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Tell your friends you're off skiing in the Massif des Aravis and they'll likely look at you blankly. This French mountain range in the north-west Alps is not the most familiar to UK skiers. Add in the names of its two principal resorts - La Clusaz and Grand Bornand - and the penny's more likely to drop. La Clusaz in particular, has gained a reputation for charm and authenticity – small enough to have a human face, but big enough to offer all you need both on and off the slopes.
But the Massif des Aravis is actually four resorts rolled into one destination. Making up the four are Manigod and Saint Jean de Sixt. Between them, they offer access to a highly satisfying mix of green, blue, red and black runs, ample lifts, supportive ski schools, quality restaurants and good bars. Moreover, this region is the home of the delicious soft cheese reblochon, essential ingredient of the ultimate ski comfort food, tartiflette, and there are 42 farms keeping the cheese-making tradition alive.
The French vibes are strong here, with fewer UK visitors than some of the more well-known French ski resorts. These are charming farming villages with ancient crafts still on display - leather workers, saddlers, knife-makers, cheese-makers - with lots of pretty, chalet-style buildings oozing with tradition.
Dominated by the majestic 2,750m Pointe Percée, the Aravis range offers photographers a dream backdrop to a few days’ skiing. When the sun catches the peaks at the end of the day, it looks as if someone has painted them into the picture. Stunning.
Where is the Massif des Aravis?
The Aravis range lies in the Haute Savoie in the north-western French Alps. The four resorts are only one hour from Geneva airport so ideal for a short break, and are also one of the closest destinations to the Channel coast for self drivers. They're also just 35mins from Annecy and its beautiful lake, so ideal if you're travelling by train from Paris.
Which ski resorts are part of the Massif des Aravis?
La Clusaz and Le Grand Bornand are the main two resorts in the Massif des Aravis, with the smaller ski area of Manigod, lift-linked to La Clusaz. Saint Jean de Sixt sits in the valley roughly halfway between La Clusaz and Le Grand Bornand, and with plenty of ski accommodation here, it's the gateway village to the region.
Between them, the resorts offer a range of skiing, from nursery slopes to freeride and ski touring - including marked safe routes. You will also have opportunities to go hiking and snowshoeing, dogsledding, paragliding, hot-air ballooning, tobogganing and other sliding sports, biathlon and nordic skiing, and ice skating.
Get to know the Massif des Aravis ski resorts
The Aravis mountain range is a picturesque ski area. Here's a quick guide to its 4 resorts.
La Clusaz
Altitude: 1,100m – 2,600m
Ski area: 125km (230km Aravis area)
Runs: 85 runs (8 black, 30 red, 31 blue, 16 green)
Ski lifts: 47
Snowparks: 1
This picture-postcard pretty village sits in a lightly-wooded broad valley at the foot of the jagged Aravis peaks, and is centred on a steepled church and a pleasant market square surrounded by a compact core of shopping streets, filled with a nice mix of boutiques, sports shops, patisseries, local produce shops, restaurants and laid-back café-bars. The surrounding hillsides are dotted with traditionally-built chalets and small chalet-style hotels, giving the place a very Swiss feel.
The ski slopes sweep down to the edge of the village, where the base terminals for the twin gondolas that provide the key uplift into the ski area sit side by side, just a short stroll from the village square.
The ski area offers five linked but distinct sectors, including the slopes of neighbouring Manigod. The variety of terrain covered is wide, principally suiting intermediates but with some lovely excursions for novices and plenty of scope for advanced visitors too.
The Beauregard sector houses the prime nursery slopes, while Etale and Aiguille have slightly more testing runs for intermediates. The highest Balme sector (home territory of freeski legend Candide Thovex) usually has the best snow conditions and is a magnet for local freeriders; the pisted slopes are mostly good reds, together with a couple of steep black runs. From the uppermost point at the Col de Balme (2,477m) there's a magnificent view of Mont Blanc.
This winter don't miss the views from the new giant swing - La Bascule - and be sure to visit the museum Hameau des Alpes which shows the history of the area and its cheese-making. Also the new Trappers Lodge, and a visit to genepi-making Distillery des Aravis.
Go to laclusaz.com to find out more about skiing in La Clusaz.
