Since its creation in 1966, Avoriaz 1800 has managed to differentiate itself from other resorts across the globe as it is a 100% pedestrian-only, car-free resort. The plateau the resort was built on once belonged to an illustrious family of Chablais, the Counts of Rovorée. When the pastures were handed over to the local council of Morzine, they were given the name ‘Rovorée’, the pronunciation of which then evolved over time into ‘Avorée’, then ‘Avoréaz’, until it became known as ‘Avoriaz’ (the ‘z’ is silent) today.
What makes Avoriaz so successful is a series of completely crazy projects."
Jean Vuarnet and His Vision
On 22 February 1960, a local from Morzine called Jean Vuarnet was crowned downhill skiing World Champion and Olympic Champion in Squaw Valley. He is well-known for inventing the ‘tuck’ skiing position, which resulted from never-before-seen studies carried out on aerodynamics. At the age of 27, the athlete retired from professional skiing. Jean Vuarnet came back to Morzine and set about making his dream come true, with the perseverance of a visionary who was willing to move mountains. During the prosperous post-World War Two era, it seemed insane to want to create a resort that was such a far cry from the others – a car-free resort that placed skiing at the very core of the project. But it was this concept that was so different to the traditional resorts that, 50 years later, turned Avoriaz 1800 into a global reference where this vision, the ideal location and a strong set of principles had really come together to produce the best possible outcome. The project came to life thanks to funding from Morzine local council and various financial contributors. The first ski lifts were put into operation, but soon after, Jean Vuarnet ran out of funds and found himself on the brink of bankruptcy. Luckily, this was when he met Gérard Brémond, who brought to the table both his knowledge of the real-estate sector and the funding needed to make the necessary investments that would keep the dream of Avoriaz 1800 alive. In March 1963, Prodains cable car was officially opened.
A daring architectural approach: Jacques Labro
In 1961, Jacques Labro was awarded the Prix de Rome. He was 27 years old when he met Gérard Brémond. A little later, he met Jean-Jacques Orzoni and Jean-Marc Roques – with whom he created the Atelier d’Architecture d’Avoriaz (AAA) – and came up with a concept for a new resort, designing the perfect recreational destination from scratch: 209,000 square metres for the construction of a car-free resort, in line with Jean Vuarnet’s initial plans. The team of architects moved away from any of the usual geometrical lines, and instead built residences, chalets and facilities that blended in with the natural surroundings, and intertwined them with skiable paths. Each building has its own unique contour and volume, mimicking the curves and volumes of the natural landscape in an expressionist approach that only further showcases the surrounding natural environment. To Jacques Labro, this living architecture follows the ‘organic’ architectural movement, in line with the ideas of Franck Lloyd Wright and Aval Aalto. It goes against urban rigour, the neo-rusticism and other pre-existing designs and models built during the same period. 50 years later, Avoriaz is still a modern urban, architectural creation and even now, remains ahead of its time. The buildings are placed to fit the natural contours so that the surrounding mountains are in view and residents can enjoy both the views and optimal sun exposure.
The resort of Avoriaz 1800 is in Haute-Savoie in the northern Alps, in the Chablais mountains more specifically. At an elevation of 1,800 m, the resort provides breathtaking views across Aulps Valley as well as access to one of the biggest cross-border ski areas in the world, the Portes du Soleil.
