Grand Massif

Last updated
Le Grand Massif
Location France
Nearest major city Geneva, Switzerland
Top elevation2,500 m (8,200 ft)
Base elevation700 m (2,300 ft)
Skiable area265 km (165 mi) of runs
Runs 146 (20 green, 64 blue, 49 red, 13 black) [1]
Longest run14 km (8.7 mi) [2]
Lift system 71 lifts [3]
Terrain parks 16 [4]
Snowmaking 1110 cannons
Website Grand-Massif.com

The Grand Massif is a ski resort located in Haute-Savoie department, France.

Contents

History

Source: [5]

1939 - The first ski lift of the area was built in Les Carroz. It was inaugurated on January 29

1945 - Samoens then built a 'télébenne' lift from Vercland to the Plateau des Saix

1950 - Morillon constructed a small funicular known as the 'Bossons Tele-Sled'

1951 - Sixt constructed a 'télébenne' lift six years after Samoens

1967 - Flaine constructed its first ski lift, the Grandes Platières cable car. Flaine also welcomed its first guests on December 6 even before fully finishing the constructing of the buildings.

1975 - Opening of the new link between Samoens and Flaine (via the Combe Vernant)

1976 - Flaine and Samoens reached agreement for ski passes allowing holders of either pass to ski in both areas

1980 - The Grand Massif was born as all the resorts were connected to the lift network

1981 - Two ski pass areas were set up, 'Grand Massif' and 'Massif'

Resort Management

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.

2018-2023 development

The resort announced for a new six seat chairlift called Coulouvrier in 2018. This would link 1100m to 2100m, add 4 new pistes, as well as replace the aging 40 year old lifts: Gouilles De Rouge & Lanche. The lift was completed for the 2018 - 2019 ski season.

In 2019, the resort has announced for a new 10 seat gondola to replace the current Vercland lift which was built over 45 years ago. The lift opened before the 2021-22 ski season.

The resort plans to open a Tricable gondola lift linking Magland with Flaine in 2023. It will be approximately 5.5 kilometres long and will have a capacity of over 5000 people per hour.

Les Carroz

Until the 1930s 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 Flaine. 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 tranquility 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 cabin lift at Samoëns. There are some quiet and surprisingly interesting runs in Sixt (accessible via the Cascades drag-lift), but as of 2018, is only accessible via ski-touring as the three 1970 chairlifts were permanently closed due to aging status and lack of profitability to replace them. But there are still three drag lifts in operation.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ski resort</span> Resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports

A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes and a ski lift system. In North America, it is more common for ski areas to exist well away from towns, so ski resorts usually are destination resorts, often purpose-built and self-contained, where skiing is the main activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portes du Soleil</span> Skisports destination in the Alps

Les Portes du Soleil is a major skisports destination in the Alps, encompassing thirteen resorts between Mont Blanc in France and Lake Geneva in Switzerland. With more than 650 km of marked pistes and about 200 lifts in total, spread over 14 valleys and about 1,036 square kilometres (400 sq mi), Portes du Soleil ranks among the two largest ski areas in the world. Almost all of the pistes are connected by lifts – a few marginal towns can be reached only by the free bus services in the area. The highest elevation accessible on skis is 2260 m and the lowest is 930 m. As with many other Alpine ski resorts, the lower slopes of the Portes du Soleil have snow-making facilities to extend the ski season by keeping the lower slopes open during the warmer months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Plagne</span> Ski resort in Savoie, France

La Plagne is a French ski area in the alpine valley of the Tarentaise (Savoie). Since 2003, La Plagne and the neighbouring resort of Les Arcs form Paradiski's ski area. It is currently owned by Compagnie des Alpes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Méribel</span> Ski resort in France

Méribel is a ski resort in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps. Méribel refers to three neighbouring villages in the Les Allues commune of the Savoie department of France, near the town of Moûtiers, called Méribel Centre, Méribel-Mottaret and Méribel Village. The villages are within Vanoise National Park and a part of the Les Trois Vallées interlinked ski system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French Alps</span> Portion of the Alps mountain range within France

