Les Portes du Soleil
580km across 12 French-Swiss villages. 163 lifts, 2,254m summit, Geneva 80km. €65-75 day pass. Home of the Swiss Wall.
Season 2026 - 2027
Opens
28 Nov 2026
Closes
18 Apr 2027
Days open
141
Annual snow
4m
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Les Portes du Soleil spans 580 kilometres of marked piste across 277 runs, spreading between 985 and 2,254 metres elevation with 1,269 metres of vertical drop. The cross-border ski area links 12 villages in France's Haute-Savoie and Switzerland's Valais, making it one of the two largest ski areas in the world alongside Les Trois Vallées. Eight French resorts including Morzine, Avoriaz, Châtel and Les Gets connect with four Swiss resorts including Champéry, Morgins and Les Crosets, all accessed on a single lift pass. The microclimate between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc generates substantial snowfall from November to April, typically enabling operations from early December through mid-to-late April.
Terrain distribution favours progression, with 53 per cent beginner slopes, 36 per cent intermediate and 11 per cent advanced across 14 valleys covering 1,036 square kilometres. The Pas de Chavanette, known as the Swiss Wall, descends 331 metres over one kilometre with a 40-degree pitch and car-sized moguls, earning an orange classification beyond the standard black rating. The Linga sector connects Châtel to Avoriaz whilst the Grand Paradis run drops beneath the Dents du Midi peaks. Tree-lined runs dominate below 1,800 metres whilst open bowls characterise the upper elevations near Pointe de Mossettes at 2,260 metres.
Most base villages retain traditional Chablais architecture with wood chalets and working market towns, whilst Avoriaz at 1,800 metres remains Europe's largest purpose-built car-free resort with 18,000 beds. Morzine anchors the French side as the largest town and most central access point to the entire circuit. The Swiss villages of Champéry, Morgins and Torgon offer quieter alternatives with views of the Dents du Midi range. Free shuttle buses connect outlying areas including Abondance and Saint-Jean-d'Aulps to the main lift network.
The full Portes du Soleil pass unlocks all 12 resorts across both countries, with individual sector passes available for Avoriaz, Morzine-Les Gets and the Swiss valleys. Adult day tickets range from €65 to €75 depending on season, with youth season passes from €470. The area suits intermediates exploring varied terrain across two countries, families seeking gentle tree-lined progressions, and advanced skiers tackling the Swiss Wall and Linga sectors. Eight French and four Swiss resorts provide accommodation from traditional chalets to modern ski-in developments.
1269m
Vertical
277
Runs
580 km
Piste
4m
Annual snow
The Terrain
277 runs across 580 km of piste
Les Portes du Soleil spreads 277 runs across 580 km of piste of terrain. It leans beginner at 53%, with 147 beginner runs to find your feet and 30 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
277
runs
277 runs across 4 grades
Beginner147 runs · 53%
Intermediate100 runs · 36%
Advanced30 runs · 11%
Expert0 runs · 0%
Time it right
When to visit Les Portes du Soleil
The 2025-2026 season runs from 30 November 2025 to 21 April 2026, with some lower Swiss sectors closing earlier depending on snow conditions. Typical operations span early December through mid-to-late April, offering approximately 20 weeks of skiing. The Geneva-Mont Blanc microclimate between Lake Geneva and Europe's highest peak creates consistent snowfall patterns, with Châtel averaging 400 centimetres annually at 2,200 metres summit elevation. This geographic positioning generates reliable accumulation despite modest summit heights compared to higher French resorts.
Annual snowfall averages vary between 320 and 381 centimetres depending on aspect, with the French sectors averaging 8 metres total winter accumulation according to some measurements. The relatively low elevations from 985 to 2,254 metres benefit from moisture-laden systems crossing Lake Geneva, whilst pasture-covered lower slopes require only 20 centimetres of base to become skiable. Snowmaking covers lower elevations including Morzine at 1,000 metres, Morgins and the key valley connections. Base depths typically peak in February and March rather than January.
January and February deliver the most reliable powder and coldest temperatures, whilst December offers early-season conditions with shorter daylight. March combines deep snowpack with longer days and warmer temperatures, ideal for circuit touring between villages. April brings spring conditions with corn snow by afternoon, though north-facing Swiss sectors hold powder longer. The area opens some lifts for autumn glacier-free operations and extends through the French Easter holidays regardless of date.
