Flaine

Flaine is a modern ski resort which, together with the neighbouring villages of Les Carroz, Morillon, Samoëns and Sixt Fer à Cheval, forms Le Grand Massif, the fourth-largest ski area in France, with a total of 265 km of pistes. Built at the end of the 1960s, Flaine is a typical "test-tube" ski resort. It lacks the charm of nearby Les Carroz or Samoëns, a traditional Alpine village several hundred years old. From the very beginning the village was conceived as a ski resort, and every element of its layout was meant to serve that purpose first. The positive result is excellent access to the slopes. The negative one is the dull architecture of apartment blocks in concrete, steel and glass set against the mountain landscape. The skiing, however, is superb. Grandes Platières, Tête Pelouse, Tête des Lindars, Tête de Véret, Aujon and Gers: together these sectors have 140 km of pistes. Besides its convenient location (right in the centre of the vast Le Grand Massif), Flaine attracts skiers with very good snow conditions, thanks to heavy snowfall and the north and north-west facing slopes. Flaine has a reputation as a family resort. Children and beginners will feel at home on the gentle practice slopes right next to the village. More advanced skiers will also find attractive pistes, and even the most experienced may be challenged by the "Diamant Noir", a run of more than 3 km with a reputation as the most difficult in the whole Le Grand Massif. One of Flaine's great strengths is its excellent off-piste terrain, which, together with an attractive snow park in the Aujon area, makes it a very interesting destination for all freeride and freestyle fans. There is also plenty of choice when it comes to sports away from skiing. Flaine offers paragliding, scenic helicopter flights, snowshoe hikes and an indoor skatepark, among other things. The local cultural offer is interesting too. At the "Centre Culturel de Flaine" the art gallery is well worth a visit. Nightlife, on the other hand, is not particularly lively. But people come to Flaine first and foremost to ski.