Morzine Morzena (Arpitan) | |
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.jpg) August 2010 view of Morzine | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Morzine | |
  Morzine  Morzine | |
| Coordinates:46°10′44″N6°42′32″E / 46.1789°N 6.7089°E /46.1789; 6.7089 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Haute-Savoie |
| Arrondissement | Thonon-les-Bains |
| Canton | Évian-les-Bains |
| Intercommunality | Haut-Chablais |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2024–2026) | Jean-François Berger[1] |
Area 1 | 44.1 km2 (17.0 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 2,658 |
| • Density | 60.3/km2 (156/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Morzinois |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 74191 /74110 |
| Website | www |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Morzine (French pronunciation:[mɔʁzin];Arpitan:Morzena), alternatively known asMorzine-Avoriaz (pronounced[mɔʁzinavɔʁja]), is an alpinecommune on theSwiss border in theHaute-Savoiedepartment in theAuvergne-Rhône-Alpesregion in SoutheasternFrance.
It is located in the French-SwissChablais historical area, south-southeast ofÉvian-les-Bains and just west ofChampéry inValais. The town of Morzine is situated in theFrench Alps' Vallée d'Aulps (Aulps Valley), which stretches from Morzine toLa Vernaz in the northwest.
A traditionalmarket town in the heart of thePortes du Soleil, Morzine is dominated bychalets spread across a river gorge, bordered by partially wooded slopes which provide skiing even in poor weather conditions. Situated at an altitude of about 1,000 m, it is one of the most northerly of the French Alpine resorts, weatherwise benefiting from theMont Blanc microclimate. The locality enjoys panoramic mountain views and modern ski facilities, as well as hotels and restaurants in the town itself. The ski resort ofAvoriaz is located on the territory of the commune.
In 1181, Morzine (Latin:Morgenes, or "border area") was agrange ofAulps Abbey, aCistercian monastery 7 km away.[3] In the Middle Ages, granges were agricultural centres from which the monks exploited their landscape and co-ordinated farming and industrial work. The grange was fundamental to the Cistercians' successful expansion and management of their mountain land. The granges supplied the monastery's food, clothing, utensils and building materials. The granges were manned by lay-brothers, who cultivated the lands and reared livestock.[4]
From the 18th to the early 20th century, the exploitation of slate quarries was an important economic activity of Morzine, before winter tourism took over around in 1930.[5] Between 1857 and 1870, the commune received national attention for an unusually high number of women claiming to bepossessed.[6][7] In 2015 only a few quarries were still being exploited.
Morzine has ahumid continental climate (Köppen climate classificationDfb) closely bordering on asubarctic climate (Dfc).
| Climate data for Morzine (Le Plénay), 1515m (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1995−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) | 16.8 (62.2) | 16.3 (61.3) | 21.4 (70.5) | 25.7 (78.3) | 30.2 (86.4) | 29.9 (85.8) | 29.5 (85.1) | 24.9 (76.8) | 22.3 (72.1) | 18.3 (64.9) | 14.9 (58.8) | 30.2 (86.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.9 (35.4) | 2.1 (35.8) | 4.9 (40.8) | 8.5 (47.3) | 12.6 (54.7) | 16.9 (62.4) | 18.6 (65.5) | 18.3 (64.9) | 14.5 (58.1) | 11.1 (52.0) | 5.4 (41.7) | 2.7 (36.9) | 9.8 (49.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.0 (30.2) | −1.1 (30.0) | 1.5 (34.7) | 5.0 (41.0) | 9.0 (48.2) | 13.1 (55.6) | 14.7 (58.5) | 14.6 (58.3) | 11.1 (52.0) | 7.9 (46.2) | 2.7 (36.9) | −0.1 (31.8) | 6.5 (43.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.8 (25.2) | −4.4 (24.1) | −1.8 (28.8) | 1.5 (34.7) | 5.3 (41.5) | 9.2 (48.6) | 10.8 (51.4) | 11.0 (51.8) | 7.8 (46.0) | 4.7 (40.5) | −0.1 (31.8) | −2.8 (27.0) | 3.1 (37.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −17.0 (1.4) | −22.1 (−7.8) | −15.6 (3.9) | −11.1 (12.0) | −6.0 (21.2) | −2.6 (27.3) | 1.6 (34.9) | 2.1 (35.8) | −2.4 (27.7) | −7.9 (17.8) | −13.3 (8.1) | −16.5 (2.3) | −22.1 (−7.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 161.1 (6.34) | 125.1 (4.93) | 137.7 (5.42) | 122.2 (4.81) | 158.8 (6.25) | 145.4 (5.72) | 156.3 (6.15) | 159.5 (6.28) | 122.3 (4.81) | 140.9 (5.55) | 135.0 (5.31) | 171.2 (6.74) | 1,735.5 (68.31) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.3 | 10.6 | 11.6 | 11.5 | 14.7 | 12.4 | 12.1 | 12.6 | 10.1 | 11.2 | 11.3 | 12.1 | 142.5 |
