Avoriaz
Encyclopedia
Avoriaz is a French
mountain resort in the heart of the Portes du Soleil
. It is located in the territory of the commune
of Morzine
. It is easily accessible from either Thonon at Lake Geneva or Cluses-junction on the A40 motorway between Geneva
and Chamonix
. Either way one follow the D902, Route des Grandes Alpes
, to Morzine
and then the D338 running from Morzine to Avoriaz. Snow chains
are often necessary.
Avoriaz is built on a shelf high above the town of Morzine, which is among the pioneering towns of skiing with its first lifts dating back to the early 1930s.
Today Avoriaz is one of the major french skidestinations catering for all standards of living, skiing and ranks among the top snowboarding destinations of the world. Apart from snow-based pursuits, Avoriaz is also a centre for trekking, golf, VTT (mountain biking) and other outdoor activities during the summer.
Cars are forbidden in Avoriaz. The station is designed to be fully skiable. Other transport around the resort includes horse-drawn sleighs during winter and snow caps.
was given the task of developing the skiing of Morzine and came up with the first plan of a new skiing area on the northside of the Hauts Fort mountain and the Fornet-bowl. Later, lift connections were made to the east and south, creating a vast linked skiing area covering France and Switzerland. Avoriaz as a resort is the brainchild of Gerard Bremont, the son of a leading french industrialist whom Jean Vuarnet asked to invest in the project. Gerard Bremont - at the time a notable member of the french jetset - engaged 3 newly educated and highly talented young architects to design the resort and within a few years Avoriaz and especially the Hotel Dromont and its restaurant and Discothèque was proclaimed the "Saint Tropez de Neige" - the centre of jet-set skiing. At a later stage other former elite skiers such as Isabelle Mir
and Annie Famose
got involved - the latter today running the famous ski-kindergarten. The two of them jointly giving name to one of the leading ski- and fashion shops, The Mirfamose. Today Avoriaz is no longer a Fashionable destination as such but more of a mainstream winter-resort with predominantly selfcatering guests staying under more modest conditions. For the Winter 2011/12 ski season Avoriaz has undergone many changes including the development of a brand new area with 8 buildings housing a total of 450 ski apartments including L'Amara, Crozats and L'Electra residences .
, named after a pass between France and Switzerland. The Avoriaz part of the skiing area consists of about 130 km of piste. The entire Portes du Soleil offers between 650 and 700 km of piste - nearly all of it linked by more than 200 lifts. The total lift capacity is close to 250.000 persons/h. making it one of the two largest linked lift networks in the world alongside Les Trois Vallees
(PdS having slightly more lifts but with slightly less capacity/h). Avoriaz is directly linked to Swiss resort Les Crosets and French resorts Chatel and Morzine. The Avoriaz-pistes are divided in 4 sectors: The Lindaret, Haut-Forts, Fornet and Super Morzine. The latter being mainly connection to Morzine and heavily used by ski-schools and beginners.
The Lindaret is a beautiful valley with a number of red and blue runs plus a single black. In the Lindaret-valley one finds The Stash - a conceptual snowpark developed by Burton and based on ecological principles. It is the only one of its kind in France. There is a number of restaurants and a small village at the bottom of the valley.
The Fornet area is a large bowl with basically skiing everywhere between huge rocks and crevasses. From one of the ridges around the Fornet bowl one can test the famous La Chavanette
- also known as The Swiss Wall, one of the steepest pistes in Europe - it is not part of the Avoriaz-system but belongs to neighbouring Swiss resort Les Crosets
.
