Two hours up a winding highway from Geneva Airport sits Avoriaz, one of France’s most exciting — and unusual — ski resorts. Arriving 1,800 metres up in the Alps you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d taken a wrong turn on to the set for a Waterworld redux, just with less water and more snow. The unique ski-in, skiout village, all angular, weathered, woodclad skyscrapers jutting out of the mountainside, clings to a precipice amid the snowfields. Adding to the surreal feel in this pedestrianised resort is the principal (only) mode of transport: horse-drawn taxi sleighs.
A flight delay meant I arrived in Avoriaz well past sunset, so I’d have to wait until morning to soak in the views. Instead I could focus on settling in to my more than ample accommodation: a split-level, wood-panelled apartment at L’Amara Residences, one of the higgledy-piggledy towers that dot the resort. Inside was a full kitchen and cosy fireplace, plus a second bedroom that doubled up nicely as my skiing dressing room.
