Morillon Ski Resort Guide | Grand Massif
Quiet and unassuming, Morillon is a perfectly placed village that offers an escape from the grandeur and excess associated with some French ski resorts. Those looking for a more relaxed vibe and a friendly village should consider Morillon as a base to access the 265km of Grand Massif Pistes. The village of Morillon is split into two, the accommodation at the base of the gondola and Morillon Les Esserts at 1100m.
MORILLON FIRST IMPRESSIONS
My first day in Morillon was accessed from Samoëns where I skied down the wide pistes to the base of the gondola. Morillon grabbed my attention immediately with the ability to just cruise and carve your way without interruption. Morillon offers a good mix of beginner and intermediate terrain but with fantastic access to the rest of the Grand Massif where you can find more challenging runs.
MORILLON SKI AREA
Morillon village is the lowest base in the Grand Massif at 700m which can mean the slopes closer to the gondola base station are patchy in early and late season. It was possible to ski to the base in April but I wouldn’t say the conditions were enjoyable.
On my most recent trip, Dec 23/Jan 24 - skiing back to the village at 700m was not possible. throughout.
The Morillon ski area is small with 22 local runs, consisting of 5 green, 12 blue, and 5 red pistes. The local area is therefore well suited to intermediates and beginners with some beautiful wide pistes to help inspire some confidence. This however wouldn’t put me off booking accommodation in Morillon as a more advanced skier or snowboarder as the links to the rest of the Grand Massif are well-established. You will be required to take the Morillon gondola and then the Sairon chairlift which opens up the rest of the ski area.
From Morillon, you have easy access to the Coulouvrier chair, which at 2.9 km is the longest in Europe! This is one of my favourite chairs in the whole of the Grand Massif as it makes the whole Grand Massif accessible. From the top of Coulouvrier, it is possible to ski back to Morillon, down into Samoëns, across into Les Carroz or over to Flaine.
MORILLON FOR BEGINNERS
In Morillon 1100 you will find the beginner’s area which is well-positioned close to some restaurants and the ski-in ski-out village. From nearby you can take Les Esserts chair which will access some green terrain for when you fancy exploring for the first time. Morillon is also home to the green Marvel slope which is a 7km green trail that runs through the Morillon trees.
INTERMEDIATES IN MORILLON
Intermediates will love Morillon with a selection of blues available from the top of the Biollaires chairlift, Sairon is a particular favourite due to its 3km length and 600m vertical drop. Morillon is also home to several nice red pistes with Paccoty being an enjoyable route to the Coulouvrier chair. A much overlooked route is the short Freres blue route which can be lapped using the Vielle drag lift. This blue is tucked away near the start of the green Marvel run so is often overlooked.
Outside of Morillon, intermediates can explore the whole of the Grand Massif with some beautiful trails spread throughout the neighbouring resorts of Samoëns, Les Carroz and Flaine. If intermediates would like to experience a big day out… they should consider heading to Flaine and taking the 14km blue trail Cascades that runs to Sixt. From Sixt, you can return to Morillon using the free Navettes bus service.
ADVANCED SKIERS MORILLON
There isn’t much for advanced skiers and snowboarders in Morillon ski resort but with easy access to Samoèns and Les Carroz, you will be able to find a challenge. Head to Les Carroz which offers some fantastic tree-skiing. Like most people in the Grand Massif, you will also want to explore Flaine which offers brilliant off-piste within its large bowl.
Within Morillon, the excellent Stade Morillon red is an opportunity to open the lungs and get some speed, when it isn’t reserved for the race kids. Morillon is also a good spot to find uncontested freshies on a powder day.
FREESTYLE TERRAIN MORILLON
Morillon has a small but fun terrain park that runs alongside a drag lift Vielle. The run has several banked turns, flat boxes and small jumps. The Morillon Ze KidzPark is aimed at a blue level of run and is intended to provide an intro to freestyle.
Morillon is sheltered from the wind so the lifts here remain unaffected when the resorts of Flaine, Les Carroz and Samoëns need to close their upper installations.
On a bluebird ski day, Morillon is one of my favourite resorts. The slopes here get ample sun coverage and there are a few nice restaurants where you can enjoy a beverage on the sun terrace.
LIFTS MORILLON
Morillon has a total of 9 lifts in the resort with the longest being the Coulouvrier. From the village of Morillon, you will need to take the Morillon Gondola that will drop you at the satellite village of Morillon 1100 Les Esserts. From Morillon 1100 you have the option of Sairon or the shorter Les Esserts chairs. The Les Esserts chair only serves the lower part of Morillon so if you want to reach the summit you will need to take Sairon chair.
