European Ski Resorts A-Z

Avoriaz, France

Resort height:

 1800m

 

Slopes:

 1100‑2275m

 (950‑2275m Portes du Soleil)

Pistes:

 70km

 (650km Portes du Soleil)

 

General snow cover

 

4/5

 

Snow quality (upper)

 

3.5/5

 

Snow quality (lower)

 

3/5

 

Resort level snow

 

5/5

 

Powder potential

 

4/5

Avoriaz is high and super snowy (its average snowfall of nearly 8m a season is the highest of any resort in France), but the Portes du Soleil area as a whole is quite low.

 

Locally, at least, snow cover is very reliable and there can be few other resorts that offer more snow-sure nursery slopes. However, with a top height of just 2275m, snow quality can be variable, particularly late on in the season.

Where to ski in bad weather:

In really bad weather, head for the heavily wooded Les Lindarets area which offers a variety of intermediate runs served by two fast chairs. Here you will also find the “Stash”, an ecological un-groomed fun park area set amongst the trees.

 

Another area offering relative shelter in a storm is below the resort above Les Prodains. If it is windy, however, the top chair (accessing the famous blacks) is likely to be closed and you will have to ski all the way down to the valley and return to resort by cable-car.

Where to head in poor snow conditions:

In poor conditions, the best snow is usually found in the Arare sector as well as on the upper half of Les Hauts Forts, both of which face due north.

 

In the Portes du Soleil as a whole, the area between Avoriaz and Châtel via Plaine Dranse and Linga is generally the most secure for snow.

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