Skiing in Morzine
Morzine – from the Germanic word "morgen" meaning "rising sun" – has an excellent central location in the Portes du Soleil ski area with 650km of pistes offering something for everyone.
When my fiancé Andrew – a first-time skier – and I arrived in Morzine at the end of January, we discovered a great variety of terrain offering something for everyone.
The resort pistes of Pleney connect to the larger ski area of Les Gets, an area with mostly gentle blue and red runs.
The alternative is to head up the other side of the valley towards the more challenging ski area of Avoriaz which connects to the ski resorts of Champery/Les Crosets and Champoussin in Switzerland and the La Linga section of the Chatel ski area.
Andrew was not disappointed with Morzine's beginners slopes, while I had my pick of nearly 250km of red and blue runs.
Together we spent leisurely afternoons repeating the long blues into Morzine from the Pléney télécabine all the way around the mountain.
This was after a two-and-a-half- hour ski lesson in the morning with instructors from the Ecole du Ski Français (ESF) and a long lunch in one of the mountain-top eateries.
On the first day in Morzine, we explored the busy little Alpine town which is steeped in tradition with wooden chalets, slate roofs and stone foundations full of character and Savoyard charm.
We were overtaken on our walk by a Frenchman on his morning run with a baguette tucked securely under his arm.
We stayed at Le Hotel Bel'Alpe (see Weekend Retreat). From our balcony, we enjoyed wonderful views of snow-topped mountains.
Having grown up in France, I was fortunate enough to have had the chance to ski most winters for five years, but after an eight-year break from the pistes I cautiously opted to start in class one.
But within 10 minutes, I'd been promoted into class two out of four and was parallel skiing on blues and reds.
They say skiing is like riding a bike – you never forget – and that's definitely what I found.
Andrew was a complete beginner and had an old knee injury, so he was more than a little apprehensive about putting on a pair of skis. But his expert English-speaking ski instructor was excellent – very patient and friendly – and within two days he was confident enough to tackle a long blue run all the way down to the valley.
The local ESF has 150 expertly qualified instructors who teach downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, telemark, snowshoeing and sit-skiing.
The slopeside Piou Piou Club looks after children aged three and over and offers a packed activity programme in the ESF-only snow garden.
We enjoyed perfect skiing conditions on all days but one, when there was a snowstorm throughout the day, thick fog and very little visibility. This was the day my ski instructor Alain Premat – a World Cup mountaineering skier – decided to take my group off-piste on 10cm of new soft powdery snow.
Not being able to see beyond the end of my skis was terrifying, but Alain knew we had it in us to make it down the mountain in one piece, even though it did knock my confidence for a day.
A well-deserved lunch followed at Le Vaffieu at the height of 1,500m at the end of the Du Belvedere chairlift. We ate salad campagnarde – with lettuce, bacon, tomatoes, eggs, garlic croutons and cheese – and a glass of the local rosé wine.
In the evenings, we ventured out to the local bars before heading back to the hotel for dinner.
On our first night, which was Andrew's birthday, we went out for a few glasses of the local wine, starting in the Hotel Champs Fleuris at the foot of the mountain with stunning views up the pistes. Two glasses of wine cost seven euros. Another evening, we enjoyed a spectacular torch-lit descent by about 50 instructors who meandered like a snake down the steep red run into the village, followed by fireworks.
After the fresh air and six hours of skiing per day, we were out like a light most nights.
Apart from fondue there are several typical Savoyarde dishes worth trying in Morzine, including the tartiflette (a rich mixture of potatoes and bacon baked with melted cheese) and a raclette (grilled cheese served with potatoes, charcuterie, pickles and salad). You can also try pierre-chaud (hot rock) or braserade (table-top barbecue) on which you are given cuts of meats to cook yourself and is accompanied with potatoes and sauces.
Beef, cheese and cream are staples of the traditional diet and dishes based on them can be found on all restaurant menus – perfect to top up the calories after a hard day on the slopes.
To wash down your meal, try the local Savoie wines, the better ones include Mondeuse, Chignin, and Apremont. The Hotel Bel'Alpe has its very own selection of wines,which are well worth trying.
At only 50 miles or so from Geneva, Morzine couldn't be more accessible for the British tourist. Its popularity has increased dramatically over the past few years and it's quickly becoming a favourite resort of many.
Ski-school prize-giving was a friendly event giving us the chance to toast new friends in a traditional Alpine chalet in the heart of the ski area with a glass of wine, local meats and cheese.
Our instructor Alain gave us an extra surprise when he revealed his hollow ski poles were in fact filled with his home-made peach spirit. We each drank from the pole as he joked I'd have no trouble plunging down the red and black slopes after a mouthful of the strong alcohol.
We carried on our celebrations with new friends from the ski school in the valley that evening with litre-glasses of white beer and local wine.
Jacqueline Dolan travelled to Morzine courtesy of Inghams (020 8780 4447; www.inghams.co.uk)
Inghams offers a range of three and four-star apartments in Morzine. Jacqueline stayed at the three-star Hotel Bel'Alpe for seven nights half-board. Prices start from £713 per person, including return flights from Bristol International Airport to Geneva and transfers.
Ski pack items can be pre-booked. Six-day adult standard ski and boot hire starts from £82 and six-day ski school (two-and-a-half-hours a day) costs from £112. A six-day Portes du Soleil ski pass (covers Morzine, Avoriaz and 13 more resorts in France and Switzerland) costs from £181.
Inghams also offers a Ski Saver Pack, including six-day Portes du Soleil lift pass, six-day superior ski hire and six-day tuition (two-and-a-half-hours a day) from £312 per person.
Inghams offers ski holidays to 13 resorts in France.
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