Best ski resort with long blue runs near Geneve?

A snowHead

@davidof, 'close' is all relative. My brother lives in Toronto and wouldn't have any concerns with a 3 hour drive. Argentina is a much bigger country than the UK so I suspect the OP is of a similar opinion.

Think La Plagne is a good shout for cruisey blues, even most the reds are pretty laid back. Went there my first week on snow and was very happy exploring.

A snowHead

@admin, out of interest, when the last time there was no snow mid-January?

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I'd ignore lots of advice on here that says you can get 4 hours from Geneva, especially as you are going to be wanting to get a shared transfer/public transport.

Morzine is definitely the place to aim for in my view, lots of budget accom, lots of transfers that will get you from airport to accom in about 90 mins tops.

Budget accom I've stayed at in Morzine is Chalet Sherpa and I would go back. http://jollygood.com/winter-at-chalet-sherpa/ they also have a hook up with a transfer company.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Morzine is very low and gets a lot of rain and limited snowfall.

Avoriaz, its neighbor, is higher, but fugly.

If the OP is flying a long way, they need to go somewhere with guaranteed snow and good scenery.

This was Morzine in New Year 2015...

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As we're talking mid-January surely we'll all be hoping snow isn't going to be a problem that late else it is going to be a really terrible winter if that's the case.

Little difference between Grand Massif and Portes du Soleil options (blues, transfer, etc.) so decide based on available accommodation?! These are certainly the two places that sound like the best fit assuming you want a larger resort and don't mind the higher lift pass price.

One additional thing to consider is access to the slopes, do you want to be ski in/out, short walk, or is a bus ok? Avoriaz or Flaine probably offer more slope-side options than the other parts of those areas if that's important.

If in future you ever want to mix a ski and a sight seeing trip there are a few destinations that work quite well. Staying in Annecy to access La Clusaz and Le Grand Bornand; Briancon old town to access Serre Chevalier; Granada to access Sierra Nevada; Nice to access Isola 2000, Auron, and Valberg for example.

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I would say Cervinia might be better suited to your abilities than Zermatt? Also much cheaper. From what I know of it, Cervinia has more of the cruising blues and reds that you're looking for, whereas Zermatt has some trickier stuff (though there will be stuff more suited to your level). Though Cervinia in mid-January might be a little bleak, and I'm not sure about access from Geneva.

Otherwise, you can't really go wrong with the big linked French resorts (since you've ruled out Austria). The three main ones would be:
- 3 Vallees, which links Courchevel, Meribel, and Val Thorens (from left to right on the piste map, and in decreasing order of cost). Val Thorens is the highest of the three, and most snowsure, but could also be a bit bleak in mid-January, so Meribel might be a better option (also, more central).
- Espace Killy, which groups Val d'Isere and Tignes. Tignes is higher, and cheaper, and personally I prefer it as a skiing base, but others will tell you Val is better (certainly has better apres).
- Paradiski, which groups la Plagne and Les Arcs. It's a bit more of a slog to get from one area to the other unless you're staying near the telepherique that goes across, though is certainly do-able.
All of these options would have plenty of cruisy blues and reds, and since you're heading there mid-Jan (and thus outside European school holidays) they won't be too busy either (you won't have lift queues in general, and the pistes won't be too full). From Geneva, bensbus go to all of them, though it's only just within your transfer times: they're all 3-4 hours away, and if it snows it can take a while longer, but the transfer is easy (straight from the airport to the resort, with usually a change of bus at either Bourg or Moutiers).

Of course, there are other options closer to Geneva, such as Morzine, which may be perfectly fine for you too (though I don't know it well enough to comment). I would however rule out Chamonix, which isn't really the place for cruisy blues...

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@Whitegold, that picture shows fresh snow falling just about the person posing for presumably a Daily Mirror type news story and you'd likely find the skiing fantastic. As you also rightly point out, Avoriaz is higher and you can get to it in the absolute worst case via one bus from Morzine and a fast cable car.

