Champéry Things to Do

Avoriaz is centrally located on the large ski area of Portes du Soleil. You could access to this free car resort via the Prodains cable car from Morzine or via Chaméry Les Crosets Switzerland (take the Chavanette chairlift for the quickest route and best downhill to the station).

The resort offer modern and efficient chairlifts and good address for an eating stopover. The architecture is mainly composed of modern design towers covered with a wooden layer of red cedar shingle. From outside the flats look like as hutchs... but you are not in Avoriaz to stay inside and sleep but to enjoy the great outdoor activities, aren't you?

I personnally appreciate ski areas around Avoriaz as the diversity of difficulties is wide. Sector Chavanette-Cuboré mainly offer red slope (medium level) and some off piste possibilities and bump fields. The recent renewal the chairlifts Choucas and Fornet maximize my pleasure to ride these slopes.

Back to the Plateau/Station is more for beginner skiers, it is a good place to enjoy a sunny terrace and do people watching in your comfortable deckchair. Remind that to slow down in this area as I sometimes saw live accident between some "Alpine Fangio" and beginners or nearly collision. Control your speed and respect other... You will find also a snow park with an half-pipe and slalom stadium.

Another sector that i would recommend for more experimented skiers is Arare and Hauts-Forts which offer many technical and black slopes. Be aware of current wind conditions as frozen blow could reduce the pleasure of riding overthere...

You could head also to Lindarets then you could go back to Switzerland via les Brecheaux or reach Linga by a out of date chairlift Chaux-Fleurie which could created a bottleneck (renewal coming soon... season 2007/08???), may be local company would keep skiers on the Avoriaz ski area.

Linga offer a good opportunity with less crowded slopes and an excellent resting area close to the Chapelle with alpine restaurants in wooden chalets.

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One of the most famous slope in the Portes du Soleil is Le Pas de Chavanette or the Swiss Wall .

Commonly called the Swiss wall by the french skiers, who, from Avoriaz go through the border to come down Les Crosets. Le Pas de Chavanette is certainly the most impressive ski slopes of the world. This 1 km long ski slope propose a difference of level of 400m. It is not uncommon to be on a slope of nearly 50 degree angle. Used by good skiers, the bottom of the ski slope can be reach down by the indecisive skiers with the ski lift. At the top, after a stong snow fall, the skiers have to start by slaloming around 2 meters high moguls !

The extreme skier Dominique Perret take 20 secondes to go down this ski slope against 5 minutes for a superior level skier. Dominique Perret realised the cliff jump world record in the rocks next to the ski slope with a 38 meters long jump. Do not try to imitate him!

For sure you will get enough room to practice your favorite snow activities over the largest linked ski area in the world:

Les Portes du Soleil offer a vast playground around France and Switzerland thanks to:
- 288 slopes over 650 km
- 28 black (hard difficulty), 107 red (medium), 112 blue (easy) and 41 green (beginner) slopes
- 243 km cross-country skiing
- 385 km snowshoe trails
- 209 skilifts
- Freestyle : 7 snowparks, 3 half-pipes, 5 boarder X
- 366 acres of snowed surface

Just choose your destination among the charm and authenticity of 14 mountain resorts:
- 6 Swiss resorts: Champery, Champoussin, Les Crosets, Morgins, Torgon, Val-d'illiez
- 8 French resorts: Abondance, Avoriaz, Chatel, La Chapelle d'Abondance, Les Gets, Montriond, Morzine, Saint-Jean-d'Aulps.

The Palladium infrastructure provides for a large array of activities and events, all under one roof and in a truly spectacular setting. This is a one-stop destination for sports, culture and free-time fun.

This multi-functional complex houses 2 restaurants, seminar and conference rooms, a two-star hotel with 80 beds, a multi-purpose room with stage, exhibition and conference halls, tennis courts, a swimming pool, an indoor ice-skating rink (open all year), a curling hall, fitness rooms and a wellness center (coming soon).

It's impossible to take all the 208 lifts in 1 week. Do as much as you can.
Don't be disappointed when skiing through Avoriaz. To me this village seems to be a satelite village with many apartments but not all of them are well kept.

Soon under review