France 

Personal Journey

By Paul "Foot" Hand

Morzine is the principal village in the French section of the huge Portes du Soleil ski region, claimed by natives to be the “world’s largest international ski area.” International in that it crosses the France-Switzerland border, with seven villages in France, eight on the Swiss side. (See the map above for their specific locations.)

The casual observer doesn’t notice a difference between the two countries, because the predominant language on the Swiss side is also French. In the southwestern corner of this small country the people speak French. I have to be reminded that Switzerland has four official languages---with the others being German, Italian, and Romansch.

On my personal journey through Portes du Soleil I stayed in in the heart of Morzine with a group of friends at the Fleur Des Neiges (Snow Flowers) Hotel. It is ideally located for a short walk to a major lift or a convenient bus stop for a ride to other locations.

Hotel owner is Dave Archimbault, a former professional hockey player in Canada. He and his charming French wife Delphine were gracious hosts, but not only in the lounge and dining room. Both expert skiers, they also guided our group and several other guests around their mountains.

Having a guide adds to the excitement in exploring such vast terrain. The Portes has 403 miles of prepared slopes and more than 200 lifts. Skiers can drop nearly a mile on a seven-mile run.

Morzine is a centuries-old traditional village with lots of charm and post-card worthy chalets. It provides strong contrast to the modern structures in the purpose-built resort of Avoriaz, with which it is jointly promoted. Every skier goes up to Avoriaz, which at 8,000 feet is roughly a mile higher. It’s a starting point for a trip to Switzerland for lunch.

You can ski down the “Swiss Wall,” which is steep and heavily moguled and earns bragging rights at lunch. Some of us rode a lift down to gentler terrain and skied comfortably to the restaurant. Bill, our boldest skier, skied the wall---and did it well. We toasted him at lunch.

One of the charms of European skiing is the lunch break. It is often possible to ski to a quaint village for a leisurely meal in a small café that is usually not crowded. Menus are alluring and vary by region, with chefs justifiably proud of their specialties. Great food is often complemented by colorful atmosphere.

Our group found Les Gets, a smaller but great village to visit and a great place to ski. It has its own following, but large groups may find it difficult to get reservations. It was easy to reach from Morzine. The slopes we enjoyed most were about 6,000-feet-high, lower than Avoriaz, warmer, and more comfortable for folks who get sick at high altitudes. Despite the lower elevations, snow conditions were comparable to those at Morzine and Avoriaz---and grooming was better. Even the challenging black slopes were in great condition and very skier-friendly.

I found an interesting way to enjoy marked trails: follow the signs that contain a symbol of a mountain animal. There are blue trails that are characterized by skiing ability and the pace at which one wishes to go. Hard-charging Bill would have liked to chase a chamois. I chose the rabbit.

The Morzine Challenge - Ski Off the Calories

by Mitch Kaplan

The first thing we did upon arrival in Morzine was visit the brand-new day spa L'eau Noire for a sauna, hot tub, steam and massage. This might not have been smart. Each of the five of us - jet-lagged to the core - fell asleep on the massage table.

It was raining when we arrived. But, fortunately, the Portes-du-Soleil ski region is Size Large - big enough to that low-altitude rain morphs into high-elevation snow. Thanks to that size, and to expert guiding from ski school director Thierry Copreau, we exploited the new snow and gained two days of off-piste powder-hounding.

Between meals.

That massage rested us enough to take on our first French Alps dinner, a multi-course, wine-assisted affair at La Chamade. We ate jambon cru, (a ham potpourri) which included porcelets (baby pork) with beijnets de pommes de terre (potato fritters), compote de girolles (mushrooms with sauce) and a condiments assortment that included beet chips. The dessert plate was large enough to feed all of us. They served three.

After Thierry exhausted us chasing powder on the first morning, we adjourned to lunch at Auberge Le Venant, a small B&B a short bus ride from town up a narrow valley. In an idyllic farm setting, we were plied with pre- and post-meal liqueurs, potatoes piled to the ceiling, and a pork/bacon/sausage dish that surfeited from just looking at it.

On Day Two, we skied to Switzerland. For lunch.

We were lured by the fondue. And, we merely had to ski from the Morzine ski area, over to the Avoriaz ski area, and across the border via ski lift to the Champery ski area.

Okay, traveling from point-to-point at this Size Large ski area can take some time and cover some distance. But, there, sitting on its own little ridge with a collection of small farm buildings, was Mac-Coq Altitude Restaurant.

Does it get any better than skiing to a superb fondue served in a small rustic, wooden refuge, set high in the mountains, outfitted with a huge round fireplace, surrounded by snowfields?

I don't think so.

Back in Morzine, we adjourned to La Bergerie, a family-friendly hotel that served an afternoon tea so bedecked with superb sweet things, I almost lapsed into a sugar-induced bout of hyperactivity. Which I would’ve, if I hadn’t had been so over-taxed by jet-lag and Size Large skiing.

But, we were required to stay awake for dinner at our hotel, Le Petit Dru, built niftily into a steep hillside overlooking town. Luckily, there we were only offered four courses, including a dessert buffet that demanded tasting multiple selections.

Unfortunately, we didn’t stay in Morzine long enough to sample more of the 41 on- and off-mountain eateries (there was a street-side crèperie stand just a block from the gondola that tantalized with sweet scents each time we passed it). Maybe that was a good thing. After all, despite sampling just a few dining options, and skiing as much as possible, it was challenging to depart the Size Large Portes-du-Soleil without becoming a Size Larger yourself.