Avoriaz 1800 — Things to do

Make no mistake – Avoriaz is a purpose-built resort that is all about skiing. There are a few attractions and a reasonable selection of shops but non-skiers will get cabin fever pretty quickly. Anyone looking for more than just great skiing should stay in nearby Morzine.

Whilst Avoriaz strives to improve its facilities for non-skiers it is fair to say that if you are not skiing you have picked the wrong resort. Nearby Morzine is a working town and has many more facilities as well as closer links to Lake Geneva. If you do find yourself in Avoriaz and not skiing consider pampering yourself with a spa treatment or treat yourself to a big lunch in Chez Flo! An improved ice rink and brand new indoor swimming complex are set to open in the next 12 months and these will offer a greater variety of things to do other than sliding around on your weapon of choice!

Sports

If you still have energy left after a day on the hill, or if you want to try something different, consider cross country skiing, helicopter rides, husky sledding, ice climbing, mountain biking on snow, ice skating and snow mobile tours as just some of the activities on offer! It is possible to buy an activities pass from the tourist office for about 30 Euros that will give free access to a lot of the activities available in resort. The best place to find out about this and get all the up to date information on what is available is of course the tourist office.

Relaxation and entertainment

If you need a little more in the way of relaxation or evening amusements Avoriaz offers a gym and fitness centre, squash courts, spas and beauty salons... but the star attraction has to be ten-pin bowling. At Studio 9, amongst the arcade machines, two bowling lanes are squeezed into the basement. It makes for a great evening, with a bar upstairs but make sure you book in advance as the lanes are popular! Avoriaz also has its own cinema which screens French and international films. The summer of 2012 sees the opening of the brand new indoor water world ‘Aquariaz’!

Shopping

For a high-altitude ski station there is a surprisingly good range of shops in Avoriaz. Serious shopaholics will obviously struggle but there are ample clothes shops, sports shops and such like. As most of the accommodation is self-catered there are also 3 pretty good supermarkets to choose from, the biggest of which is the Carrefour Montagne in the centre of resort. There is a good choice of day-to-day amenities such as bakeries and the Tavernier bakery in the Falaise sector is particularly good. Get in early to get the best choice of cakes!

Events

Avoriaz is a very pro-active resort in terms of organising special events. Every year the Grande Odyssee husky dog race passes through the resort as part of its ten-day race across the Alps. When the weather improves later in the season the focus switches to several live music events, from the annual Jazz festival in March to small rock concerts. The winter of 2010/11 saw the first ever ‘Concertes Sauvages’ festival in the Portes du Soleil with a week of concerts on the edge of the slopes. Many of the gigs were held in and around Avoriaz.