Haut-Forts is the most demanding area with a number of black runs starting at 2.400 and ending at 1.100 metres, some of which are for experts only. The world cup piste - although rated black - is pretty easy though. This area is also ideal for off-piste although caution is advised since this is an area with frequent avalanches. From the Haut-Forts top-station it is possible to ski directly back to Avoriaz by red or blue slopes.
they went on to design a resort the like of which had never been seen - high rise buildings (12- 16 floors) with acute angles and a close similarity to the mountains that surrounded them - the result being that seen from afar Avoriaz blends in very well with the mountains. The Dromonts hotel was designed by Labro and was the first building finished in March 1966. The buildings are almost entirely covered in red cedar wood. The 3 original architects of Avoriaz have all won awards for their work such as the Académie des Beaux Arts, the Equerre d'Argent and silver medal from the Architectural Académie.
and Les Crosets. There is a large number of tracks around Morzine and Les Gets
as well.
debut, Duel, was the first prizewinner of the festival. Other winners include Peter Jackson
, David Cronenberg
and David Lynch
(twice). There is a quite interesting series of posters covering the 20 festivals. The posters were originally for sale in different sizes - including postcards but are hard to find today. The posters are on permanent display at the restaurant "Le Bistro" in the resort-centre although not in a particularly charming way since one has to go to the toilet to find a couple of the posters.
. Avoriaz has hosted a stage finish of the Tour de France 6 times. First time was in 1975 with Spanish Vicente López Carril the winner. In 1994 Piotr Ugrumov
won a short mountain time trial
between Morzine and Avoriaz. In 2010 Avoriaz was once again host of a Tour de France finish - the first mountainstage of the race won by Andy Schleck
. Furthermore Morzine in the valley below Avoriaz has hosted stage finishes on a number of occasions. Among others the now infamous stagewin of American Floyd Landis
in 2006 following which he was tested for and convicted of use of doping.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
mountain resort in the heart of the Portes du Soleil
Portes du Soleil
Les Portes du Soleil is a major skisports destination in the northern French alps encompassing thirteen resorts between Mont Blanc in France and Lake Geneva in Switzerland...
. It is located in the territory of the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Morzine
Morzine
Morzine is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France with panoramic mountain views, modern ski facilities and hotels and restaurants. The ski resort of Avoriaz is located on the territory of the commune...
. It is easily accessible from either Thonon at Lake Geneva or Cluses-junction on the A40 motorway between Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
and Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
. Either way one follow the D902, Route des Grandes Alpes
Route des Grandes Alpes
The Route des Grandes Alpes is a tourist itinerary through the French Alps between Lake Geneva and the French Riviera passing over all the high passes of the Alps within France....
, to Morzine
Morzine
Morzine is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France with panoramic mountain views, modern ski facilities and hotels and restaurants. The ski resort of Avoriaz is located on the territory of the commune...
and then the D338 running from Morzine to Avoriaz. Snow chains
Snow chains
Snow chains, or tire chains, are devices fitted to the tires of vehicles to provide maximum traction when driving through snow and ice....
are often necessary.
Avoriaz is built on a shelf high above the town of Morzine, which is among the pioneering towns of skiing with its first lifts dating back to the early 1930s.
Today Avoriaz is one of the major french skidestinations catering for all standards of living, skiing and ranks among the top snowboarding destinations of the world. Apart from snow-based pursuits, Avoriaz is also a centre for trekking, golf, VTT (mountain biking) and other outdoor activities during the summer.
Cars are forbidden in Avoriaz. The station is designed to be fully skiable. Other transport around the resort includes horse-drawn sleighs during winter and snow caps.
Resort history
Around 1965, former French downhill olympic champion Jean VuarnetJean Vuarnet
Jean Vuarnet is a former ski racer from France.- Career :The high point of his career came in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, where he won the gold medal in the downhill....
was given the task of developing the skiing of Morzine and came up with the first plan of a new skiing area on the northside of the Hauts Fort mountain and the Fornet-bowl. Later, lift connections were made to the east and south, creating a vast linked skiing area covering France and Switzerland. Avoriaz as a resort is the brainchild of Gerard Bremont, the son of a leading french industrialist whom Jean Vuarnet asked to invest in the project. Gerard Bremont - at the time a notable member of the french jetset - engaged 3 newly educated and highly talented young architects to design the resort and within a few years Avoriaz and especially the Hotel Dromont and its restaurant and Discothèque was proclaimed the "Saint Tropez de Neige" - the centre of jet-set skiing. At a later stage other former elite skiers such as Isabelle Mir
Isabelle Mir
Isabelle Mir is a French former Alpine skier. At the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble Mir was silver medalist in the downhill...
