What will skiing look like in Morzine this winter?

From hiring a pair of ski boots to taking a chair lift up the mountain, you might be wondering what skiing in Morzine will look like this winter. Fresh off the back of a great summer – yes the chair lifts operated, the mountain bikers came whizzing down the trails, hikers picnicked in their favourite beauty spots and paragliders filled the skies – we’re here to share our inside knowledge on what a ski holiday will look like during Covid-19 times. Whilst the logistics surrounding skiing will inevitably change, and a little bit of extra planning is required, rest assured we’re working hard to ensure you get your mountain kicks with as little hassle as possible.

Getting kitted out

As per usual, hiring ski and snowboard equipment will be possible via the friendly bunch at Ski Mobile. Use their booking portal to book online in advance. Masks will be compulsory whilst you’re renting your ski kit, and all kit will be thoroughly disinfected between users, with hydro alcoholic gel available during the rental process. Ski shops will also operate under these guidelines.

Ski school and lessons

Parents should always wear masks when dropping and collecting children from ski school (or crèche) – both outdoors and indoors. Students aged 11 and over must also wear a mask in lift queues and on lifts.

Group and private lessons are running as usual. Make sure you book in advance to avoid queues at the office and ensure you get the tuition that fits your needs, try Easy2Ride or ESF.

Getting up the mountain

The actual pursuit of downhill skiing won’t change – masks will not be compulsory whilst you’re physically skiing. They will be compulsory in lift queues and on lifts, and hydro-alcoholic gel will be available at ski lifts and in the ticket offices. Social distancing will be implemented in queues, however, the best idea is to ask your accommodation provider to help you arrange them to avoid contact and queues altogether, plus the pass is cheaper than queuing at the cash desk.

Eating on the mountain

Restaurants will open, with recommended social distancing guidelines in place. Masks should be worn when entering, exiting and moving around the restaurant, but are not necessary when seated at your table.

Picnicking is a great way to enjoy lunch with a view. Look out for picnic tables on the mountain or take cover in the new indoor picnic area located in the Les Lindarets, a large bowl at the top of the Ardent lift with lots of chairlifts providing access to Avoriaz, Chatel and Switzerland.

If you’d like your picnic preparation taken care of, just ask and your catering team will make a delicious picnic for you.

In the chalet

Kicking back and enjoying the comfort of your chalet will be 100% possible! The tub will be hot and ready for you on arrival, we’ll be serving delicious food as usual and all areas of the chalet will be open to guests. We’re dedicated to doing everything we can to keep you safe, which means staff will be trained in Covid-19 guidelines and will wear PPE in the chalets.

Currently we are selling exclusive chalet holidays only on a catered, self-catered and semi-catered basis, this means your chalet will be available to your group of guests exclusively. This makes booking a chalet holiday a safer, low risk option.

Mealtimes

As mentioned above, we’re offering exclusive bookings only, so you’ll eat with your own group. We also offer meal deliveries to our self catered chalets. This means freshly prepared 2-course meals delivered 5 days of the week, 10 bottles of carefully-selected wines throughout your stay, and afternoon tea cake on 3 days.

Moving around resort

As usual we’ll be operating our private chauffeur service for catered chalet guests to get to and from the ski lifts. This means that in 6 minutes you can be at the Ardent gondola, which takes you straight into the heart of the Avoriaz ski area.

The resort’s free buses will be operating, and all passengers are required to wear a mask. All of our self catered chalets are within a short walk of a bus stop, and buses run to Pleney, Ardent, Super Morzine and Nyon telecabin. The winter 20/21 timetable is available here. The petit train will also operate on its usual route in the town.

Around town and non-ski activities

Morzine’s fantastic swimming complex opened this summer and is due to open again this winter. The indoor and outdoor ice rinks will also be open.

Restaurants and bars will operate with with Covid guidelines in place.

Travel to your chalet

With its close proximity to Geneva, Morzine is one of the most accessible resorts in the Alps. Geneva offers multiple flight routes by various airline carriers to many UK airports, which means finding an alternative flight shouldn’t be a problem should your travel plans change.

Driving to resort keeps contact to a minimum, especially when opting to take the Eurotunnel, which is operating up to 4 departures an hour with flexible booking options. The crossing takes 35 minutes and the drive is 8 hours from Calais to Morzine. If you are driving in your own vehicle, all of our chalets have private parking.

Transfers are operating from Geneva to Morzine. Our transfer partners Skiidy Gonzales are operating private transfers and shared transfers with reduced group sizes (7 people in Renault Traffics and 12 in their Renault Masters). All passengers (11 years or older) will be required to wear masks.

Booking with confidence

You can feel confident when booking an AliKats’ chalet with our Covid-19 booking policy. If you can’t come due to Covid-19 restrictions, we are offering 100% credit note so you can roll the booking forward to next winter (or a 75% refund if you prefer).

Top tips for a smooth holiday

• Buy online! Ski passes, ski hire and ski lessons can all be booked in advance
• Book services early! Get lessons, transfers and equipment hire booked up early to ensure you get the times and services you need.
• Don’t delay on booking your chalet – as we’re offering exclusive bookings only, we advise booking early
• Book catered or semi-catered to avoid worrying about meals and shopping at the supermarket
• Bring your own supply of masks and hand gel
• If in doubt, ask! We’re here to help!

Please note all information included in this blog post was correct at the time of writing (6^thOctober 2020), and is subject to change in accordance with government Covid-19 guidelines. We will do our best to keep you updated.