A human story

Pierre Béteille, a native of the Pyrenees, constructed the first international ski lift by connecting the Coq chairlift with the Corbeau chairlift, creating a link between the Super-Châtel sector and Morgins. Skiers could now seamlessly transition between countries without removing their skis, giving rise to the concept of ‘skiing without limits’!

Inspired by their initial success and driven by charismatic leaders, the concept of an international ski area began to take shape.

The Haut Chablais and Valais mountains had a clear potential to become a premier destination for winter sports enthusiasts. Now, it was time to introduce this ambitious project to the public.

May 1964, during the National Exhibition in Lausanne, the concept became reality, with the unveiling of a 3 m by 3 m model at a 1:10,000 scale. This impressive display showcased all the proposed connections that would one day form Les Portes du Soleil. A remarkable advertising tool for its time, the model illustrated the vast potential for winter tourism development offered by resorts like Les Gets, Morzine, Avoriaz, Châtel, Abondance, La Chapelle d’Abondance in Haute-Savoie, and Champéry, Morgins, and Les Giettes-sur-les-Monthey in the Canton of Valais.

The project presented in Lausanne in 1964 was initially entitled the ‘Haute Route des Familles’ in reference to the famous Chamonix-Zermatt crossing.

Jean Vuarnet was concerned that this name was not media-friendly enough.

In 1968, Téléchampéry built a fixed-grip two-seater chairlift to provide a link to the French resort of Avoriaz.

At the same time, Avoriaz started work on a ski lift on the French side, which was finalised by the end of summer 1968, and the two areas were connected!

The connection via Chavanette opened vast new possibilities for skiers—notably a magnificent route that transported skiers to the top of the famous ‘Swiss Wall’.

With the link between Avoriaz and Champéry, the logical next step was to create Les Portes du Soleil’s first international ski pass. This was the Avoriaz-Champéry-Les Crosets pass.

The advertisements of the time boasted:

“From the quaint hamlet perched on a mountainside to a futuristic ski-in-ski-out resort, you’ll find the resort that suits your taste and your budget!

In short, an area where it’s just you and your skis and where there really is a longer ski for a smaller price.”

That hasn’t changed in nearly 6 decades!

The International Association of Les Portes du Soleil was born in 1981. That same year, the Rochassons chairlift went into service, linking the resorts of Châtel and Avoriaz.

To support the rapidly growing ski area, a chalet was built to house the Portes du Soleil administrative offices. Built in the commune of Châtel, but situated symbolically located in Vonnes, between the French and Swiss customs stations, the building was inaugurated on March 26th, 2005.

In summer, the snow gives way to verdant mountain pastures that stretch across the 12 resort villages of the Portes du Soleil and as far as the eye can see.

It is impossible to overstate the craze in France when the first mountain bike hit the French slopes in 1983. But what goes down, must go back up again, at least in the Alps!

Visionaries, as ever, the Portes du Soleil lift companies were quick to understand the development opportunities that came with this new sport—in short, the first international mountain bike area and the iconic events that we know and love now. Beginning with the Freeraid, which became the Pass’Portes du Soleil MTB between 2003 and 2004, we organised world championship events in Les Gets 2004, in Champéry in 2011, and again in Les Gets in 2022.

Stay tuned for bigger and better things to come !