I'm sure we can call find "horror" pictures for any resort close to Geneva but recommending places that are 4 hours+ in a car is bad advice IMHO especially when the OP wants a transfer/public transport.

This pic is supposedly Avoriaz in Jan 2015

@kitenski, you are of course correct. Anecdotes / one off pics are always a bad way to make a decision.

I also totally admit that my v. poor snow experience in Jan 2016 has coloured my view about some of the easiest resorts to get to from Geneva.

St Gervais et. al. are v. easy to get to, the people are lovely, and when I was there the lush green meadows were very pretty too... Sad

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I would go la tania in 3v's if cost is a factor, access to the rest of the 3v's is easy and plenty of blues to pick from.

Only 2 hr's from geneva.

In terms of snow sure, the 3v's has great snow making capability, a lot of the skiing is 1800m+, Jan 2014 very good snow, Dec 2015 (xmas) wasn't brilliant lower down, but Jan brought snow, Jan 2016 dumped it down first week.

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I decide to go to Morzine, because priceless,some blue runs and the distance from Geneve, hopefully there will be enough snow (problem with snow I already have this year in Cerro Catedral here in Argentina, snow fell enough only in the end of july, can't be so unlucky), It's not hard to get to Avoriaz if the snow doesn't come and the ticket to the entire Portes du Soleil costs just a bit more than only for Morzine/Avoriaz. Easy to get, cheap door to door transfer, for who is not accustomed to the local culture, less transfer, better is. My whishes were to go to Zermatt because the Matterhorn and the view, but it's looking expensive and I cound't find long blue runs. The others resorts seems pretty good as well, but for those dates I can't find a budget one close to the lifts and again, the problem with transport..

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I think Morzine is your best option. After a long flight you will also appreciate a short transfer.

You know it makes sense.

@Danielald, good choice, I hope the snow gods smile on you Smile

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

How about Verbier. Easy to get to by train.

A snowHead

@Danielald, have a great time!

Some friends have been and loved it, though I've not been myself.

A snowHead

@Danielald, the only other suggestion would have been the Grand Massif, but I know the Portes du Soleil much better and would have probably opted for that. You should have a great time and a very different experience to your normal skiing Happy

If you like beer, the Bec Jaune is a microbrewery and does very good bar food. On the mountain you will find many, many great places to stop and eat.

I don't think there's really anywhere I'd avoid...

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Good choice. Bec Jaune is my bar of choice for food on the chalet chef's night off. Ace beer.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

People keep mentioning Zermatt FFS guys, it would be an epic schlep from Geneva, has probably the most expensive accommodation and is DISTINCTLY lacking in long cruisy blues.

Head for Morzine/Avoriaz and wait till a week before and decide then between Avoraz snow sure and ski in ski out but wood clad concrete clinging to the hill side or Morzine which is considerably lower but a genuine Savoie small town. Late Jan is a quiet time so there should be plenty accommodation around. No probs with the transfer, use Easybus which runs everyday unlike some other widely touted transfer services and takes 1 hr to 1.20 depending on final destination Les Gets Morzine or Avoriaz. .

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thank all of you who hellps me decide where to go! I've never skied out of Andes and I think its gonna be an awsome experience, our season here is short and except for Valle Nevado in Chile and Portillo, all resorts are quite small or dependent of weather and they are expensive ider for our income.. My sister lives in Porto, so I'm gonna make a short stop there before get to Geneve and than Morzine.. and yes, I love beer! who doesn't?! I'll take those tips! Very Happy

After all it is free

@Danielald, I've never been to Morzine, but from what I've read in this thread I think it is the right choice for you.

Improve your skiing a bit, and make another trip to Europe another year. Go to Zermatt. It is up there with Sidney Harbour and the Taj Mahal. Stunning views, beautiful, classy village, wonderful mountain restaurants. The skiing is not that difficult, but it is a bit more difficult than cruisy blues. And if you still have a hankering for cruisy blues (nothing wrong with that) you can cross over to Cervinia for a day or so. The hotels are expensive, but one or two are more modestly priced. Check out the Alpina.

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Best ski resort with long blue runs near Geneve?

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