My regular readers will by now know I love the Portes du Soleil and visit most winters, usually staying with friends in Morzine. I have written in detail about the area covering everything from freestyle to freeride, snowboarding to mountain biking and vegan eateries to family summer adventures, but I’ve never written a review of snowboarding the Swiss Portes du Soleil from Morzine. Until now!
Snowboarding the Swiss Portes du Soleil from Morzine
First up, getting to the Swiss side of things from my base in Morzine needs a little write up. You have a few options:
- Take the free buses to Les Prodains, and take the gondola up to Avoriaz. From here you can be at the top of the infamous Swiss Wall in two more lifts and take the challenging (often unpisted) black down towards Les Crozets.
- Head to Ardent on the free bus, or park their for free if you have wheels, and hop on the gondola. Again it is just two more lifts to the boarder between France and Switzerland, but this time there is a blue slope into Les Crozets.
- From the centre of Morzine take the Super Morzine gondola. From the top of this is is a a couple more lifts, plus a slow flat run, to reach Avoriaz from where you can do #1 or #2.
- You can also reach Switzerland via Chatel (which can be reached in a couple of lifts from Avoriaz). It takes a lot longer, but there is plenty of great snowboarding along the way. Chatel links with Morgins and Torgon.
Review of Snowboarding the Swiss Portes du Soleil
Last season I focussed on properly exploring the Swiss side of this massive ski area. With around 600 km of pistes and more than 190 lifts linking 12 resorts across Switzerland and France, this is not an area where you’re just lapping runs. The Portes du Soleil is not a large ubiquitous ski area, each zone offers something genuinely different.
Snowboarding the Swiss Portes du Soleil means spending time in Champéry, Les Crosets, Champoussin, Morgins and Torgon. You’ll notice big differences to the French resorts; first up they are much quieter! So, if you like fewer queues, more space, and powder remaining untouched for longer, then you’ll love nipping across the border.
Les Crosets/Chambery – The Snowboarder’s Hub
At around 1,670m, Les Crosets is where snowboarding the Swiss Portes du Soleil is at its best. It is easy to reach and you’re right in the middle of the circuit. At 1,050m, you can’t actually snowboard into Chambery, but its zone is tied in with that of Les Crozets so I’ll review them together.
The standout slope is Le Pas de Chavanette (the Swiss Wall) it’s an iconic run, and well worth seeing even if you don’t ride it. It’s steep, and usually unpisted, so it’s full of large icy moguls. While not ideal on a snowboard in the right conditions it is amazing. I usually traverse left from the top to the off-piste, where you’ll find less moguls and softer snow, making it more fun than riding the actual wall.
The snowboarding off Pointe de Mossettes (2,277m) is another highlight. Long, rolling blue and red pistes with consistent pitch make it easy to keep momentum and get in your flow. Keep an eye out for the frequent natural side hits along the way.
The long red from the top of the Ripaille drag lift down towards Grand Paradis is a great slope through the trees. It is a proper top-to-bottom descent where you can carry plenty of speed and settle into a rhythm. If visibility is poor this is a great option.
Les Crozets Freeride
For freeride, Les Crozets/Champery has the most dramatic terrain on the Swiss side. Around the Chavanette ridge and towards the Hauts Forts area, you’ll find steeper faces and technical lines including a few really enjoyable couloirs. It’s not beginner-friendly off-piste, I’ve only ridden here with a guide, but in good conditions there are epic lines to enjoy.
There is also some of the most accessible off-piste in the Swiss Portes du Soleil in this zone. Around Mossettes and down towards the Combe du Machon, there are wide-open powder fields. It is less technical than Chavanette, but incredibly fun after fresh snowfall.
The between the piste powder here takes longer to get tracked out than slopes just across the boarder in Avoriaz. This is simply because it’s less busy, it seems many people only buy the Avoriaz lift pass rather than going full PDS. There loss is your gain – the full area lift pass is well worth the extra.
Snowpark Crosets
In the centre of the Crozets area you’ll find the main freestyle setup on the Swiss side. This park is well worth a visit with a solid setup including kickers, boxes, rails and progressive features. All easily accessed via a fast chairlift.
There are bigger parks across the border, but I love the park in Lez Crozets as it has the longest line of easy kickers in the Portes Du Soleil. There are seven jumps in total, all of which are slightly different, that flow together down the mountain. None are huge, but if you are looking to perfect small tricks it’s a great spot for progressing.
If you are a park rat looking to hit big features there are also some impressive looking rails.
Snowboarding in Les Crozets/Champéry: My take
During this review of snowboarding the Swiss Portes du Soleil from Morzine I found the Crozets/Champéry zone easiest to reach. It offers the best balance of piste and park with both serious off-piste and accessible freeride. Whenever I snowboard in the Portes du Soleil I always spend a some time here.
Champoussin – Flow, Powder Pockets and Space
Champoussin sits at around 1,600m and has a completely different feel—quieter, more scenic, and lots of easy slopes to ride. You could easily pass through without properly exploring, but it is well worth investing a little time. The area merges with Morgins and Les Crozets, so there is quite a bit of crossover.
For a start it is home to the longest run in the Portes Du Soleil. Blue 30 links up with the red from the top of Mossettes (from French or Swiss side) or Pointe de l’Au (above Champoussin). It takes you from France into Switzerland, skirting Les Crozets, and down into Morgins through a beautiful valley. The end is a long cat-track through the trees that is not the most fun, but it has enough angle to avoid walking.
I found the slopes leading into Champoussin have some of the best natural flow. The runs towards Planachaux are wide and consistent, great for carving without needing to check speed.
Champoussin Freeride
Some of the best freeride in the Portes Du Soeil can be found here. In particular some adventurous backcountry options that are not particularly dangerous in terms of avalanche risk.
