Catered Chalet Ski France
Chatel Ski Review
Chatel Domain Skiing
Chatel has 2 separate ski areas included in a Chatel area only ski pass.
See these areas on the Chatel Piste Map.
Super Chatel Slopes
The Super Chatel skiing is on the slopes directly above the village is an area not directly connected with the rest of the Portes du Soleil domain, accessed by the gondola located a couple of minutes walk from the church square. You exit the gondola in a natural bowl area which is popular with beginner skiers because there are several slow and short button lifts on gentle slopes, allowing for gradual confidence building. Although can get very busy with ski schools, especially after lunch.
Venturing further afield out of the bowl you'll find more challenging reds and a few blues, and most of the lifts are drag lifts so not somewhere a beginner snowboarder may enjoy.
But due to this area not being directly connected to the other areas it is rarely busy, therefore often worth spending a day exploring the quiet slopes which often give views all the way down to Lake Geneva. Especially on very busy days or on powder days when the tree lined runs help with viability.
Pros:
Gentle beginner slopes
Rarely busy once away from the start
Lots of tree runs, great for cloudy days
Cons:
Mainly drag lifts
Beginner area can get very busy with ski schools
South facing slopes are quite low and runs to village can suffer early/late season
Pre La Joux Slopes
This is the area where most people in Chatel will start their skiing in the morning, as it is directly connected with the main Portes du Soleil skiing. No drag lifts here, almost all the lifts are fast express lifts.
It's fantastic intermediate / advanced play area, loads of reds and blues served by express lifts packed into a relatively small area. Most lifts have several variations of pistes to descend allowing interesting varied skiing without have to travel too far.
Plus for the adventurous types the off-piste skiing is amazing, and again all served by express lifts. There is an incredible variety of descents possible from the lifts and the terrain is so interesting its possible to ski the same lift for hours but with different lines.
Pros:
Great variety of runs packed into a small area, including off-piste
Almost all fast express lifts
Lots of good restaurants for lunch
Links directly with the main Portes du Soleil
Highest point in the Chatel area with a very good snow record
Cons:
Can get busy, especially late afternoon on sunny weekends
Portes du Soleil
This is the largest linked ski area in Europe! Maybe not as famous as some of the big areas further south in the Alps, but that translates to not as busy. With over 650kms of marked pistes, this area is enough to keep anyone occupied and excited about skiing no matter what level.
The main areas are
See these areas on the Portes du Soleil piste map.
Avoriaz Slopes
At the centre and highest point of the ski domain, most people ski through Avoriaz at some point in there stay. Again almost all the lifts are fast express lifts and even though it can get busy due to being a focal point the queues are rarely too massive and tend to be only at the bottom lifts. Once up the mountain you're presented with great variety of runs from blue to black, plenty of options for all abilities and groups.
This central area connects with Pre-La-Joux, Morzine and Switzerland.
Snowboarders are particularly well looked after with parks, boarder cross and 2 half pipes.
Plus "The Stash" a giant 100% natural snow playground created in conjunction with Burton, this new concept in snowparks is unique in Europe and offers a 1.3km section of wooded slope offering multiple route down and punctuated for wooden obstacles for budding freestylers to express themselves.
Morzine / Les Gets Slopes
At the far side of the ski domain from Chatel this area is best explored on a 'day out', meaning you should set off early and head straight there to ensure you have the time to explore the area, have lunch and still have time to get back to Chatel.
If you misjudge the time and miss the last lift back it's a 50mins taxi journey!
But there are numerous superb pistes available in this huge domain, and possibly some of the best views of Mont Blanc in the area. To get the best of the trip it would be a good idea to take advantage of Absolute Alps ski hosting service to ensure maximum enjoyment and avoid taking a wrong turn on the way home.
Switzerland Slopes
Finally we come to Swiss side, another vast expance of skiing. These slopes spread from the back of the Avoriaz slopes all the way across to Morgins from where its possible to link back up to Super-Chatel allowing a big circuit of the Portes du Soleil.
Including an opportunity to ski down the 'Swiss Wall' as you drop over the border, a famous black mogul field, not for the faint hearted.
The lift is generally not as up to date as on the well developed French side, but that means its often very quiet and peaceful with stunning views of the Dents du Midi mountain range. Although they are working to catch up with the French lift system and have recently installed an 8 man express lift in Les Crosets, one of the 5 resorts on this side of the border.
The border can often divide the weather too, it's possible for the French slopes to have very limited visibility and flat light whilst the Swiss slopes have sunshine. Always worth remembering if you're caught out on a bad weather day.
Many of the slopes are south facing and so are best experienced in the morning as the afternoon tends get quite slushy especially late season.
The Portes du Soleil is a truly massive domain and even after skiing here for many years I still manage to find new runs and areas that I've never skied before, the perfect place to explore this winter.
