Skiing in La Clusaz

La Clusaz: five massifs from the Beauregard plateau to the Balme bowl

La Clusaz ski guide: all 87 mapped runs across Aiguille, Balme, L'Étale, Beauregard and Manigod, 2026–27 pass prices, Annecy bus and best snow months.

Runs in the official counter (La Clusaz-Manigod)

85

Ski lifts (tourist office count)

47

Kilometres of runs (official)

125

Ski area altitude range (m)

1100–2600

Adult (15–64) 1-day pass, on-site price, winter 2026–27 (EUR)

56.50

Adult (15–64) 6-day pass, standard price, winter 2026–27 (EUR)

285

Skiing & terrain in La Clusaz

The whole La Clusaz-Manigod ski area covered by the La Clusaz-Manigod pass: every alpine run in the official interactive-map data, in the six sectors that data assigns (Aiguille, Balme, Beauregard, Etale, and Manigod's Croix Fry and Merdassier sectors) — 87 pistes — plus 8 fun zones, snowpark and freeride rows, the 5 official link/return itineraries and 5 ski-touring trails: 105 rows. Le Grand-Bornand, a separate ski area next door, is not included. Cross-country, sledging, walking and summer bike trails in the same data are left out.

Runs in the official counter

85

Official counter: green

16

Official counter: blue

31

Official counter: red

30

Official counter: black

8

Kilometres of runs (official)

125

Ski lifts (tourist office)

47

Rows in this table

105

Rows in this table with a length from the operator data

85

• Green pistes in this table: 15
• Blue pistes in this table: 32
• Red pistes in this table: 29
• Black pistes in this table: 10

Checked 18 October 2026. Names, grades, lengths and sectors come from the official La Clusaz-Manigod interactive-map data (Lumiplan), which is the map embedded on laclusaz.com; the area labels are exactly the sector names in that data (the Manigod rows are labelled with Manigod's own sector names). The data lists 87 alpine runs (15 green, 32 blue, 29 red, 10 black and one ungraded, Opoualand), while the tourist office's key figures say 85 runs (16 green, 31 blue, 30 red, 8 black) — the breakdown above counts this table, not the official counter. The tourist office gives 47 lifts and the lift company's price page 48. Lengths: 85 pistes carry a length from the operator data (no lift length is used); Candide Thovex and Mur à Jules have none. Those lengths add up to about 116 km, below the official 125 km, which the tourist office measures along the middle of each run including turns. Fun-zone lengths are given in the descriptions only. Opening status changes daily — use the live map.

La Clusaz pistes: Aiguille, Balme, L'Étale, Beauregard and the Manigod link

La Clusaz skis across five massifs on one pass: Aiguille and Balme above the village, L'Étale, Beauregard and the Manigod sector over the Col de la Croix Fry. The tourist office counts 85 runs (16 green, 31 blue, 30 red, 8 black), 47 lifts and 125 km of runs between 1,100 m and 2,600 m. The table below follows the official map data's sectors, with a length for almost every run.

The lift company's own advice: Balme and Aiguille are for advanced and expert skiers; L'Étale is sunny and quiet; Beauregard and Manigod suit beginners and intermediates. Balme, the Combe de Balme reached by the Balme gondola from its car park, has the Col de Balme chairlift up to 2,375 m (the highest lift top among the lifts with altitudes in the operator data), the reds Torchère and Lachat and the blacks Vraille and Candide Thovex — a black opened in tribute to the freeskier between the Crintiaux run and the Col de Balme chairlift. On Aiguille, the black Mur Edgar is named after Edgar Grospiron and L'Aiguille is a red of 2,936 m.

The longest run with a published length is Les Prises (blue, 5,457 m), the operator's link from Beauregard down to Manigod; Guy Perillat (4,521 m) and L'Envers also start at Beauregard. From Manigod you return toward L'Étale via Les Prises or Coverie, and the operator names Combe des Juments or L'Envers for the run home to the village from L'Étale.