From the top of the modern Sairon chair, it is possible to ski across to Les Carroz and the Gron chair and Le Kedeuze gondola. Alternatively, you can ski towards Coulouvrier and the links to Samoëns and Flaine.
The lifts in Morillon could do with some updating but actually, this is part of the appeal of staying in Morillon. The slower lifts can make Morillon less popular than some of the other Grand Massif villages so is a fair price to pay for quieter runs.
@geoffreyarduini Biollaires Chairlift
SKI SHOP RECOMMENDATION
Located in Morillon 1100 next to the Les Esserts chairlift is the shop Ski One. During my stay, I received fantastic service from the store which repaired quite a bad core shot in my snowboard. Morillon doesn’t have many great ski shops with some of the equipment being quite dated across the other stores. Therefore if you are looking for ski rental, repairs or to pick up some gear I would recommend Ski One.
You can book rental online by using this link. This is NOT an affiliate link but a recommendation based on fantastic service.
SEASON DATES
The ski season in Morillon opens in December and closes in late April. Early season conditions have been variable over the past couple of seasons so be aware the whole area may not be open in December. If this is the case, skiing will still be possible above 1100m and in the nearby Grand Massif resorts.
MORILLON VIDEO
MORILLON GALLERY
GRAND MASSIF PISTE MAP
GETTING AROUND THE GRAND MASSIF FROM MORILLON
MORILLON TO SAMOËNS
Getting from Morillon to Samoëns is possible via skiing between the resorts or taking the local Navettes (free shuttle service). Information and timetables on the Navettes can be found by clicking the picture below.
Using the buses between the ski stations is not a necessity as all resorts can easily be skied between however they can be a lifesaver if you have tired legs and can’t face the ski commute back.
TRAVEL TO MORILLON
Most international guests to Morillon will arrive at Geneva Airport where a short transfer to the village is possible. Depending on traffic and weather conditions your transfer should take no longer than 1 hour.
Alternatively, you can take the train from Geneva to Cluses whether you will then need to take a local bus service.
MORILLON ACCOMMODATION
As previously mentioned Morillon has two main bases; the village of Morillon at 700m and Morillon 1100 Les Esserts.
MORILLON VILLAGE
Staying in Morillon 700m will mean that you need to make the morning commute up the gondola however this could be well worth it. Although Morillon village is a quiet village, staying at Morillon 700m does give you access to several restaurants, bars and other amenities. I enjoy staying in Morillon village as it also provides flexibility in case you would prefer to take a Navette and start your ski day in another ski resort.
Morillon Village is also nice if travelling with family or pets. A short walk from the main street you can be down by the river where there are footpaths between Morillon and Samoëns. This area is also home to a lake, pump track, mini golf and children’s high ropes climbing area.
MORILLON LES ESSERTS
The satellite village of Morillon Les Esserts is a ski-in-ski-out village for those who would like to be as close to the action as possible. Staying at Morillon 1100 gives you more direct access to the slopes and you can avoid the morning gondola commute, however, there are fewer amenities in this part of the village.
MORILLON PROS
Morillon is an affordable base for your Grand Massif ski holiday providing access to 265km at a fraction of the cost of Flaine accommodation.
The local area of Morillon has some fantastic pistes that are normally in great condition.
The Morillon ski area is fantastic for intermediates with numerous blue and red trails.
Morillon is home to Marvel a 7km long green run fantastic for beginners.
Morillon has great access to the other Grand Massif resorts and from the top of Sairon you can be straight into Les Carroz, one lift from Samoëns and two lifts from Flaine.
MORILLON CONS
Morillon has been suffering in the early season meaning its lower slopes have not been open. The resort run back to the base of the gondola is fantastic so this has been a real shame.
The lifts in Morillon are slower than in other parts of the Grand Massif and could do with updating.
The village of Morillon is small and quiet, for me this can be a positive, but many would prefer Samoëns or Les Carroz for their busier towns.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I feel that Morillon offers a good option for a holiday in the Grand Massif. Getting from Morillon to the other Grand Massif ski areas is not a problem and the local area has enough to offer. However, I can see why many would prefer to base themselves in a busier village and visit Morillon on a ski day.
I am fond of Morillon however the issues it has faced over the past couple of seasons with early season snow would make me think twice about basing myself here for a Dec-Jan trip.
