A Pioneer in Sustainable Tourism

Perched on a sun-drenched plateau overlooking the charming Morzine valley, its ski slopes wind through the picturesque Chablais region along the French-Swiss border. Sharing its story and ski area with the Swiss Dents du Midi region—with resorts like Champéry and Morgins—Avoriaz continues to stand as a symbol of innovation and sustainability.

  1. A 100% pedestrian resort

Avoriaz immediately charms visitors with its car-free design. Vehicles are left in designated parking areas at the resort's entrance, while guests explore its streets—doubled as ski slopes—on foot, by sled, or even in horse-drawn carriages. This unique setting is free from urban noise and engine pollution, creating a safe, tranquil environment perfect for families. All accommodations, from chalets to residences, are ski-in/ski-out or within 50 meters of the nearest street-slope, providing easy access to the chairlifts.

  2. Distinctive architecture

Avoriaz’s architecture is unlike any other, designed to blend seamlessly into the natural landscape. Its staggered structures mimic the terrain's contours, with steep roofs holding snow like a natural camouflage. Clad in cedar shingles that weather to hues of amber and russet, these buildings embody a “mimetic architecture” that earned the resort its nickname.

  3. A resort committed to sustainability

Avoriaz has embraced a path of sustainable development, a natural extension of its history. Prioritizing carbon emission reductions, resource conservation, and eco-friendly design for most leisure facilities, the resort places environmental responsibility at the core of its tourism strategy. Avoriaz proudly holds the "Flocon Vert" certification, a label recognizing resorts dedicated to environmental sustainability.

Les Portes du Soleil: A Vast Ski Playground

The ski area caters to skiers of all levels, from beginners to seasoned skiers. Thrill-seekers can tackle legendary runs like the World Cup slope in Avoriaz or the Swiss Wall in Champéry. Families will enjoy fun skiing through the forests near Lindarêts or Châtel, while food lovers can cross to the Swiss side to savour Valaisan specialties, like tartines paired with a glass of Fendant. There’s nothing quite like skiing between two countries, two cultures, two accents, and two culinary traditions!

Les Portes du Soleil in Numbers:

• 2 countries
• 12 resorts
• 400 km²
• 208 ski lifts
• 307 slopes
• 30 snowparks, ski-cross zones, and children’s areas

Winter or Summer: Enjoy Both Seasons in Avoriaz!

Events to Electrify Your Holiday in Avoriaz

A Human Story Above All

Jean Vuarnet was the first to champion the dream of creating a resort. As a young skier from Morzine, he would carry his skis up to this remote, mostly deserted plateau in winter. The only dwellings were a few mountain huts used by shepherds during the summer months. It was the perfect site to develop a ski area at a time when French mountain resorts were embarking on a large-scale tourism development initiative.

Having become the director of the Morzine resort, Jean Vuarnet was convinced of the need to equip the Avoriaz plateau to boost the entire valley's tourism industry. He advocated for a cable car project to connect Morzine to what was to become Avoriaz. This would become the Prodains cable car. At the same time, he began shaping the first slopes on the Hauts-Forts, starting from the Pas du Lac, the only building constructed at the time, which served as a reception, restaurant, bar, and even a dormitory for the first ski patrol.

To bring his dream of building a resort to life, Jean Vuarnet needed a real estate partner, and Gérard Brémond was to become that adventurer. At 27, he was a lover of jazz and cinema, not yet fully sure whether he wanted to work in the family real estate business. To convince him, his father, Robert Brémond, handed him the project to develop a ski resort in Haute-Savoie. "Mountain resorts are a young man’s playground. If you’re interested, I’ll give you a little money to start your business, and you can pay me back later." Unknowingly, this marked the birth of Avoriaz, and shortly after, the creation of the Pierre & Vacances group.

Utopian and Visionary Architecture

Gérard Brémond did not want a resort that copied the prevailing model of the time, which he felt was too urban. He met a young architect, winner of the 1961 Grand Prix de Rome, who was ready to deliver a fresh vision of Alpine urban planning: Jacques Labro. Together with his partners Jean-Marc Roques and Jean-Jacques Orzoni, they founded the Atelier d’Architecture d'Avoriaz, to foster a dialogue between the buildings and their surroundings, ensuring the resort blended harmoniously with the landscape.

Their vision was described as "organic" or "mimetic," based on a few intangible choices. Volumes that adapted to the natural topography, cascading rooflines designed to embrace the snow as an architectural material, and façades covered in "tavaillons," the wood shingles borrowed from vernacular farmhouses. Left intentionally raw, the wood takes on shades shaped by time and exposure, like a mirror of the cliffs surrounding the resort. The best example is undoubtedly the Dromonts Hotel, often called the "pine cone" building for its slanted façades covered in wood shingles.

This groundbreaking architecture earned its designers the Equerre d'Argent prize in 1968. It is now recognized as "Remarkable Contemporary Architecture."