The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as the Mont Blanc massif, are shared with Switzerland and Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Houches</span> Commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Les Houches is an alpine commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It is located just west of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, in the larger canton of Le Mont-Blanc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tignes-les-Brévières</span>

Tignes-les-Brevières (1550m) is a small skiing village in the French Alps that is the lowest point of the ski resort of Tignes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flaine</span>

Flaine is 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-la-Frasse. Flaine is linked to Samoëns, Morillon, Les Carroz and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with 267 km of pistes in total. It featured the first 8-seater high speed chairlift, Les Grands Vans, and the first snow cannons to be installed in Europe. Flaine is often called the "big snowy bowl" due to it having one of the best snow records in the Alps. It is a modern, car-free resort with a wealth of amenities, all in close proximity to the accommodation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morillon, Haute-Savoie</span> Commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Morillon is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrondissement of Bonneville</span> Arrondissement in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

The arrondissement of Bonneville is an arrondissement of France in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It has 60 communes. Its population is 186,945 (2016), and its area is 1,558.2 km2 (601.6 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samoëns</span> Commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Samoëns is an alpine commune on the Swiss border in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It was the principal commune for the canton that bore its name until it was abolished in 2015. The town of Samoëns is located in the French Alps' Vallée du Giffre, just southwest of Champéry in Valais.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arâches-la-Frasse</span> Commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Arâches-la-Frasse is commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint-Jean-d'Aulps</span> Commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Saint-Jean-d'Aulps is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Situated in the heart of the Vallée d'Aulps, as well as being the home to an active farming community, it is popular with holiday-makers in the Summer, for walking, and in the Winter for skiing as it is a part of the massive Portes du Soleil ski area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval</span> Commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. It is located at the end of the Giffre Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nätschen</span> Mountain and ski area in Switzerland

Nätschen is a mountain location and ski area above Andermatt, in the Canton of Uri, Switzerland. Higher up on Nätschen the mountain is known as Gütsch. Its highest point is 2,344 m (7,690 ft). It is one of the mountains in the Gotthard Oberalp Arena, as is Gemsstock, which is on the other side of Andermatt. It has 11 ski runs, totaling approximately 21 km of ski pistes, and 4 ski lifts, including a Detachable 4-man Chairlift. Nätschen's lifts are powered by 3 wind turbines, two of which were installed in late 2010 (E-44), the other in 2004 (E-40). These turbines are all made by Enercon. Nätschen has a railway station, run by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, which is between Andermatt and Disentis/Mustér.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Jarjatte</span>

La Jarjatte is a hamlet in the French Dauphiné Alps. Situated at around 1100m, close to the source of the river Buëch, it is part of the commune of Lus-la-Croix-Haute in the Drôme department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speikboden (South Tyrol)</span> Mountain in Italy

Speikboden is a massif in the Central Eastern Alps located between the three valleys Weißenbach, Mühlwald and Ahrntal. Running in a south-easterly direction, it forms the eastern part of an outlier of the western Zillertal Alps. Its highest point, likewise named Speikboden, is 2,517 m. Further well-known peaks in this massif include Seewassernock (2,516 m), Große Nock (2,400 m), Kleine Nock (2,227 m) and Gornerberg (2,475 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SkiWelt</span>

The SkiWelt is Austria's largest interconnected ski area. It has 90 Cable car lifts and Ski lifts, 280 Kilometers of Ski Pistes, and 77 Ski Huts. The member villages are: Brixen im Thale, Ellmau, Going, Hopfgarten, Itter, Kelchsau, Scheffau, Söll and Westendorf.

The canton of Cluses is an administrative division of the Haute-Savoie department, southeastern France. Its borders were modified at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Cluses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ski Arlberg</span>

The Ski Arlberg ski area is situated in the Arlberg massif in the states of Vorarlberg and Tyrol (Austria).

References

  1. "Pro Area".
  2. "Grand Massif". Archived from the original on 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  3. "Pro Area".
  4. "Pro Area".
  5. "www.grand-massif.net :: le site non officiel du Grand Massif, Flaine, les Carroz, Morillon, Samoëns et Sixt Fer à Cheval".

46°00′25″N6°40′59″E / 46.007°N 6.68312°E / 46.007; 6.68312