Why I love Morzine

I first visited  Morzine in December 2005 when my little sister did her season there working as a nanny for Jack Frost Childcare. I then returned a few weeks later with friends hiring a catered chalet, and it brought me back again at Easter for the penultimate week of the season. The first thing that I was impressed with was the size of the town. Although maybe not as big a town in the UK it is certainly larger than your average mountain ski village. The next thing that drew me in was the architecture, the vast majority of buildings have retained a wooden chalet-esque style making it an extremely picturesque place to be especially when the snow covered roof tops are lit up with christmas lights, transforming it into a winter wonderland. Morzine is not a purpose-built ski resort, and so still retains the authentic Savoyard character that charms everyone who visits!

The town is one thing but the skiable area of the whole Portes du Soleil region really is something else. If you like skiing or snowboarding then it is impossible to get bored up the mountain. There are 650km of pistes over 14 interlinked resorts spanning two countries and all easily accessible from the central hub of Morzine. Not to mention the off piste if you are lucky enough to experience a powder day or two! There are plenty of snow parks, nearly one in every resort (with some boasting two or three), and a variety of green, blue, red and black pistes to everybody happy, from the nervous beginner to the thrill-seeking expert.

One thing that many snow-lovers are surprised about, is that Morzine is just as charming in the summer. The range of activities on offer in the summer is incredible: mountain biking, road biking, climbing, hiking, paragliding, canyoning, white water rafting, kayaking, horse riding, swimming, treetop adventure courses (like Go Ape!) and so much more. In fact there’s too much to fit into just one week, many people come for two! It is immensely popular in the mountain biking world, with professional downhillers returning year after year to train and enjoy the famous trails.

And the scenery in summer is just as, if not more, stunning as it is in winter. For those who just want a lazy summer holiday, there are beautiful lakes to lounge around by, surrounded by mountains, where you can top up your tan and go for a swim to cool down. Due to the location in France, and the altitude, Morzine gets very hot in the summer, reaching temperatures over 40 degrees celcius!

Lake Montriond 

There’s just something about Morzine that’s addictive, and some of our guests return year after year, in both winter and summer to get their fix! If you’re dying to return to Morzine, or if you’ve never been and would like to experience it for yourself, then Mountain Xtra is here to help you! We have a range of properties available for holiday rental, in and around Morzine, and can even help in getting you here (discounted airport transfers!).

To see for yourselves, check out our video at http://www.vimeo.com/mountainxtra/promo1