Châtel:Piste map, ski schools and webcams

What is Châtel like?

Châtel sits in the Abondance valley, on the Franco-Swiss border. The Portes du Soleil describes it as a village resort, built with an eye on the traditional farmhouses of the valley.

Farming still runs alongside the skiing. The tourist office records that around thirty families keep hundreds of Abondance cows, whose milk goes into Abondance cheese. Before the ski lifts, the village tried thermal tourism, which never took off.

Skiing came after the war. The tourist office dates the first ski tow, at Vonnes, to 1947, and the first ski school to 1948, founded by Roland Macchi. The Morclan slopes and the mid-mountain hotels of Super-Châtel followed in the 1950s, and the Linga sector opened with its gondola in the late 1960s.

The village is one of 12 French and Swiss resorts in the Portes du Soleil. Its position on the border means the lifts lead into Switzerland as readily as round to the rest of France.

Skiing in Châtel

Châtel skiing is split between the village's own area, the Espace Liberté, and the wider Portes du Soleil. For 2026/27 the tourist office gives the season as Saturday 19 December 2026 to Sunday 18 April 2027.

The Châtel ski area

The lift company puts the Espace Liberté at 120 km of pistes and 56 lifts: two gondolas, 19 chairlifts, 32 drag lifts and three beginner carpets. Its 69 runs break down as two learning gardens, 15 green, 26 blue, 22 red and six black, with a snowpark, a funpark and two boardercross courses.

The tourist office divides the area into five sectors:

• Super-Châtel, reached by gondola from the village centre, with gentle green and blue runs. The gondola tops out at 1,650 m.
• Le Linga, north-facing, with nearly 800 m of continuous descent.
• Pré la Joux, a run of detachable chairlifts with the link to Avoriaz.
• Torgon, on the Swiss side, mostly steep.
• La Chapelle d'Abondance, down the valley.

Super-Châtel links by lift to Torgon in Switzerland, and to Morgins via the Chalet Neuf lifts. For beginners, La Belette is a 3.7 km green run with 20 features along the way.

The Portes du Soleil site gives a smaller figure for Châtel, 83 km. This guide uses the lift company's 120 km, which covers the whole Espace Liberté including the Swiss sectors.

Châtel piste map

The tourist office has a Châtel piste map online, and the lift company has an interactive version on its site. Use it to plan the crossings into Switzerland and to Avoriaz, and check the time of the last lift back before you set out.

Châtel lift pass

The lift company publishes its 2026/27 winter prices, which vary by date. At the time of writing, an adult Espace Liberté day pass costs between €47 and €55, and a child's (5 to 15) between €35 and €41. Six-day prices are on the same page.

The Portes du Soleil pass covers all 12 resorts. An adult day costs between €59 and €69. Children under five ski free, with the pass issued only at the ticket office. Passes of five days or more booked before 30 November 2026 are discounted by up to 15%.

Ski schools in Châtel

The tourist office lists four ski schools, all teaching children and adults. For ski lessons in Châtel, two of them publish their 2026/27 details through the tourist office:

• The ESF, at 56 route de Vonnes in the village centre. It dates from 1948 and has 80 instructors. It teaches skiing, snowboarding, freeride, freestyle, cross-country, biathlon and handiski, privately or in groups, and runs a snow nursery for children aged 3 to 6. For 2026/27 it lists opening from 12 December 2026 to 18 April 2027.
• ESI Pro Skiing, at 105 route de Vonnes. It teaches skiing, snowboarding, telemark, freeride and moguls, in groups of no more than six, eight or nine pupils, with beginner groups for children aged 4 and 5 and classes from 6 upwards.

Châtel ski hire

The tourist office lists the village's hire and sales shops, and ski lockers separately. Check which sector a shop serves before booking: the village centre, Linga and Pré la Joux are some distance apart.

Where to stay

The tourist office lists 19 hotels, plus chalets, apartments and residences, and runs a central booking service. The main decision is which part of the resort to stay in. The village centre has the Super-Châtel gondola and the free shuttle. Linga and Pré la Joux are up the valley road, with the lifts towards Avoriaz.

The hotel list is on the tourist office site, along with chalets and apartments.

