Montriond:Ski area, ski schools and webcams

What is Montriond like?

Montriond is a small village in the Vallée d'Aulps, in the Chablais mountains of Haute-Savoie, next to Morzine. The commune's own site gives its population as 905 in 2017 and its area as 2,471 hectares. Its hamlets include Ardent, Les Granges, La Glière, Le Lavanchy and Les Lindarets.

Lac de Montriond is the village's lake. The tourist office puts it at 1,072 m and calls it the third largest lake in Haute-Savoie, after Lake Geneva and Lake Annecy. It was formed when a landslide on the Nantaux mountain dammed a stream.

The tourist office says the village gives direct access to the ski areas; the lifts start at Ardent, up the valley, reached by a free shuttle in winter.

Skiing in Montriond

For Montriond skiing, the starting point is the Ardent gondola. The tourist office says that from the resort you take the shuttle, or drive, to Lac de Montriond, then ride the gondola to the Lindarets plateau. From there it describes "direct access" to the Avoriaz, Châtel and Les Crosets ski areas, the last in Switzerland.

The Montriond ski area

The tourist office describes the Montriond-Avoriaz ski area as 79 km of slopes between 974 m and 2,276 m. It counts 53 pistes (eight green, 27 blue, 14 red and four black), two gondolas, 18 chairlifts, 14 drag lifts and one cable car, with five snowparks and four snowcross trails. It lists the 2026/27 season as 11 December 2026 to 18 April 2027.

The Montriond tourist office's own home page gives different figures: 75 km, 33 lifts and 49 pistes, with a season dated to 2021. This guide uses the Vallée d'Aulps tourist office's current page. Avoriaz's lift company lists a partial opening on 28 November 2026, so season dates depend on the sector and on snow. Check before you book.

Montriond is one of the 12 resorts of the Portes du Soleil, which the Swiss lift company describes as over 600 km of skiing and 208 lifts.

Does the lift link work both ways?

Yes, through Ardent. The gondola takes you up from Ardent to Les Lindarets. Coming back on skis, the Portes du Soleil site describes the Abricotine, a run of nearly 8 km from the ridge on the Swiss border down to the foot of the Ardent gondola; the Montriond tourist office says it passes through Les Lindarets. The Portes du Soleil calls it one of the longest runs in the Portes du Soleil.

So the route is lift up, piste down. The sources do not say whether a chairlift or other lift returns skiers from Avoriaz to Ardent, so plan the last descent with the live map and the lift company's opening times.

The village itself is not on that route. The tourist office says Ardent is reached from the village by bus, and the winter shuttle is the way to do it.

Montriond piste map

The tourist office offers a downloadable Montriond piste map as a PDF, and the lift company's Avoriaz site has a live resort map.

Montriond lift pass

Avoriaz's lift company sells the passes, and its page lists 2026/27 sales opening on 2 November 2026. It offers Avoriaz and Portes du Soleil passes, with discounts of up to 15% on five-day passes, and two offers for under-12s: a free season pass with an adult Portes du Soleil season pass, and from 20 March 2027 a free pass with a Portes du Soleil pass of five days or more. Prices vary by date, so use the lift company's site and do not rely on a figure copied elsewhere.

Ski schools in Montriond

The tourist office lists four providers for ski lessons in Montriond: two individual instructors, Snowboard Progress for snowboarding, and ESF Montriond. The ESF's own site gives its lessons as departing from Les Lindarets at 1,500 m. It teaches children from 3.5, in groups limited to eight children or six adults, and offers private lessons for all ages, plus ski touring and off-piste. Group lessons start at Lindarets, so budget for the gondola ride.

Montriond ski hire

The tourist office lists two ski hire shops: one in Montriond village and one at the foot of the Ardent gondola. Its page showed both as closed when checked in October. Use the tourist office hire page for current hours.

Where to stay

For Montriond accommodation, the Montriond tourist office's home page describes three hotels, two holiday villages, 35 furnished apartments, one tourist residence and a campsite, with 3,025 beds in all. That page carries a 2021 season date, so treat the counts as approximate.