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To promote Avoriaz beyond its borders, Gérard Brémond teamed up with Lionel Chouchan, an advertising executive and founder of the Promo 2000 agency. They decided to create an international event, and thus the International Fantastic Film Festival was born. The event brought stars and media attention to the fledgling resort from 1973 to 1993. It became a fantastic springboard, although sometimes seen as out of step with the sporty and family-friendly image typically associated with a ski resort. Nonetheless, the Avoriaz Festival built its legend on the early recognition of some great names in global cinema. Steven Spielberg was the first, with his film Duel, followed by Brian de Palma, David Lynch, and James Cameron, all of whom were awarded the Grand Prize at the Avoriaz Festival.

Avoriaz: An Ever More Responsible Destination

From the very beginning, Avoriaz was designed with eco-responsible principles: a car-free resort, buildings seamlessly integrated into the natural surroundings, and electric heating in the residences. In the early 2000s, it committed to a sustainable development project to preserve its mountainous surroundings. From using renewable energy sources—photovoltaic panels and wood-electricity heating plants—to recycling water from Aquariaz and promoting low-carbon mobility, it has positioned itself as a pioneer for a greener tourist industry. All of the resort's stakeholders have signed a manifesto, pledging their commitment to this process—sometimes invisible to the eye, but so valuable for the preservation of the mountain.

Alpine Skiing in Avoriaz: A Snow-Drenched Ski Area

From the pedestrian centre of Avoriaz, you'll access a ski area boasting 51 slopes, served by 35 ski lifts. This versatile ski area offers something for everyone, from the quiet slopes of the Proclou Plateau to the more challenging runs of the Hauts-Forts and Fornet, as well as the winding trails through the Lindarêts forest.

Some slopes have become iconic and are at the top of the to-do list for skiers looking for a thrill. First, we have the Coupe du Monde, a red run that has hosted World Cup ski events, including the Women's Downhill. Then there's the Mur Suisse, one of the most challenging slopes in the world, requiring a daring heart to tackle its average 37° incline, complete with moguls that would rival a roller coaster. Slowing things down a little, there's the Abricotine, Avoriaz’s longest slope, which smoothly winds down a valley to the Lindarêts village. And for the freeskiers, the Stash is a 100% eco-friendly snowpark that winds through the forest with playful, creative lines. The most advanced skiers may even opt for rooftop skiing... that’s right, the rooftops of the resort are shaped like ski slopes, as demonstrated by freeskier Richard Permin.

Push the Limits of Skiing at Les Portes du Soleil

Avoriaz lies at the heart of a ski area epitomising superlatives: Les Portes du Soleil. Connecting 12 French and Swiss resorts, the area hops across the border and opens the horizon for unlimited skiing. On the French side, you’ll ski down the slopes of Morzine, Les Gets, Saint Jean d’Aulps, Avoriaz, Châtel, and La Chapelle d’Abondance. In Switzerland, you'll discover Champéry, Champoussin, Les Crozets, Morgins, and Torgon. The consensus among even the most adventurous skiers is that one week of skiing isn’t enough to explore all the corners of this vast domain.

With its 600 km of slopes, Les Portes du Soleil has something for every skier. It will also appeal to those looking for changes of scenery, with landscapes, habitats, terroirs, and even accents changing from one slope to the next. Prepare for a well-earned rest at a “cantine” or “buvette,” where you can savour a “croûte” followed by a “mousse à l’abricotine,” and be sure to tuck a piece of alpine cheese into your backpack! Experience all the pleasures of skiing in Switzerland.

Discover All Types of Winter Sports in Avoriaz

Avoriaz offers a variety of playgrounds for winter sports aficionados.

In the Lindarêts Forest, the Stash is the first eco-friendly snowpark, inspired by the concept made famous by Jake Burton (the founder of Burton Snowboards) for California ski resorts. In this ungroomed area, freeriders and freestylers can express themselves on trails dotted with wooden booters and jibs, perfectly integrated into the fir forest. Its little sibling, Lil’ Stash, offers the same experience, only for children. This fun area features a snowpark for younger kids, and an entire adventure world with treehouses, suspended bridges, slides, and wooden sculptures. It’s the enchanted realm of Shreddie, a friendly yeti who loves snowboarding and mountain biking.

Over at Proclou, cross-country skiers can explore a 23-km network of tracks surrounded by winter’s natural beauty. The cross-country area features 2 green, 2 blue, 2 red, and 1 black tracks, all free to access (excluding pedestrian lift passes). The La Chapelle loop, located at the entrance of Avoriaz, is the ideal starting point for this activity.

For powder skiing enthusiasts, the numerous snowcross courses are impossible to resist. These marked and secured trails are left ungroomed to provide the ultimate fresh snow experience. Accessible via ski lifts, they weave through valleys and small canyons-a challenge for your thighs but a delight for your eyes