La Clusaz for beginners: Beauregard plateau, free lifts and the Initiation pass

Start at Beauregard: the gondola climbs from the village (about 1,040 m) to the Beauregard plateau, where the tourist office lists a free rope tow, and the sector holds five greens — Baby Flocon, Etoile des Neiges, La Source, Le Plateau and Riffroids — with the beginner lifts Aiglons, Etoile des Neiges and Riffroids. Low on the Aiguille side, the greens Champ Bleu, Le Nant and P'tit Bossonnet are short practice slopes served by lifts at about 970–1,130 m; at L'Étale, the U'Fredy lift and its green are free.

Children under 12 booked into beginner group lessons can get the Initiation pass from their ski school; the lift company lists the lifts it covers, including the Beauregard gondola, Aiglons, Etoile des Neiges, Ceutire and Riffroids, the Bossonnet gondola, Grenêche, P'tit Loup, Nant and Champ Bleu, Etrivaz and Mélèzes.

Your next steps are blues such as Le Bossonnet, Coeur du Village and Le Dahu on the Aiguille side, or the long Les Prises over to Manigod. For a first freestyle taste, the LCZ Family Run in the Mini Loup area has a giant airbag.

Getting to La Clusaz: Geneva (about 1 hour), Annecy station and the Y62/63 bus

La Clusaz has no airport or railway. Geneva airport is the nearest gateway, about 50 km away; the tourist office puts the drive at about an hour from Geneva, 45 minutes from Annecy and two hours from Lyon, and lists shared shuttles from Geneva airport such as Aravis Shuttle. Lyon Saint-Exupéry is about 150 km away, with a TGV connection or a bus to Annecy.

By rail, go to Annecy station (32 km). Altibus line Y62/63 (Annecy – La Clusaz – Le Grand-Bornand) runs all year from the station, more often in winter; Altibus says it reaches the resort in about 1 h 10. Tickets are sold on altibus.com and, in peak season, at the La Clusaz bus station on the Salon des Dames car park at the village entrance.

By car, take the A41 to exit Annecy Nord and follow Thônes and the Aravis resorts, or the A40 to exit 16 (Bonneville). On arrival, the free Aravisbus shuttles link the village, the hamlets and the slope bases, plus Le Grand-Bornand, Saint-Jean-de-Sixt, Manigod and Thônes; at Balme, car-sharers (3 or more per car) can book a free parking space held until 10 am.

La Clusaz with kids: ESF Piou-Piou, childcare and the Duo pass

ESF La Clusaz has about 250 instructors and teaches in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch (lessons from 4 December 2026 to 28 April 2027). Its Piou-Piou club for ages 3–4 runs in an area in the village centre with a moving carpet and a rope tow (21 December 2026–26 April 2027); the TiSkieurs club for 4–5-year-olds meets at the bottom of the Beauregard or Bossonnet gondola. The International ski school ESI runs a Club Souris for 3–6 in groups of up to six.

For younger children, Les P'tits Montagnards takes non-skiers from 8 months to 3 years in winter (booking required), and Le Village d'Enfants leisure centre takes 3–11-year-olds during French school holidays. La Clusaz holds the national Famille Plus label.

Children under 5 ski free on the La Clusaz-Manigod pass with proof of age, and families buying at least four 6-day passes get the Tribe rate. The Duo pass lets two parents of a child under 4 share one pass, with a daily return trip on the Beauregard gondola (ticket office only). For a non-skiing parent the tourist office points to the semi-covered ice rink, the aquatic centre and sledging; skiers on a 6-day pass also get one entry each to the ice rink and aquatic centre, a Luge des Bois ride and pedestrian use of the lifts.

Where to stay in La Clusaz: village centre, Crêt du Merle, Bossonnet or Les Étages

The village centre (about 1,040 m) is the easiest base without a car: the Crêt du Merle chairlift and ticket office and the Piou-Piou area are in the centre, the bus station is at the village entrance, and the Beauregard gondola leaves from the village. Staying close to the Crêt du Merle lift puts you on the Aiguille side at once; the upper village around the Bossonnet gondola and ticket office is the other ski-in base, and the lower village has the Champ Giguet ticket office.

