Les Gets is a real gem. There's enough variation of terrain to keep all skiers happy, but it excels at welcoming beginners and intermediates. Don’t let the small number of green runs worry you, because many of the blues are very gentle. The resort is centred on an attractive small town with atmosphere and a wealth of restaurants, bars and accommodation options. While it is quite low, at 1100m, snow that does fall is well looked after and cold air flow from the Mont Blanc massif, as well as good tree cover, helps retain the quality of the pistes. Les Gets is great for a full week skiing, or even a weekend thanks to its proximity to Geneva, not to mention cheap weekend lift passes.
Orientation
Part of the vast Portes de Soleil ski region, Les Gets is close to Morzine
which is higher up in the mountains. To be honest, while it’s linked to the
bigger area, access by lifts and slope is not that good and if you want to ski
other areas it’s best to get there by bus or taxi. Beginners will spend their
first few days up on Chavannes at the excellent nursery slopes. There is a
circular route marked out, the Blanchots, which is exclusively green and blue
runs if you want to see a lot of pistes in one day.
The slopes
We’ve skied every green and blue in Les Gets and there are very few
areas that will trouble anyone who is confident in a controlled snowplough. The
wide, flat areas for novices in the Zone Debutants is hived off from the main
runs so you won’t be bothered by anyone zooming through. Nearby is the
absolutely lovely Piste 64, which winds gracefully through the trees, while the long,
winding Choucas is the best blue to build some confidence – it’s a road in
summertime. One downside is that as you come off the rather steep Tête des Crêts
button lift you have to walk/sidestep 100 yards to get to the top of the summit to then
access Choucas. One blue link to watch out for on the Nyon side is where
Raverettes branches left to head back towards Les Gets. It is very steep for a
blue, and if it looks daunting (there is plenty of space to think about it
before you commit yourself), continue straight and pick up the much more gentle
Lievre blue through the trees. Then it’s the Charmiaz chair back up to the top
of Chavannes where the Gentiane blue can take you all the way back down to the
village for a well-earned rest. There is one steep section at the beginning,
but it is short and wide. The online piste map for Les Gets/Morzine is
especially good (clear and zoomable) and is worth a look at before you go. Kids
get their own zone – in the Grand Cry – on an American Indian theme and there
is also a kids’ beginner run down by the village with no lift pass required.
Finally, Les Gets excels at on-mountain restaurants and bars, with attractive
pit stops at every main confluence of lifts.
The village
Les Gets has a terrific ambiance without being too Disney about it. There is a
massive proliferation of ski hire shops (18 at last count), many facing onto
the bottom of the ski slope. We’ve had good service at SkiFun and at
InterSport, where we also got a discount as clients of the La Marmotte hotel.
The après-ski scene is lively and centres on the Black Bear Canadian pub, and
underneath that (conveniently) the Pub Irlandais. You can party til late at the Igloo if that's your thing.
There is a very good, medium-sized supermarket in
town which should see you through any self-catering needs. For eating out there
is a really formidable choice for this size of town – far better, for example,
than that found in Val d’Isère. There is an outdoor skating rink, a cinema, and should
you be interested, a museum of mechanical music too. There is a street market
on Thursdays and cheese fans can see Tomme and Reblochon being made at La
Fruitière. Seasonal events include a big husky sledding race with accompanying attractions in January and an
Enchanted Forest, complete with Père Noel, at Christmas.
Our recommendations:
Hotel La Marmotte
Facing the slopes is the very friendly and well-appointed La Marmotte. There’s
a convivial bar and traditional restaurant with a good table d’hote, and the Sereni Cimes spa
complex including indoor pool reached by a tunnel under the road. This is a
neat solution and the new treatment area and other facilities at the spa (open to non-residents too) are really excellent. A leg massage to
ease away those aches is highly recommended. Rooms are large and attractive –
ours was on the top floor and had a mezzanine level for children, a really
excellent solution to the two-rooms-or-share dilemma families face. Breakfasts
are heroic. But the star of the show is the redoubtable Thierry who will see to
all your needs and has the very helpful mannerism of saying everything first in
French, then in English (or German, should that be your mother tongue).
Superbe. Superb. www.hotel-marmotte.com.
Ferme de Montagne
Les Gets is getting sleeker as the seasons go by and the
arrival of FdM a few years back was arguably the catalyst. It’s an immensely
comfortable chalet hotel, where you can mix with other guests should you wish
or dine separately. Food, from British chef Alan White, is a respite from the
cheese/ham/beef/potato leaning of the region, and on our visit was utterly delicious.
There’s an open air Jacuzzi and a sauna, plus a treatment room with a range of
massage and spa treats on offer. Rooms are spacious and stylish, with touches
like espresso machines in each. The style of the public rooms is Ralph Lauren
Goes to Haute-Savoie; no bad thing in our view.
The Ferme is set away from the town and offers immediate access to the slopes
being across the road from the Turches lift. There are weeks when children are welcomed
and catered for – and weeks then they are not allowed. Very sensible.
www.fermedemontagne.com
Restaurant Chez Nannon
On sunny days this destination restaurant under the Pointe de Nyon on the
Raverettes or Freux blues (the latter is the easier access option) can be
frenetically busy. But with good reason. Everything it does, it does
exceptionally well – star of the show is the immense côte de boeuf grilled over
wood outdoors, but the big salads and Savoie specialities are equally
excellent. Service is best described as brusquely friendly; a little charm and
patience get you a long way. Prices are reasonable (two courses and a glass of
wine, €55 for two). You must book Tel: 04 50 79 21 15.
Restaurant La Paika
Over on the other side of the valley from Nyon, above La Turche, this
two-seasons-old restaurant is a little more refined than Chez Nannon and offers light dishes like a trio of salmon but still
executes the regional classics with aplomb. The sunny terrace is great if the
weather obliges, or inside there is a stylish take on traditional interior
design. Don’t go too mad on the genepi; the descent down the Vorosses blue is
steepish. Tel : 04 50 92 85 22
Town restaurants
Two worth mentioning, among the host of very good ones, are La Pela near the Mairie, which offers excellent versions of the Savoyarde classics in a very 'sympa' environment, or L'Outa, which is effectively a restaurant in an interior design shop opposite La Marmotte hotel. the cuisine here is a little more evolved - a starter plate of Norwegian salmon treated three different ways, followed by a daube of wild boar with soft polenta gives you the idea.
Green runs: 4
Blue runs: 26
Red runs: 29
Ski schools: 7
Access to slopes: 12345
Beginner’s area: 12345
Overall: 12345
Cost: Medium
Getting there: Allow one hour for the drive from
Geneva - one of the most convenient resorts in the Alps.
