancy the floodlit ski back to village – so take advantage of a free skidoo lift. Great fun on the ultimate boy’s toy!
Obergurgl and neighbouring Hochgurgl boast some great skiing, a mixture of reds and blues – something for the whole family.
One of the highlights of the week, for me, was working our way across to the ranges to the newly built Top Mountain Star, a panorama bar towering at 3,080m above sea level. With breathtaking scenery all round, it comes a close second to the sights from the Aig du Midi above Chamonix and down the Valley Blanche.
It’s the sort of place that leaves pictures indelibly printed in your head – for use on those days when you are having a bad day at the office…
Apart from enjoying incredible snow – it stopped for just two days in a fortnight spell – we had a great day’s skiing at Solden. Although the resort itself might not be particularly appealing – unless you like laddish bars – the pistes were tremendous. Wide, sometimes gentle, sometimes challenging – an excellent mix. And we were lucky enough to find a real gem – a "proper" wooden-built mountain hut complete with Alpine memorabilia, stunning views and gulaschesuppe and home-made sausages to die for. A far cry from some of the canteen-style restaurants of the French Alps.
As well as charm and great skiing, Obergurgl is also famous for at least one other thing – it’s clothes boutiques. Women’s heaven. It seemed that almost every hotel not only had its own ski shop, but at least two floors of designer outfits – Prada, darling, seemed to trip off the tonque with such ease for some… I can see why the Hotel Hochfirst is popular with the stars, such as Take That.
The ski shops, too, boasted the latest designs – and definitely the latest equipment. One great advantage of hiring at the start of the season is the racks of brand new skis and boots – take your choice.
An affable chap called Herwig, who runs Riml Sport, was incredibly patient as people came back day after day to try out ski after ski. Nothing was too much trouble for the guy – even when the soles of my walking boots decided to split and let in snow. Out came a free caffine-loaded cup of expresso while he super-glued the cracks – "no charge, sir."
I suppose his attitude summed the whole laid-back feel of Obergurgl. Service was king no matter where you went – a real "star" of a place. I’ll be back. Like the aptly named Snow family, I was hooked.
Phil Griffin (phil.griffin@archant.co.uk)