The Vallée d'Aulps tourist office also mentions chalets, bed and breakfasts and holiday centres near the lake. For Montriond chalets and other lets, search the tourist office site.

The choice is between the village, which is quiet and needs the shuttle, and the lake area, which is nearer the gondola. The shuttle stops at the cemetery, the town hall, several hamlets, the lake and Ardent.

Montriond for families

The practical points are the shuttle and the ski school. The shuttle is free, and the ESF takes children from 3.5. The ESF also lists a Club Piou Piou for younger skiers, according to the tourist office. Lessons start up the mountain at Les Lindarets, so younger children need the gondola first.

The Ardent gondola also takes pedestrians. In summer the Morzine-Avoriaz tourist office gives the extra-person fare as €2.20 one way and €4.20 return, with children under five free. Check winter fares with the lift company.

Things to do in Montriond

The tourist office lists snowshoeing, cross-country skiing around the lake, ice diving, ski touring and paragliding. It also mentions Aquariaz, a water park, and Avokart, downhill kart racing, both in the wider Avoriaz resort rather than the village.

Les Lindarets, at the top of the gondola, has restaurants on the slopes.

Eating and drinking

The Montriond tourist office says the resort is known for the quality of its restaurants, and that Les Lindarets has restaurants serving gastronomic and traditional food.

This guide names no individual restaurant, because the pages checked name none with current details. The tourist office's Montriond-Avoriaz page is the place to start.

Montriond in summer

Summer is the other season, and the lake is the reason. The tourist office lists swimming from a beach area in summer, fishing, canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding, mini-golf and pony rides in July and August. It gives walks of 3 km (50 minutes) around the lake, 3.6 km to the Ardent waterfall (2 hours), and 7.6 km to the Green Lake from the gondola (3.5 hours).

For summer 2026 the Ardent gondola ran daily from 26 June to 30 August, 9:00 to 18:00. It carries mountain bikes up to 29 inches, walkers and paragliders. A free tourist train links the top station and Les Lindarets, where the goats are the attraction. The Portes du Soleil site gives adult fares from €3.20 one way and €6.30 return. Multi Pass holders on foot ride free.

How to get to Montriond

The tourist office says the valley is reached through Geneva Airport or Thonon-les-Bains station, with a bus or car for the last kilometres. It does not give a driving time from Geneva, and this guide does not either.

In winter a free Montriond-Avoriaz shuttle runs every hour from 8:00 to 18:00 from 12 December 2026 to 19 April 2027. Its stops include the cemetery, the town hall, the hamlets, the lake and Ardent. For a transfer or a lift from Geneva, use the tourist office as the starting point.

Morzine is next door. In July and August the road between the Joux Verte pass and Ardent is closed from 10:00 to 16:00 each day, according to the lift page.

Weather, snow and webcams

The tourist office runs webcams at Les Lindarets, the Lécherette plateau at the top of the Ardent gondola, the Grande Conche summit and Lac de Montriond. Montriond weather and snow conditions are on the same site.

• Montriond webcams
• Snow report
• Avoriaz lift company for the live resort map and weather

When to visit Montriond

For 2026/27 the tourist office lists skiing from 11 December 2026 to 18 April 2027, and the shuttle from 12 December to 19 April. The Avoriaz lift company mentions a partial opening on 28 November.

The Ardent gondola runs in summer too, from late June, and Lac de Montriond is a summer and winter draw, with swimming in summer and ice diving, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in winter. Check the lift company for exact dates each year.

Montriond vs Les Gets

Both are French villages on the Morzine side of the Portes du Soleil. Les Gets is on a col at 1,172 m with its own lifts in the village. Montriond is in a valley, and its lift is a shuttle ride away.

Choose Montriond if you want a quiet valley base beside a lake, with the Lindarets and Avoriaz lifts a short shuttle away.

Choose Les Gets if you want to walk to a lift from where you sleep.

What's nearby

• Les Gets

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

• Châtel

  Reached on skis from Les Lindarets, according to the Montriond tourist office.

• Morgins

  A Swiss village beyond Châtel, on the same circuit.

• Champéry

  The Swiss resort below Les Crosets, on the far side of the Portes du Soleil.