A Brief History
Morzine:
Morzine was originally a farming and slate mining village that has a history that stretches back a long way!
1090: Monks come to St Jean d'Aulps and take control of the area.
1531: Morzine is granted independence from the Monks.
1725: Construction of the old bridge by the church.
1734: The start of the commercial exploitation of slate in Morzine.
1800: slate makes its appearance.
1862: The road between Morzine and Thonon was opened in 1862 allowing access to Morzine and its mountains, farming and slate mining.
1910: Creation of the ski club of Morzine
1920: the start of tourism with the building of the “Grand Hotel”
1921: the war memorial is built by the church.
1934: the launching of the Pléney cable car.
1960: Jean Vuarnet wins the Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley.
1960: the creation of Avoriaz
1961: the telepherique at Nyon is built.
1963: Avoriaz telepherique is built.
1973: 1st fantastic film festival at Avoriaz.
1974: the skiing world cup is held in Morzine & Avoriaz.
1992: Super Morzine telecabine opened.
Still a traditional market, mountain town keen to preserve its gentle pace of life and authentic Savoyard charm. In the heart of the Portes du Soleil, Morzine is spread along a valley, intersected by a large river gorge and is an ideal point from which to set out and discover a wealth of possibilities.
Climate:
As Morzine is in between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc, a microclimate of weather fronts are created bringing precipitation to the area. It has the same snow record as Val D’Isere and even during the warm winter seasons Avoriaz tends to hold onto a good snow cover.
Also the Morzine-Les Gets side is predominately pastureland and only requires 20cm of snow for good skiing conditions. So if you are planning to ski a lot of the Portes du Soleil, Morzine is a great base town as it has the most extensive local piste of the resorts, with relatively few queues, great off-piste (if you know where to go), and a good choice of places for a night out.
