Flaine is a ski area in the Haute Savoie region of the French Alps, and is a part of the linked Grand Massif domain. It is in the territory of the communes of Magland and Arâches-la-Frasse. Flaine (1600-2500m) is linked to Samoëns, Morillon, Les Carroz and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with 265 km of pistes in total.
Flaine ski area
The Grand Massif ski area is vast, presenting an impressive variety of terrain: the main Flaine/Aujon bowl contains plenty of wide open pistes for beginners and novices, plus there's a great choice of long red runs and challenging expert-level descents off the dome and crags of the surrounding Grandes Platieres, which top out at 2480m.
Main mountain access for the Flaine bowl is by jumbo gondola, which takes you up to the Grandes Platieres at 2480m. This is the starting point for a whole series of runs graded blue, red and black leading down into the main bowl of Flaine. One of the best pistes for second-week skiers is the long Serpentine blue run from Les Grandes Platieres all the way down to the village.
Flaine’s natural amphitheatre is rimmed by a series of lifts all going up to around 2500m. Another fun run is from Tete des Lindars to the resort. It is reached by taking the Aup de Veran gondola followed by an old two-person chair-lift to the top, from where there is a choice of red or black run down.
An excellent slope for free riders is Gers – from Tete Pelouse down to Grand Vans. It is north-facing and remains unpisted, but it is not always open due to avalanche danger.
Flaine - Grand Massif
For more adventurous skiers and snowboarders, Flaine is a base for exploring further afield into the Grand Massif. The main link out of the bowl is the fast eight-person chair from Flaine Foret. The way out of the bowl is via the fast Grand Vans eight-seater chair. Before going any further, good skiers should hop on the Veret drag-lift from half-way down the Tourmaline blue, which brings you up to a choice of peaceful red and black runs – and can become a powder field when conditions are right.
The 2204m summit of the Tete des Saix is the main crossroads for reaching the outlying Grand Massif resorts, with north-facing runs dropping down steep mogul slopes towards Samoens. Alternatively you can choose easier cruising runs that bring you all the way down to Morillon or to Les Carroz. Less confident skiers will particularly enjoy the long green Marvel piste into Morillon.
However, the lift system is prone to high-season bottlenecks in the afternoon when everyone is heading for home – so keep an eye on the lift closing times, and head back early, or late.
Flaine village
Flaine ski resort is a modern, car free village. Services, shops and amenities are grouped together, only a few steps away from your accommodation. A free shuttle service runs all day long between the resort centre, Le Hameau and Le Col de Pierre Carrée.
In fact Flaine is the only ski resort built in the 1960s to be listed in the French Historical Monuments Survey. Bauhaus designer Marcel Breuer created the Palais de l’Unesco in Paris, the Whitney Museum in New-York, and then Flaine. The resort was awarded the Architectural Heritage of the 20th century label by the Ministry of Culture in 2008.
