 Poster: A snowHead
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Just booked a week in Morzine early March. Any tips you  have for runs, restaurants, things not to miss would be gladly received.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What kind of "runs, restaurants, things not to miss" do you like?
In the absence of any info, runs and things not to miss; Renard bumps, Wall, alternative Wall, Machon, Chamossiere (black), the ridiculous (from describing it as a piste pov, delightful in every other way) black into Torgon...would help to know what you liked...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Am bumping this up as we're off soon and would be grateful for suggestions - to be a bit more specific:
1) tips for mountain restaurants/lunch and coffee stops - nothing too fancy, just good reasonable grub with a friendly welcome.
2) recommended runs for a family - 2 boys who are pretty good (hard reds to blacks but like the blues/reds if there are interesting jumps etc), dad who is a good intermediate but not quite so fearless and mum who is quite capable of reds but gets scared if they look very steep from the top (ie the Swiss Wall is out!!)
We're planning on getting the Morzine/Les Gets pass but may well have a day in Avoriaz.
3) Things off the slopes that are recommended for a family (kids 7 and 10)
4) Thinking of booking certainly the boys 1 or 2 private lessons whilst away - any ski school recommendations would be welcome.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| under a new name wrote: |
What kind of "runs, restaurants, things not to miss" do you like?
In the absence of any info, runs and things not to miss; Renard bumps, Wall, alternative Wall, Machon, Chamossiere (black), the ridiculous (from describing it as a piste pov, delightful in every other way) black into Torgon...would help to know what you liked... |
What's the "alternative wall"?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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This is the best piste map I found on the internet:
http://www.avoriaz.com/ski-holidays/snowsports/pistes-map.php
Still some problems eg a Black I remember skiing to the Atray chair isn't marked, you actually can get from Les Gets village to Morzine town with 1 lift & run (although it is a flat blue) & the chairs Serrachaux & Proclou in Avoriaz are nowhere near Prodains, despite appearances!
It does mark out the separate hills though.
The area is too big to fit on a readable page, there is a pdf I also found which is also reasonable as you can zoom in, but I can't remember where I got it so you'll have to search if you want to find it.
Mountain restaurants I ate in were all pretty good:
Biggie at top of Pleney: Large & bustling, Massive Spag Bol (might feed both children & wife with 1 portion). Lucky since its abt 14E
La Rosta: In the big bowl above Les Gets. Most rustic place I ate, smelly toilet (under the restaurant with an outside door so you can easily sneak in) 
1 of many in Plaine Dranse area of Chatel/Linga, was v nice inside. Doesn't sound like you'll get to this area. If you are it was 1 near the bottom of Chaux des Rosees lift & you have to walk through the outside tables of its neighbour to get to it.
Grand Ourse: in Mt Chery, at top of eponymous lift. Run by an English family, lovely inside, table service, very tasty food, beautifully presented, expensive (as you'd expect, & worth it).
Mossettes: at the Swiss border, great views, polystyrene plates.
Nice skiing in Morzine & Les Gets:
The Chavannes bowl above Les Gets is very sheltered and has 5 lifts & many great reds, best maybe Tulipe from the Rainfolly Express. The Yeti is a fairly easy Black.
Mt Chery is surprisingly easy to get to, just follow the (small, difficult to spot) signs, or keep as far right as possible through the beginner areas. I poled through town & ended up across the road from the Gondola. There is also a navette from the other base station. I spent the day here mostly off-piste but the reds were all nice. Bouquetin, the Black below the Planlays chair, behind Grand Ourse, was very tough (I found it much harder than the Swiss Wall).
Belle Mouille is a much nicer way back from Les Gets than the flat blue. Then the reds from Troncs & Tetes are nice but when you want to go home it is better to take Raverettes, go straight on & down Chamois, then 'the bridge' to Fys. The alternative Blue (Lievre) is tricky to spot from the Freux red. Looks like you can do this whole section on a blue also. The green/blue from the bottom of Fys chair back to Morzine involves poling, better going up Fys (although it is a poor chairlift) & taking a red or (flat at the top) blue home. The wide, winding piste D through the trees was always favoured by our group for coming home but the bottom section has the trad dilemma - go slow, stick with crowd, poling or get the speed up, head for the edge, pray no one drifts into your line (or if you're feeling really French just shout 'Attention' a lot). The runs on Pleney are nice - makes a change from a nasty home run.
The view from the top of Chamossiere is great but I cannot tell you what the red down is like. The Black is reasonably hard.
Some notes:
The Pre Favre Chair (linking Pleney to Nyon) has no footrests. The alternative route from Pleney is to take Les Granges from the top of the Belvedere chair (again not on the piste map above), this is a nice blue but flat at the end so get the speed up
The Aigle Rouge red accessed from the Pointe chair starts as a series of narrow zig-zigs, with short sections of off-piste between. Lovely in fresh snow but doesn't sound like your wife's sort of thing. There is an off ramp at a midstation which would avoid this but I've never tried getting off a chair 1/2 way up 
If there is a big queue for the Pleney gondola, get the chair up the mountain instead.
From Supermorzine to Switzerland (Mossettes) takes about 1 hour.
From Chavanettes (top of the Swiss Wall) to Prodains takes about 1 hour, involves only 1 lift (Stade in Avoriaz) & finishes with a lovely blue (Crot). The bus is very frequent to take you back to Morzine.
The scenery in Les Crosets is lovely - well worth going. Can go there & back on blues with only short sections of red. Read somewhere about a problem with the lift connecting to Champoussin. We were short of time so I didn't explore.
Don't know about the 'alternative wall'.
Take the children to an ice hockey match (think it is wednesdays)
Photos from January:
http://picasaweb.google.com/neil2829/Morzine#5296356191132359170
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Dr George, assuming you haven't left in the last 24 hours and you have Google Earth, you could download this 3D piste map which covers most of PdS. It makes planning a day out much easier. http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=48587.
Hollers, what...snow, I think the "alternative wall" is over Torgon, but I've never skied that far in PdS (hence why it isn't on the 3d piste map).
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Hi Dr George,
Hope this is not too late for you? Just back from a week in Morzine.
Covered most of the Morzine / Les Gets pistes over the week.
For Pistes loved Creux and the back side of Mont Chery (Marmottes/Chevreoil).
For activities:
Llew Jr almost 9, liked the cheese making tour 9am although all commentary was in fast French therefore granddad, who took her, had to explain.
Also the night skiing on the Thursday night was a good experience although since it is only the one slope is a bit limited.
Have a look at this site and the pdf guides under documentation:
http://www.morzine.com/?langue=1&saison=0
I'm sure you'll have a great time
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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