Portes du Soleil

A cross-border network of a dozen resort towns spanning France and Switzerland, Portes du Soleil links village to village through a mix of open alpine terrain, forest runs and mountain passes; one of the largest ski areas in the world by piste count, low-altitude and pretty rather than high-alpine and dramatic.

The signature run is the Swiss Wall (Chavanette), a steep, ungroomed mogul field marked "experts only" at the top, so steep you can't see what's below you from the start. The Barbossine, from Super Châtel toward Torgon, is another long, steep black; the runs behind Mont Chéry develop serious natural moguls of their own.

Morzine and Les Gets are the area's beginner- and family-friendly base; Les Gets has its own beginner zone and family snowpark, and both sit low enough to feel more like alpine villages than purpose-built ski stations. Châtel and Champéry suit intermediates well, with Châtel's Linga and Pré-la-Joux sectors holding the area's best off-piste and expert terrain for those who want to push further. Avoriaz is the area's freestyle and expert hub; snowparks, halfpipes, and patrolled off-piste "SnowZones" are built into a distinctive purpose-built village perched at 1800m. The smaller villages - , La Chapelle-d', , , , , and Val-d'Illiez/Champoussin/Les Crosets - are quieter still, genuine mountain villages rather than resort towns, well suited to anyone who wants access to the same network without the busier bases' crowds or prices.