Les Étages lies along the road to L'Étale: the tourist office describes the U'Fredy hotel there as at the bottom of the slopes, at the start of the Étale lift, about 10 minutes from the centre. It is quiet and ski-in for L'Étale, but L'Étale opens a week later and closes a week earlier than the rest of the area, so you will often need the free Aravisbus or the car for the village and Balme.

Balme has a gondola from its car park rather than a village, so most people drive or take the skibus there. Wherever you book, check the walk in ski boots to the nearest lift and the nearest free Aravisbus stop; the snow at village level (about 1,100 m) is the least reliable early and late in the season.

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La Clusaz ski pass 2026–27: La Clusaz-Manigod prices, and Le Grand-Bornand

The La Clusaz-Manigod pass covers all five massifs (Balme, Aiguille, L'Étale, Beauregard and Manigod); there is no Balme-only pass. In the lift company's 2026–27 price list, checked on 18 October 2026, an adult (15–64) pays €56.50 for a day at the ticket office and €285 for six days (€275 with early booking online at least 10 days ahead); a child (5–14) pays €43.50 and €219. Seniors 65–74 pay €54 and €273; under-5s ski free.

Online, the dated Prem's day pass costs from €29.90 to €49.90 depending on demand, and the 6-day Tribe rate (4+ passes including a child under 18) is €271 adult and €209 child. Prices exclude the mandatory €2 ski card and optional insurance (Aravis Sécurité €3.50 a day). The 6-day pass also includes one free day on the Portes du Mont-Blanc area.

Le Grand-Bornand, the other big Aravis resort, is a separate ski area with its own lift company and passes (2026–27 adult 26–64 1-day public price €52, with dynamic online discounts); the free inter-station skibus links the two villages. Neither 2026–27 price list we checked offers a joint Aravis pass.

Best time to ski in La Clusaz: snow history, 2026–27 dates and a low village

Historically, February is La Clusaz's best snow window, with late January and early March next. At Météo-France's La Clusaz station (1,180 m, near village level), average snow depth over 1991–2020 is about 61 cm in February, 42 cm in January and 44 cm in March; December (about 25 cm) and April (about 9 cm) are the shoulder months. New snow is highest from December to February (about 90–97 cm a month on average) and falls off in March. These are long-term averages — a SkiPair calculation from Météo-France daily station data — not a guarantee for any season.

The village sits low for a major French resort, so the runs home to about 1,100 m are the first to suffer in a mild spell. For 2026–27 the tourist office announces Balme open on the weekend of 5–6 December and daily from 12 December 2026 to 25 April 2027, Aiguille and Beauregard from 12 December 2026 to 11 April 2027, and L'Étale from 19 December 2026 to 4 April 2027, all subject to snow. Balme, with the highest lift top in the data and the longest season, is the safest bet early and late.

Before you go, check the live map for open runs and the forecast for both the village and the tops: rain at 1,100 m can still be snow on Balme.

Find ski partners in La Clusaz and the Aravis

La Clusaz is easy to ski solo from Annecy or Geneva, and it is a natural weekend trip for skiers based in the region. On SkiPair, add your dates, your base (village, Bossonnet or Les Étages) and your level to find someone for the same days — for example a Balme morning on Torchère and Vraille, or a cruise from Beauregard over Les Prises to Manigod.

Agree in advance where you meet (the Beauregard gondola or the Crêt du Merle lift in the village are simple spots), whether you drive to the Balme car park together — car-sharers can book a free space — and when you head back so nobody misses the return to the village.

Ski pass prices for La Clusaz

Check the operator’s current prices for your ski dates, ticket duration, age group and the area covered by the pass.

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Weather and snow

A clearer view of the snow in La Clusaz: recent snowfall, what is forecast next, and an outlook for your dates.

Snow and temperature are model estimates. They do not confirm that lifts or pistes are open. Further-ahead dates show seasonal patterns rather than a weather forecast.

Flights & getting to La Clusaz

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Recommended airport for the French Alps: Geneva (GVA).

La Clusaz is better with your kind of people

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A glimpse of La Clusaz

Archive photos · cropped for display

Questions about this resort