EN
EN
Beneath the jagged limestone peaks of the Aravis range in the French Alps, the Massif des Aravis brings together two neighbouring ski resorts on a single pass. La Clusaz is the sportier of the two, with five linked mountains and a reputation for producing some of the world's best freeride skiers. Le Grand-Bornand has wide, forested slopes that climb from its traditional village to open terrain with big views of the Aravis peaks. A ski bus links the two villages, and the Aravis pass covers around 220km of pistes across both.
Whether you ski or snowboard, the two resorts complement each other well. Beginners are well looked after on both sides, with nursery slopes close to the villages and gentle plateaus higher up. Intermediates can spend days exploring the varied blues and reds across La Clusaz's five mountains and the open, rolling slopes above Le Grand-Bornand. For advanced skiers and riders, La Clusaz's Balme sector, topping out at 2,600m, has steep blacks and big off-piste bowls that have made it a favourite with freeriders. Le Grand-Bornand adds a handful of steeper runs of its own, and ski touring routes across the Aravis range open up even more terrain.
Off the slopes, both villages have kept their traditional mountain spirit. In Le Grand-Bornand, visitors can browse the Reblochon market, which has been running since 1795, and wander between centuries-old wooden chalets. La Clusaz has the livelier village centre, with plenty of bars, restaurants, and a nightclub for après-ski, while evenings in Le Grand-Bornand are more relaxed. Dinner in the area usually features the local cheese, from fondue to tartiflette, and days off the skis can be spent dog sledding, paragliding, ice skating, or cross-country skiing through the snowy valleys.
| Country | France |
| Region | Haute-Savoie, Northern Alps |
| Total piste km | 220 km |
| Altitude | 1,000 m (Le Grand-Bornand village) - 2,600 m (La Balme) |
| Linked resorts | 2 La Clusaz Le Grand-Bornand |
| Lifts | 80 |
| Runs | 132 (24 green, 37 blue, 43 red, 28 black) |
| Season | Mid-December - mid-April |
| Ski pass name | Aravis ski pass |
| Nearest airports | Geneva (~1 hr) Lyon (~2 hr 15 min) Chambéry (~1 hr 30 min) |
| Glacier skiing | No |
| WeSki services | Transfers: private to La Clusaz and Le Grand-Bornand Ski equipment hire: La Clusaz, Le Grand-Bornand No WeSki lessons currently available |
La Clusaz's skiing spreads across five linked mountains, rising from the village at around 1,040m to 2,600m, with more than 1,500m of vertical. Beginners have nursery slopes right by the village and a sunny learning plateau at the top of the Beauregard gondola, with long tree-lined blue runs leading back down. Intermediates can move from Beauregard's gentle cruising to l'Étale and l'Aiguille, where wide blues mix with longer, more testing reds. Balme is the highest and most snow-sure sector, at the far end of the area, with steep blacks such as the Vraille, plus natural gullies and powder bowls that have helped give La Clusaz its strong freeride culture.
Founded in the 12th century, the village has kept its traditional character, with a centre lined with bakeries, shops, bars, and restaurants. Après-ski is lively but laid-back, with a friendly buzz, plenty of bars, and a nightclub for later nights. Food is a real highlight, from classic mountain restaurants on the slopes to restaurants in the village. Accommodation ranges from traditional chalets to modern residences and family apartments, with ski-in, ski-out options near l’Étale. In the village, there’s an outdoor ice rink, an aquatic centre with heated outdoor pools, a cinema, and bowling. When you’re not on the slopes, skiers and non-skiers in La Clusaz can enjoy mountain activities like dog sledding and ski joëring, where a horse pulls you along on skis, or explore around 100km of cross-country trails in the Confins valley and on the Beauregard plateau.
Climbing from the ski village of Le Chinaillon to around 2,100m, Le Grand-Bornand's pistes wind through spruce forest dotted with old wooden granaries. Its wide, gentle runs make it a great place to learn, with easy greens close to Le Chinaillon. Higher up, the open slopes of Le Maroly have plenty of reds and blues for intermediates, including the long red Piste 2000 down the face of Lachat. Advanced skiers have a handful of steep black runs, plus open terrain beyond the pistes to explore with a guide after fresh snow. The resort has a great freestyle set-up too, with a snowpark, a halfpipe, a boardercross, and four jump lines for different levels.
