Want to know what it’s really like to come snowboarding in Morzine? You’ve come to the right place. On this page, you’ll not only find out the basics — such as how many lifts and pistes there are in the Morzine ski area, where to snowboard in Morzine, whether you’re a beginner, expert or park fan, and the best areas to stay for easy lift access — but also the insider’s guide to snowboarding in Morzine. Here at Mint Snowboarding we’ve spent almost 20 years covering every inch of the mountain, so without wishing to boast, there’s not much we can’t help with, whether you want to know where to find the best off piste in Morzine, or just which runs in Morzine snowboarders should avoid. Here’s the lowdown…
The Morzine stats
It’s tricky to split up the Morzine and Les Gets ski areas, not least because you can’t buy separate lift passes for the two resorts (see our lift pass page for more info) but between them they have
If you’re a freestyle fan, check out our dedicated guide to the best snowparks in the Portes du Soleil.
The Pleney sector is the one most people know as it’s the one that runs straight into the resort, but there’s more to snowboarding in Morzine than just the Pleney. The Pleney bubble takes you up to the beginner’s area at the top, but from there you’ve got access to the Charniaz, Chamossiere and Nyon sectors on the Morzine side. And, on the Les Gets side, the Chavannes and Mont-Chery sectors.
Probably because, from a piste access point of view, it’s the best of all worlds. On one side, you have the Pleney bubble that gives you access to all the slopes in the Morzine-Les Gets area and on the other, you have the Super Morzine bubble, which takes you up to Avoriaz and the rest of the Portes du Soleil area and its 650+km of pistes. The two central lifts are just an 8-minute walk apart — and even less if you hop on the little train that shuttles between the two. While if you’re staying a bit further out of town there’s a good free bus service that can either bring you back into town, or take you to either the bubble at Ardent or the Prodains cable car for swift access to Avoriaz and beyond.
Despite having a reputation as a beginner’s resort, the Morzine ski area actually has a lot of red runs and steeper terrain — more so than Avoriaz, so if you’re a mixed ability group, you needn’t think intermediate and advanced boarders will be twiddling their thumbs. That said, if you’re a total beginner, Morzine has a lot going for it. For a start, there are no button lifts, which makes life much easier. And here are some more pointers that should make things easier still…
– If you’re a beginner, the green run that comes down the side of the Belvedere chairlift at the top of the Pleney might look like a good option to practice your skills. It’s not. It’s super flat and you’ll end up pushing, instead, take the Nabor chairlift and have a play on some of the blues that come off that.
– The Raverettes chairlift on the Nyon side is a great option for those who have just started linking turns and want a nice, wide, quiet run to practice on. It’s a good chair to lap until you’re satisfied your board is doing what you want it to.
– When you’re heading back into the resort, avoid the Retour des Nants blue piste if you’re a beginner, or not a fan of having to scoot. It’s a long narrow flat track and can get quite busy towards the end of the day. Instead Piste B is the easiest way down, but wait until you are confident turning on blues to tackle it.
It goes without saying that you should never go off piste without really solid knowledge of the area, how to stay safe when you’re away from the patrolled runs, and appropriate safety kit — a transceiver, shovel and probe that — crucially — you know how to use. That’s why we’d never recommend that you tackle off piste without a guide. Not only will a guide keep you safe, but they’ll often be able to provide the kit that you need if you don’t have your own, and they know exactly where to find the best snow. We have a UIAGM Mountain Guide on our team, so if you want to do some off piste exploring, get in touch. In Morzine, there are some good off piste areas in the Nyon and Chamossiere sectors, especially when there’s a lot of slow at lower altitudes, but they can be avalanche prone, so knowing the territory is key.
The view from the top of the Pointe de Nyon. At the top of the Pointe de Nyon chairlift, you’ll find a stunning viewing platform (that’s free to access) jutting out into the valley below. The 10m glass walkway is 2019 metres above sea level and on a clear day, you’ve got 360-degree views that take in everything from Lake Geneva to Mont Blanc.
Morzine offers something for snowboarders of all ages and abilities and there is good reason that Morzine Avoriaz is known as the snowboard capital of Europe. Morzine is situated in the heart of the French side of Portes du Soleil and is the perfect base from which to access the real snowboarding paradise of Avoriaz.
Avoriaz alone hosts 4 well maintained snowparks, including the Burton Stash & the Lil Stash, and some time spent here is part of any best snowboard holiday to Morzine and the Portes du Soleil. For intermediate and advanced riders there is also extensive piste and off piste options throughout the ski area.
There are plenty of long, wide, tree-lined slopes on the Morzine Pleney ski area, perfect for beginners and improvers. The magic carpet on the beginners area also makes it a great resort for kids to learn to snowboard.
For more advanced riders, head to the more challenging slopes of Mont Chery and Chamossiere where fantastic off piste can be found. The Pointe de Nyon is also a great spot for backcountry snowboarding.
MINT Snowboarding is the original snowboard school in Morzine, founded in 2006 by British snowboard instructor Tammy Esten. MINT Snowboard School offers adults and kids snowboard lessons for all abilities from beginner to advanced level riders. This includes private lessons, group lessons, technical courses, freestyle coaching and backcountry & splitboard guiding.
The meeting point for snowboard lessons in Morzine is at the top of the Pleney telecabine, the same location as most ski schools. Lessons are with qualified British snowboard instructors or fluent English speaking instructors.
If you are staying in central Morzine we recommend The Woods Snowboard Shop for quality snowboard rental or if you want to treat yourself to new kit. The staff are super friendly and knowledgeable, always keen to help it’s clients get set up right for the best snowboard holiday.
The Woods stocks a full range of Burton snowboard equipment with everything from Learn to Ride boards for beginners through to high end demo boards, powder boards and even splitboards. For youngsters they also rent the kids Burton Riglet boards.