Opening Dates | Skiing | Snow | Restaurants | Views | Development | More
The Grand Massif ski area is one of the largest ski areas in the French Alps, combining five interconnected villages – Samoëns, Morillon, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, Les Carroz and Flaine – to offer 265km of pistes spread over multiple valleys.
Located in the heart of the Haute-Savoie department of France, less than 60 minutes drive from Geneva airport, the area provides varied skiing for all abilities from absolute beginner to expert. Combined with charming villages, fantastic mountain restaurants, an enviable snow record, and some of the most spectacular views of Mont Blanc from anywhere in the Alps, it's easy to see why it's a popular choice.
| Pistes (number) | 139 (25 green, 59 blue, 44 red, 11 black) |
| Pistes (distance) | 265km |
| Lifts | 62 |
| Surface area | 40,000 hectares |
| Highest point | 2561m |
| Lowest point | 700m |
The full Grand Massif ski area, including the links between the five villages, will be open daily from 21 December 2024 until 13 April 2025.
| Opens | Closes | ||
| Samoëns | 14-12-24* | 21-04-25 | |
| Morillon | 14-12-24* | 06-04-25 | |
| Les Carroz | 14-12-24* | 13-04-25 | |
| Flaine | 14-12-24* | 21-04-25 | |
| Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval | 21-12-24 | 10-03-25 |
*14 to 20 December 2024 opening subject to snow conditions
The Grand Massif is renowned for its vastly varying terrain, and with 151 pistes spread over all grades of difficulty, each of the five main sectors offers something for every level of skier, while maintaining their own unique characteristics.
In the Morillon and Les Carroz sectors of the ski area, the terrain is more gentle, and with wider pistes it's more biased towards beginners and intermediates. These tree-lined slopes are particularly beautiful after heavy snowfall and offer protection and visibility during snowfall.
In the Samoëns sector, you’ll find fantastic above the treeline terrain for early intermediate to advanced skiers, and reliable snow on the relatively high and steep north-facing slopes.
The Coulouvrier bowl, located between Samoëns and Morillon, offers more great tree-lined skiing but is generally slightly steeper so more suited to intermediate and advanced skiers.
Flaine provides the highest skiing in the Grand Massif, with predominantly wide, playful pistes located mostly above the tree line. It offers pistes for all abilities, including the 15km Cascade piste down to Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, and the Gers bowl, an impressive off-piste paradise for advanced skiers and snowboarders.
Finally, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval is perfect for beginners and families with its own excellent nursery area, and boasts a truly beautiful, unspoilt location at the base of the Cascade piste with bus links to Samoëns and Morillon.
Absolute beginners are well catered for with five nursery areas spread across the Grand Massif. Samoëns has an excellent nursery area with several pistes, a magic carpet, drag tows, and chairlifts. Located on the Samoens 1600 plateau at 1600m altitude, it offers reliable snow, fantastic views, and with several restaurants it's a convenient meeting point for families or groups of differing abilities.
The Morillon sector also has a great nursery area, located at Morillon 1100, next to the village centre and lifts/pistes of the main ski area.
The slopes of Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval are an excellent choice for early beginners, and with two green and four blue pistes to choose from, it is ideally suited to early beginners looking to progress onto slightly more challenging pistes.
For beginners advancing from the nursery slopes, the green-graded Marvel piste in Morillon is a huge favourite. A massive 5km descent, this tree-lined piste is stunning after fresh snow, and with two mountain restaurants, it offers beginner skiers the full skiing experience.
Discover our beginners guide for more local tips.
With a total of 103 blue and red pistes in the Grand Massif, it's fair to say intermediate skiers will struggle to ski them all in one week!
In Samoëns, the excellent red piste of Marmotte is one of our favourites (and is often overlooked by many skiers, leaving it in great condition!)
In Les Carroz and Morillon, the long, fast combination of Plein Soleil/Timalets is another of our favourites, as is the tree-lined blue piste Sairon in Morillon. And don’t miss the red piste Paccoty which feels like a real adventure descending into the Colouvrier bowl.
The high, wide open spaces of Flaine are a favourite with intermediate skiers, and with the majority of pistes graded blue or red, the choice is huge! The undulating blue piste Serpentine is always popular, as are the exhilarating red pistes of Faust and Almandine which take a more direct route down the mountain.
Don't miss the 15km Cascade piste between Flaine and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, the longest blue piste in Europe, with a vertical drop of 1800m! (more on that below).
