Avoriaz

Q: Can you drive into Avoriaz?

No. The resort is car-free: you leave the vehicle in the car parks at the edge and continue on foot, on skis or by horse-drawn sleigh. Luggage is moved by the sleighs or by the accommodation. Plan the first arrival with a bit of margin — it is not a two-minute process with a family and a week's bags.

Portes du Soleil, Haute-SavoieSee it on the map

Region

Portes du Soleil, Haute-Savoie

Country

France

Local time

Europe/Paris

Currency

EUR

Avoriaz is built on the edge of a cliff at 1,800 m, entirely car-free, in angular cedar-clad towers designed to echo the rock face behind them. You either find it extraordinary or you find it strange; almost nobody is indifferent.

Practically, it is the highest and most snow-sure base in the Portes du Soleil, the 600 km cross-border area linking twelve resorts across France and Switzerland. Getting about is on skis, on foot or by horse-drawn sleigh.

Last reviewed 4 August 2026

Best suited to

Families
Beginners
Snowboarding
Intermediates
Off-piste and freeride

Featured instructors at Avoriaz

No instructors available at this resort yet

Nobody is offering lessons here for now — try a nearby resort, or check back soon.

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Where lessons start

The altitude means the learning slopes hold snow all season, and being car-free removes the traffic that makes other resorts stressful with children. The snowparks here are among the best in Europe.

Getting there

Geneva is around an hour and a half to Morzine; from there you leave the car and take the cable car up, or the road to the resort car park at the edge.

See it on the map Official resort website

Qualifications required in France

Teaching skiing or snowboarding for payment in France is a regulated profession: an instructor must hold the Professional card (diplôme d'État de ski). Instructors listed as certified on Alpine Pal have either sent theirs to us for review or are vouched for by the ski school that invited them.

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Avoriaz: common questions

Can you drive into Avoriaz?

No. The resort is car-free: you leave the vehicle in the car parks at the edge and continue on foot, on skis or by horse-drawn sleigh. Luggage is moved by the sleighs or by the accommodation. Plan the first arrival with a bit of margin — it is not a two-minute process with a family and a week's bags.