6 day Avoriaz snow forecast

Guy Pocock from United Kingdom writes:

We went to Avoriaz 5th January 2013 for a week. We decided to go to a high altitude resort for guaranteed snow and we were not disappointed. We had 5 days of "Blue-bird" skiing with a half metre dump of snow just before we left - giving us powder skiing for the last day - bliss.

I would whole-heartedly recommend Avoriaz for all types of skiers for the following reasons:

1) Beginners - there are several learner slopes right in the centre of the village, connected to easy blue runs to build up confidence. Further a-field, all mountains have wide blue runs allowing beginners to access most areas of the resort.

2) Intermediates - All accommodation is ski-in / ski-out, with plenty of red runs to keep you busy with the Portes Soleil ski-pass offering access to 12 ski resorts and 650km of skiing. 6 resorts in France and Switzerland are in direct reach, skiing at the other 6 resorts involves taking a bus and a bit more hassle. We skied at Morzine and Les Gets for a day - both offer superb skiing and a wide variety of runs, but you need to take the cable car down to the valley and a short bus trip to the slopes - worth it all the same.

3) Expert skiers - the black runs are limited in Avoriaz, but there are loads of off-piste (avalanche danger permitting). We tried the "Swiss wall" black run (a 1km long mogal black run that is too steep to piste bash!) - We came to grief a few times, but certainly a slope to remember!

As ever in France, the cost for food and drink on the slopes is exhorbitant, but I suggest you just swallow hard and remember the locals need to make their money in the 4 / 5 month ski season for the whole year!

We stayed in a Direct-ski apartment (Les Portes du Soleil) right in the centre of the pedestrianised village with a superb view of the learner slopes. The apartments are basic and a bit noisy (revellers leaving bars during the early hours) but it is a perfect base for access to fabulous skiing.

All in all, Avoriaz is a great ski resort - give it a try!