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Avoriaz Beginner Runs: Lifts, Greens and a Week Plan

By the PistePath team · · 6 min read

The best Avoriaz beginner runs are the Écoles and Dromonts pistes in the village centre, served by slow drag lifts, followed by the greens off the Proclou, Séraussaix and Baron chairlifts. Once those feel easy, the gentle blues Proclou, Séraussaix, Qu'mont and Gernues are your next step, and the resort's beginner pass covers the lifts you need for all of it.

This guide turns that into a day-by-day ladder with the actual lift names, tells you what the beginner pass unlocks and what it doesn't, and covers the bits other guides skip: crowded times, overshooting a lift, and keeping a mixed-ability group together.

One honest note up front. Avoriaz is a good place to learn, but it is not the gentlest resort in the Alps. Plan your week so you are never on a run because it was the only way home.

Is Avoriaz actually good for beginners?

Mostly yes, with caveats. Avoriaz sits at 1,800 m, is car-free and is ski-to-the-door, so you are not juggling boots, kids and car parks every morning. Snow at that altitude also helps when you are spending a lot of time falling over.

The local ski area has about 75 km of slopes across 59 runs. The split tells you something:

Eight greens isn't many, but the Ski Club of Great Britain counts around 12 km of beginner slopes in the Proclou area alone and rates Avoriaz 3/5 for beginners. That feels fair: a solid learning zone and good progression onto blues, but not endless gentle cruising.

The main drawback is congestion. The central beginner zone gets busy at the start and end of the day, because skiers of every level pass through it on their way out and back. Learn in the middle of the day where you can.

The piste map divides the local slopes into four sectors: beginner, family, forest and expert. Look for the "Espace Débutant" markings around the village centre and at the top of Proclou.

Day 1: the drag lifts in the village centre

Complete beginners start on the Écoles or Dromonts pistes, right in the centre. Both are served by slow drag lifts, which is exactly what you want on day one.

If you are in ski school, your first sessions may be in nursery areas where no lift pass is needed at all, so check before you buy.

What to aim for today: stopping in control, linking a few snowploughs, and riding a drag without falling off. Don't rush. A confident day one makes everything after it easier.

Days 2 to 3: your first proper greens

Once you can stop and turn on the drags, move to the green runs served by the Proclou, Séraussaix and Baron lifts.

Proclou 1ère glisse

On the piste map the green is labelled "Proclou 1ère glisse". It runs from Avoriaz towards Super Morzine, with a slightly harder Proclou blue alongside. Both finish at the Proclou chair, so you get a simple repeat loop: ski down, chair up, do it again.

If you overshoot and end up further down than you meant to, don't panic. The green side isn't steep and the chair at the bottom brings you back up.

Séraussaix

New Generation ski school calls Séraussaix possibly the gentlest full-length piste in Avoriaz. It's a good one for the first time you want a run that feels like a real descent rather than a practice slope.

Baron

The Baron drag is on the beginner pass and gives you another green to mix things up, which matters more than it sounds. Skiing the same slope 30 times in a row gets dull, and bored beginners get sloppy.

If you're comparing resorts, our Méribel green runs guide follows the same ladder approach for the Three Valleys.

Days 4 to 6: stepping up to easy blues

The natural next rung is the easy blues: Proclou, Séraussaix, Qu'mont and Gernues. Two of these sit right next to greens you already know, which makes the jump less scary.

A sensible order:

  1. Proclou blue, because it runs alongside the green you've been lapping and finishes at the same chair.
  2. Séraussaix blue, on terrain you already recognise.
  3. Qu'mont and Gernues once the first two feel comfortable.

After that, the Ski Club points to good progression on blues in the Super Morzine sector and through the trees towards Lindarets and Ardent. Treat these as later-week blue routes, ideally with an instructor or a stronger friend who knows the way, not as a beginner area.

