Grand-Massif
Encyclopedia
The Grand Massif is a ski resort
located in Haute-Savoie
department, France
.
, Samoëns
, Vernant and Sixt Fer à Cheval) and the Flaine
bowl resort; the first combined ski passes were sold for the 1981 season. The area provides a tremendous variety of on piste runs, off piste and between piste skiing, scenery and height, providing good skiing in all types of weather and conditions.
The area consists of a ridgeline running between the valleys of the River Arve
(coming down from Chamonix
), and the River Giffre (sourced in the National Park area above Sixt), with spurs running off the ridgeline to form the Flaine bowl and the high valleys and ridges of the Massif.
In the best snow conditions it is possible to ski from the Tete des Saix (2120m) down to Morillon
village at 700m on a choice of runs, and from the top of Flaine
(2480m) down to Sixt at 800m on the classic picturesque 14 km Cascades run.
. The village is part of the commune of Arâches-La Frasse. Whilst the busy periods are during the ski season (mid December to third week of April) and during the French summer holidays (July and August), it has a permanent population and is open all year round.
. There are some quiet and surprisingly interesting runs in Sixt on the opposite side of the valley to Cascades.
Another treat from Cascades is the restaurant at the Gers lake, a popular place to sit, enjoy a meal and admire the scenery. Access is either off the bottom of the Styx run, requiring a walk around the lake shore, or from the notice and phone that is situated by a little bridge on the Cascades run, after dropping into the Gers valley; skiers call up the restaurant and are pulled up to it on the back of a skidoo (the ride and tables are best reserved in advance). Time must be allowed after lunch to ski down to Sixt and catch the bus back round to Samoëns. For the energetic prepared to give up a skiing day, another option is to walk to Gers using racquettes (snow shoes), and stay overnight.
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
located in Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie is a French department in the Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. It borders both Switzerland and Italy. The capital is Annecy. To the north is Lake Geneva and Switzerland; to the south and southeast are the Mont Blanc and Aravis mountain ranges and the French entrance to the Mont...
department, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
History
The Grand Massif area was born in 1980 by the combination of the Massif (Les Carroz, MorillonMorillon
Morillon is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is a popular summer and winter vacation destination.-Ski:...
, Samoëns
Samoëns
Samoëns is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The village of Samoëns is located in the Vallée du Giffre in the French Alps and carries the designation of a "ville fleurie" distinguishing it as one of the most beautiful towns in France...
, Vernant and Sixt Fer à Cheval) and the Flaine
Flaine
Flaine is the name of 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. Flaine is linked to Samoëns, Morillon, Les Carroz and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with 267 km of pistes in total...
bowl resort; the first combined ski passes were sold for the 1981 season. The area provides a tremendous variety of on piste runs, off piste and between piste skiing, scenery and height, providing good skiing in all types of weather and conditions.
The area consists of a ridgeline running between the valleys of the River Arve
Arve
The Arve river flows for approximately 100 km through France, in the département of Haute-Savoie, and in Switzerland...
(coming down from Chamonix
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a commune in the Haute-Savoie département in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics...
), and the River Giffre (sourced in the National Park area above Sixt), with spurs running off the ridgeline to form the Flaine bowl and the high valleys and ridges of the Massif.
In the best snow conditions it is possible to ski from the Tete des Saix (2120m) down to Morillon
Morillon
Morillon is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is a popular summer and winter vacation destination.-Ski:...
village at 700m on a choice of runs, and from the top of Flaine
Flaine
Flaine is the name of 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. Flaine is linked to Samoëns, Morillon, Les Carroz and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with 267 km of pistes in total...
(2480m) down to Sixt at 800m on the classic picturesque 14 km Cascades run.
Resort Development
The resort of les Carroz (1140 – 2500 metres) is administered by the commune of Arâches-La Frasse and the resort of Flaine (1600 – 2500 metres) has been jointly managed by the commune and by Magland, a small town situated in the valley. Compagnie des Alpes ("CDA"), the world's largest ski operator, acquired four resorts in the Grand Massif (Flaine, Samoëns, Morillon and Sixt) in mid-December 1997, and in 1998 formed a global alliance with Canadian developer Intrawest. For Flaine this means the addition of 2,700 beds (with a further 2,000 in a second phase) and investments in new lifts, services and infrastructure. Les Carroz remains independent of the Flaine resort management.Les Carroz
Until the 1930’s the village of Les Carroz was a simple farming hamlet with just a few houses. At 1100m altitude, it sits on a large sunny plateau overlooking the Arve Valley south east of the town of Cluses, on the road to FlaineFlaine
Flaine is the name of 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. Flaine is linked to Samoëns, Morillon, Les Carroz and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with 267 km of pistes in total...
. The village is part of the commune of Arâches-La Frasse. Whilst the busy periods are during the ski season (mid December to third week of April) and during the French summer holidays (July and August), it has a permanent population and is open all year round.
Classic cascades run
This run goes across high mountain, down through the forests and past the cascade waterfalls to Sixt; in good weather and snow conditions it is considered to be a special day trip for those that enjoy the scenery and tranquillity of the mountains. Good access to Cascades is from the top of the long Gers drag lift, but to reach this the black Styx run must be skied first; Styx is open when avalanche conditions permit, but is variable in condition (sometimes pisted, sometimes not). Otherwise one can reach Cascades via the blue piste off the top of Flaine, but there is some poling to do. At the bottom at Sixt Fer à Cheval, a bus meets skiers to take them back to the new cabin lift at SamoënsSamoëns
Samoëns is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The village of Samoëns is located in the Vallée du Giffre in the French Alps and carries the designation of a "ville fleurie" distinguishing it as one of the most beautiful towns in France...
. There are some quiet and surprisingly interesting runs in Sixt on the opposite side of the valley to Cascades.
Another treat from Cascades is the restaurant at the Gers lake, a popular place to sit, enjoy a meal and admire the scenery. Access is either off the bottom of the Styx run, requiring a walk around the lake shore, or from the notice and phone that is situated by a little bridge on the Cascades run, after dropping into the Gers valley; skiers call up the restaurant and are pulled up to it on the back of a skidoo (the ride and tables are best reserved in advance). Time must be allowed after lunch to ski down to Sixt and catch the bus back round to Samoëns. For the energetic prepared to give up a skiing day, another option is to walk to Gers using racquettes (snow shoes), and stay overnight.