Morzine ski – the complete guide

Photo: S.Cochard – Morzine Tourist Board

Morzine ski

Morzine is a beautiful and authentic Alpine village at the heart of the Portes du Soleil area, offering you access to over 600km of ski runs. From Geneva Airport, it’s just over an hour’s transfer across the border into France. Wind up the mountain roads and you’ll get closer and closer to Mont Blanc — and the chance to experience the village’s traditional vibe, coupled with a cool dining scene. Here’s our insider’s guide to Morzine ski…

Morzine ski resort in stats

Let’s start with some numbers. Encompassing the linked area of Les Gets, Morzine boasts 120 kilometres of pistes. These divide into 69 runs served by 48 modern lifts — all of them accessible on the same ski pass and all via the main Le Pléney gondola, which runs right from the centre of town.

Morzine perches at a height of 1,000 metres and the Pléney gondola glides up to 1,550 metres. The ski area’s highest spot is Pointe de Nyon at 2,019 metres. There’s a run for everyone here — that’s one of Morzine’s greatest joys and why it so perfectly suits skiing groups. That being said, the slopes here are particularly good for beginners and intermediates.

1000m

Village Altitude

120

Kilometres of Pistes

80

Shops

45

Restaurants

3

Green Runs

29

Blue Runs

28

Red Runs

9

Black Runs

When does Morzine open this season?

Morzine’s ski lifts officially open on Saturday 23 December 2023 through to Sunday 14 April 2024. Neighbouring Avoriaz officially opened on 15 December 2023 due to the snowfall. Add our 24-hour resort driver service to your stay and we can take you to the Prodains lift, which takes you up to Avoriaz. It takes around 8 minutes by car from Morzine to the Prodains cable car, depending on snow conditions.

We are looking forward to welcoming back our loyal guests and meeting new faces, so don’t hesitate to give us a call for prices and availability. Alternatively, you can check our prices and availability calendar.

Ski Morzine in winter - ski resort
Credit: Sam Ingles – Morzine Tourist Board

Morzine lifts

The main access lifts are Pléney, Ardent, Super Morzine and Prodains, which can be ridden by pedestrians and can be used by skiers and snowboarders. The remainder of the lifts are not available to pedestrians and can only be ridden uphill during winter. All of Morzine’s runs are accessed by the Pléney gondola, which runs from the centre of town. On the other side of the valley there is the Super Morzine gondola, which links Morzine with Avoriaz and the rest of the Portes du Soleil.

Ski areas in Morzine

Pléney

Famous for its sun-soaked slopes and blue and red runs, the Pléney area is great for beginners and intermediate skiers and boarders. Pléney is the main starting point for skiers in the area, with lifts from here to the Les Gets ski area. As well as tackling Pléney’s black run, more advanced skiers can take the lifts over to the more challenging Nyon and Chamossière areas.

Pleney - Morzine ski
Nyon Morzine Ski
Photo Credit: Morzine Tourist Board

Nyon

Nyon has more blues, a switchback red, a bumpy black and some off-piste detours for skiers who want more of a challenge. The Pointe de Nyon, at 2,012 metres, has spectacular views on a clear day of the mountains Hauts Forts, Col du Cou and the Swiss border. You can reach Nyon via the Pléney gondola or the Nyon gondola which is a short drive or bus ride from Morzine village.

Chamossière

Chamossière is a smaller ski area nearby with demanding runs for advanced skiers. Take your pick between an un-pisted run and a steep red that takes you back to the lift if you’ve got the energy for another go.

Chamossiere Morzine ski resort
Super Morzine ski resort
Photo Credit: Giles Gallas – Avoriaz Tourisme

Super Morzine

Super Morzine is a ski area just beyond Morzine with some blue runs that are great for beginner and intermediate skiers. The Super Morzine gondola connects Morzine and Avoriaz, where you’ll find plenty more runs of all levels.

Morzine ski app

We’d highly recommend downloading the Portes du Soleil Winter mobile app on the AppStore or Google Play store. It will tell you the opening times of the ski lifts, provide a live ski map, snow report and restaurant guide.

Choose your ski ability


Family ski

Even Morzine’s smallest visitors can experience its powder. For instance, Club Piou Piou, run by the ESF school, offers not only childcare but a ski school for youngsters aged three to 14. As older kids hone their skills with expert instructors, younger tots can mess around in a snow garden or homemade ski area. 

Near the bottom of the Pléney gondola, right by town, are nursery slopes for first-timers, plus some very, very gentle green slopes serviced by short draglifts. A network of tree-lined blue runs here additionally provide a nice warm-up for more experienced skiers – and please parents anxious to stay close to their brood.

Family ski in Morzine
Photo Credit: Portes du Soleil Tourist Board


Beginners

Morzine is great for beginners. Catch the Pléney gondola from the centre of Morzine and, at the top, you’ll find a couple of restaurants and the Tapis de Nabor Magic Carpet. Magic Carpets are great for beginners, as you can simply step onto them and save your energy before reaching the beginner slope! This Magic Carpet will take you up to the original Viking Magic Carpet. Step onto this and it will take you, at ground level, to the top of the beginner’s slope. This makes it easy for newbies to keep doing a loop and is where many beginner ski lessons take place.


