Les Gets — On the piste

The local area slopes of Les Gets are linked to those of Morzine and between them they offer a range of pistes to suit everyone.<!--break--> The biggest strength of Les Gets is certainly its first class facilities for beginners and early intermediates but anyone of a higher standard may wish to consider a full area Portes du Soleil pass in order to access the rest of this vast ski area. Snowboarders also tend to get frustrated by the number of flat sections in Les Gets!

Annual snowfall records are good due to the resort being in the shadow of Mont Blanc and even in a poor year it is unusual to not be able to ski from Mid-December until Mid-April. The slopes of Les Gets start at 1100m and go up to around 2000m at the summit. The lift infrastructure is modern and efficient but queues can still develop at weekends due to the easy access for short breaks.

Beginners and families

At the top of the new red Chavannes bubble beginners are given the best possible chance of taking to the sport with a large ‘magic carpet’ area. The four beginner lifts are free too! Nearby, the wide gentle sun kissed runs of Gentiane and Bruyere are perfect terrain to progress onto once. Ski schools tend to teach around the plateau at the top of the Chavannes and this area is perfect for beginners of all ages. Children will love the nearby Grand Cry district with tree-lined runs through an Indian style village!

Intermediate and advanced

Intermediate skiers will enjoy the runs around the two peaks of Ranfoilly and La Rosta, as well as the quieter slopes of Mont Chery on the opposite side of the village. Advanced skiers will find a lot to do on Mont Chery with two awesome mogul fields and one steep red to Chery Nord. This area is rarely used by ski schools and tends to stay quiet for much of the season. On the opposite side of the valley the Chamossiere bump run will leave anyone’s legs burning.

Off-piste skiing

Les Gets is known as a family resort as opposed to an off-piste mecca. The high-altitude resort of Avoriaz is accessible on a full area pass and may be better if you are looking for great off-piste potential. That said there are some nice quiet routes through the trees on the Ranfoilly and on the way down to the Perrieres car park. The most popular in the local area though is the bowl to the left of Chamossiere with wide-open spaces to play in on a powder day. It is avalanche-prone though so take a mountain guide!

Freestyle

Freestyle skiers and boarders tend to be a bit restricted in Les Gets but there is a lot of fun to be had in the quiet park on Mont Chery and the new Anthonioz Boardercross course on the Chavannes side of the valley. The wider Portes du Soleil offers bigger challenges and if you have a full area pass why not try the world’s longest natural terrain park in Avoriaz (‘The Stash’) or the Super Park in Les Crosets.

Ski school

For a small resort Les Gets is blessed with many ski schools and on the whole they offer a high standard of tuition. Two British run ski schools that offer exceptional service and quality are the British Alpine Ski School and Alpine Learning Curves. The latter offer a great a variety of workshops for small groups and specialist instructors for skiing, boarding and telemarking. The first port of call for handiski instruction should be ESF and they can also help with equipment rental.