Which ski resort can officially call itself the biggest of all… This title goes to “Portes du Soleil” in France! The complete resort covers an area of over 650km of slopes and holds, an adventure for every type of skier. The famous villages of Avoriaz, Morzine and Châtel are part of this resort. Officially it is the biggest but some say it is not completely true because you can only reach a few areas with a ski-bus. But we don’t care; 650km of mountain fun is still more than enough for your perfect holiday.
The last decade a lot of money has been invested in new lifts, which is certainly a huge improvement for the resort. There are still some old chairlifts and rope-tows left but most of the area is connected with state of the art modern and quick ski lifts. A bit disappointing is the fact that the resort is below 2500 meters so the snow quality is not always perfect throughout the resort. Most connected slopes are equipped with snow cannons so that even with a bit less white powder there are still a lot of possibilities.
The biggest difference between an Austrian and a French ski village is the authentic looks. In France it looks like the villages are just planned there to accommodate the tourists while in Austria you have the cozy feeling that all the farmers turned their stables into hotels. This is not the case in Portes du Soleil. The area is a collection of small authentic farm-villages with the mix of modern concrete buildings. There is even good après-ski in most of these villages!
The slopes in Portes du Soleil are extensive and definitely a challenge for everybody. The whole resort is not very steep but there are a couple of good black slopes. The real fun is the off-piste possibilities, a real heaven for nature loving free-skiers. There are a lot “secret” off-piste tracks that can certainly keep you smiling for a whole week. If you want to discover these hidden off-piste treasures VISOR advises you to hire a local guide.