and Annie Famose
Annie Famose
Annie Famose is a French former Alpine skier. She was a member of the dominating French alpine skiing national team in the 1960s...
got involved - the latter today running the famous ski-kindergarten. The two of them jointly giving name to one of the leading ski- and fashion shops, The Mirfamose. Today Avoriaz is no longer a Fashionable destination as such but more of a mainstream winter-resort with predominantly selfcatering guests staying under more modest conditions. For the Winter 2011/12 ski season Avoriaz has undergone many changes including the development of a brand new area with 8 buildings housing a total of 450 ski apartments including L'Amara, Crozats and L'Electra residences .
Surrounding pistes
Avoriaz is a station on the main circuit of one of the largest skiing areas in the world, Les Portes du SoleilPortes du Soleil
Les Portes du Soleil is a major skisports destination in the northern French alps encompassing thirteen resorts between Mont Blanc in France and Lake Geneva in Switzerland...
, named after a pass between France and Switzerland. The Avoriaz part of the skiing area consists of about 130 km of piste. The entire Portes du Soleil offers between 650 and 700 km of piste - nearly all of it linked by more than 200 lifts. The total lift capacity is close to 250.000 persons/h. making it one of the two largest linked lift networks in the world alongside Les Trois Vallees
Les Trois Vallées
Les Trois Vallées or The Three Valleys is a ski region in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie département of France, above the town of Moûtiers and have areas within the Vanoise National Park...
(PdS having slightly more lifts but with slightly less capacity/h). Avoriaz is directly linked to Swiss resort Les Crosets and French resorts Chatel and Morzine. The Avoriaz-pistes are divided in 4 sectors: The Lindaret, Haut-Forts, Fornet and Super Morzine. The latter being mainly connection to Morzine and heavily used by ski-schools and beginners.
The Lindaret is a beautiful valley with a number of red and blue runs plus a single black. In the Lindaret-valley one finds The Stash - a conceptual snowpark developed by Burton and based on ecological principles. It is the only one of its kind in France. There is a number of restaurants and a small village at the bottom of the valley.
The Fornet area is a large bowl with basically skiing everywhere between huge rocks and crevasses. From one of the ridges around the Fornet bowl one can test the famous La Chavanette
La Chavanette
Le Pas de Chavanette, also known as the "Mur Suisse" or "Swiss Wall", is a particularly steep and difficult piste in the Portes du Soleil ski area, on the border between France and Switzerland. It can be reached from the French resort of Avoriaz and from the Swiss towns of Les Crosets and Champéry...
- also known as The Swiss Wall, one of the steepest pistes in Europe - it is not part of the Avoriaz-system but belongs to neighbouring Swiss resort Les Crosets
Les Crosets
rightAt , Les Crosets is the resort of highest altitude among those on the Swiss side of the Portes du Soleil. It is, however, one of the smallest as well. It is easily reached by skis from Chatel and Avoriaz. It has a microclimate and allows splendid views of the Dents Du Midi. The famous Swiss...
.
Haut-Forts is the most demanding area with a number of black runs starting at 2.400 and ending at 1.100 metres, some of which are for experts only. The world cup piste - although rated black - is pretty easy though. This area is also ideal for off-piste although caution is advised since this is an area with frequent avalanches. From the Haut-Forts top-station it is possible to ski directly back to Avoriaz by red or blue slopes.
