Mountain Pit Stops in the Portes du Soleil

When you are spending all day sliding around a mountain, sometimes you just need a little break. This is especially the case in Morzine, as we are located in one of the largest ski areas in the world, the Portes du Soleil.

With all this fantastic terrain, you may find that you want to rest your legs, warm up with a hot chocolate or refuel with a quick crepe. We have been selfless and scoured the Portes du Soleil to find the best mountain pits stops. It was tough work, but it is just one of the many things we do for our guests. 

Morzine

The Pleney side of the valley has lots of great tree lined runs that are suitable for all levels of skiers and snowboarders. There are many pistes that have beginner friendly gradients that are ideal to hone your skills on. This is great for guests staying in our self catered property, Apartment 101, located just over the road from the Pleney bubble lift.

When you are learning, it is a good idea to give your legs a rest from time to time. Luckily there are some very easy-to-get-to pit stops for quick break.

Le Tremplin

The most obvious place to stop is Le Tremplin. This is the hotel restaurant right opposite the bottom of the Pleney Télécabine, meaning it is super easy to get to as it is right at the bottom of Piste B. This is a nice, fun blue run that many skiers and snowboarders have built up their skills on for many years.

You can sit either inside or outside under the heat lamps while you recharge. We have always enjoyed visiting Le Tremplin for snacks, hot drinks, après or lunch. If you want something a bit more substantial, their extensive food menu is excellent. But, you can't go wrong with their hot chocolate or vin chaud.

Creperie Le Rocher

When you are skiing around the Nyon area and heading back towards Morzine, there is a very well located creperie just next to the Fys chairlift. You will find it just after the tunnel on the Retour des Nantes blue run.

This is an ideal place to stop off when the weather isn't at it’s best. Just stroll in and dry out next to the fire while tucking into a delicious crepe. They have a large selection but our personal favourite is a Grand Marnier crepe, while warming up with a hot chocolate.

Wild Beets Kitchen

Based in The Hive on the way up to Prodains, Wild Beets is a bit different to what you would normally find in a French ski resort. They serve tasty healthy salads and wraps and smoothies. It's also perfect for a coffee and cake break on the sunny terrasse.

Les Gets

The most popular way to get to Les Gets is via the Belvedere chairlift from the top of Pleney. However, there is a much quicker and more entertaining way via the Pre Favre chairlift, followed by the Charniaz Express chairlift.

Once you arrive in Les Gets, you will be treated to some great long and wide open pistes to blast around. The area around the Rainfolly Express chairlift gives you easy access to some fun blue, red and black pistes to play on.

Les L'hotty

At the top of the Nauchets chairlift, you will find a very convenient restaurant, called Les L'hottys. This typical French mountain restaurant is perfectly located for when when you feel like you deserve a break.

It is a good option if some of your party wants to carry on skiing while you rest. This is because they can do a couple of runs and easily get back to meet you after you finish your beer. It is also a great place to stop when mountain biking in the Summer.

Avoriaz

Avoriaz is located above Morzine at 1800m, and is very easy to get to. You can access it from the Super Morzine, Prodains and Ardent lifts. The regular free ski buses will drop you at the bottom of Prodains or Ardent. However, if you are staying in one of our catered chalets, our chalet hosts will drive you to and from the lifts, making life even easier.

Changabang

Near to the top of the Prodains lift in Avoriaz, you can find Changabang. This is a very popular snack restaurant, ideal for burgers, wraps and curly fries. They have a great choice of food which includes veggie and even vegan options. The service is pretty good and they can make a burger in one minute!

L’ Passage

If you fancy a pit stop on the way back to Super Morzine, a great option is L’Passage. Located just above the Super Morzine lift, you can ski right to the door and enjoy great food and great atmosphere. This is one of our favourites, especially in spring when the weather is nice. We love sipping a drink on the terrace overlooking the valley. Just keep an eye on the time and don’t miss the last lift down to Morzine.

La Poya

For possibly the best hot chocolate in the Portes du Soleil, you have to go to La Poya. It is very easy to spot at the top of the Prodains lift, as it is the one with the red deck chairs. These are  great to relax in, while watching the world go by. You can choose between dark and milk chocolate on a stick, which you stir into hot milk. This is the perfect way to have a quick pit stop in Avoriaz.

Chatel

When skiing further afield from Morzine in Chatel, it is very likely you will want a rest. There are some excellent pistes, and some superb off-piste areas to tire you out. Chatel is one of our go-to places, as the pistes are fun on the way there and the snow conditions are usually pretty good.

Les Combes

On the Les Combes run in Chatel there is a pit stop about half way down the piste on the right hand side. It is simply called Les Combes Snack Bar and is fairly standard, no fuss kind of place with outside seating. However, it is perfect for an emergency bowl of chips and vin chaud.

La Ferme des Pistes

Linga is a long red run accessible from the Les Combes chairlift. It is in the shade most of the day, so the snow stays reasonably firm. This means that it is doesn’t get too bumpy, but it can be quite icy in the morning. Additionally, it is quite steep, making it perfect for fast carving later in the day. There is a blue run on the right hand side, for those that want to miss out the steeper top section.

Once the run starts to flatten out, there is a restaurant on the left hand side with two wind turbines on the roof. La Ferme des Pistes is an ideal place to stop for a vin chaud, especially when it is very cold out.

This cosy establishment has a log burner in the centre of the room making you nice and toasty while drying out your gloves. It is also a good place for lunch, as the food is pretty good.

Have we missed one? Let us know your favourite mountain pit stops in the Portes du Soleil!