French cheese, open spaces, more ski runs than you can cover in two weeks, horse-drawn sleighs, vin chaud, crepes Nutella… These make Avoriaz one of the most popular ski resorts in Europe.

Located on the border between Switzerland and France, between Lake Leman and Mont Blanc, Avoriaz is in the heart of Les Porte du Soleil, one of the biggest skiing areas in the world: 650km of ski runs; 12 villages both French and Swiss; 400 mountain chalets; 212 ultramodern high-speed chairlifts with the no-hands system — so the days of frozen fingers and lost ski passes are over! — and easily accessible by car, plane or train, thanks to the nearby Geneva and Annecy.

This resort was built in 1966 when developers joined the Swiss pistes with those of Avoriaz, creating this huge trans-frontier ski domain. Avoriaz now has more than 15 000 beds so, whatever your requirements, you’ll find the right accommodation for you. There are individual private chalets, family apartments, studio apartments and hotels… all built in an unusual architectural style that never fails to make an impression — you either love it or you hate it.

Avoriaz is car-free so you get around by ski, on foot or on horse-drawn sleighs. The village is especially designed so that, wherever you’re staying, you can leave and return on skis — grocers, ski-hire shops, restaurants and après-ski bars are all around the corner. And because skiing starts and finishes at your door, there’s no schlepping your skis — and your kids’ skis! — from the end of a ski run through the village back to your apartment after a hard day on the slopes.

The Portes du Soleil’s slopes are varied as much by the countryside as by the diversity of runs: long, wide, open pistes; narrow tracks winding down between snow-covered pine trees; steep ‘black’ slopes; half pipes, off-piste powder runs and easy slopes for beginners.

With 650km of runs to choose from, you get to visit many different areas, border-hopping into Switzerland for hot chocolate, then back to the valley of Châtel in France for a nice crepe jambon. And you can do a different route every day of the week.

Arriving back every afternoon after a good day’s skiing or snowboarding, you’ll find the village square filling with people, kids racing toboggans on a central slope through the village, and ski demonstrations by ski schools. At night there are torch-lit runs down the mountain and friends are made warming up in the numerous bars over mulled wine and stories about big jumps, beautiful off-piste runs, romantic little restaurants with good lunches, spectacular crashes, the best vin chaud and big blue bruises.

For a night in, you simply ski to the supermarket around the corner and stock up on local culinary delights such as cheese, French wine and delicious sausages. Most of the supermarkets around Avoriaz also sell ready-made dishes such as pâtè du pomme de terre, lasagna and quiche. Delicious.

The various ski schools in Avoriaz cater for all levels and disciplines in skiing, snowboarding, cross-country and telemark for beginners or advanced, in groups or with private lessons.

There’s also an extensive children’s programme at Village des Enfants in the centre of Avoriaz. Aimed at children aged three to 16, it offers various ways of learning on specially designed slopes (slalom, waves, jumps, tubes…) before hitting the public slopes. Every day we skied to a different village and had lunch in a different cosy little restaurant on the slopes: gnocchi, salads, potato-and-mushroom bakes, pommes frîtes, French-onion soup, lots of vin chaud… and lots of laughter.

A 10am café au lait, minus-15 degrees and blue skies. C’ est la vie! We loved the magic of Avoriaz and Portes du Soleil: the pure air, the snow-covered roads without cars, the jingle of bells from the horse-drawn sledges, ski trips to the Swiss villages of Champoussin and Les Crosets, and lunch at — this was our favourite spot — Les Lindarets’ chez Bob et Annie… No two days were ever the same. C’ est la vie!

    Travel notes
  • Best time to go: At 1900 metres Avoriaz is assured of snow from mid-December till the end of March. Christmas and New Year tend to be crowded but festive. The beginning of January is less crowded and cheaper. March is warmer and the days are longer.
  • Spending money: Euros, which are accepted in Switzerland too. €1 = about R9.50.
  • Visas: South Africans require Schengen visas.
  • Take this: Warm clothes.
  • Après ski: Various restaurants and bars in which to try local cheese specialities such as raclette and tartiflette. There’s also ice-skating, nightly downhill mountain-bike trips, spa treatments, dog-sleigh races and nightly toboggan races for the kids in the middle of town.
  • Stay here: Hotel les Dromonts is unique and in the middle of the village (priced from €115 or R1100 per person per night), but if you prefer to do your own cooking, self-catering options include apartments for two to eight people and chalets for up to 12. My favourite is Chalet Tequila (priced from €3000 or R29 000 per week), which sleeps 10 and has a balcony overlooking the town square. It also has a sauna and is close to shops, restaurants and bars. All accommodation can be booked on line at www.avoriaz.com.
  • Need to know: Avoriaz is car-free. If you’ve driven there you’ll have to park in the garage (book in advance) or the lot outside the village. A horse-drawn sleigh takes you to your apartment. The resort is designed so you’ll never have to walk more than five minutes to anywhere. Get a map and ask a local for help in planning ski routes. You can do fantastic day trips to Switzerland and different parts of the Porte de Soleil.
  • Getting there: British Airways flies to Geneva. Then take a bus or taxi to Avoriaz. ba.com

Article courtesy of Horizons, BA/Comair's in-flight magazine published by Touchline Media