Discover our intermediates guide for more local tips.
If you have a panache for steep blacks, then you are also well catered for in the Grand Massif with multiple options.
In Flaine, the black piste Onyx is the longest in the area. A piste which is marked and avalanche protected, but not pisted, it offers a wonderful adventure into the Combe de Gers. Also in Flaine, black piste Diamant Noir offers the steep moguls that many advanced skiers crave.
The Samoëns sector offers two excellent black pistes - Aigle Noir and Come – with the former often providing a real challenge with its steep moguls.
Discover our advanced skiers guide for more local tips.
The Combe de Gers, a huge off-piste valley between Flaine and Samoëns, is a haven for freeriders, and with endless options, it is the favoured location for many after fresh snow.
There are many other excellent areas throughout the Grand Massif, either above the tree line in Flaine and Samoëns , or through the trees or Morillon and Les Carroz.
The ski schools can provide guides to help you find the best spots, and provide safety equipment.
As the longest piste in Europe at 15km long, and with a vertical drop of 1740m, the Cascade piste deserves special mention!
Starting from the top of the Grandes Platieres telecbaine in Flaine, the blue graded piste winds its way down to Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval with a bus taking you back to Samoëns village or the Grand Massif Telecabine.
The piste takes you on what feels like a wild adventure, far from the other pistes of the Grand Massif, and with absolutely beautiful views, some of the best in the whole area.
Top tip - Don’t miss the chance of lunch at the Refuge du Lac de Gers.
The Grand Massif ski area boasts a snow record which can rival the best in the Alps, with a combination of factors falling in its favour.
Firstly, around 80% of the pistes are north-facing, and this important factor helps to preserve snow quantity and quality until as late into the season as possible.
The area benefits from a snowy microclimate thanks to its position sandwiched between Lake Leman (Lake Geneva) and the Mont Blanc Massif. Storm systems arriving from the west to northwest pass over the huge lake, picking up moisture as they go. These same storms often stall as they move up against the huge mountains of the Mont Blanc massif, and all of this often means the Grand Massif often boasts some impressive snow depths.
Continuing investment in snow-making equipment means a large percentage of the pistes have been covered by snow cannons and can be topped up when necessary.
| Dec | Jan | Jan | Jan | Jan | Feb | Feb | Feb | Feb | Mar | Mar | Mar | Mar | Apr | Apr | Apr | |
| Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| Upper Mountain (2500m) | 100 | 131 | 160 | 176 | 199 | 207 | 225 | 239 | 245 | 245 | 261 | 268 | 263 | 268 | 266 | 258 |
| Lower Mountain (1600m) | 43 | 45 | 52 | 52 | 64 | 69 | 83 | 85 | 87 | 88 | 90.7 | 95 | 88 | 83 | 71 | 72 |
There is a wonderful selection of mountain restaurants around the Grand Massif suitable for all tastes and budgets. Once lunch is over, and particularly in mid to late season, many clear the tables, turn up the music, and become excellent apres-ski venues.
A special mention goes to Refuge du Lac de Gers which is located in an eye-wateringly beautiful and secluded valley, accessible from the Cascade piste by skidoo. Don’t miss it!
For those who prefer to take their own lunch, there are several indoor picnic areas throughout the ski area, as well as outdoor picnic tables. These are all marked on the official piste map.
The Grand Massif is surrounded by some beautiful and varied scenery, with incredible views in every direction. To the northwest, the pyramid-shaped Pointe de Marcelly (1999m) can look Himalayan at times, the iconic Criou (2207m) towering over Samoëns, the enormous Mont Buet (3096m) which dwarfs the village of Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval at its foot, and the unmistakable tower of Pointe Percée (2750m).
But the most dramatic views are those to the southeast of the Mont Blanc massif, and in particular, Mont Blanc (4808m) itself. There can be very few views of the Alps' highest mountain which rival those from the Grand Massif, in particular, from the summit of Flaine. Its glaciers, seracs, and needle-shaped rocky spires are an awe-inspiring sight.
The Grand Massif ski area has been continuously developed over the years, with recent investments in lift, piste, and snow-making infrastructure ensuring it remains one of the best ski areas in the Alps.
In recent years, we’ve seen a new telecabine for Vercland, as well as the new Coulouvrier chairlift which has opened up an entirely new valley with 4 new pistes, additional snow cannons, and lots more! If you haven’t visited for a few years, you’ll notice some significant improvements!
