Winter In The Alps

All Things White

Morillon, Samoëns, Sixt and Les Carroz all link at the Plateau des Saix with Flaine to form the Grand Massif. The Grand Massif is a superb snow-sure area and holds the record as one of the top areas in the French Alps due to the closeness of Mont Blanc and its many north-facing slopes. Thanks to the latest in artificial snow-making equipment (128 snow canons) the resort remains open from December through to April.

There are 265 kilometres of downhill skiing of all levels and a vast number of specially marked trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and walkers. Up the mountains alongside the pistes there are further specialised tracks to explore. The resort also has 90 kilometres of prepared cross-country skiing for those of you who don't just want to go straight down the pistes. Two exceptional routes not to miss are the "Combe de Gers", a steep black run for the most daring with a difference in altitude of 800 metres and "La Cascade" piste, the longest blue run in Europe, which runs from the top of Les Grandes Platières 2580 metres in Flaine down to the village of Sixt 700 metres.

Snowboarders and freestyle skiers are well catered for in the Grand Massif with 3 state-of-the-art terrain parks, operating in Morillon, Samoëns and Flaine all with different themes. The most technical location is Flaine, which offers modules of varying difficulties: half pipes, boardercross, big air jumps, tables, rails and quarters. In contrast, the snowpark at Samoëns is for the middle-of-the-range boarder and the snowpark at Morillon is specially designed for children. It is open to all snowboarders (and skiers) with a valid lift pass.

The aprés-ski atmosphere is relaxed and friendly with plenty of traditional Savoyard bars and restaurants. There are many great authentic, cozy, warm and incredibly welcoming mountain restaurants on the slopes. Whether you just want to take a break or sample one of the many Savoyard specialties, you will be pleasantly surprised by the very reasonable prices and exceptional levels of service.