Le Grand-Bornand is one of the most traditional villages in the Alps, sitting at 1,000m with centuries-old wooden chalets, cobbled streets, and a covered market hall. Accommodation ranges from chalets in the village to modern apartments near the slopes at Le Chinaillon. The village is the capital of Reblochon, a soft, creamy cheese that's still made in its farms, and visitors can taste and buy it at the weekly market. The resort holds the Famille Plus label, making it a particularly great choice for a family ski holiday. Après-ski has a relaxed, low-key scene centred on a handful of bars, and the restaurants lean on hearty local cooking, with Reblochon in everything from tartiflette to fondue. Beyond skiing, Le Grand-Bornand has a cinema, an outdoor art trail celebrating the valley's cows, and extensive cross-country trails in a village that regularly hosts the Biathlon World Cup.
If you're new to skiing, the Aravis is an ideal place to learn. Both resorts have nursery slopes close to the village and ski schools with English-speaking instructors. Once you've found your feet, there are plenty of wide, gently pitched runs to move onto, with lots of room to practise your turns, and many of them wind through the forest, which makes them easy to follow.
In La Clusaz, the sunny learners' area on the plateau at the top of the Beauregard gondola is a lovely place to start, with views across the Aravis. When you're ready, long blue runs lead from the plateau back down to the village. Le Grand-Bornand is a great choice for beginners of all ages, with easy greens around Le Chinaillon and wide runs gentle enough to build confidence quickly. Both resorts are especially good for children learning to ski, with dedicated ski areas for little ones and a relaxed, family-friendly feel on the slopes.
For intermediates, La Clusaz has the most variety, and each of its five mountains skis differently. Beauregard's gentle, tree-lined blues make a relaxed warm-up, with views across to the Aravis peaks. On l'Étale and l'Aiguille, wide blues give way to longer reds with more pitch, and the red runs on Balme are the most challenging, with the most reliable snow in the area. With more than 1,500m of vertical across the resort, many of these runs are long enough to really settle into a rhythm.
Le Grand-Bornand has a smaller selection of intermediate terrain, but there's still plenty to enjoy. Above Le Chinaillon, the open slopes of Le Maroly have a good mix of reds and blues served by four- and six-seat chairlifts, and the long red Piste 2000 runs down the face of Lachat.
Most of the steep terrain in the Aravis is concentrated in La Clusaz, where the Balme sector has built the resort's freeride reputation. Here, steep blacks such as the Vraille drop from the 2,600m summit through natural gullies, while l'Étale adds big, sustained descents and l'Aiguille has a challenging mogul run among its steeper pitches. Le Grand-Bornand has a handful of steeper black runs too, but its terrain is better suited to beginners and intermediates. If you're an advanced skier staying there, the Aravis pass and the ski bus to La Clusaz open up much more to explore.
Off-piste is where the Aravis really comes into its own. On Balme, you'll find the Combe de Balme and the Combe de Bellachat, two huge, unpisted bowls full of natural halfpipes, wind lips, and drops, and because the lifts run up the middle, they're easy to lap. L'Étale has its own off-piste too, and all of it is serious mountain terrain, best explored with a local guide.
Snowboarders have plenty to love in the Aravis. La Clusaz has a strong freeride culture, built on riding the natural terrain beyond the pistes, and after fresh snow, the gullies and natural halfpipes of the Balme bowls become a huge playground. Lower down, the sheltered, tree-lined runs on Beauregard in La Clusaz and above Le Chinaillon in Le Grand-Bornand are full of natural features. For first-time snowboarders, the wide, gentle slopes in both resorts make learning to ride far less daunting.
For freestyle riders, both resorts have well-equipped parks. La Clusaz's snowpark sits on l'Aiguille, with jumps, tables, rails, and a boardercross, plus a fun zone for younger riders. In Le Grand-Bornand, the snowpark has a halfpipe, a boardercross, and four jump lines for different levels.
If you're staying in one resort, a local pass is often all you'll need, at a lower price than the full area pass. A La Clusaz pass covers around 125km of pistes across all five of its linked mountains, while a Le Grand-Bornand pass covers around 90km of pistes above Le Chinaillon and the main village.
To ski both resorts, the Aravis pass covers around 220km of pistes on a single ticket, with passes available from one day up to a full season. Because the two resorts ski so differently, it's worth considering for a week-long stay, as a day or two on the other side adds plenty of variety. Passes can be bought online in advance or at the ticket offices in each resort.
For international visitors, Geneva is the closest major airport, around 50 to 65km from both resorts. Lyon is a longer transfer, at about 170 to 180km. From either one, you can book a shared or private transfer or hire a car.
If you'd rather arrive by train, Annecy is the nearest station at around 30 to 35km from the resorts, with bus connections up to both villages. Annecy is also served by high-speed trains from Paris, which makes rail an easy option from across France.
