Le Grand-Bornand
The intact charm of a mountain village
In the very heart of the Massif des Aravis, in Haute-Savoie ideally situated between the Mont-Blanc, Lake Annecy and Switzerland, Le Grand-Bornand offers the best of the Alps!
Le Grand-Bornand, obviously a touristic resort, summer and winter, but also a real charming village living all year and here the generous nature has done things… It all starts with Aravis range, beautiful backdrop, headed by 2750 meters with the Pointe Percée, emblematic summit of the Massif, from which curves at once harmonious, green, wooded and accessible down to the village.
The village spreads on two altitudes: at 1000 meters, is Le Grand-Bornand Village, typically Savoyard village with its grenette, its place, its church and its shops and, as a backdrop, the beautiful Bouchet valley at the foot of the Aravis range, chosen field of Nordic skiing ...
Six kilometers above, on the road to Col de la Colombière, stretches Le Grand-Bornand Chinaillon, 1300 meters above sea level, the main departure of alpine ski, and whose Old Village, dating from the seventeenth century has remained very preserved.
Nearby
Nearby villages include Manigod, Thônes, La Clusaz, Saint-Jean-de-Sixt and the larger Chamonix and Annecy.
Winter sports
The history of Le Grand-Bornand begins from the year of 1569. In 1923 the first ski club was created here. Le Grand-Bornand holds the award "Station verte de vacances" (Green holiday resort). The station is highly rated for beginner skiers and family holidays. However, although there are a few good restaurants, there is minimal nightlife. Le Grand Bornand skiable domain has recently been linked to the skiable domain of La Clusaz.
The ski area in figures
- 29 ski lifts, including 2 cable cars, 13 chair lifts, and 14 ski tows
- 42 pistes, including 3 black, 14 red, 14 blue, 11 green
- 90 km of slopes on 360 hectares, 3 stages of compétition, a snowpark, 4 areas for beginners
- Artifical snow with 146 snow cannons which cover 70 hectares, 20 km of pistes : four days at - 4 ° C providing 30 cm of snow on 25% of the area.
- Throughput : 39 700 skiers / hour
Facilities
Village hall, social housing, swimming pool, mini golf, golf, tennis, trampoline
Outdoor activities
Skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, hiking, mountain-biking, excursions, mushroom collecting.
Places and monuments
- Church of the Virgin Mary of the Assumption
- Chinaillon chapel
- Bouchet chapel
- Nant-Robert chapel
- Gramusset refuge
- Maroly virtual lake
- Militiamen cemetery
Tour de France
Le Grand-Bornand has been the start town for three stages of the Tour de France, one each in 1995, 1999 and 2007. It was the finish of a stage in 2004, 2007, and one in 2009.