There are a number of routes I have done from the top of Mossettes chair in Avoriaz sector, or the Tete De Linga in Chatel, that bring you out onto Blue 30. But do not try this without a guide, there are long traverses and short climbs to find the drop ins, the reward is untouched bowls, powder fields and tree runs. There is dense woodland and cliffs to negotiate on the way out and it is easy to get lost.
There are also plenty of small powder pockets just off the sides of the pistes, and the terrain between runs provide playful, low-risk lines. It’s not all about big mountain descents! On the whole the terrain itself is a lot of fun—rollers, banks, and natural features that make it fun without needing a shaped park.
Snowboarding in Champoussin: My take
Great for relaxed riding and naturally fun terrain with some proper backcountry adventures to enjoy.
Morgins – Trees, Powder and All-Weather Freeride
Morgins, at around 1,350m, is one of the most underrated areas for snowboarders. The big win here is tree riding. When visibility drops, this is one of the best places in the Portes du Soleil to keep moving confidently.
The runs from La Foilleuse (just above Champoussin) are the ones to aim for—tree lined and beautiful you get some perspective in poor visibility. The slopes here are never busy, but be aware there are two sectors either side of the pretty village with a bit of a walk (or a short bus ride) between them.
There’s also a small freestyle offering. The Morgins snowpark has a low-key setup, that is good for a quick session while passing through. From the other side of the village you can access Chatel and there are more runs through the trees.
Morgins Freeride
To be fair the above Champoussin freeride section ends in Morgins, but that is only part of the story. The Foilleuse area has lots of natural features and good opportunities to dip into the trees. After fresh snow, this is one of the best freeride zones for tree riding in the Portes Du soleil. As the area is quieter you can often find fresh lines days after a dump.
In fresh snow is also worth the short but difficult hike up Le Corbeau. From the top you can head down the far side towards Chatel. The run begins with a rocky coloir (take it easy in here even in good conditions). It opens up into into a great powderfield with a nice pitch.
Snowboarding in Morgins: My Take
Probably the best area for tree riding and powder days, especially when visibility isn’t great elsewhere.
Torgon – Quiet Lines and Hidden Powder
Sitting at around 1,100m I have only been to Torgon once. It is the least connected of the Swiss resorts, and it feels it.
The terrain is mellow, the slopes are quiet, and it’s more about cruising than chasing steep runs. But that quietness has a big upside—powder tends to last longer here simply because far fewer people are riding it. While the Swiss side is all much quieter than the French side, Torgon makes the other Portes Du soleil snowboarding in Switzerland feel busy
Torgon Freeride
I specifically went here for the freeride which is low-key but fun. Gentle slopes and a lot of lift accessible open terrain makes it a lot of fun in fresh snow. As with Morgins there is some great tree riding, its just a shame it’s out of the way and a pain in the arse to get to. But hey that is what makes it worth visiting!
Snowboarding in Torgon: My Take
While not the most exciting terrain for piste riding it comes into it’s own on a powder day. The best place to find untracked snow in the Portes du Soliel.
Getting Around – Clockwise and Anti-Clockwise Circuits (from Morzine)
One of the best things is snowboarding the Swiss Portes du Soleil and the French in an 80 km circuit. It takes four or five hours for advanced ridders, although it depend how fast you ride, and how distracted you get along the way… Intermediates should allow a full day especially if you want to stop for lunch.
Be aware that if the lifts close and you are caught on the Swiss side it could be a very expensive taxi ride, or having to fork out on a hotel. I once got most of the way around only to find the links between Champoussin and Les Crozets were all closed. We’d allowed plenty of time, but now only had two hours to get back through Morgins and Chatel – we made the last lift by around 5 minutes.
Despite this it’s well worth doing the full loop at least once.
Clockwise Portes Du Soleil Circuit
Starting in Morzine, I’d head Morzine → Avoriaz → Les Crosets → Champoussin → Morgins → Châtel → Lindaret→ Avoriaz → Morzine.
This direction works really well as you get through Avoriaz and the Swiss Wall (it can be avoided) before it gets busy. Also the transitions between Les Crosets and Champoussin are more boarder-friendly in this direction. Getting across Morgins is a hike or a bus.
Anti-Clockwise Portes Du Soleil Circuit
Going the other way Morzine → Ardent →Lindarets → Châtel → Morgins → Champoussin → Les Crosets → Avoriaz → Morzine.
This route avoids the Swiss Wall but can be slightly trickier on a snowboard, with a few flatter sections and more drag lifts. But the connection across Morgins is a bit better in this direction.
Final Thoughts – Snowboarding Swiss Portes du Soleil
What stood out most to me in this review of Swiss Portes du Soleil is how different the resorts in Switzerland are. If you’ve always stayed in the Avoriaz, Chatel or the Morzine/Les Gets areas you’ll find the Swiss side much quieter. Not only is there more space to express yourself but it feels like more space between the runs for lift accessible off-piste.
Les Crosets is the standout Swiss resort for snowboarders, with a great Snowpark, steep challenging runs and excellent freeride options. Morgins has great tree riding and is the end destination for some spectacular backcountry routes and Torgon is the place to go if you want to escape it all and have the mountains to yourself.
I always visit the Swiss side when in the Portes du Soleil and thoroughly recommend that you do too. And when you consider that the full PDS pass is only around €50 more than a local pass, it is a smart investment to enjoy quieter slopes and experience the full variety this Swiss-French ski area offers.
We hope you found this review of snowboarding the Swiss Portes du Soleil from Morzine useful. For more information check out Région Dents du Midi, which covers the resorts on the Swiss side of the Portes du Soleil: www.regiondentsdumidi.ch