Architecture
Avoriaz is unique amongst the 1960s purpose built ski resorts. Gerard Bremont hired young architects Jacques Labro, Jean-Jacques Orzoni and Jean-Marc Roques to design the resort. And loosely inspired by some of the ideas of famous Swiss architect Le CorbusierLe Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
they went on to design a resort the like of which had never been seen - high rise buildings (12- 16 floors) with acute angles and a close similarity to the mountains that surrounded them - the result being that seen from afar Avoriaz blends in very well with the mountains. The Dromonts hotel was designed by Labro and was the first building finished in March 1966. The buildings are almost entirely covered in red cedar wood. The 3 original architects of Avoriaz have all won awards for their work such as the Académie des Beaux Arts, the Equerre d'Argent and silver medal from the Architectural Académie.
Downhill mountain biking
Portes du Soleil is among the top downhill mountain biking stations in Europa and by far the largest in France. Several of the more testing routes embark from Avoriaz, and the local branch of the french Ski-School (ESF), change into a downhill biking school and bik e rental centre each year during July and august. A number of chairlifts operate during the summer to ensure lift capacity for the rapidly rising number of downhill mountain bikers. The biking of Avoriaz is concentrated in the Lindaret Valley with connections further on towards ChatelChatel
- Places :In France:* Châtel, Haute-Savoie, in the Haute-Savoie department* Châtel-Censoir, in the Yonne department* Chatel-Chéhéry, in the Ardennes department* Châtel-de-Joux, in the Jura department* Châtel-de-Neuvre, in the Allier department...
and Les Crosets. There is a large number of tracks around Morzine and Les Gets
Les Gets
Les Gets is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The village's first single person chair lift was opened in 1938 with the first chair lift on Mont Chery in 1954.-Geography:...
as well.
Avoriaz Film Festival
For 20 years from 1973 until 1993 Avoriaz was the host of "Festival international du film fantastique d'Avoriaz" - a film festival mainly devoted to science fiction and horror movies. Steven SpielbergSteven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
debut, Duel, was the first prizewinner of the festival. Other winners include Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
, David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg
David Paul Cronenberg, OC, FRSC is a Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror or venereal horror genre. This style of filmmaking explores people's fears of bodily transformation and infection. In his films, the...
and David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
(twice). There is a quite interesting series of posters covering the 20 festivals. The posters were originally for sale in different sizes - including postcards but are hard to find today. The posters are on permanent display at the restaurant "Le Bistro" in the resort-centre although not in a particularly charming way since one has to go to the toilet to find a couple of the posters.
Tour de France
Avoriaz and its "mothertown" Morzine have been frequent hosts to the Tour de FranceTour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
. Avoriaz has hosted a stage finish of the Tour de France 6 times. First time was in 1975 with Spanish Vicente López Carril the winner. In 1994 Piotr Ugrumov
Piotr Ugrumov
Piotr Ugrumov is a former Russian professional road racing cyclist who participated for Latvia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, though he was a part of the Russian delegation at the 1996 Summer Olympics. His career as a professional lasted from 1989 to 1999, he had ten victories...
won a short mountain time trial
Time trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...
between Morzine and Avoriaz. In 2010 Avoriaz was once again host of a Tour de France finish - the first mountainstage of the race won by Andy Schleck
Andy Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974...
. Furthermore Morzine in the valley below Avoriaz has hosted stage finishes on a number of occasions. Among others the now infamous stagewin of American Floyd Landis
Floyd Landis
Floyd Landis is an American retired cyclist who after initially being awarded victory in the 2006 Tour de France was stripped of his title for a doping offense. He was an all-around rider, with special skills in climbing and time-trialing, and is also known to be a very fast descender.Landis...
in 2006 following which he was tested for and convicted of use of doping.
See also
- List of highest paved roads in Europe
- List of mountain passes
External links
- 2010 Tour de France preview for Stage 8 at Avoriaz
- AboutMorzine.com - An unrivalled source of information for anyone interested in visiting Morzine, Les Gets, Avoriaz and the Portes de Soleil.
- Official tourist information site
- Snow conditions for skiing in Avoriaz
- The Stash - page covering the worldwide concept of "organic snowparks"
- Morzine resort info/chalets