Portes du Soleil
Portes du Soleil is a 12-village lift-linked ski area straddling the French-Swiss border in the Chablais Alps, between Lake Geneva and the Mont Blanc massif. The lift network covers 580 km of pistes from a base of 1,000 m at Morzine to 2,466 m at Pointe de Chavanette (the steep ungroomed run known as the Swiss Wall). Avoriaz at 1,800 m is the snow-sure high base; the lower French villages (Morzine, Les Gets, Châtel) and Swiss bases (Champéry, Morgins) are pretty but more weather-dependent.
Key Stats
Terrain Breakdown
The percentage of marked trails in each difficulty level. A higher beginner percentage means more terrain suitable for novices and families; a higher advanced percentage means more challenge for experts.
Best For
When to go
Average monthly snowfall and snowpack depth, with the typical operating window shaded.
Portes du Soleil's heaviest snowfall lands in January; the snowpack peaks in March.
- Snowfall
- peaks Jan
- Snowpack
- peaks Mar
- Typical season
- Nov – May
Snowfall: Météo-France, monthly normals (1994–2023).
Snow depth: Météo-France, monthly normals (1994–2023).
Where to stay
Portes du Soleil is accessed from 10 villages — pick a base.
Tiny ski-in/ski-out hamlet on the Swiss high ridge.
Quiet Swiss family village across the border from Châtel.
Working farming village with a foot in France and Switzerland.
Pretty Savoyard village with sheltered tree-lined family terrain.
Smallest Swiss base in Portes du Soleil: quiet, lake-facing.
Car-free, ski-in/ski-out high base at 1,800m: snow-sure, modernist, family-strong.
Traditional Savoyard village with low-key cross-border lift access.
Working market town with old-Savoyard centre and a busy après scene.
Working farming village with abbey heritage; quiet Portes du Soleil base.
Traditional Swiss valley village at the foot of the Dents du Midi.
Location
This area spreads across the northern French Alps in the Haute-Savoie, with villages climbing from green valley floors to high-alpine ridges near the Swiss frontier. The setting is mid-mountain and maritime-influenced, sitting between Lake Geneva and the higher peaks to the south.
Getting there
Fly into Geneva (GVA), about 3 hours from the resort by road.
- Geneva (GVA)3 hoursDirections
- Lyon (LYS)3.5 hoursDirections
- Chambéry (CMF)3 hoursDirections
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