Bad weather tip: the forest sector is the best place to be in flat light or snow. Trees give you contrast, and you will actually see the bumps.

Avoriaz also has 4 snowparks, a boardercross and 4 snowcross tracks. Leave them alone in week one, and stay on marked pistes.

PistePath is a sat-nav for the slopes: turn-by-turn piste directions at your level, your friends on the map, and it works offline. Get PistePath

Which lift pass: beginner pass, Avoriaz or Portes du Soleil?

For most beginners, the beginner pass is the right start. 2026/27 prices:

It covers these lifts: Prodains 3S, Super-Morzine gondola, Zore, Séraussaix, Baron drag, Proclou, École 1&2 drags, Chapelle drag, Trashers drag, Dromonts 1&2 drags, Plateau chair, Tour, Ardent gondola, Lindarets, Léchère and Barmettes drag.

In plain terms: everything in the day-by-day plan above is on it, including Proclou, Séraussaix, Baron and the village drags.

When to upgrade

When you're skiing the easy blues comfortably and want to explore further, step up to the Avoriaz pass. Beginners are generally advised to buy the Avoriaz pass rather than the Portes du Soleil one. The full Portes du Soleil (12 resorts, 196 lifts, 286 slopes) is fantastic, but you won't use it in your first week.

Children

Under-5s ski free but need proof of age and a hands-free pass. Children in ski school nursery areas may not need a pass at all to begin with.

Lessons and childcare

Lessons make the biggest difference to how fast you move up the ladder. The main options:

ESF lessons don't include insurance. The school recommends taking Snowrisk-style cover from the lift pass offices, so sort that before your first lesson.

If legs give out mid-week, the Aquariaz indoor water park is a popular day off.

Not getting stuck: crowds, routes home and groups

Most beginner wobbles in Avoriaz aren't about the runs themselves. They're about ending up somewhere you didn't plan to be.

Mixed groups are where PistePath helps most: it gives turn-by-turn piste directions filtered to your level, shows your friends on the map so the confident skiers can find the slower ones, and works offline when signal drops.

If part of your group is ready for more, our Chamonix intermediate guide is a good next-trip read.

FAQ

Is Avoriaz good for complete beginners?

Yes, with a caveat. It has gentle drag-lift slopes in the centre and around 12 km of beginner terrain in the Proclou area, but only 8 of its 59 runs are green, so progression onto easy blues comes fairly quickly.

Which green runs in Avoriaz should I try first?

After the Écoles and Dromonts drag slopes, try the Proclou 1ère glisse green, which loops back to the Proclou chair, then Séraussaix, often called the gentlest full-length piste in the resort, and the Baron green.

Do I need a Portes du Soleil pass as a beginner?

No. The Avoriaz beginner pass (€39 for a day in 2026/27) covers the drags and the Proclou, Séraussaix and Baron lifts. Upgrade to the Avoriaz pass once you're on easy blues; the Portes du Soleil pass is overkill for a first week.

Which ski school is best for English-speaking adult beginners?

ESF Avoriaz has 180 instructors, most speaking English, and a "You Can Ski" package for adult complete beginners outside school holidays. Avoriaz Alpine Ski School offers private and small-group lessons with an English-speaking focus.

What age can children start at the Village des Enfants?

The Village des Enfants takes children aged 3 to 16. It's in the resort centre and early booking is recommended.

Related guides

Green Runs in Méribel: Beginner Routes and LiftsThe main green runs in Méribel, how they link up, which lifts and passes cover them, and how to get home without a blue. For beginners and families.Best Runs in Courchevel: By Level, Village and TimeThe best runs in Courchevel sorted by level and village, with full routes, when to ski each one, bad-weather options and how to get home from Méribel.Chamonix for Intermediate Skiers: Where to Ski in 2026/27Chamonix isn't just for experts. Which of its five ski areas suit intermediates, which pass to buy, and what's changing at Grands Montets for 2026/27.

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