Best for: Pure convenience
When architect Jacques Labro’s Le Corbusier-inspired Avoriaz was conceived in the ’60s, it was the ultimate marmite resort. Critics called out the angular grey design of its purpose-built high-rises for being too avant-garde for such a picturesque spot in the French Alps. But for pure convenience, resorts don’t get more faff-free than this one. There’s hardly a corner in the whole of Avoriaz that you can’t reach on skis, with motorway-style runs for all levels covering vast terrain across the Portes du Soleil, a ski area that includes Morzine, Les Gets, and Chatel. Crisscrossing the Swiss border, Avoriaz is a mecca for snowboarders and freestylers, and there’s a 394-foot-long superpipe and a feast of gnarly rails and runs in the resort’s five snow parks. Best of all, it’s leading the way in responsible ski tourism; The whole resort is run on biofuel, horse-drawn sleighs replace polluting vehicles in the car-free center, and the Stash—a fun snow park squirreled away in the forest—has been built using fallen trees.
Where to stay: An abundance of ski-in, ski-out self-catering accommodation makes Avoriaz hugely popular with families and big groups. Hotel-wise, Avoriaz’s original, Hotel des Dromonts is still the best. Outside, it resembles a giant fir cone; inside, it’s the epitome of trippy ’60s chic.
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