Once upon a time... Morzine-Avoriaz

It is often rumoured that Morzine’s debut as a tourist destination was due to a few obstinate well-placed civil servants posted in Geneva, who succumbed to the charms of this old village huddled at the top of the Aulps valley, and its gentle curving mountains and sheer vertiginous cliffs. The influx of summer tourists was a breath of fresh air for local inhabitants who lived a modest life based on agriculture and the already declining slate-mines.

1934: Opening of the Pléney cable car

Ever more intrepid, tourists were slowly seduced by winter in Morzine. The thick covering of snow was a pretext for games and hitherto unknown sports: tobogganing, ski-jöring (towed behind a horse), the beginnings of downhill skiing and even ski-jumping!

In 1934, the Pleney cable-car was officially opened with great pomp and ceremony. It was only used by hikers and those in search of Alpine views, as skiing was still a sport reserved for the reassuring prairies down in the valley.

1960: The building of Avoriaz

Winter sports were developing at an alarming pace and Morzine locals were in search of higher ski-fields, having already built ski-lifts on Pleney, Nyon and Chamossière.

In 1960 Jean Vuarnet became resort director, and his task was to develop Avoriaz. The building of this ‘little Savoyard Colorado’ with its mimetic architecture was the decisive move that lead to the creation of the Portes du Soleil, thanks to close relationships formed with Champéry and les Crosets. It also lent Morzine-Avoriaz its double identity which allies tradition with modernism.

Morzine today...

Following in its ancestors’ footsteps, Morzine today continues this tradition of charming hospitality and controlled development.

Today the resort has conserved the village’s old-world ‘look’: wooden facades, sculpted balconies, slate-covered roofs… all of which are typical of Morzine.

But its services and infrastructure are in line with the demands of modern tourism.

Access to Morzine-Avoriaz