Review of Elevation Alps Chalet Kapa snowboard holiday in Morzine

It is always nice to go back to a ski area you previously loved. So I was chuffed to return for a snowboard holiday in Morzine to conduct a review of Elevation Alps Chalet Kapa.

My previous visit was for an amazing 10 days of guided freeride in 2016. So I know both Morzine and the Portes Du Soleil ski area pretty well. But Elevation Alps were completely new to me.

Introducing Elevation Alps

In fact Elevation Alps are a fairly new company. They’ve been operating in Morzine since 2017 but have grown quickly. Their success is down to a different approach to most chalet companies.

Instead of the standard one week chalet holiday, Elevation offer a flexible approach. All chalets are luxurious and come self-catered. But Elevation offer a selection of addons so you can create your perfect ski or snowboard holiday in Morzine.

Chalet services include handpicked private chefs, quality wine deliveries, food shopping, breakfast deliveries and transfers. Recommending/booking ski lessons and private guiding, and collecting your lift pass and rental gear for you are also optional addons.

Of course a big part of flexibility is the dates you stay. Gone are Saturday to Saturday trips, you choose your arrival day and how long you want to stay. Fancy 10 days? A four night midweek break? Or a long weekend? No problem on an Elevation Alps ski and snowboard holiday in Morzine!

Review of Elevation Alps

So how was the Elevation Alps experience? In short, awesome from start to finish.

It began with our Skiidy Gonzales transfer from Geneva that was arranged by Elevation. It was a fast and efficient transfer and we were met at Chalet Kapa by Kath from the Elevation Alps team.

There were welcome drinks and a tasty lunch – including quiches from the local bakery that were out of this world. We were then given a quick rundown of how things work and what we will find where.

After lunch we headed into town which is about a ten minute walk away. On route we looked in at two of Elevation Alps other accommodation, both of which are stunning. They are decorated in a similar style to Chalet Kapa – which is light, bright, open and luxurious using natural materials.

I have to say that during this review of Elevation Alps I was made to feel so welcome and appreciated by the team. Everyone was super friendly and helpful and always had a huge smile on their face. If you want a ski or snowboard holiday in Morzine I thoroughly recommend them.

Review of Chalet Kapa snowboard holiday in Morzine

Everything about Chalet Kapa is high-end and luxury. From the decoration to the fittings and towels to the bedding, you can expect quality. The ensuite bathrooms are lovely, with very powerful, large head showers that are amazing after a day on the slopes.

The living area is just stunning. With comfy seating at one end in front of a large glass contained fire. In the middle is a large island kitchen with stools around the edge and all the modcons. At the other end is a large dining table overlooking a view into the valley.

Our group was seven people in a chalet that sleeps up to 12. I felt there was plenty of space in the living area even if the chalet was full.

There were three of us in a family suite that included one double room and a connected room with four bunk beds. I got the ‘short straw’ so had the double while the others shared the bunk room. My bed was exceptionally comfy and the electric blinds did a great job of keeping the light out.

The other guys said the bunk beds were comfortable although the room was a little cramped – perfect for kids but not so good for fully grown blokes. In fact the Elevation Alps boss told me they only put a maximum of two adults into the bunk room in order to keep guests comfy.

The other rooms in the chalet were all of a more traditional layout with a selection of doubles and twins. The rest of our group seemed very happy with their rooms. In particular the main suite at the top of the chalet is very beautiful.

The chalet also includes a large boot room which is down near the front door. You can leave all your outdoor gear in here to dry out and keep your stinky ski/snowboard boots out of the way. And to top off this review of Elevation Alps Chalet Kapa there is even a secluded hot tub out the back.

Review of Chez Toi catering

Every evening we had a private chef from Chez Toi come to the chalet to cook a stunning three course meal. I can’t stress enough how good the food was. I felt it was top restaurant quality, but with chalet convenience and very reasonable per head prices.

On one evening we enjoyed delicious cured salmon served with a beetroot and cucumber compress as a starter. This was followed by a lovely beef massaman curry – my favourite Thai dish. For desert we had eggy bread with elderflower sabayon & pan roasted strawberries. Every other evening was equally inventive and tasty.

Their fully catered service costs under €40 per day per person, with dinner from around €25 per head. The full week catered option includes: breakfast for seven days (with six different cooked options), afternoon tea and cakes on six days, children’s high tea, and a six sumptuous three course evening meals with wine.

If you compare Chez Toi to the price of eating out, a similar quality of meal will cost more than twice as much. Of course you can eat out for cheaper. But if you go for pizza or pasta it will still cost you €30 per head if you include starters, drinks and desert. So Chez Toi is an excellent option for reasonably priced but high quality food.

Review of snowboard holiday in Morzine

Of course delicious food and stunning accommodation is only part of the experience. For this review of Elevation Alps Chalet Kapa you really need to know about the time on the slopes.

Morzine is part of the massive Portes Du Soleil ski area with around 650 km of piste. It is not all lift linked – for example, getting from the Les Gets/Morzine area to the Super Morzine/Avoriaz area requires a walk across town, or hopping on a bus.

For this trip we were guided by Supreme Ski. They are an English owned ski and snowboard school offering lessons and guiding in Morzine, Courchevel and Val d’Isere. When in a new ski area – or even in one you know well – having a guide makes a huge difference and I well recommend it.

Day 1: Les Gets and Morzine area

When I spent 10 days freeriding in Portes Du Soleil I never made it to the Les Gets/Morzine side of the ski area. So was pleased to spend a day there during this review of Elevation Alps Chalet Kapa snowboard holiday in Morzine.

