The Portes du Soleil ski area, 600 km of pistes across France and Switzerland

Linking 12 resorts across France and Switzerland, the Portes du Soleil is one of the largest connected ski areas in the world. Its 600 km of pistes spread over 400 km², between 900 and 2,460 metres, across the Chablais in Haute-Savoie and the Swiss Valais. Born in the mid-1960s from the link between French and Swiss villages, it now brings together Morzine, Avoriaz, Les Gets and Châtel on a single pass. From there, you cross into Champéry or Les Crosets without unclipping your skis.

This cross-border continuity, rare on such a scale, has shaped villages lived in all year as much as holiday resorts. For anyone thinking of settling here, the area is worth knowing in detail, from its beginner slopes to the legendary Pas de Chavanette.

The Portes du Soleil, a ski area straddling two countries

The area links 8 French resorts and 4 Swiss neighbours around one shared network. On the French side come Morzine, Avoriaz, Les Gets, Châtel, Montriond, Abondance, La Chapelle-d'Abondance and Saint-Jean-d'Aulps. On the Valais side, Champéry, Morgins, Torgon and the Val-d'Illiez sector complete the picture. More than 200 lifts serve the area, with no break between the two countries.

A single pass opens all 600 km of pistes, on both sides of the border. The Portes du Soleil was among the first areas to offer an international ski pass, back in the late 1960s, then hands-free lift access. You can have lunch in the Valais and be skiing back in Haute-Savoie the same afternoon, without riding the same summit twice.

On this scale, the piste map is no mere leaflet. The official area map is the clearest way to find the sectors, the links between villages and the routes back to each valley. Best to check it before exploring an unfamiliar slope, or the day may end in the wrong valley.

Twelve Portes du Soleil resorts, each with its own character

Morzine plays the gateway role, a slate-roofed village connected to the rest of the network by a direct cable car. Avoriaz, perched at 1,800 metres and entirely car-free, runs its pistes right to the foot of the residences. Children set off on skis straight from the door, with no parking or shuttle. Les Gets keeps a family feel around Mont Chéry, a quieter summit above the valley, away from the crowds. Châtel keeps one foot in France and the other in the Valais, minutes from the link to Morgins.

Beyond these four pillars, the area takes in more confidential villages. Montriond and its lake, Saint-Jean-d'Aulps and its abbey, Abondance and La Chapelle-d'Abondance in their unspoilt valley extend the French side. Across the border, Champéry, Torgon and Les Crosets add their own terrain. All stay reachable on the same pass. You can sleep in the valley and ski the heights the next morning, link the gentle runs of Les Gets in the morning with the steeper slopes of Châtel in the afternoon.

Portes du Soleil pistes for every level

The area counts close to 300 pistes, across every level of difficulty. There are 39 green runs for learning, around 130 blues, 105 reds and 33 blacks for confident skiers. Beginner zones, often set in the heart of the village, let you progress away from the main flows. Three resorts, Châtel, Les Gets and Morzine, carry the Famille Plus Montagne label, a sign of facilities designed for children.

Seasoned skiers head straight for the Pas de Chavanette, better known as the Swiss Wall. The run drops from the Avoriaz sector towards Les Crosets, over nearly 900 m and 333 metres of vertical. Its average gradient is close to 37%. The wall of moguls that builds up through the season gives even strong skiers pause before dropping in.

Freestyle riders find their ground too. Around thirty dedicated zones spread across the slopes, snowparks, boardercross and skicross alike. Avoriaz holds the best known, from the Lil'Stash for children to the famous The Stash, cut through the trees with around a hundred wooden features. Thanks to an altitude reaching 2,460 metres, the higher sectors hold good conditions into spring.

The Portes du Soleil across all four seasons

Altitude shapes the character of the pistes. The higher sectors and north-facing slopes hold snow more reliably across the season. Setting off on skis from the village, with no shuttle or parking, remains one of the most prized features of the massif. Geneva, just over an hour away by road, keeps it within weekend reach.

The massif does not fall asleep once the snow melts. The same lifts then open 650 km of mountain-bike trails and reach the high-altitude lakes and hiking paths. This four-season life is part of the Portes du Soleil identity. Our article on mountain biking in Les Gets and its bike park tells the summer side, which the lakes around Les Gets extend once summer comes.

---

Living at the heart of the Portes du Soleil with BARNES

Settling in the Portes du Soleil means twelve resorts on a single pass, Geneva just over an hour away and a twin season that keeps the villages alive all year. The chalets of Morzine, the ski-in apartments at the foot of the pistes or the renovated farmhouses of Les Gets answer very different plans, from a main home to a pied-à-terre rented out between stays.

Dreaming of winters at the foot of the pistes, or of a place to rent out for a season? BARNES Portes du Soleil follows this market resort by resort. Mountain lovers drawn to this way of life will find both our holiday rentals in the Portes du Soleil and our properties for sale across the massif. Our advisers at the BARNES Portes du Soleil agencies know every village, from the French side to the Valais balconies.