The largest of five French resorts in the Grand Massif ski region, Flaine offers family-friendly convenience, with beautiful tree-lined slopes and traditional villages just minutes away. The 265km ski area suits all abilities, from beginner to expert, and snow reliability is good, with 80 per cent of the pistes facing north and a decent amount of snow being made.
Flaine was born in 1969, when large concrete apartment blocks were considered stylish even in the mountains. These original blocks, designed in the 1960s, still form the core of the resort and have the great advantage of being easy to ski in/ski out.
Loving architecture is a matter of taste; many find it ugly, but some admire its Bauhaus heritage and outdoor sculptures by Picasso, Vasarely and Dubuffet.
Catch up on the essentials from the resort below and scroll down for our insider guide to a day on the slopes, expert reviews and advice. For more Flaine inspiration, check out our guides to the resort’s best accommodations, restaurants and après-ski.
In this guide:
Inside the facility
Flaine is divided into two main sections. The Flaine Forum is built around a large pedestrianized square, of which the slopes and the main gondola form one side. Above it is Flaine Forêt, which has its own slopes and chair lifts. Both have several restaurants and bars and are connected by two funicular-type elevators that operate 24/7. Additionally, Front de Neige and Les Gérats are also counted as two lesser-known parts of the resort.
Most of Flaine’s accommodation is in apartments, but there are also a growing number of smart hotels. For those who prefer the chalet style, in the 1980s a Norwegian developer built Hameau de Flaine, an attractive collection of Scandinavian-style wooden chalets, 2 km from the original Flaine. Officially, the pistes are reached by a free shuttle bus, but crossing the road and skiing through the forest towards the piste is also an option, as long as snow conditions allow.
Located just outside Flaine and on the road to Hameau, Pierre et Vacances Premium apartments are housed in chalet-style buildings built in the 2000s and have a piste just behind them.
While Flaine has a number of fine restaurants serving decent meals to a largely family clientele, there is little in the way of haute cuisine. This is a holiday destination for self-catering people who have more apartment accommodation than hotels and largely prefer to eat at home. The same goes for nightlife; While Flaine Forum and Flaine Forêt offer a few bars, it’s not party central.
Much of the ski area in the big bowl above Flaine is above the trees, but it shares the large and varied Grand Massif ski area with four lower-lying and quite contrasting resorts with beautiful tree-lined runs above them. Les Carroz is a traditional mountain village with chalet-style buildings, growing on a wide valley floor, but retaining the feel of a truly lived-in village and not just a ski resort. Some accommodations are near the gondola, but some are a bus ride away.
The ancient Alpine village of Samoëns features a medieval church, a pedestrianized main street and a covered market. There are a growing number of attractive, modern chalet-style apartment projects in the surrounding area. But you can get from most of them and the center of the resort by bus ride or a long walk to the ski lifts.
Morillon is much smaller and quieter than other resorts; It is based on an old village with new developments. Most hostels, including a three-star hotel, are a short walk from the gondola. Sixt Fer à Cheval is another base option, with a traditional village with beginner-friendly local slopes and free buses to the Grand Massif cable cars 10 minutes away.
on the slopes
The Grand Massif’s 265km of ski terrain is diverse and large enough to keep even the most keen intermediate skier happy for a week. For experts, there is plenty of excellent off-piste terrain to explore with a guide.
For starters, Flaine has two special nurseries serviced by four free lifts, including three magic carpets. After this there are a few short greens and a long, light blue. There are also starting areas in the ski area’s lower villages, Les Carroz, Samoëns, Morillon and Sixt Fer à Cheval, but reaching it in Samoëns requires catching the gondola from both above and below.
Above the Flaine there is a large north-facing bowl, mostly above tree line, which is enormous in good weather as it reaches almost 2,500 meters and keeps its snow in excellent condition. It is reached by two gondolas and a fast chairlift departing from Flaine Forum or Flaine Front de Neige, located in one of the resort’s two main sectors. Almost all the tracks here are best suited to intermediate tracks; a few easy-to-navigate blues, but mostly reds that deserve rating due to the short steep sections.
There are many nice looking tracks among the tracks here. But be careful; The bowl is famous for its deep rock crevices and pits, and deaths and injuries have occurred.
For safer steep runs, head up the hill to the skier’s right, heading towards the next valley and the Gers bowl. This is achieved by a long traction lift flanked by a fairly steep black track and perfectly off-piste from the ridges on either side.
One of the classic Alpine off-piste runs is accessed by staying high at the top of the Gers pull lift on the Cascade blue piste. This run is 14 km long and has a vertical drop of over 1,700 m. It goes very far from the lift system and is skiable even for early intermediates. The road, which starts off quite flat, gets a little steeper as it winds picturesquely through the forest towards the small village of Sixt Fer à Cheval. Finally there is a shuttle bus to civilization and the gondola at Samoëns.
A more direct route from Flaine to the Samoëns, Morillon and Les Carroz slopes is to take the Grands Vans eight-person chairlift from Forêt and then another chairlift to Tête des Saix before moving on to other sectors. Except for the upper part, the tracks here are all beautifully tree-lined and good in snowstorms, where the Flaine bowl can be white. Most of the tracks here are blue and red and are perfect for intermediate levels. The long Marvel green run is ideal for families, with signs providing information about local wildlife at frequent intervals.
There are no halfpipes or proper terrain parks at the Grand Massif. Instead there are various ‘fun’ areas, mostly aimed at children, with bumps, banked turns and trees to negotiate.
Who should go?
Flaine is a resort town dominated by families and first-time skiers or snowboarders, but the slopes of the Grand Massif area appealed to all levels, especially intermediates looking to rack up the miles. Convenience of ski-in/ski-out is a big advantage at Flaine, as most accommodation has direct access to the slopes. The wide range of apartment options in Flaine makes it a popular choice with self-catering groups and families, but the number of hotels is also increasing. Being just 90 minutes by car from Geneva Flaine is also a good choice for a reliable, snowy short break.
Know before you go
Basic knowledge
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British Embassy/Consulate: (00 33 1 44 51 31 00; ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk)
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Ambulance (samu): dial 15
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Police: dial 17
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fire (pompiers): Dial 18
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Emergency services from mobile phone: Dial 112
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Tourism Office: Check the Flaine Tourist Board’s website, flaine.com, for weather reports, lift availability, webcams, traffic details and local event listings. Pick up maps, brochures and other information at the office in Flaine Forum.
Fundamentals
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Currency unit: Euro
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Phone code: From abroad, dial 00 33 and leave out the zero at the beginning of the 10-digit number.
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Time difference: +1 hour
Local laws and etiquette
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When greeting people, formal titles (Monsieur, Madame and Mademoiselle) are used much more often in French than in English.
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It takes years to master the laws of vouvoiement (which version of “your” to use). When in doubt – except when speaking to children or animals – always use the formal form vous (second person plural) instead of the more casual tu.
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While driving, it is mandatory to have fluorescent aprons and a danger triangle in the car in case of a breakdown. Starting from 2021, it is mandatory to have snow chains or winter tires in your vehicle from the beginning of November to March.