Hitting the Slopes of Avoriaz
When you're looking for a great getaway for a ski trip to the Alps, travelling from the airport in Geneva to Avoriaz is a simple and easy trip to make.
This lovely ski resort town is situated close to the French and Swiss border, just south of Lake Geneva.
There is easy access from Geneva to Avoriaz, and once you get there you will be delighted with the idyllic, car-free streets.
The layout was planned in the mid 1960s with the assistance of French skier Jean Vaurnet, who was charged with increasing the ski visitors to Morzine.
As you wander the small resort area, you will notice that the architecture is different than resorts of the same period; its medium high-rises are built with sharp angles that help the buildings to blend into the surrounding mountains.
As a ski resort, this is one of the best-loved places for snowboarders to hit the slopes, which are set out in four sectors of pistes.
Skiing or snowboarding - take your pick Once you arrive on your transfer from Geneva to Avoriaz and have had time to wander the streets and have a look at the architecture and other interesting sites, get ready to head up to the four sectors of pistes that serve this area.
The resort is part of one of the largest skiing areas in the world: Portes du Soleil, which is named after the pass between France and Switzerland.
The 130 kilometres of pistes is divided into four sectors: Lindaret, which has mainly blue and red runs and France's only conceptually designed snowpark; the Fornet area, which is a large bowl with skiing that runs between rocks and ridges and gives you access to The Swiss Wall, one of the steepest pistes in Europe; the Haut-Forts, known for having a variety of the most demanding black runs and off piste slopes, famous around the world; and the Super Morzine area, which is mainly utilised by ski schools and beginners.
The slopes around the resort are generally treeless and you are almost always assured to have snow.
Lifts and pistes seem to jet out from the village in all directions, giving you a full 360 degrees of ski options that range from the easiest to the hardest of the slopes.
The lifts are fast and the new gondolas have all but eliminated the queues - making taking the trip from Geneva to Avoriaz well worthwhile if only for the amount of quality ski time you can get in.
If you are more of the "trickster" (read, show-off!) ski type, you can visit the area's super-pipe, but if you want a bit of time to rest and relax, spend an hour or two wandering the village - popping into the various cafes to warm up with a hot drink before heading back up one of the many lifts and going at it again.
This lovely ski resort town is situated close to the French and Swiss border, just south of Lake Geneva.
There is easy access from Geneva to Avoriaz, and once you get there you will be delighted with the idyllic, car-free streets.
The layout was planned in the mid 1960s with the assistance of French skier Jean Vaurnet, who was charged with increasing the ski visitors to Morzine.
As you wander the small resort area, you will notice that the architecture is different than resorts of the same period; its medium high-rises are built with sharp angles that help the buildings to blend into the surrounding mountains.
As a ski resort, this is one of the best-loved places for snowboarders to hit the slopes, which are set out in four sectors of pistes.
Skiing or snowboarding - take your pick Once you arrive on your transfer from Geneva to Avoriaz and have had time to wander the streets and have a look at the architecture and other interesting sites, get ready to head up to the four sectors of pistes that serve this area.
The resort is part of one of the largest skiing areas in the world: Portes du Soleil, which is named after the pass between France and Switzerland.
The 130 kilometres of pistes is divided into four sectors: Lindaret, which has mainly blue and red runs and France's only conceptually designed snowpark; the Fornet area, which is a large bowl with skiing that runs between rocks and ridges and gives you access to The Swiss Wall, one of the steepest pistes in Europe; the Haut-Forts, known for having a variety of the most demanding black runs and off piste slopes, famous around the world; and the Super Morzine area, which is mainly utilised by ski schools and beginners.
The slopes around the resort are generally treeless and you are almost always assured to have snow.
Lifts and pistes seem to jet out from the village in all directions, giving you a full 360 degrees of ski options that range from the easiest to the hardest of the slopes.
The lifts are fast and the new gondolas have all but eliminated the queues - making taking the trip from Geneva to Avoriaz well worthwhile if only for the amount of quality ski time you can get in.
If you are more of the "trickster" (read, show-off!) ski type, you can visit the area's super-pipe, but if you want a bit of time to rest and relax, spend an hour or two wandering the village - popping into the various cafes to warm up with a hot drink before heading back up one of the many lifts and going at it again.