The Pass'Portes mountain bike event runs 26-28 June 2026 in Avoriaz, marking the transition to summer operations beginning mid-May. No notable on-snow festivals feature prominently beyond local village celebrations. Night skiing does not operate across the main Portes du Soleil network. The shoulder seasons see reduced lift operations with Swiss valleys often closing connections by early April whilst French sectors maintain access through the final weekend.
Season 2026 - 2027
28 Nov 2026
Opens
18 Apr 2027
Closes
141
Days open
4 m
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Les Portes du Soleil, and where to stay
Les Portes du Soleil occupies the Chablais Alps straddling Haute-Savoie in France and Valais canton in Switzerland, positioned between Lake Geneva 30 kilometres north and Mont Blanc 50 kilometres south. The French villages sit in the Abondance and Aulps valleys whilst Swiss resorts occupy the Val d'Illiez and overlook the Rhône valley. Morzine anchors the network at 1,000 metres elevation, Avoriaz sits at 1,800 metres, Châtel at 1,200 metres, and Champéry at 1,050 metres in the shadow of the Dents du Midi peaks reaching 3,257 metres.
The nearest major centre is Geneva, 80 kilometres northwest, with Montreux and Lausanne on Lake Geneva's northern shore 40 kilometres from the Swiss valleys. Thonon-les-Bains lies 30 kilometres north as the main French lakeside town. Cluses sits 30 kilometres west as the closest French railhead whilst Aigle provides Swiss rail connections 25 kilometres north. The Franco-Swiss border runs along the ridgeline between Avoriaz and Les Crosets, with the Pas de Morgins mountain pass linking Châtel to Morgins by road in winter.
Road access from France follows the A40 Autoroute Blanche from Geneva and Lyon, exiting at Cluses 22 kilometres from Morzine or continuing to Thonon-les-Bains. The drive from Geneva takes 80 minutes to Morzine, 90 minutes to Châtel via the D902 through the Abondance valley. From Switzerland, the A9 motorway exits at Aigle or Monthey, with 20 minutes' drive to Champéry and Morgins. The Pas de Morgins provides the only winter road connection between French and Swiss sectors.
Geneva International Airport sits one hour from most resorts, served by 49 airlines with 388 daily flights. Direct buses operate from Geneva to Les Prodains below Avoriaz in under two hours. Train connections reach Cluses and Thonon-les-Bains from Geneva in 90 minutes via the Léman Express cross-border service, with onward buses to Morzine, Châtel and Les Gets. The Swiss side connects via train to Aigle station, then the S36 regional line directly to Champéry in two hours 30 minutes total from Geneva, with bus connections to Morgins from Troistorrents.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Les Portes du Soleil, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026
Les Portes du Soleil Snow Report
Snow Report
Updated 7 Sept 2026
2254m
summit
+0cm
new snow · last 24 hours
Slight Rain12°C / 18°C · SW 23km/h
Snowfall
24 hours
0cm
48 hours
0cm
7 days
0cm
Base depth
0cm
Season total
0cm
Total lifts163
Live open status isn’t available right now.
28 Nov 2026 - 18 Apr 2027
Hour by Hour
Next 40 hours· Updated Sep 7, 2026 at 6:02 AM
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
7-Day Outlook
2,254 mUpdated Sep 7, 2026 at 6:02 AMOpen-Meteo
Days 1–7
0.0cm
Days 8–14
0.0cm
Mon, Sept 7
Slight Rain Showers
Temp18° / 12°°C
Snow0.0cm(30%)
Wind23 km/h SW
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Understanding the Les Portes du Soleil snow report
Get the latest Les Portes du Soleil snow report — real-time snowfall, snow depth, and mountain weather for this Switzerland resort, spanning 985m to 2254m in elevation.
Snow measurements
Our snow reports measure snowfall in centimeters over multiple time windows — last 24 hours, last 7 days, and the season total. Base depth reflects accumulation at the 985m base area, while summit depth captures conditions 1269m higher at 2254m, where snow typically stays colder and lingers longer. Imperial conversions are shown alongside for convenience.
Weather conditions
Snow quality tracks closely with temperature and wind. We surface both alongside the snowfall data so you can judge whether conditions at Les Portes du Soleil are holding up or starting to soften.
Data sources
Les Portes du Soleil snow data is collected through a combination of on-mountain reports and weather forecasting services, giving you both official resort updates and independent forecast data in one place. The mountain is served by 163 lifts, including 2 aerial trams and a 8-person chairlift.
When to check
The biggest swings usually happen right after a storm. Check Les Portes du Soleil's report in the morning for the freshest numbers, and again in the afternoon as conditions evolve.