The Portes du Soleil is one of the world’s largest ski areas, covering around 650 kilometres of marked pistes. It is ideal for skiers and snowboarders looking for a wide variety of terrain to explore. One way to experience this ski area is to take on the Portes du Soleil Circuit.
In this blog, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about doing the Portes du Soleil Circuit and give you some top tips to make it more fun and stress-free.
What is The Portes Du Soleil Circuit ?
The Portes du Soliel Circuit is a route that takes skiers and snowboarders through most of the resorts that make up the Portes du Soleil on both sides of the French-Swiss border. It’s a great day out and ideal for anyone confident with blue and red runs.
You don’t go through every ski resort, but the route cuts through Morzine, Chatel, Avoriaz and some Swiss resorts. You get to experience the best views and slopes of the Portes du Soleil and the quieter slopes of Switzerland. You may want to do the circuit when visiting during a busy week, as it’s a good way to get away from the crowds of Morzine and Avoriaz.
Top Tips For Enjoying And Completing the Portes Du Soleil Circuit
Check The Weather Before You Leave
At times, the weather might shift quickly in the mountains. This can change the dynamic of your day. Therefore, check the weather forecast to ensure you don’t encounter bad weather far from your home resort. Bad weather can make your day miserable, even worse if the lifts stop trapping you at the other end of the Portes du Soleil.
Be Prepared
It may take you longer than expected if you’ve never done the Portes du Soleil Circuit. Therefore, it is wise to pack a light backpack with extra layers. Additionally, remember to carry snacks and water as you may not have time to stop for lunch; remember, you need to get back before the lifts close.
Choose Your Route
You can do the circuit either way from Morzine, but we recommend doing it in a clockwise direction. This means you’ll head to Chatel, towards Torgon, then through the Swiss resorts of Morgins, Champoussin and Les Crosets, before heading back to Avoriaz.
Make Sure Everyone Has The Ability And Fitness To Make It Around
Everyone in your group needs to be able to comfortably ski blue and red runs and cope with varying conditions. If you’re a moderate skier or snowboarder, you should expect to be on your feet for about 6 hours, not including lunch stops. We wouldn’t recommend taking small children around the Portes du Soliel circuit, as it’s a big day out for them.
Be Comfortable With Drag Lifts
The Portes du Soliel Circuit cannot be completed without using drag lifts. Some of the drag lifts are incredibly long. There’s one with a particularly steep ascent and a couple with slight corners to contend with. If the thought of this scares you, you may want to think about staying local.
Flat Sections
There are a few flat sections around the Portes du Soleil Circuit. They aren’t too bad, but they may be a pain for less experienced snowboarders who don’t know where they are. However, considering the distance you travel around the circuit, the few flat sections are not a huge problem.
Go Early
By getting up early, you are sure to make it around the Portes du Soleil Circuit in plenty of time. Doing so means you won’t be worried about missing the last lift, and any lift queues you may encounter won’t trouble you. Getting around earlier means you can do a bit more in the afternoon or call it a day for early beers or a late lunch.
Make Sure You Have The Correct Lift Pass
You will need a full area lift pass to get around the Portes du Soleil Circuit. If you don’t have a full area pass, you’ll need to stop off at the Chatel lift pass office to buy one.
What To Expect En Route
As mentioned earlier, we recommend you head towards Chatel via the Chaux Fleurie chairlift in the Linderets bowl. This means if you’re staying in Morzine, you can get there from Super Morzine, Prodains or Ardent. Ardent is easiest, as the bubble takes you directly to Linderets.
Once you get off Chaux Fleurie, you need to ski down a blue or red piste to the Plaine Dranse area of Chatel. Take the Chaux des Roses lift from here and head for the Les Combes chairlift. There are a few ways to get to this lift, but they are all fun and manageable for competent skiers.
To Super Chatel
From the top of Les Combes, you need to ski down Linga. Here, you can take the main red route down, which is ideal for picking up speed or practising those short turns and carves. However, there’s a mellow blue option on the right-hand side for nervous skiers.
As you approach the bottom of Linga, stay right to catch the Gabelou chairlift, which takes you up and over the mountain. This chairlift takes you to a junction, where you jump on the Portes Du Soleil chairlift, which takes you to the Super Chatel area.
Here is your first drag lift. The Coq drag lift takes you a short distance up the mountain, allowing easy access to the Morclan chairlift. Alternatively, you can aim for the new Conch chairlift to speed things up a bit.
Torgon
Torgon is the furthest from Morzine as you can get using the lift system. It is very quiet with no crowds and has some pretty spectacular views, but there are a lot of drag lifts. As stunning as Togon is, especially on a powder day, you may want to miss it out and head straight for Morgins.
Morgins
Morgins is a small picturesque village with some lovely blue and red runs. The new bubble lift makes it possible to do one or two laps of these runs more quickly, so we recommend giving them a go if you have time.
You will need to take a short walk to the bubble or catch the free bus to continue the Portes du Soleil circuit. The top of the bubble has the most amazing view of the Dents du Midi.
From here, head to the Bochasses chairlift for access to Champoussin.
Make Sure You Have The Correct Lift Pass
You will need a full area lift pass to get around the Portes du Soleil Circuit. If you don’t have a full area pass, you’ll need to stop off at the Chatel lift pass office to buy one.
Champoussin and Les Crosets
From the top of the Bochasses lift, take the blue run to the Aiguille de Champeys chairlift. The red run at the top leads to Pointe de l’Au, giving you access to Les Crosets.
Depending on your mood and energy levels, you have some choices when you get to Les Crosets. If you want to head back to Morzine, you can jump on the Swiss side of the Mossettes lift and go back to Linderets. The top of this run is quite flat, so keep your speed up while you can, especially if you’re a snowboarder.
If you want to do a bit more, follow the signs to Avoriaz via the Grande Conche chairlift. Catching the Cubore lift takes you to the Fornet area of Avoriaz.
One last charge on a red that turns into a blue brings you to the Tour chairlift in Avoriaz.
How to Reach Morzine
Most people fly into Geneva Airport, which sits about 1.5 hours from Morzine by road. This short transfer time makes the region an easy choice for weekend getaways and extended holidays.
A2Ski offers reliable transfers that link Morzine to Geneva. To arrange your transport, contact us today. Let us handle the logistics so you can focus on the fun.
We focus on hassle-free travel so you can have the best start and end to your holiday. Book in advance to secure your spot through our contact page.