Avoriaz

Avoriaz (French: [avɔʁja], Franco-Provençal: [aˈvɔʁja, aˈvɔʁi]) is a French mountain resort in the Portes du Soleil in the French commune of Morzine, on a shelf above the town of Morzine.

Cars are forbidden in Avoriaz; transport includes horse-drawn sleighs and snowcats during winter.

One of the principal owners of Avoriaz is the tourism and real estate development company Pierre & Vacances.

Around 1965 former French downhill olympic champion Jean Vuarnet planned a new skiing area on the north side of the Hauts Fort mountain and the Fornet-bowl.

As with many polysyllabic Arpitan toponyms or anthroponyms, the final -x marks oxytonic stress (on the last syllable), whereas the final -z indicates paroxytonic stress (on the penultimate syllable) and should not be pronounced, although in French it is often mispronounced due to hypercorrection.

For twenty years, from 1973 to 1993, Avoriaz was host to the Avoriaz International Fantastic Film Festival (French: Festival international du film fantastique d'Avoriaz), a film festival mainly devoted to science fiction and horror movies.

Avoriaz has hosted a stage finish of the Tour de France 7 times.

46°11′27″N 6°46′30″E / 46.19083°N 6.77500°E / 46.19083; 6.77500