Slope Breakdown
Flaine at a glance
Flaine is a ski resort in France, part of the Le Grand Massif ski area. It offers 265 km of slopes served by 69 lifts, with skiing between 1,600 m and 2,500 m (900 m vertical). That makes it the 20th largest of the 40 ski resorts in France listed on Intski. The season usually runs from December to April. Flaine is particularly beginner-friendly: about 51% of its slopes are easy blue runs.
Top features of this resort
Snow forecast
About 34 cm of new snow at the top (2,500 m) in the next 3 days, 18 cm at the base.
New snow and temperature at the top station. Estimated by Intski from the MET Norway forecast, updated every few hours. Where it snows most this week
Email me when it snows
An alert when 15 cm or more is on the way at Flaine, and a heads-up before it opens.
Getting there & lift pass
Nearest airport
Geneva (GVA) — about 52 km from the resort, straight-line distance, allow more by road.
Lift pass
Adult day pass around 63 EUR (2026/27 season). Grand Massif day pass.
2025/26: 59 EUR (+6.8%)
About €0.24 per km of piste the pass covers (265 km).
Compare lift pass prices at all resortsPrice source, checked 2026-09-14
Driving to Flaine
Rules for a car in France, checked 30 September 2026 against official sources.
Road charge
Motorway tolls by distance. A43 (AREA) Saint-Quentin-Fallavier barrier (Lyon) to Chambéry Nord, 88 km, class 1 €13.40, A43 (AREA) Chignin barrier to Aiton, 31 km, class 1 (towards Albertville and Maurienne) €4.20
Winter tyres
Winter tyres or chains on board, 1 Nov to 31 Mar, in the signed mountain zones
Studded tyres
Allowed 1 Nov to 31 Mar (90 km/h, rear disc)
Flaine resort facts
These figures cover the whole Le Grand Massif area, which Flaine shares with 2 other resorts on Intski, not Flaine's own sector. Difficulty shares from skiresort.info.
About Flaine
Flaine is a ski area in the Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps whose nickname, the "big snowy bowl", tells you most of what matters.
Resort Highlights
The big snowy bowl
Flaine is a ski area in the Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps whose nickname, the “big snowy bowl”, tells you most of what matters. It sits at 1,600 m with lifts to 2,500 m, it has one of the best snow records in the Alps, and the only characteristic our data flags for it is snow-sure. Few resorts have a reputation so tightly bound to a single quality, and in Flaine’s case it is well earned. The resort lies in the territory of the communes of Magland and Arâches-la-Frasse.
The skiing: Grand Massif
Flaine is part of the linked Grand Massif domain, connected to Samoëns, Morillon, Les Carroz and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval. Our data lists the network at 265 km of pistes and 69 lifts (Wikipedia gives 267 km), and the elevation profile around Flaine itself runs from 1,600 m to 2,500 m. That high base is the point: the resort starts where many others peak, and with a top station at 2,500 m, altitude reinforces the snow reliability that the bowl’s record already suggests. Sixty-nine lifts over 265 km works out at just under 4 km of piste per lift, a network dense enough to move around efficiently but with room for long descents.
Flaine has a record of firsts. It featured the first eight-seater high-speed chairlift, Les Grands Vans, and the first snow cannons to be installed in Europe. The second of those says something about the resort’s attitude: even with one of the best natural snow records in the Alps, it was the first in Europe to back that up with machines. Our data does not split the 265 km by difficulty.
The architecture question
Nobody comes to Flaine for chocolate-box charm. The resort’s buildings are brutalist, and it has been dubbed “the world’s ugliest ski resort” on their account. Whether you agree depends on your taste in concrete, but the label is part of Flaine’s identity and it is honest to say so. Our data flags no traditional-charm characteristic here, and the absence is consistent with the architecture. What the resort offers instead is a bowl of terrain and a snow record, and it makes no apology for the trade.
Practical
Geneva is the nearest airport, roughly 52 km away as the crow flies, which makes for a short transfer. The season runs from December to April. Lift and piste information is on the resort’s official website.
Frequently asked questions about Flaine
The linked Grand Massif domain, which connects Flaine with Samoëns, Morillon, Les Carroz and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval: about 265 km of pistes and 69 lifts.
Because it has one of the best snow records in the Alps, helped by a base at 1,600 m and lifts to 2,500 m.
Because of the brutalist architecture of its buildings. The label is widely repeated and the resort's look is part of its identity.
It featured the first eight-seater high-speed chairlift, Les Grands Vans, and the first snow cannons to be installed in Europe.
No. It lies in the territory of the communes of Magland and Arâches-la-Frasse, its buildings are brutalist, and our data does not flag it for traditional charm.
Flaine has 265 km of marked slopes: 135 km easy (blue), 95 km intermediate (red), 35 km expert (black), served by 69 ski lifts.
The skiing in Flaine ranges from 1,600 m at the base to 2,500 m at the top — a vertical drop of 900 m.
The ski season in Flaine typically runs from December to April. Exact opening dates vary by year and snow conditions.
Yes — Flaine is well suited to beginners. About 51% of the slopes (135 km) are easy blue runs.
Flaine has 35 km of expert (black) slopes — about 13% of the total.
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