Er, where?
Morillon, just 50 minutes’ drive from Geneva, lies in the Haut-Giffre valley in France’s Haute Savoie region. It’s one of five interconnected resorts within the Grand Massif ski area. Flaine, the most well-known, is purpose-built up the mountain, with 1960s Bauhaus architecture by Marcel Breuer. Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval is quiet and pretty, Samoëns has unusual cafes and shops, Les Carroz is small and handy for some steep off-piste tree runs, and Morillon is central to it all. It’s a traditional village, with good nursery slopes and links to a huge ski area. It’s the cheap, family-friendly option of the five.
Why try it?
Though the Grand Massif is France’s fourth-largest ski area, the Giffre is something of a forgotten valley, overlooked in favour of nearby Chamonix. It’s quiet but stunning, with dramatic limestone cliffs and the Fer à Cheval (horseshoe), a 700m semicircular wall of rock at the valley’s end, giving it a more dramatic appearance than other pretty Alpine resorts. The villages date back to at least 1144, when an abbey was built in Sixt, and retain their historic character, with lovely stone buildings.
Families will love it: it’s quiet, with lots of activities and beginners’ runs. Morillon has a children’s village for six-month to 10-year-olds, featuring sledge runs, an ice rink and free activities; and there’s good choice of bargain apartments and chalets.
Mountain lowdown
From Morillon a fast cable car whisks skiers up to where easy runs and lifts connect to the other resorts of the Grand Massif. It’s quite a distance back from Flaine though. Don’t miss the lovely, long, 14km blue, the Piste des Cascades, which passes waterfalls and ends in Sixt, where you can have a vin chaud before catching the free shuttle bus back to Morillon, which runs between the resorts until 6pm.
Challenging skiing is limited, but on powder days Flaine’s bowls and the Ger bowl are the places to head for, and I found steep off-piste tree runs above Les Carroz and Les Molliets, and was one of the only ones looping it for hours. There’s a JamPark in Flaine, and a boardercross. You could hire a guide and attempt the Pas de Sales, a 13km run with a 50m abseil section in the middle, or head over to do the classic Vallée Blanche.
Off the hill?
It’s easy to reach Sixt and Samoëns by bus or car from Morillon, and you’ll probably split your evenings between the three. Samoëns has charming shops, such as La Remise Enchantée, which sells beautiful handmade puppets, and Montagne et Chocolat, a gorgeous old-fashioned sweet shop and cafe. You can book a tour of historic Samoëns, to see the 12th-century church, old wooden greniers, and creeper-covered stone buildings built by the town’s once globally renowned stonemasons. There are many other snowy activities, including skijoring (being pulled along on skis by a horse), long cross-country ski tracks, dog-sledding and torch-lit snowshoe treks followed by fondue. Atmospheric Sixt, a historic mountaineering hotspot where Everest climbers trained, has around 60 ice-climbing itineraries.
Apres any good?
La Puzze opposite the Morillon lift is a basic bar that’s OK for a beer at the end of the day. It’s usually sleepy, though I did see drunk people falling off their chairs, if that’s what you’re after. Morillon is at its liveliest on Wednesday evenings, with a street market selling wine, cheese, charcuterie and gifts. Otherwise, no!
What do I eat?
Try the huge variety of savoury and sweet crepes, accompanied by a bowl of delicious Breton cider, at La Fandioleuse in Samoëns. Le 27 in Sixt has modern European cuisine, such as fish with mushroom and parmesan polenta.
The nitty gritty
Morillon has: 265km of pistes, 69 lifts, highest altitude 2,500m, 20 green runs, 65 blue runs, 50 red runs and 14 black runs
It’s good for: peace, scenery, value, families, quick transfers
Costs: Lift pass adult £185 a week, child £139. Beer €5.80
Limitations: Morillon’s beginners’ runs are low-altitude so can fall victim to rain and mist. It’s really quiet, no lively bars or clubs
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