| Source: Meteociel[8] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 2,340 | — |
| 1975 | 2,554 | +1.26% |
| 1982 | 2,838 | +1.52% |
| 1990 | 2,967 | +0.56% |
| 1999 | 2,948 | −0.07% |
| 2007 | 2,937 | −0.05% |
| 2012 | 2,889 | −0.33% |
| 2017 | 2,785 | −0.73% |
| 2023 | 2,658 | −0.77% |
| Source: INSEE[9] | ||
Morzine also hosts summer activities such asmountain biking,golfing,walking andcaving. The resort also boasts an Olympic sized swimming pool.
Local trails are generally single track and with varying levels of difficulty available from steep, rooty and technical to fast open downhill tracks. There is also a small amount ofNorthshore available in the Chatel Bike Park area.[citation needed]
Morzine is also within easy reach of other resorts includingAvoriaz,Morgins,Châtel andLes Gets. The resorts ofPila,Verbier andLes Arcs lie within easy reach by car thus giving access to several places to ride.
A single lift pass can be purchased to cover the whole of thePortes du Soleil area and costs much less than during the winter months.
Morzine has hostedTour de France stage finishes on several occasions, thanks in part to the proximity of the notoriously steepCol de Joux-Plane climb.
Morzine was the finale of the first mountain stage in the2003 Tour de France. Stage seven's yellow jersey (for the leader of thegeneral classification) and polka dot jersey (for the leader of themountains classification) were awarded toRichard Virenque of France'sQuick-Step–Davitamon team. Stage 17 of the2006 Tour de France ended in Morzine, whereFloyd Landis did the impossible and gutted out one of the most memorable stage wins in Tour history during the height of the 1992–2012 doping-era. The town was also the starting point for Stage 18. In the2010 Tour de France Morzine was the finishing location for stage 8.
Morzine again featured in the2016 Tour de France as the finish for stage 20 – Megève to Morzine.
On the 11 and 12 July 2022, thetour visited Morzine again, when it hosted the second rest day of the tour and the start of stage10.[10]
Morzine is home to the annual French Mountain Villages Football Tournament (Tournoi des Montagnes), where the best junior teams compete for a much coveted trophy each June.
The town is home to theMorzine-Avoriaz Penguins, anice hockey team which reached theLigue Magnus final in 2006, but nowadays plays in the country's minor leagues.[11]
The intermediate terrain makes the area well suited to beginners and less-seasoned skiers and snowboarders, which has led to the resort being especially popular with families.[citation needed] However more challenging slopes can be found at nearbyAvoriaz.
Morzine is closely linked to its neighbours Avoriaz andLes Gets in that they function as linkedskiing centres during the winter season. The two resorts are included in thePortes du Soleil ski area,[12] which includes both French and Swiss villages.
Since 2013, the town has hosted the Morzine Harley Days, a major motorcycle and music rally sponsored byHarley-Davidson and organized by itsHarley Owners Group. The event reportedly drew 20,000 vehicles and 60,000 fans in 2019.[13]
The closest airport to Morzine isGeneva Cointrin International Airport, Switzerland. Although there is no rail service directly to Morzine the two closest stations are atThonon-les-Bains andCluses, and from these stations local buses are available to the town.
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