Beginners

There are good beginners’ areas at Pré-la-Joux (a bus ride away) you will find the “Bellete” green run, a 3km path that zig-zags through picturesque trees, perfect for beginners & sometimes just a nice way to get down if you are tired, and Super-Châtel (a gondola ride above the village), is also good for beginners. There are nursery slopes at village level if there is snow there. Reporters have praised the Super-Châtel slopes and lifts, which ‘allow the beginner to progress’ and ‘safely practise’ on gentle gradients away from the main runs. 

The home run from Super-Châtel can be tricky – narrow, busy, steep at the end and often icy at the end of the day – but don't worry, you can ride the gondola down! The Pré-la-Joux slopes are less varied, with some steeper draglifts.  

Intermediates

When conditions are right the Portes du Soleil is an intermediate’s paradise. Good intermediates need not go far from Châtel to find amusement: Linga and Plaine Dranse have some of the best red runs on the circuit. The moderately skilled can do the Portes du Soleil circuit without problem, and will particularly enjoy runs around Les Lindarets and Morgins. It runs through 7 resorts and two countries. Even timid types can do the circuit, provided they take one or two short cuts and ride chairs down the trickier bits and some blues are difficult when conditions are poor.

Visits to Avoriaz for the Hauts Forts runs are worthwhile for competent and adventurous intermediates. And note that the runs back to Plaine Dranse are real reds, and the Rochassons piste, especially, can get extremely busy at the end of the day. Don’t overlook the Torgon sector, which has some excellent slopes, including challenging ones.  

Advanced Skiers

The best steep runs, on and off-piste, are in the Linga and Pré-la-Joux area. Beneath the Linga gondola and chair there’s a pleasant mix of open and wooded ground, which follows the fall line fairly directly. And there’s a serious mogul field between Cornebois and Plaine Dranse. Two pistes from the Rochassons ridge are steep and kept well groomed. On the way to Torgon from Super-Châtel, the Barbossine black run is long, steep and quite narrow and tricky at the top. 

There’s plenty of good lift-served off-piste to be explored with a guide: there's a great run from Tête du Linga over into the next (deserted) valley of La Leiche.  

For those that are truly brave or insane, you could try out the famous Chavenette - “The Swiss Wall” which is actually categorised as an orange run (it’s too severe to be a black).

Boarders

Avoriaz is the hard-core destination for boarders in the Portes du Soleil and has a great selection of terrain parks plus a super-pipe. Châtel is not a bad place to learn, but many lifts in the Super-Châtel sector are drags, and reporters warn that they can be a ‘painful experience’. The Linga area has good, varied slopes and off-piste possibilities and more boarder-friendly chairlifts. 

Cross Country

There are pretty trails (12km) along the river, around Lake Vonnes and through the woods on the lower slopes of Linga, but snow-cover can be a problem. When combined with La Chapelle-d’Abondance’s trails, the total is 40km. The tourist office produces good maps.  

Terrain Parks

The Smoothpark at Super-Châtel has lines to suit both beginners and experienced freestylers, and they include rails, kickers and boxes; there’s a snowcross too.

Fun Zone

The zone is about 250m long and cordoned off and secured with nets, you can come here with your instructor, or on your own, the objective is on education in a fun way, to raise awareness of the importance of controlling speed, and its effect on the seriousness of accidents, here you can measure how fast you can ski, there is a timing device and speed display, you can learn how to control your braking distance too. Located near the Bellevue blue piste in Super Châtel/Chalet Neuf sector.

The Stash

The Stash in Avoriaz has been named the world’s most exhilarating ski run by the panel of the world’s top ski and snowboards experts. Part tree and part terrain park, it was built in the forested Linderets area of Avoriaz, in 2007. There are three slopes of various levels, catering for intermediate to advanced. It is 1.3km long, with a total vertical descent of 470m. The Stash has some 80 natural obstacles to enjoy along the way, including a wall for vertical sliding, logs and tree trunks, wooden tables for sliding, trees bent like rainbows, ramps and jumps from paths and rocks.

The Milka Purple Piste for Children

Great for kids, in Super-Châtel, it features a fun presentation of the Alpine fauna and wildlife in the area explained in a series of boards and lifelike animal figures.

Night Skiing

You can try a little flood-lit night skiing at Linga floodlit stadium between 7.30pm - 9.30pm. It’s a bit different and good fun and what’s more it’s free. Please ask at the tourist office in the village for any information on torch-lit descents in the season.

Disabled Skiers and Accessibility

When it comes to the skiing, skiers with disabilities, mobility-impaired and elderly skiers are looked after well by well trained and suitably equipped enthusiastic professionals.  With equipment such as the Dualski, Uniski, Kart-ski and Tandemski, you can enjoy the pleasures of snow and the mountains and experience the unique thrill of whizzing down the mountain.  The local tourist office in the centre of the village will be happy to give you more information on these activities, or try Ecole Ski Academy +33 (0) 6 81 66 52 80 who provide good facilities.

Ski Taxi

Ecole de Ski Châtel Sensations +33 (0)4 50 81 32 51

If you are a non skier but still want to enjoy the magic of the mountains and the stunning views, you can use a ski taxi, you sit comfortably in a ski chair, steered by an instructor who will whizz you around the Portes du Soleil ski area in relative safety.