Intermediates

Further up, there are two main pistes on opposite sides of the mountain. The south-facing slopes, on the Pléney side of the valley, have wide, sun-drenched and tree-framed blue runs like Piste B, and then some low-gradient reds which lead directly into the resort. Newbies are directed to Piste B, while both are great for practising carving or simply fine-tuning techniques and building confidence. More accomplished skiers should try the Renard, Fouine or Abeille red runs which are easily repeated via the D’Atray chairlift. Lifts here also connect onto the linked ski area of Les Gets, which offers a similar level of skiing challenge.

Further around, the mellow and north-facing Super Morzine area is mainly easy-peasy green slopes and some gentle blues such as Zore. It’s the perfect place for beginners looking to gradually improve on longer runs.

Les Gets - things to do in winter - learning to ski
Photo Credit: V.Ducrettet – Les Gets Tourist Board
Photo Credit: Sam Ingles – Morzine Tourist Board


Advanced skiers and boarders

Alongside bumpy or steeply switchbacking descents, Nyon boasts steep off-piste drops for the very accomplished. Speed freaks will find numerous daredevil lines plunging straight down the mountainside, too. As for the smaller Chamossière area – effectively a huge, unpisted bowl – two top-notch runs begin from its summit: the bouncy black Les Creux and the rangier Arbis, a red whose sheer start segues into wider gradients suiting carves. Those new to off-piste adventures can hire licensed local ski-school guides to provide an introduction.


Cross-country skiing in Morzine

With tens of kilometres of marked or groomed trails in the Manche valley and above the resort, cross-country skiing is another Morzine option. About two-thirds of those (roughly 60km) routes are classed as easy, with the other terrain either moderate or challenging. The ESF ski school offers cross-country lessons to novices or improvers.

Cross-country skiing Morzine
Photo Credit: Sam Ingles – Morzine Tourist Board

Les Portes du Soleil region

Les Portes du Soleil - ski resort
Credit: Portes du Soleil Tourist Board

Portes du Soleil region in stats

Morzine connects to the much-bigger, single-pass Portes du Soleil area, where there are 600km of pistes and 12 resorts to explore. Test out the dense network of blue and red pistes in neighbouring Avoriaz, some of the biggest moguls in the world on the Swiss Wall and a hair-raising World Cup downhill drop from Les Hauts Forts’s summit. Les Portes extends into Switzerland, and Morzine has relatively quick links to the Swiss resorts of Champery and Les Crosets. This allows for easy, border-crossing days on the slopes. During your Morzine ski holiday, you can also explore Les Gets, Montriond, Chatel, and Morgins.

600

Km of Ski Runs

209

Lifts

308

Pistes

12

Linked Resorts

1543

Snow Makers

30

Snow Parks

The amount of snow

Morzine tops up its snowfall with the help of 322 snow guns on its lower slopes. This sees large volumes of powder accumulate on the slopes, typically sustaining into-resort skiing through any thaws. Factor in access to the wider Portes de Soleil area and there’s no chance of running out of pistes.

Eagle Park

Come and try out Eagle Park on the Nyon slopes. The more adventurous will be able to test out the new XL boardercross starting from the top of the Raverettes chair. The snowpark has been reshaped and made bigger with some new features. In order to use less artificial snow, the features will be created and shaped from an earth base, with air and excitement guaranteed!

The Bélvèdere chairlift

The Bélvèdere chairlift has a high-speed six-seater design and will be able to transport up to 2,800 people per hour. This means faster access to the beginner area, as well as to the more demanding pistes at Chamossière and the fun space at the Pointe de Nyon.

La Pas de l'Aigle - Morzine Ski
Photo Credit: Domaine Skiable de Morzine


Le Pas de l’Aigle viewing platform

Don’t miss the viewing platform at the summit of nearby Pointe de Nyon. Access is free with your ski pass and only accessible by ski. At an altitude of 2,019 metres, the new 10-metre long glass walkway will make your heart pound at the 350-metre drop beneath your feet. The 360° views are breathtaking and you might be lucky enough to see both Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc.


Ski touring

Ski touring is an incredible way to experience the mountains by day and night. We know the best expert guides for a ski touring session and skiing under the stars gives you a whole new perspective!

Ski touring - Morzine guide
Photo Credit: Sam Ingles / Morzine Tourist Board

Mine d’Or experiences for families

Locals have created a Nordic-style area in the Vallee de la Manche in l’Erigné. This wild setting is far from the ski lifts, but the perfect snowy experience for families. The area is equipped with an info point, a cross-country ski circuit, a snow playground, a picnic area, a sledging slope and even an igloo!

Ask our concierge

Once you book your Morzine chalet with us, you can take full advantage of our complimentary concierge service to book your ski lessons, ski guiding and anything else you can think of!

Choose a Morzine chalet type

The best self-catered chalets in Morzine
The best catered chalets in Morzine

Contact us

For reservations and further information, email or call us:

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