With 120 km of piste, it is much larger than I realised. Easily big enough to keep most skiers or snowboarders entertained for a week. Much of the terrain here is fairly gentle, making it ideal for beginners, intermediates and families.

Having said that there are plenty of more challenging runs to be found, such as the four blacks around Mt Cherry. There are also some challenging runs in the Chamossiere sector which includes a dedicated freeride zone. Plus I have been told there is plenty of off-piste around Nyon which at 2019m is the highest point

Although there is no snowpark in the Morzine/Les Gets ski area there is a small jib section that will keep freestylers entertained. There is also a boardercross track which the British team used to train on.

Conditions were not suited to off-piste so we spent the day blasting around the slopes. Although it was a relatively big group everyone skied or snowboarded to a good level so we covered plenty of miles. The home run down piste V in the Pleney sector brought us back to Morzine and some lively apres at Le Tremplin.

Day 2: Avoriaz and Lindarets area

On the second day of this review of Elevation Alps Chalet Kapa snowboard holiday in Morzine we headed to Avoriaz via the Super Morzine gondola. This is an area I know very well, and with 30-40 cm of fresh snow I knew we were in for a good time.

After one run the Super Morzine area we made our way over to Avoriaz as quickly as possible. We then took the Lac Intrets chair up La Hauts Forts for a long black run down into Prodains. With plenty of powder off the side of the pistes this was great fun.

Next we headed up into the Fornet area for a few runs in the off-piste on the far right (as you look up the valley). There were still plenty of fresh lines to be had straight from the lift and we lapped the Fornet chair a few times before stopping for lunch.

After lunch we headed over to the Lindarets area via a run through the Stash. The Stash was once described by CNN as the best ski run in the world. But it is not just one run, it is a whole collection of fun interwoven pistes with natural freestyle features and undulations through the trees.

This brought us out into the Lindarets Valley where we took the Choux Fleur chair up towards Chatel. As we did not have a full Portes Du Soleil pass we could not ski the Chatel sector but that didn’t really matter as the Lindarets valley offers plenty of freeride opportunities.

Instead we traversed across the ridge to drop into a large shallow powder field you can ride all the way back into the valley. As we did not have avalanche gear, about half way down we popped back onto the piste because below this it gets a little steeper with avalanches possible. It was so much fun we lapped it a few times.

Legs were now tired and with the end of the day approaching we took the Lindaret lift back up toward Avoriaz. From here we could have got back to Morzine by many different routes, however we took the long blue run down to Ardent. Of course while in Ardent you have to visit the excellent Happy Hours for a spot of apres!

The Portes Du Soleil is a huge ski area and in two days we barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer. A large part of the skiing is in Switzerland which you can access via the infamous Swiss Wall or from Chatel. It is well worth doing a circuit at some point during a ski or snowboard holiday in Morzine.

Most of the individual resorts making up the Portes Du Soleil have snow parks. But by far the best is in Avoriaz. Known as one of the best resorts in Europe for freestylers Avoriaz has everything from beginner to pro lines, with kickers, rails, boxes and a half pipe spread over a few areas.

Eating on the mountain

Unfortunately, during this review of Elevation Alps Chalet Kapa we couldn’t take Chez Toi with us out on the mountain. But luckily we ate in a couple of very nice restaurants.

On the first day we stopped for lunch at Le Vaffieu which is at the top of Folliets chairlift in the Pleney area. It serves a traditional mountain cuisine with a gourmet twist. I had lovely soup to start followed by stunning St Jacques (scallops).

On the second day we popped into Chez Flo. It is located on the edge of the piste in Avoriaz just down from the top of the Prodains gondola. The Menu De Jour (set menu) here is good value and very tasty, also the steaks and lasagne all went down well in our group.

Apres ski in Morzine

Although this snowboard holiday in Morzine was for a review of Elevation Alps Chalet Kapa we HAD to sample the apres. As Morzine is a fairly large Alpine town the nightlife is pretty lively – although not exactly wild as in other resorts.

The aforementioned Tremplin and Happy Hour were both great spots to enjoy a couple of drinks straight off the slopes. Although not crazy like Folie Douce, in both places there was banging music and a decent crowd of people with a good atmosphere.

On this trip we also visited the Hideout Hostel Bar where they make excellent cocktails. We had a couple of drinks in the Haka which is a warm and cozy pub with plenty of different seating areas.

Of course we also popped into Bar Robinson’s for the obligatory Mutzig (or three). This famously strong Alsace drink has got many Morzine nights off to a good start! Late one evening we made it to the Cavern Bar which was heaving. Here some tables come with beer taps so you can serve yourself prepaid beers – weird but convenient!

Review of Elevation Alps: Conclusion

If you are planning a ski or snowboard holiday in Morzine then you won’t go wrong by booking it with Elevation Alps. Their accommodation is lovely, the Elevation team are helpful and friendly and Morzine is a great place to base yourself to explore the Portes Du Soleil.

To conclude this Review of Elevation Alps. If you stay in Chalet Kapa or any of their other properties do yourselves a favour and book Chez Toi for your meals. The food they produce is as high end as the Elevation Alps accommodation and as spectacular as the Portes Du Soleil ski area.

We hope you found this review of Elevation Alps Chalet Kapa useful. If you would like to book a ski or snowboard holiday in Morzine be sure to check out their website: www.elevationalps.com