Châtel for families

The practical case starts with the lift pass. Children under five ski free, and a child's day pass costs less than an adult's. Super-Châtel, straight up the gondola from the village, has the gentle green and blue runs, and La Belette gives a long green run with features to aim for.

The ESF snow nursery takes children from 3, and ESI Pro Skiing runs beginner groups from 4. Pedestrians can ride the Super-Châtel gondola too: a return trip costs €8.70 to €9.70 at the time of writing, and children under five travel free.

Things to do in Châtel

The Fantasticable is a 1,200 m zip line above Plaine Dranse, reached by the Pierre-Longue and Rochassons chairlifts, reaching 100 km/h. In winter you fly 140 m above the ground, on skis or a board. For 2026/27 it opens on selected dates, mostly Tuesday to Friday, from 5 December 2026 to 18 April 2027. At the time of writing a single flight costs €31.

The Portes du Soleil also lists an ice rink, an aquatic centre and a cinema in the village. The tourist office's list of winter activities adds escape games and guided snowshoe walks.

Eating and drinking

The tourist office lists 58 restaurants, of which 23 are on the slopes. They are spread across the village centre, Plaine Dranse and Linga, and it notes that not all open outside the main season.

Two examples with 2026/27 dates on their tourist office pages:

• Restaurant Macchi, on the chemin de l'Etringa in the village, cooks a daily-changing menu of local, seasonal produce. It lists opening from 16 December 2026 to 11 April 2027.
• Le Bois Prin, at 1,650 m on the Plaine Dranse slopes, by the Pierre-Longue chairlift, serves Chablais and Savoyard dishes on two floors and a terrace. It lists daytime opening from 19 December 2026 to 18 April 2027.

The full list is on the tourist office site.

Châtel in summer

Châtel mountain biking centres on the bike park at Pré la Joux and Plaine Dranse, served by the Pierre-Longue and Rochassons chairlifts. There is a dirt park with three lines, a drop zone, a slopestyle area and a free bike wash. The Portes du Soleil Multi Pass gives pedestrians free use of the Châtel lifts that run in summer.

Dates and prices change each year, so check the bike park page before you go. The Fantasticable flies in summer too, up to 240 m above the ground.

How to get to Châtel

Geneva Airport is about 1 hr 40 min from the village by road. The public route runs through Thonon-les-Bains, on the Léman Express and then the Line 12 bus.

• By car: leave the French motorway at Annemasse for Thonon, then follow the Vallée d'Abondance to Châtel. From Switzerland, cross by Morgins.
• By public transport: the Léman Express to Thonon, then Line 12 to Châtel. Aigle and Monthey are the nearest Swiss stations.
• By transfer: a taxi or minibus from the airport is listed at about €180 to €360 for one to four people, at the time of writing.

Winter tyres or chains are compulsory from 1 November to 31 March, in Haute-Savoie.

Weather, snow and webcams

The tourist office runs webcams from the village and church square up to Morclan and Echo Alpin, above 1,900 m. Its live page shows the weather forecast, snow depths and which lifts and pistes are open. Check both before you head over to Avoriaz or into Switzerland.

• Châtel webcams
• Ski area opening dates

When to visit Châtel

For 2026/27 the lifts run from 19 December 2026 to 18 April 2027.

• December: the lifts open on 19 December, a week after the ski schools start their season.
• January: pass prices vary by date; check the lift company's price page.
• February: the French school holidays. Book lessons and accommodation early.
• March and April: longer days, and the lifts close on 18 April.
• Summer: the bike park, the Fantasticable and the walkers' lifts.

Châtel vs Les Gets

Both are French Portes du Soleil villages, at either end of the French side of the circuit. Châtel faces Switzerland; Les Gets is on a col between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc, with its local skiing shared with Morzine.

Choose Châtel if you want to ski across the border into Switzerland from the start of the day.

Choose Les Gets if you want a shorter transfer from Geneva and lifts on both sides of the village.

What's nearby

• Les Gets

  The other side of the Portes du Soleil, beyond Morzine; a village on a col at 1,172 m.

• Morgins

  The Swiss village over the border, linked to Super-Châtel by lift.

• Champéry

  Swiss Portes du Soleil resort in the Val d'Illiez, reached across the circuit.

• Montriond

  Below Avoriaz, on the French side of the circuit.