Our guide to winter in Morzine › Ski & snowboard schools
Ski & snowboard schools in Morzine: A definitive guide
I think you'll agree with us when we say: There are a lot of ski schools in Morzine... and trying to work out which one to book your ski lessons with is a load of hassle!
We've whittled down all the ski and snowboard schools into a shortlist of those which are really good.
This guide will tell you the best ski schools and best snowboard schools depending on:
- Your skill level
- Your age
- The type of lesson you want
You also learn where ski lessons in Morzine and Avoriaz take place so you can best plan your holiday.
Contents
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Section 1The best ski school in Morzine
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Section 2The best snowboard school in Morzine
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Section 3Where ski lessons take place
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Section 4Tips for booking ski lessons
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Section 5The best ski schools for beginners
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Section 6Ski lessons for intermediate, advanced and off piste skiers
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Section 7Ski schools for kids
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Section 8Private ski lessons in Morzine
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Section 9Freestyle or park lessons
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Section 10Hiring a ski guide
Section 1
The best ski school in Morzine
Learning to ski is very exciting as it opens up a whole new mountainous world to you!
But… learning to ski can also be tough. It can be frustrating initially and you'll probably fall a few times.
However, with the right instruction, you'll progress much quicker than you would think – you'll be navigating around the mountain and enjoying yourself in no time.
Morzine has some excellent ski schools, below are our recommendations to help you learn to ski quickly, safely and in an enjoyable way.
Our Top Ski School Recommendation
Morzine & Avoriaz
Highly qualified, local, English speaking instructors...
We highly recommended using ESF as the level of tuition is second to none. The French ski instructor qualification is the international benchmark and takes seven years to pass!
ESF Morzine and ESF Avoriaz have over 360 ski and snowboard instructors in resort, and with ESF being France's national school of skiing, you are more likely to get lessons of the highest standard and at a time that suits you best.
Other Excellent Ski Schools in Morzine
We also recommend a few other ski schools in Morzine.
These ski schools offer numerous different packages, group sizes and operate in the Morzine-Les Gets, Avoriaz and wider Portes Du Soleil ski areas.
They all provide excellent ski lessons in English so check out each company and pick which one works best for your requirements.
| Ski School | Ski Area | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The Snow School | Morzine | A premium ski school in Morzine. Small groups of 4-6 pupils. |
| Easy2Ride | Morzine & Avoriaz | Easy2Ride offer small group sizes and tailor-made private lessons. |
| Evolution2 | Morzine & Avoriaz | Highly qualified ski instructors for children, adult and private lessons. |
| SnowTribe | Morzine & Avoriaz | A small and friendly ski school made up of local ski instructors. |
| Supreme Ski & Snowboard School | Morzine | Skill based lessons, mini ski schools, adult and child group lessons. |
Section 2
The best snowboard school in Morzine
Learning to snowboard is loads of fun and you'll be surprised how quickly your skills will progress with the right instruction from a good snowboard school.
Morzine, Avoriaz and the Portes Du Soleil are a haven for snowboarders as the ski area features great terrain for snowboards including 30 snow parks!
Our Top Snowboard School Recommendation
Morzine & Avoriaz
ESF Morzine & ESF Avoriaz provide introductory snowboard lessons through to advanced courses all taught by highly qualified, local, English speaking instructors snowboard instructors.
Your snowboarding will develop from a good technical base allowing you to learn quickly and build your confidence.
We highly recommended using ESF as the level of tuition is second to none. The French ski/snowboard instructor qualification is the international benchmark and takes seven years to pass!
Other Excellent Snowboard School in Morzine
We also recommend a few other snowboard schools in Morzine.
These ski schools offer numerous different packages, group sizes and operate in the Morzine-Les Gets, Avoriaz and wider Portes Du Soleil ski areas.
They all provide excellent snowboard lessons in English so check out each company and pick which one works best for your requirements.
| Snowboard School | Ski Area | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Avoriaz Snowboard School | Avoriaz | Run by an ex-Olympic snowboarder. They want you to learn quickly in a fun and playful environment. |
| Easy2Ride | Morzine & Avoriaz | Easy2Ride offer small group sizes and tailor-made private lessons. |
| Onyx Snowboard School | Morzine & Avoriaz | Oynx provide top quality snowboard instruction that focuses on fun and helping riders to progress. |
Section 3
Where ski lessons take place in Morzine
When on a ski holiday in Morzine you have two options for where to take your ski lessons: Morzine or Avoriaz.
