Mint Snowboarding’s Guide to the Snowparks of the Portes du Soleil
This is a guest blog by Mint Snowboarding
The Portes du Soleil not only has an abundance of snowparks, but also some of the best snowparks in Europe. These parks cater for all levels of rider; from complete freestyle novices to world class pros. Local snowboard school, Mint Snowboarding, provide you with this guide to the best parks in the Portes du Soleil:
Avoriaz itself has a huge selection of snow parks sponsored by Burton and these are tiered to allow for rider development. The Avoriaz parks provide all you need; from short ride-on boxes, to little rollers, riders can get the feel of the terrain under them before stepping up to the medium size hits and rails off the ground. And once someone’s got the taste for air, they can light it up with gasoline and laser shows on the big jumps and in the Superpipe. Start small and learn big!
The Burton Parkway is the perfect entry level park for freestyle newbees. It has low-lying, wide boxes, very small jumps & rollers and is tucked away in a totally intimidation free zone!
Next is the Chapelle Park which is the perfect arena to learn, progress and hone your skills. Features vary every year, and throughout the season, but generally the Chapelle park has two blue jump lines, two jib lines as well as two green jump lines. Each line consists of 4 – 5 jumps or features. The jump lines range from tiny jumps to 10m table tops again with Burton’s Progression Park aim in mind. The jib lines include flat, wide boxes, a range or rails and other features.
The Arare Park contains much bigger features and there is a high level of riding to be seen here. There are usually a couple of smaller jumps at the top of the park which then lead into larger jumps ranging from 12m to 20+. There is usually a hip at the bottom of the park as well as an airbag which is free to use as well as a great way to learn tricks. The Arare park stays in the shade a lot of the day so landings can remain pretty solid mid winter.
Avoriaz also has a Superpipe which is well maintained on a daily basis. Avoriaz’s halfpipe is one of the best in Europe, yet it isn’t too imposing. Not only is the halfpipe right in the centre of the resort, but it is also serviced by its very own button lift so you can lap the pipe without unstrapping!
Avoriaz is also home to The Stash, a creative & organic snowpark invention by Burton. The Stash is a wooded tree run in the Lindarets bowl which is scattered with natural jibs, gaps, features & transitions. In this park there are rails, wall rides, logs, picnic tables all made out of natural materials. It is a great place to head in bad light / low visibility and is great fun to loop with friends, connecting hits and getting creative.
Les Crosets
Les Crosets, on the Swiss side of the Portes du Soleil, is home to a great in park for intermediate to expert level riders and is in a wonderful sunny location.
Jumps in Les Crosets range from 6m to 20m+ tabletops as well as a whole host of cool features. The line of about 6 smaller jumps are down the left hand side (skiers left) and the big jumps and jibs are in the centre and down the right hand side. At the bottom of the park there is a great natural halfpipe for boosting out of on the way down 8 man Express chairlift servicing the park.
The Chatel SmoothPark, located in the Super Chatel area, is a fun park with a wide range of jumps and jib features. It is generally quieter than the Avoriaz & Croset parks. In 2012 the Smoothpark hosted the French leg of the ‘Nike Chosen Series', giving proof that Chatel’s park shapers definitely know what they’re doing. At the bottom of the park is an airbag, free of charge and open from 12h to 15h. The park is service by two button lifts and also has a boardercross track down the length of it.
The park at Les Gets is on the Mont Chery area, which is south facing and in the sun all day. The park is serviced by an old two man chair and is always pretty quite so a good place to head to get away from the crowds during the holiday periods. The Mt Chery park has a number of features; from jumps, rails, boxes and often a wall ride at the bottom.
Les Gets is also home to a decent sized and well maintained boardercross course which runs under the Chavannes lifts. This is definitely the best of the board-cross courses in the Portes du Soleil and great fun for racing against friends.
There is a small park on the Nyon area of Morzine slopes, although not very well shaped and often full of ski schools. It does, however, have a fun boardercross course (although much smaller than the one in Les Gets).
Mint Snowboarding offers freestyle lessons, courses and snowboard camps for all levels in throughout the Portes du Soleil. They also offer group and private lessons, off piste sessions, instructor courses & much more!
For more information contact Mint here:
www.mintsnowboarding.com or 0033 680 77 66 09.