The Portes du Soleil area is one of the largest ski areas in the world. It includes thirteen resorts (both Swiss and French) and roughly 650 km of marked ski and snowboard runs. There are fourteen valleys and nearly all of the runs are connected. With a back drop of Mont Blanc and not far from Lake Geneva, it’s not hard to believe there is skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports here for every possible level and ability, from the black run “The Wall” to the nursery.
But there’s more to a snowy sojourn in this mountain paradise as I found out when I went to learn French in between ski sessions.
How often have you promised yourself that this is the year you will learn or improve your French? And then somehow never quite got round to it? Perhaps just not sure how to begin or was it just time that you ran out of?
Good news for would be French speakers
Well the good news is that you can actually make it happen in a way that is easy, memorable and dare I say fun? Yes fun! Because there’s a French language school in a little town called Morzine and after a week with them, you’ll not just be talking in French, you may even be thinking in French and you’ll have had a fantastic alpine holiday too, packed with memories and fresh mountain air.
Morzine is a delightful mountain town in the Haute Savoie region of the Rhones Alpes about an hour from Geneva and tucked away in a part of the Alps known as the Portes du Soleil. Strict planning rules mean traditional wooden chalets and shops in the centre of the town have kept a distinctly alpine style and charm. And whatever your preferred holiday pleasure, this is a great place to be based.
Photo: Morzine Tourist Office/Jarry Tripelon