Le Grand Bornand
Altitude: 1,000m- 2,100m
Ski area: 90km
Runs: 47 runs (5 black, 12 red, 15 blue, 15 green)
Ski lifts: 24
Snowparks: 1
Affectionately known as GrandBo, the 'second resort' of the Aravis massif (and the heart of reblochon country) is another traditional village with lots of lovely old wooden buildings and bags of French charm. Also covered by the full Aravis ski pass, Le Grand Bornand is a short bus ride from La Clusaz. The 90km of varied slopes are accessed by two gondolas on the edge of town or a pair of chairlifts from the satellite village further up the hill at the more snow-sure Chinaillon (1,300m).
The north-facing range of slopes help mitigate the generally low altitude of much of the ski area, and the main attractions here are the long steep reds and blacks off Mont Lachet and La Floria. A specialised freeride area is built around the mythical Dénivel'Maxx descent - 3km long with 1,100m of vertical.
Off the downhill slopes, cross country and biathlon are big business here with a hub at the Sylvie Becaert stadium in the heart of the Village (home of The Biathlon World Cup). There's the chance to descend green and blue runs on a ski-bike, go sledging, ice skate on a huge covered ice rink, or, for something completely different, follow the Cow Art Trail - a year round artistic celebration of cows!
Its fine restaurants offer the best in local gastronomy and GrandBo is also a centre for wellness and relaxation. And Le Grand Bornand can also be discovered through its 86km of snowshoe trails, with footpaths winding through forests, balconies overlooking the mountains and two-hundred-year-old chalets.
Go to en.legrandbornand.com to find out more about visiting Le Grand Bornand ski resort.
Manigod
Altitude: 1,460m- 1,780m
Ski area: 25km
Runs: 30 runs (1 black, 14 red, 12 blue, 3 green)
Ski lifts: 15
Snowparks: 1
Manigod is a resort on a human scale - a village and a valley with a soul. Its small, local ski area is an integral part of the wider La Clusaz-Manigod area and its 125km of slopes.
Ideal for families and nature lovers, this charming destination is ideal for for those at the beginning of their ski journey as well as those looking to expand their horizons, thanks to the ski link with La Clusaz. Manigod also has great tree-lined skiing and the largest night skiing area in Haute Savoie Mont Blanc! A new marked 'initiation' ski touring route from Col de la Croix Fry allows skinning enthusiasts to reach the summit of Crête Blanche. More than a kilometre of ascent in the forest for 150m of vertical drop. There's also a boardercross course from the Col de Merdassier and a snowtubing slope. And Manigod is the home of the emblematic paret, a wooden sled with one runner.
The village resort of Manigod offers one of the most beautiful panoramas in Haute-Savoie with traditional chalets, small shops and an inn where you can sample regional cuisine.
At the Col de la Croix Fry you will find restaurants, sports shops, the ski school and the link to La Clusaz. At Tête de Cabeau, you can enjoy a free nature trail in the forest and admire the sunset. Also, don't miss a visit to the cafe Lo Garajo and the cheese-ripening Caves du Paccaly.
For more information about Manigod ski resort, go to en.manigod.com
Saint Jean de Sixt
Altitude: 960m
Not a 'ski' resort in itself, rather this village is the gateway to the 3 ski resorts of the Aravis Massif, Le Grand Bornand, La Clusaz and Manigod. It's situated roughly halfway between the GrandBo and La Clusaz/Manigod slopes, both about 3km away on the free public Skibus.
Saint Jean de Sixt has preserved its identity as a typical Savoyard mountain village, while offering modern facilities for guests, making it an ideal Aravis 'base camp'. There is a range of accommodation here, from apartments and chalets to hotels. UK short-break ski specialists Ski Weekender have their popular Aravis Lodge here, running their own shuttle service to the ski areas.
Winter hiking is very popular here - there are no fewer than 41 groomed footpaths and ungroomed snowshoe trails that offer you the opportunity to explore the valleys and peak, and Saint Jean de Sixt is the starting place for several of these. Saint Jean also has two toboggan runs to provide some snow thrills for family visitors.
For more details about visiting Saint Jean de Sixt, go to saintjeandesixt.com
