In the search for the perfect ski destination, the Aravis region is hiding in plain sight. One of the closest resorts to Geneva (or for driving down through France) it’s home to famous names like La Clusaz and Le Grand Bornand as well as smaller, welcoming villages Manigod and St Jean de Sixt.
They all share an authenticity and ambience that many other destinations lack, as well as fabulous skiing with something to suit every taste. It’s all on one lift pass, too, the Aravis pass, which offers 230km of slopes and includes a half-hourly ski bus service between the different villages.
Talking of taste, when it comes to our ski holidays we want to eat well, and that’s another Aravis strength. The region is equally famous for its farming, with cows outnumbering people in some of the villages. This is the home of the wonderful Reblochon cheese, the key ingredient of that beloved skiers dish, the tartiflette and there are dozens of authentic, family-run restaurants across the region where you can tuck into it and other great food from the Aravis.
© David Machet
La Clusaz
For most of us, La Clusaz is the most famous ski resort in the Aravis region. It’s been a leading holiday destination for over a century now and has a big ski area with over 125km of slopes climbing up to a snow-sure 2,600m. Among its many claims to fame, it’s the home to one of the world’s most famous skiers, Candide Thovex, and you’ll even find a Candide Store in the centre of the village. He’s helped to highlight the strong freestyle and freeriding vibe of La Clusaz, although there are loads for every type and level of skier or snowboarder here. Besides the extensive skiing, the village has a great selection of cafes, bars and restaurants as well as enticing shops and a huge range of accommodation choices.
© Clément Hudry
There are some exciting new attractions in and around the village this winter too, accessible to both skiers and non-skiers. Firstly, a new giant swing, La Bascule, perched above the Aravis at 1860m, is open year-round and can be enjoyed by skiers and non-skiers alike. Swing with two friends at up to 90 degrees enjoying breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and Confins Valley during your six-minute ride.
Then the new Trapper’s Tepee in La Clusaz is a very different attraction. A traditional North American tepee tent located at 1500m in the heart of a larch and spruce forest is the home of Jack Digger, the last trapper in the village and known as the Skilful One or Nehirowisiw in the Atikamekw language of Canada. Visitors can arrive by chairlift, minibus or even guided snowshoe hike and then learn about Jack’s life, enjoying a drink, a trapper’s supper and live music along the way before the great fun of a sledge ride back to the village at the end.
Of the many wonderful dining choices, Le Cin5 is the most highly rated in the gourmet guides. It is the only restaurant in the Aravis region to be awarded a Michelin star. Located within the five-star Hotel Au Coeur du Village, chef Vincent Deforce and his team combine local products from the Haute Savoie with flavours from an island close to his heart, Mauritius, to create simply amazing dishes.
New accommodation options this winter include a beautiful chalet, created by Maison des Aravis owners Mathilde and Sarah. Their new Chalet Le Mazot sleeps up to six in three en-suite bedrooms. The charming traditional chalet has its own sauna and is close to the slopes.
Le Grand Bornand
© C.HUDRY
For those who love their biathlon, the exciting sport of cross-country skiing combined with target-shooting, neighbouring Le Grand Bornand is the biggest resort name in The Aravis! It has another big ski area with 90km of slopes and the same wonderful, traditional French feel with skiing buried deep in its DNA. The village claims to have delivered more winter Olympians to the national team than any other and the Biathlon World Cup, staged this year just before Christmas, is one of the biggest live sporting events in France, attracting more than 60,000 fans.
Le Grand Bornand is particularly proud of its farming connections and there are opportunities to visit working Reblochon farms and sample the produce during your visit. The remarkable and unique Cow Art Trail around the village is also a must-see!
This winter Le Grand Bornand has invested €6m in a high-speed chairlift, replacing the old Duche lift which dated back to 1982. The lift provides a return route for skiers visiting the beautiful wild Col des Annes valley, at the foot of Pointe Percée, via the long Maroly slopes. Sustainability was of course the priority with the new lift which has a smaller impact than its predecessor and follows a route avoiding wetlands and sensitive natural habitats.
Manigod
The smaller ski centre of Manigod, located just 7km from La Clusaz, boasts the largest night skiing area in France’s famous ski province of Haute Savoie. There are eight slopes open from 4.30 pm daily so if you don’t get enough turns in during the day, you can keep going all evening if you wish! There are also themed evenings each month, this winter 24-25 celebrating the Olympic Games on 30th December, a surprise party on 18th January, a sledging evening on 16th February and a retro day and evening on the 26th, rounded off with more sledging on 2nd March. The picturesque ski area with its tree-lined slope is well worth visiting in the daytime too, with a special deal for students (aged 15 – 25) who can ski for just €24 per day.
Off the slopes, Manigod has amazing cheese-maturing caves that are well worth a visit, as is the funky Lo Garajo café which not only boasts a wine cellar, a juice and craft beer bar and a delicatessen. There’s also a shop with ethical and unusual objects including ready-to-wear clothing created in Manigod, a bookstore and a shop with entirely Manigod-made ceramics. There’s also a wonderful new residence, Hameau de l’Ours, which was added last winter increasing the accommodation options.
Saint-Jean-de-Sixt
The traditional mountain village of Saint-Jean-de-Sixt, in the heart of the Massif des Aravis, is one of the first villages you reach after leaving the Lakeside town of Annecy. It’s in a great location between Lake Annecy, Mont Blanc and Switzerland and is a wonderful place to go for a winter hike, enjoy some snowshoeing or even try dog sledding in this unspoilt winter landscape.
There are no ski runs here but the Aravis area pass gives you access to all the slopes of nearby La Clusaz, le Grand Bornand and Manigod, each five minutes away and with a ski bus service to and from them free to Aravis pass holders.
Getting To Aravis
As mentioned at the start, the Aravis region is one of the closest to Geneva, only an hour away. It’s also one of the quickest and easiest to reach driving down from The Channel.
To help work out your transport options La Clusaz has launched a website (gotolaclusaz.com) that gives your different travel options and to help encourage you to travel in as environmentally-friendly way as possible, it also calculates the CO2 emissions and travel time depending on the choice you make. If you decide to travel by bus to the region you can receive a daily ski pass for €39 rather than the usual €53. Annecy is also just under four hours direct train from Paris with connections to the Aravis by bus.
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