Avoriaz
| Avoriaz | |
|---|---|
Avoriaz Resort
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| Location | France |
| Nearest city | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Coordinates | 46°11′27″N 6°46′30″E / 46.19083°N 6.77500°E |
| Top elevation | 2466 m |
| Base elevation | 1100 m |
| Skiable area | 130 km (Avoriaz) 650 km (Portes du Soleil) |
| Runs | 51 (Avoriaz) 283 (Portes du Soleil) |
| Longest run | 6 km |
| Lift system | 34 (Avoriaz) 219 (Portes du Soleil) |
| Terrain parks | 4 |
| Snowfall | 8 m |
| Snowmaking | 200 cannons |
| Website | http://www.avoriaz.com Ski Area Grand Avoriaz |
Avoriaz (French and Franco-Provençal pronunciation: [ˈavoʁja] or [ˈavoʁi]) is a French mountain resort in the heart of the Portes du Soleil. It is located in the territory of the commune of Morzine. It is easily accessible from either Thonon at Lake Geneva or Cluses-junction on the A40 motorway between Geneva and Chamonix. Either way one follows the D902, Route des Grandes Alpes, to Morzine and then the D338 running from Morzine to Avoriaz. Snow chains are often necessary. Avoriaz is built on a shelf high above the town of Morzine, which is among the pioneering towns of skiing with its first lifts dating back to the early 1930s. Today Avoriaz is one of the major French ski destinations catering for all standards of skiing and ranks among the top snowboarding destinations of the world. Apart from snow-based pursuits, Avoriaz is also a centre for trekking, golf, VTT (mountain biking) and other outdoor activities during the summer. Cars are forbidden in Avoriaz. The station is designed to be fully skiable. Other transport around the resort includes horse-drawn sleighs during winter and snow caps.
One of the principal Avoriaz's owners is the tourism and real estate development company Pierre & Vacances whose founder, Gerard Bremont, took an active part in building the station.
Around 1965, former French downhill olympic champion Jean Vuarnet was given the task of developing the skiing of Morzine and came up with the first plan of a new skiing area on the north side of the Hauts Fort mountain and the Fornet-bowl. Later, lift connections were made to the east and south, creating a vast linked skiing area covering France and Switzerland. Avoriaz as a resort is the brainchild of Gerard Bremont, the son of a leading French industrialist whom Jean Vuarnet asked to invest in the project. Gerard Bremont - at the time a notable member of the French jetset - engaged 3 newly educated and highly talented young architects to design the resort and within a few years Avoriaz and especially the Hotel Dromont and its restaurant and Discothèque was proclaimed the "Saint Tropez de Neige" - the centre of jet-set skiing. At a later stage other former elite skiers such as Isabelle Mir and Annie Famose got involved - the latter today running the famous ski-kindergarten. The two of them jointly giving name to one of the leading ski- and fashion shops, The Mirfamose. Today Avoriaz is no longer a Fashionable destination as such but more of a mainstream winter-resort with predominantly self-catering guests staying under more modest conditions. For the Winter 2011/12 ski season Avoriaz has undergone many changes including the development of a brand new area with 8 buildings housing a total of 450 ski apartments including L'Amara, Crozats and L'Electra residences.
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