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FLAINE, LARGEST OF THE VILLAGES in the Grand Massif, offers an upbeat central base for just about all levels of skiing ability. Opinion is sharply divided on the architectural style, but some of the original apartment blocks have acquired an official Historic Monument listing. Slightly longer transfers from Geneva airport than Samoëns or Les Carroz, but still very accessible and one of the easier drives to the Alps from the UK. The Grand Massif is a deservedly popular choice with British skiers, who value its varied skiing and good snow record, and the fact that it offers something for just about everyone, including those in search of mileage.
Definitely a big-leaguer.

It’s already snowing hard as we pass Les Carroz, with a further 14km of steady climbing ahead of us before we reach Flaine. Around the mid-way point we pass the base station at Les Molliets chairlift, barely visible beyond the drifted snow, leaving us in no doubt that the Grand Massif's reputation for snow-cover is well-founded.

We can sense that we’re almost there, but nevertheless tackle the final hairpin descent into Flaine with due reverence. Then we see it — the vast snowy bowl bounded more by vast ridges than peaks, and at its heart the unmistakable, assertive outlines of the Bauhaus-influenced apartment blocks styled by Marcel Breuer back in the mid-’60s. We’ve seen how it looks from countless pictures; now we’ll see how it all feels.

All the way up

The village is car-free, but parking is no problem. Within minutes, then, we’re walking around the heart of the village, an experience which proves a lot more uplifting than we’d imagined. As for the architecture, the overall effect, at least when attenuated by a pristine snowscape, suggests that style and functionality can co-exist — although quite how successfully remains is more subjective.

Whatever we may feel, there’s no doubt in our minds as to the quality and quantity of the skiing on offer. The Forfait Flaine lift-pass covers 140km of groomed terrain, much of it divided between the peaks of Les Grands Vans (2204m) and Les Grandes Platières (2480m). The Forfait Massif lift-pass, on the other hand, allows skiers to explore the adjacent areas of Sixt-Fer à Cheval, Samoëns, Morillon and Les Carroz via the Grands Vans chairlift. Arm yourself with the Forfait Grand Massif pass and you get it all, a total of 265km of groomed terrain. Which is exactly what we do during our stay, allowing us the freedom to seek out the very best conditions, no matter what the weather might decide to throw at us.

But there’s more to it than mere convenience, as we're about to discover. Our first days are spent making the most of the fresh snow, sometimes taking the Grand Platières gondola to the highest point in the Massif (2480m), and storming down long, red-graded runs like Faust, one of our personal favourites. As is riding the Aup de Véran gondola to the enjoy the steep terrain below the Tête des Lindars (2561m), before taking the Diamant Noir traverse link back over to Almandine, another long, red plunge down towards the village. One of the unexpected attractions of this sector is the often-overlooked but nevertheless charming Célestine, an innocent-looking red-graded run which winds its way down to enter near-silent forest then twists, skier-cross style, among the trees before emerging back beside the village. Don’t tell a soul about this one.

Heading further afield means taking the 8-seater Grand Vans chairlift, memorable for the glacial cold of most journeys, despite (or because of) its rapid progress. But it’s certainly worth it, even on days when the snow falls, visibility clamps down and we have to put our trust in piste-markings for navigation. At times like this the reward is the sheltered terrain among the forests above Les Carroz and Morillon, where we float around contentedly in a silent world, while the powder beneath our skis grows ever deeper. What could be better than this?

‘More of the same, please...’ is the obvious answer to that one. Which is exactly what we get during our final days here, sustained snowfalls drawing us back to the tree-lined landscapes. The only down-side is that the weather has closed one of our all-time favourite long-distance routes, Les Cascades, which begins at Les Grandes-Platières and ends up and incredible 14km later below frozen waterfalls in Sixt-Fer à Cheval. Obviously, we’ll just have to come back.

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