A Guide To Skiing Holidays In Morzine

Morzine is located in the northern French alps, and right in the centre of the vast Portes du Soleil, which is the largest inter linked ski area in Europe. The area boasts 650 kms of pisted ski trails and a variety of skiing that will have you always finding new slopes even after a two week ski holiday!

The skiing is not only challenging, but is well suited to family skiers and beginners with inexpensive ski schools and excellent nursery slopes. The rugged profile of the northern alps makes for some interesting and scenic skiing, with a huge variety of terrain on offer.

But Morzine has gained dramatically in popularity for a number of other reasons, and first of which is its appealing situation. At just one hour from Geneva airport, Morzine caters admirably for the ever popular weekend ski breaks with the ultimate in convenience skiing.

Londoners can leave their office desk at 5.30 to get a 6pm train from London Bridge and an 8pm flight at Gatwick, which will have you in resort and at your ski chalet before 11 pm UK time.

Morzine also has a number of other appealing factors. It is incredibly pretty with a wooden ski chalet style to it's architecture - that gives a quaint and cosy atmosphere often lost in many of the higher, more purpose built modern day ski resorts. Morzine also benefits from a buzzing apres ski and a variety of boutique shopping that rivals many US resorts.

The resorts' family facilities are superb and the towns folk are not out to grab a quick buck from the passing tourist trade. Instead they greet you with a smile and charge very reasonable prices for an excellent service and exquisite Savoyard cuisine. They know that Morzine attracts more loyal skiers than any other resort in France, and that their hospitality will go a long way further.

However the major pulling factor with Morzine is in the resorts year round appeal. As quite a large mountain town, the population realised long ago that the winter skiing alone was not enough to sustain them.

Morzine has been built with just as much attention to the summer months as the winter. When most other ski resorts are winding down for a sleepy summer in May, Morzine is in tick over, awaiting a fresh surge of alpine enthusiasts that now flock to the resort looking for summer alpine and active chalet holidays in healthy surroundings.

Part of Morzine's attraction is its northern location which ensures good snow in the winter and luscious vegetation in the summer. When the snow goes, Morzine doesn't turn into a parched moonscape, simply lying in waiting for the winter snow to return. Instead the resort becomes resplendent in flora and fauna.

The restaurants re-open after a short inter season break and the chair lifts creak back into life again, ready to serve the hordes of mountain bikers and hill walkers that will arrive over the months of June, July and August.

As a year round alpine town Morzine attracts a huge resident population and a healthy smattering of British ex pats which has resulted in the now indigenous one-chalet-band holiday companies that serve the area.

The pleasant up shot of this is that the non transient population are some of the friendliest you will find in any ski resort, always keen to help and make the resort into a perfect family ski holiday destination or idyllic summer venue.

Even though Morzine sits at a moderate altitude, the expert skiers are not put off. One must remember that aside from it's excellent skiing, Morzine is the most Northerly located resort in the French alps and this lessens the need for altitude in order to get good snow.

The area's high precipitation record, often ensures better snow than the more southerly located super resorts such as Meribel, La Plagne and even Tignes and Val D'isere.

Morzine is also twinned with its high altitude sister-resort Avoriaz, which helps prolong the season and ensure good skiing is never more than a short Navette* ride away. The abundance of north facing slopes also ensure good snow bases form and help the snow last well into May!

In summer Morzine plays host to a number of festivals, such as the Tour De France, Mountain Bike World Championships, Mont Blanc Rally and a whole raft of local fairs that create a warm and welcoming family atmosphere with much to do for everyone.

So whether you want absolute ski convenience with the kudos of the largest ski area in Europe or a summer destination that is resplendent in beauty and a healthier option than any beach side resort, a chalet holiday in Morzine should have what you are looking for.

*Navette is a free shuttle bus that circuits a ski resort. Free on the standard liftpass that is!