Overview of Les Aravis
A beautiful and brilliant ski area with over 250km of superb skiing, Les Aravis is suited to all abilities and has terrific freestyle territory. This also makes it a hot spot for snowboarders. Les Aravis is a great area for families to visit with a handful of excellent resorts to choose from.
Resorts in Les Aravis
MAIN SKI RESORTS IN LES ARAVIS
Le Grand Bornand
Overview of Le Grand Bornand
With an enchanting and scenic village, Le Grand Bornand is a fun and lively resort with fantastic skiing for beginners and intermediates. There is also advanced terrain and excellent off-piste options for experts. The maintenance is remarkable, so conditions are always high-quality. Away from the slopes, there are all kinds of choices to keep you entertained, whilst the après scene is busy but not raucous. There is a good selection of bars, cafes and restaurants and a family-friendly atmosphere throughout.
Best for:
- Families
- Beginners
- Intermediate
- Cross-Country
Piste Guide
For beginners, Le Grand Bornand has nursery slopes conveniently placed at the bottom of both villages, whilst there are plenty of gentle slopes and long green and blue runs to help you progress.
Intermediates can enjoy more than 40 runs and varied terrain, as well as easy access to the surrounding area and the enormous number of intermediate runs found throughout Les Aravis.
Although advanced skiers do not have as many options here, there are a few steep black runs and difficult slopes at Le Lachat – the highest point at 2,100m. There are also plenty of off-piste options in the area.
Cross-country skiing is very popular at Le Grand Bornand, with many routes, a special bus service and a dedicated cross-country ski school for all ages and abilities. There are also biathlon opportunities – this incredible winter sport combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
Facilities
There are many opportunities for fun off the slopes, with beautiful and traditional French villages to explore, pampering opportunities in well-being centres, ice rinks, paragliding opportunities and more. The nearby towns of Geneva and Annecy can easily be reached which provide plenty of shopping, sightseeing and dining opportunities.
Après
Le Grand Bornand is more of a family resort, which means that the nightlife is not the wildest and there is not much of a bar culture. There are options, however, including three fun pubs and a nightclub which stays open till 5 am in the main village. The main drinking establishment is Globe, where you can watch sports events on the big-screen TV. There are also many bars in the surrounding villages for those seeking late night entertainment. Although the resort is not known for its bar scene, there are a selection of excellent restaurants to choose from and many of these allow you to just order drinks if you do not want an entire meal.
La Clusaz
Overview of La Clusaz
La Clusaz has fantastic skiing for beginners and intermediates, as well as a lot of challenging terrain, off-piste slopes and extreme skiing for experts. Away from the slopes, La Clusaz always has something going on which provides a unique and fun atmosphere. There are many cosy (and high-quality) restaurants and cafes for those seeking a quiet evening, or lively and friendly bars and clubs for party-seekers.
This variety, both on and off the slopes, contributes to a welcoming and all-accommodating atmosphere felt throughout the resort. It is also near to Geneva, providing opportunities for day trips and easy access to the airport.
“La Clusaz Janvier 2004” by Vigorin at French Wikipedia – photo by Vigorin. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Best for:
- Families
- Beginners
- Intermediate
- Off-Piste
Piste Guide
One of the key pulling factors for La Clusaz is that it caters to all abilities and has a wide variety of slopes (157 in total) spread across five peaks.
Unlike many resorts, there is an area for beginners in the mountains which allows new skiers to soak up the atmosphere as they learn, as well as flat and wide nursery slopes around the village. 41 blue and red slopes will keep intermediates happy and enable them to feel challenged and progress during their stay, whilst advanced skiers have 11 runs to choose from; this includes the extremely steep and thrilling Vraille piste.
There are also plenty of off-piste options for when the snow is good, with a guide being able to safely show you how to reach the best slopes.
Facilities
The gorgeous traditional village has an amazing ambience, with busy streets fanning out from the pretty village square which are lined with shops, bars and hotels. As it’s such a charming village, many simply sit and soak up the atmosphere with a coffee or beer. There is also an ice-skating rink, aqua-centre complete with both indoor and outdoor pools, tobogganing and more.
Après
Although there is not a huge bar scene in La Clusaz, foodies will be right at home as there are splendid dining options from a handful of restaurants. A few of the most popular eateries include La Vielle Farm, Relais de L’Aiguille and Bercail. In addition to this, there is also a wonderful weekly welcome evening and a market.
There is variation when it comes to nightlife, with a wide range of bars, live music and clubs to choose from. These can be good fun and there is a lively atmosphere, but this is not a resort for those seeking wild parties into the early hours.
How to Get to Les Aravis
Les Aravis is easily reachable, which is part of the reason why it is a great choice for weekends and short breaks.
Geneva (GVA) is just 50km away and you can arrive at Les Aravis in under an hour, whilst Chambéry (CMF) is situated 80km away and will take approximately one hour. Other options include Lyon (LYS), which is 180km and around 2 hours from Les Aravis, and Turin (TRN) which is 230km and around 3 hours away.
A Shuttle Direct transfer will be a fast and reliable way to reach your resort, plus it enables you to sit back and enjoy the ride. In addition to this, Shuttle Direct can transport your ski equipment for free to your resort.
About Shuttle Direct
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