Where you decide to take your lessons will depend on the size, age and ability of your group as well as where your accommodation is located.
Ski lessons in Morzine
The Morzine-Les Gets ski area is easy to access and has many long, wide, open pistes.
Therefore, we recommend lessons in this area for children, beginner and intermediate skiers and snowboarders.
Ski lessons in Morzine generally start at the top of the Pléney bubble where there is a large meeting area. Each ski school has its own meeting point so look for the sign that has the logo of your ski school on it.
We have ski-in ski-out, self-catered apartments and a chalet at the foot of the Pléney ski slopes, so we recommend people staying the following accommodations to book ski lessons in Morzine.
Ski lessons in Avoriaz
For intermediate and advanced skiers & snowboarders we recommend the Avoriaz ski area as there are a large variety of pistes, literally unlimited off-piste and numerous connections to the rest of the Portes Du Soleil ski area.
All ski lessons in Avoriaz start at the top of the Prodains Telecabine but meeting points can vary so it is best to check with your ski school when booking.
The Prodains telecabine (that goes up to Avoriaz) is within a five minutes walk of our chalets located in the Prodains vallée area of Morzine and at the end of the day, you can ski straight back to the front door.
These chalets are:
- Chalet Haut-Forts (sleeps 9-11)
- Chalet Les Forclettes (sleeps 8)
We recommend people staying in these chalets book their ski lessons in Avoriaz.
In Avoriaz it is also simple for everyone to meet for lunch/drinks as there are numerous restaurants located just opposite the ski school meeting area.
The ski slopes in Avoriaz are higher than those in Morzine-Les Gets and therefore the snow conditions are generally better during the late season. If you're visiting Morzine in the spring you might want to consider booking your ski lessons in Avoriaz for this reason.
For information on the different ski passes available when staying in Morzine see our Morzine, Les Gets & Portes Du Soleil Ski Pass Guide.
Section 4
Tips for booking ski lessons
Here are a few top tips for booking ski lessons:
- If possible, book lessons in advance.
This is particularly true in peak weeks (Christmas, New Year, February and Easter) in order to give you as much lesson time flexibility as possible (e.g. morning/afternoon lessons). - For larger groups, book all your lessons in the same place (Morzine or Avoriaz).
This makes getting to the meeting points, organising lunch together and meeting up for aprés ski much easier. - Don't over or underestimate your current skill level.
When in a group lesson you'll learn easier if the other people in your group have a similar level of ability as you. Therefore, it is important to truthfully estimate your skill level when booking your lessons. It's a generalisation, but men tend to oversell and women tend to undersell their abilities.
Section 5
The best Morzine ski schools for beginners
If you've never been skiing before (or only been to an indoor slope) then learning to ski up in the mountains can be a daunting prospect.
Remember, everyone has to start somewhere and those people you see gracefully flowing down the mountain were once wobbling down the nursery slopes too.
The key to enjoying learning to ski is having a great teacher who will make the process fun and rewarding.
To set you off on the right path we've recommended the top Morzine ski schools for beginners.
| Ski School | Ski Area | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ESF Morzine & ESF Avoriaz | Morzine & Avoriaz | An excellent beginner's lesson program to help you get up and skiing quickly. |
| The Snow School | Morzine | The smaller groups of 4-6 pupils can work well for beginners. |
| Easy2Ride | Morzine & Avoriaz | Have a beginner program created for first time skiers aged four and over. |
| SnowTribe | Morzine | A small and friendly ski school made up of local ski instructors. |
Section 6
Brilliant ski lessons for intermediate, advanced and off piste skiers
Once you can ski to a decent level it's easy to rest on your laurels and cruise round the mountain without stretching yourself.
A relaxed ski can be a great feeling, however we think the real fun is in constantly trying to improve your skiing.
