 Poster: A snowHead
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Seems like our usual group are heading off to Morzine. Never been so what is the deal?
According to the Where to ski and Snowboard bible (2002 edition) it’s low and not snow sure- we thinking of going mid-end of January so hopefully we will be ok with snow.
A few questions:
One of the group is a nervy third weeker- are there enough very easy green/blue pistes to gain confidence?
Where to Ski mentions that the village is quite spread out, where is the best place to stay or is the bus service good enough?
Enough in the town to keep babysitting grandparents busy?
Best place for the 6y ski lessons??
Morzine or Les Gets ??
Cheers
Louis
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Louis, I'm biased towards Les Gets having been there many times but would be very happy to be in Morzine too. Great place for grandparents. Village is spread out but I'm sure someone who can advise where's best to base yourselves will be along shortly. It should be fine end of January, you may not have masses of snow in the village but in theory (usual snow disclaimer) would be good on slopes. Worse case scenario you can get up to Avoriaz easily 
BASS come highly recommended for lessons but even though you are going outside of school hols, you would need to book early (LGS based in Les Gets are already having enquiries for next season - also highly recommended). Several other ski schools (we have used 360 International and LGS in Les Gets who we have been more than happy with)
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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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Ah, Morzine - a big town and finding where to stay is important unless you have a car. You want to be on a good bus route - there are some with ten minute frequency and some with 30 minute. They take you to all the main lifts stations except for Montriond - more later. There are quite a lot of bars in the centre of town by the Pleney lifts - a lot do happy hours between 4 and 6 or 4 and 7 in the evening and it is a real lively atmosphere. Also plenty of shops for those who must do such things.
I am sure low down can be a problem at village level but there is plenty of much higher skiing easily accessed - on the Les Gets side there are some low runs down into Morzine itself - on the Avoriaz side less so with the Super Morzine bubble taking you back down.
Nervy third weeker - should be fine and it is not a half term week - Avoriaz is OK and the Super Morzine sector is brilliant but I suspect as a third weeker will be too boring - also many of the Morzine/Les Gets pistes should be fine (except some of the lower down ones which may be slushy etc).
Re babysitting grandparents - should be a reasonable amount to do in Morzine - think it has a sports centre, reasonable amount of shops, you can get bus and lift up to Avoriaz without skiing and there is quite a reasonable regional bus service eg if you wanted to go to Evian or Thonon for a wander.
Ski lessons - haven't a clue
Personally Morzine - it is in the centre of the Morzine/Les Gets and Avoriaz/Switzerland/Chatel sectors and therefore a day out in either direction is a lot easier and remember you have a huge amount of skiing on your doorstep when you travel from Avoriaz to say Torgon - don't really know Les Gets other than skiing in sector and travelling through it to Mont Chery. Sadly the only thing that is difficult from Avoriaz and worse from Les Gets is to get to the Montriond lift in the Lindarets sector (bus service only from certain stops in Morzine and only every 30 minutes) - this means one can avoid Avoriaz - probably no problem third week in January but in French half terms - packed with crocodiles of kids and loads of people and actively unpleasant to ski.
Been in January before and enjoyed - went in March this year and mostly did except for Avoriaz sector - go across to Switzerland and the place is deserted. Beware though as you head out towards Chatel and Torgon there are an interesting range of tows........
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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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It rains in Morzine, in fact it rains so much it reminds me of Manchester. I only mention this because if you're used to walking around a proper resort at 2000m with the snow falling you have to appreciate that Morzine is a town in the valley at 900m, so snowfall up on the pistes is rain on your shoes. It's quite depressing really (see Manchester comparison).
Buses, in my experience, are dreadful so I wouldn't rely on anything pushing its location as 'bus stop at door'. The routes, quality of buses and provision of the service aren't even a shadow of the frequent 'navette' services offered by resorts such as Tignes or Meribel. There is a work-around for this though, as lots of shops in town offer a locker service meaning you can leave your skis and boots over-night nearer the lifts and just walk in and out every day.
For a mixed group though it's probably great, I won't mention the ski terrain as it's simply so large and varied there's no point. However, in town there has been significant investment in swimming pools and aquaparks (Morzine and Avoriaz), there is a fairly healthy variety of shops to keep browsers busy, and the cinema isn't bad and has frequent English language showings. I won't hazard a guess at their age or fitness, but the grandparents may benefit from being in a flat town rather than a very hilly resort, and if you hire a chunky-wheeled pram ("poussette") they'll be able to take the little one(s) along the river paths through the forest (weather permitting).
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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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PdS would be great for your nervous skier, my Mum loves it as there are so many nice cruisy pistes.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Morzine better than Les Gets if you think you'll want more access to Avoriaz and beyond. Les Gets if you're more into pootling and the convenience of a smaller walkable village.
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To re-iterate on the pistes, they will be perfect for your nervous skier. Lots of wide cruisy blues both on the pleney side (down to Les Gets, Pleney base - piste B, and Nyon, and in Linderets and Super Morzine over at the Avoriaz side.
If you have a car to use then you could always stay a little out of town and get a better chalet, but considering the comments re the bus, you will always need a DD. We loved the PDS this year and to think there would be snow issues seems mental, as we were getting over 6 inches every night about 10 minutes down the valley! (early Feb)
If staying in Morzine, try to get as far up the Nyon end of the village as you can, as it seemed quieter and better located for the bars, although cant 100% vouch for that, although this would put you a little further from the super-M lift than staying in the center. For us, it was fine driving into Morzine, parking under the Pleney cable for the day and then driving home. No issues with traffic, lift queues or parking.
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Reviving this thread.
Any comments re Chatel? (Next valley along from Morzine)
Booked an apartment for the family there first week in feb 2015 but no car..
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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jadavi, did you check on the chalet location before booking?  Chatel is popular on here so I'm sure you will get good feedback on chalet location.
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