Once you've arrived, a car isn't essential. A ski bus links La Clusaz and Le Grand-Bornand, shuttles run between Le Grand-Bornand's main village and Le Chinaillon, and La Clusaz's centre is easy to explore on foot, with lifts leaving from the edge of the village.
If snow is your priority, aim for January to early March, when conditions are at their most reliable across both resorts. Thanks to their position on the north-west side of the Aravis range, La Clusaz's slopes average more than 6m of snowfall a year at around 1,860m, and Balme, the highest sector, usually holds it best.
Being so close to Geneva and Annecy, the Aravis is popular with day-trippers, so weekends tend to be busier than weekdays, especially in La Clusaz. The February school holidays are the busiest weeks of all, so if your dates are flexible, January and early March are worth a look for quieter pistes.
Spring skiing here means long, sunny days and softer snow. Balme usually stays open until late April, a couple of weeks after the rest of the area closes, which makes La Clusaz a better base for a late-season trip.
No. The two resorts share the Aravis pass, but they aren't connected on the mountain. A ski bus runs between the villages during the season, so it's easy to spend a day skiing the other side. Within La Clusaz, though, all five mountains are linked by lifts and pistes, so there's plenty to explore without leaving the resort.
You can, but most visitors find it more enjoyable to spend a full day in each. La Clusaz alone has five linked mountains to explore, and Le Grand-Bornand's slopes start from Le Chinaillon, a short shuttle from the main village. Taking the ski bus over for a day or two gives you plenty of variety without rushing.
Not necessarily. If you're happy to stay in one resort, a La Clusaz or Le Grand-Bornand pass covers plenty of skiing for a week. Choose the Aravis pass if you'd like to try both, as the two resorts ski quite differently, with La Clusaz's higher, more varied terrain and Le Grand-Bornand's wide, forested slopes.
Both resorts are a good fit for families. Le Grand-Bornand holds the Famille Plus label, with a welcoming village and wide, gentle slopes that suit children learning to ski. In La Clusaz, there are nursery slopes by the village, a sunny learners' area on the Beauregard plateau, and dedicated ski areas for little ones, plus the Village des Enfants for younger children.
La Clusaz, and specifically the Balme sector. At 2,600m, it's the highest and most snow-sure part of the Aravis, with steep blacks such as the Vraille and huge off-piste bowls that have made it famous with freeriders. L'Étale and l'Aiguille also have steeper pitches and mogul runs. Le Grand-Bornand has a handful of steeper blacks, but its terrain best suits beginners and intermediates.
In La Clusaz, runs lead back down to the edge of the village, and some chalets near l'Étale are ski-in, ski-out. In Le Grand-Bornand, Le Chinaillon sits right at the foot of the slopes, with a choice of runs back to the village from easy greens to reds, and in good snow you can also ski down to the main village.
Yes. La Clusaz has an aquatic centre with heated outdoor pools, an outdoor ice rink, a cinema, and bowling, plus dog sledding and ski joëring. Le Grand-Bornand has its Wednesday Reblochon market, an outdoor art trail, and a cinema, and both villages have plenty of cross-country trails and snowshoe routes through the surrounding valleys.
The Grand Massif is bigger and fully linked by lifts, with a high, purpose-built resort at its centre. The Aravis is smaller and made up of two separate villages, but both have a strong local identity, and La Clusaz's Balme sector has some of the best freeride terrain in the area. For a holiday built around traditional village life, with serious freeride terrain close at hand, the Aravis is a strong choice.
Start building your dream ski trip today with our one-stop ski shop - hundreds of resorts, unlimited combinations.
4.9/5I usually book flights, ground transportation, hotel, ski rental and lift tickets myself but this year used WeSki for a trip to Morzine. It was so much easier. Everything worked perfectly - ground transportation arrived on time and there was plenty of feedback throughout the whole process giving you confidence the vacation would go smoothly.
A really useful service that is so much easier to use than other 'all-inclusive' sites. It nicely bridges the gap between a travel agent and booking the trip yourself online. I'll use WeSki every time I go skiing from now on.
We booked a late minute skiing trip to Morzine through we ski. We looked at booking the trip ourselves but could get anywhere near the price quoted by we ski. The company was excellent and we had no problems at all from start to finish. I would definitely use them to book another weekend skiing trip.
Seamless experience from start to finish. I was spending ages trying to sort out a weekend break and managed to do it with we ski in minutes and for the same price as booking it all up yourself. Flight, transfers and accommodation was all as expected and faultless.
