FLAINE

NEW 21 Dec 2013: More on the proposals for a new mega-lift (the "Funi Flaine) which would take skiers from the valley to resort in 15-20 mins can be found here.

Flaine (and the Grand Massif) is one of France's top ski areas.  No question.

The road to Flaine

The mountain and its various villages boast an impressive list of attributes.  Here are seven of them.

1.  Easy access: You can leave Geneva airport and be at Les Carroz in 45 minutes.

Above Les Carroz

2.  Easy access: Drive to Morillon instead and you have the easiest access to the skiing: a drop-off point for skiers, places to hire skis and a big car park.  And at 700m, you are unlikely to get stuck, have to get the snowchains out, etc.

3.  Choose where you stay.  Samoens has a powerful rustic village + jumbo gondola option; Sixt Fer a Cheval is completely away from it all; Les Carroz has various hotels and feels like a proper place.  And then we have Flaine.  This gives the "traditional" French ski in-ski out experience - the twist being the unique architecture.  The setting is a bit like Val Thorens, although the overall set-up feels much less urban - even if you don't like the architecture.  The wikipedia entry, charting the development of the site since 1959, is well worth a look.  

4.  A big ski area.  At 265km, it's bigger than La Plagne (225km) and Les Arcs (200km). The layout of the mountain gives you a real feeling of travelling around.  Meanwhile, the lift pass, at €43, is slightly cheaper than Les Arcs' €46.

5.  Great snow record.  The summit at 2500m may not sound too high, but the location of the Grand Massif really makes a difference - the area consistently posts some of the highest snow depths in the Alps.

6.  Some epic pistes.  The Cascades run from les Grands Platieres and the Marvel green run above Morillon are both worth making a detour for.  Try lunch at the Lac de Gers:

7.  Summer.  The Giffre valley is beautiful and boasts the feared cycling climb that is the Col de Joux Plane.  More sedate pleasures can be found strolling around the Cirque du Fer a Cheval beyond Sixt.

A few other things to watch out for:

• The Bissac at Flaine is a great spot to meet up, but gets very crowded, and the toilets can't cope with the demand.
• At the big Platieres gondola, you can beat the queue by opting to stand up rather than sit down in the cabins.
• The lift at Morillon 1100 struggles with the crowds during the (March) Paris school holidays - so must be a mare during the main February crush...
• If it's bad weather, the links to Flaine may close.  Even if they don't, they may be very, very cold.

For more on the area...some links:

The Telegraph's guide to Flaine

The We Love 2 Ski review of the area

Where to Ski and Snowboard's review

www.flaine.info - an independent English-language site

The summit, at 2500m

Flaine