As time goes by old lifts get to the end of their life and new advances mean that new projects can be introduced to link the town of Morzine with the ski area more efficiently and bring more people up the mountain.
In 2013 the fifty years old Prodains lift was replaced with a new lift that vastly increased the number of people that could be taken up to Avoriaz. Twelve cars with 35 seats can take 2400 people an hour up the mountain.
Linking Morzine to Avoriaz
In 2007 a plan was put forward to link Morzine and Avoriaz with a lift running from the centre of Morzine all the way to Avoriaz via the Prodains. Under the title «1 Town, 2 Resorts, 1 Future.»
The proposed route
The route proposed for the new lift would start at the top of the Rue Du Bourg, right in the very centre of Morzine. The lift would link up with the existing Prodains lift and then take skiers straight up to Avoriaz. From its departure it would cross the centre of town and then head up the Prodains valley. The views on the way up promise to be spectacular!
Environmental Impact
To keep the impact on the beautiful natural surroundings to a minimum and avoid encroaching on nature too much only a small number of pylons will be used, about seven or eight. Any impact on the environment would certainly be offset by the fact that the number of buses would be vastly reduced as people would not need to take the bus to get to Prodains.
Looking to the future
Whilst this new lift is still only in the planning stage and would undoubtedly be a massive undertaking it shows the ambition of the resort. As old lifts have increasingly been replaced with high speed links it makes sense to see what further developments can be made to link Morzine to the higher slopes of Avoriaz. Currently the only way to access Avoriaz is by driving to either Prodains or Ardent (or getting the bus) or heading up Super Morzine, which can be time consuming. Increasing the ease of access will bring more people to the resort and increase revenues. It is an ambitious project that can only serve to strengthen Morzine's reputation in the world of skiing.