Flaine - any hints?

I'm booked to go to Flaine next February.
Anyone been there?
Do you recommend any areas on the Grand Massif in particular.
We are intermediates and are up to 'not too vicious' reds.

Just found this forum and it looks great.
thanks

HI there,
I went to flaine a few years ago and i had one of the best weeks skiing ever! i was literally skiing in powder up to my chest for most of the week - unforgettable!
i found the grande massif area fantastic for intermediates, loads of wide reds to tackle, you can easily ski to the other villages, cant remember the names of them but morillon rings a bell?
There is a cable car which takes you right to the top of the moutnain at flaine - so much easier than queueing for several chairlifts in the morning.

you should have no problem skiing the whole area, which is huge. the only annoying thing i can remember is that it was very windy at the top when you came off the cable car, but that had more to do with the current weather conditions. i am certain you'll have a great time
we stayed in the hotel le totem which was very nice, perfect location aswell, a minutes walk to the cable car but you should find that most of the hotels are virtually ski in ski out.

I am going to Flaine next Wednesday13th so I will tell you all about it a few days later.The only thing is I dont really know if there is any snow there yet??? :?

justacey wrote:...Flaine ... up to 'not too vicious' reds.

Top choice! Forget the 60s architecture (some people like it, and much of it is actually listed!), the ski area is superb by any standards. For someone at your level and above it is ideal. Should have good snow in Feb too.

From the top of the resort there's a choice of lovely long undulating Reds back to the town - you will love these! The restaurant at the top has one of the best views in Europe and probably the best view of Mont Blanc you can find anywhere - take a camera.

There's a mix of long, long Blues and Reds all round the main bowl, with some tree lined runs closer to the town. Plenty of off-piste that's accessible but take care as there are BIG holes in the rock under the snow - so check the snow conditions on the spot each day. If you're feeling brave there are a couple of good Blacks - the Diamante Noir takes no prisoners though (and can require a "drop in" over a cornice mid-way down) so check conditions first.

There's a good connection over to Les Carroz which makes for a nice change of scenery but be sure to spend some time in the valley between the two, especially if the snow is good (powder days can be awesome from the top of the Molliet chair). Only downside of the connection is that it can be crowded, especially end of day.

Hints? Organise everything you can beforehand to maximise your time on the snow! 8)

Powderhound

Gareth Fair wrote:I am going to Flaine next Wednesday13th so I will tell you all about it a few days later.The only thing is I dont really know if there is any snow there yet??? :?

Oo yes please.
There's some great panoramic pictures on the grand massif website (click in webcams at the top, then on 'cliquez ici' under 'Flaine' - which shows there's no snow today :( (although doesn't j2ski say there's going to be 81cm this week :P)
also more panoramics]


But there's nothing like someone's recommendations who's actually been there.
We are staying in Flaine Foret, so let me know which bars / restaurants are the best.
And have a great time

Top choice Flaine- went there last year myself ( an Intermediate ) and there are some cracking runs and enough blues to keep you busy for a week without even running a red although some like the faust run are well worth it. Take my advice and get straight up to the grand platiers on the first morning (weather permitting) and cruise your way down crystal/serpentine for a fabulous cruise back to resort level which gives you a real feel for the main bowl. The other areas are accessed quite easily from the Grand Vans chair. My only slight bit of advice is to watch the Tourmaline run back to the resort from the grand vans- 90% of it is fine for all intermediates but there is one short steep section near the end which is a little tricky and narrow but take your time and you'll be fine. I absolutely loved Flaine and will probably go back next year with friends and family. (La Plagne this season for us in Feb - can't wait). I have to say Flaine is typically purpose built but who cares when you go for the skiing - we didn't even notice it. We took our 8 year old little girl who had two weeks snow experience and about 15 or so dry slope visits and she coped with every blue run in the area and thoroughly enjoyed it. An excellent and in my opinion very under rated resort - you're in for a treat - trust me. The links to Morrillon, Les Carroz and Samoens are easy to access but the main bowl is so good we didn't venture away from it too much - mind you there are some beautiful woodland runs down to Les Carroz. In truth we may have ventured a bit more if I didn't have my little girl with us but we will next year I think when she's 10 and has a bit more stamina. (Oh before you ask - kids ski school was excellent but we took our little one with us this year as she had taken so many dry slope lessons and we jst wanted to ski together as a family)
Good choice of bars and enough eatieries as well. Amazing views at the top of the Grand Platiers but also some lovely resteraunts half way down and at the bottom of the crystal/serpentine runs.
I hope you enjoy as much as we did.

Sorry forgot to mention we stayed in the Foret in the Pierre et Vacances residence which although obviously not 4 star where clean warm and practical - everything you need. Some nice bars in the Foret up at a mini shopping precinct which houses a supermarket/bowling alley and some nice shops. Mind you the free funiculars which run between the foret and the forum are so easy and frequent moving between the two areas is no problem. Sorry I can't remember the names of the bars guys but they were all good enough although I'm a bit old to party I'm afriad so can't really comment on the late night scene. For skiing and snow though Flaine is fab.
(Don't know how I got that emoticon on my post above by the way - sorry about that - not sure what it's supposed to mean)

Thanks for the advice, I am staying in the P+V at Foret too. I think I got my head round the piste map / village map, am I right in thinking that the nearest (big) lift is Grand Vans? Is the P+V 'ski in ski out'? If I've got my bearings right, is it easy enough to get to the Grand Platiers lift across town?

We did La Plagne 2 years ago (and Les Menures last year) so seem to be working through the 'ugliest resort' list too.