Many people are also confident piste skiers but have never skied off-piste. Skiing off-piste is amazing but requires some different skills – this is where a couple of good lessons works wonders and will unlock the whole mountain to you.
| Ski School | Ski Area | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ESF Morzine & ESF Avoriaz | Morzine & Avoriaz | For intermediate, advanced and off-piste lessons we only have one recommendation – ESF. We highly recommended using ESF as the level of tuition is second to none. The French ski instructor qualification is the international benchmark and takes seven years to pass! ESF Avoriaz and ESF Morzine have over 360 ski and snowboard instructors in resort, and with it being France's national school of skiing, you are more likely to get lessons to the highest standard (taught in English) and at a time that suits you best. |
Section 7
Ski schools for kids: Our recommendations
When kids learn to ski this is how it generally goes...
Day 1: They're nervous and excited, can't figure out the equipment and fall over a lot.
Day 2: They start working it out and show signs of being able to snow plow.
Day 3: They're now flying down the slopes faster and in better control than you! Your child is officially better at skiing than you on Day 3! :)
But, this progression doesn't happen without good ski lessons, which for kids means them being happy, engaged and having fun.
| Ski School | Ski Area | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ESF Morzine | Morzine | ESF Morzine have a wonderful facility for children under 5 called Club Piou Piou. This allows parents to ski whilst their little ones start to learn the basics of skiing in a dedicated ski garden located on the Pléney. They also offer private lessons for children of 3 years and older and group lessons for children of 4 years and older. |
| The Snow School | Morzine | The Snow School offer small group beginner lessons for children of 4 to 5 and for children of 6 to 12. Groups are no bigger than six pupils. They also have full access to the ESF beginner areas. |
| Village Des Enfants | Avoriaz | Village Des Enfants in Avoriaz is a great place for children to learn to ski in a safe and fun environment with highly qualified instructors. |
Section 8
Want a private ski lesson in Morzine? These ski instructors are excellent
Sometimes a private ski lesson is just what you need to take your skiing to the next level.
Private lessons can be brilliant for beginner skiers who are lacking confidence as well as intermediate or advanced skiers who want to sharpen up their technique or learn to ski on a specific type of terrain – for example, moguls or off-piste.
All the instructors mentioned below are registered with ESF and are available for one-on-one lessons on request. They are all either part of our family or close friends. We've had amazing feedback from guests about each instructor who give a personal touch for Pure Morzine guests. They can be booked through ESF.
| Ski Instructor | Ski Area |
|---|---|
| Thierry Rodriquez | Morzine |
| Sylvie Gaydon | Morzine |
| Pierre Mercieca | Morzine |
| Patrick Bron | Avoriaz |
| Guillaumne Bron | Avoriaz |
| Vincent Morallet | Avoriaz |
| Audrey Sevennec | Avoriaz |
Section 9
Want a freestyle or park lesson? Here's who we recommend
These are our recommendations for freestyle ski lessons:
| Ski School | Ski Area | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Easy2Ride | Morzine | Offer the Bertoni Freeski Academy in Morzine. Taught by Xavier Bertoni an X-Games gold medal winner! |
| ESF Morzine & ESF Avoriaz | Morzine & Avoriaz | ESF are not as well known for its freestyle lessons but its freestyle ski program is excellent. |
These are the snowboard schools we recommend for freestyle lessons:
| Snowboard School | Ski Area | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Avoriaz Snowboard School | Avoriaz | Run by an ex-Olympic snowboarder. They want you to learn fast in a fun and playful environment. |
| Onyx Snowboard School | Morzine & Avoriaz | Oynx provide top quality snowboard instruction that focuses on fun and helping riders to progress. |
| ESF Morzine & ESF Avoriaz | Morzine & Avoriaz | ESF are not as well known for its freestyle lessons but its freestyle snowboarding program is excellent. |
Section 10
Hiring an awesome ski guide in Morzine
Have you thought about hiring a ski guide to show you the best runs and secret areas of Morzine and the Portes Du Soleil ski area?
It's a great way to discover the ski area, get some local tips, and even push yourself to try some new terrain on the mountain.
| Ski School | Ski Area | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ESF Morzine & ESF Avoriaz | Morzine & Avoriaz | Once again, we're recommending ESF for all your ski guiding needs. This is because we've found the instructors/guides local knowledge is second to none. Most of the ESF Morzine and ESF Avoriaz instructors have been skiing in the mountains of the Portes Du Soleil since they were children so they know them like the back of their hand. |
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