Flaine

In the early 1960's Marcel Breuer, the eminent Bauhaus architect (famous for the Wassily Chair made from tubular steel) was entrusted to create a ski resort that despite its confident architectural style would blend into the local topography of the mountainside. You will either love or loathe the large block style concrete buildings. However, as the resort has been built on separate levels (following the contours of the hillside) each is visually separated from the other creating a feeling of privacy and tranquillity.

More recently the Hameau de Flaine area has been built. Located on the outskirts of the main resort this area has been developed in a chalet style residential area. It still offers ski in ski out access to and from the main ski area.

Flaine Montsoleil was built in 2011 and sits between the Hameau de Flaine and the main resort. It too offers ski in ski out access and has been designed in a traditional alpine style, providing large residences containing self-catering apartments.

An ex-ski racer from Megeve designed the ski routes and the main lift lines and the whole ski area was designed with convenience very much in mind. 60 years on the Flaine ski area remains one of the best in the Alps with a wide variety of slopes suiting all standards from beginners through to off-piste experts.

The wider Flaine Grand Masif ski area (267km of pistes) contains some of the prettiest ski villages in the French Alps and is certainly worth exploring. The runs down to the valley floor villages of Samoens, Morillon and Les Carroz are long and interesting, descending through the tree line over 1,700 vertical metres from Flaine's highest mountain (2,480 metres).

The après ski scene has improved over recent years with a few more bars being introduced. Chalets in Flaine are few and far between, however, there are a few in the surrounding resorts well worth considering if you like your ski holiday to be on a more tranquil level.