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Visitor reviews for Le Grand Bornand Ski Resort

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• January 03, 2011
  Keith Walker from United Kingdom
  

  Le Grand Bornand is a good family ski resort and retains a fairly unspoiled French flavour. The skiing is not extreme but is varied. There are a few blacks and a lovely snow field off the top. It has a nice range of cruisey blues and reds. For beginners or those that prefer relaxing trails there are a range of nice greens as well. As with most Alpine resorts views are spectacular. They get busy like any good resort but you will be unlikely to be troubled by the long lift queues of other resorts. The snow park with piped music has been attractively developed in the last two or three years.

• Le Grand Bornand Ratings

  Based on 5 votes. Vote

  Access: 5.0 (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Le Grand Bornand.	Public Transport: 4.5 (1) There are no buses or taxis to Le Grand Bornand, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 5.0 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 5.0 (1) No places to stay in/near Le Grand Bornand, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 5.0 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 4.0 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Le Grand Bornand.
  Ski in/Ski out: 5.0 (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.	Childcare: 4.2 (1) There are no child care facilities at Le Grand Bornand, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 3.8 (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Le Grand Bornand is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 4.2 (1) Le Grand Bornand relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 4.4 (1) There are no snow groomers at Le Grand Bornand, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Le Grand Bornand are groomed daily.	Shelter: 4.5 (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Le Grand Bornand is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 4.2 (1) If snow conditions are poor at Le Grand Bornand, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.	Regional rating: 4.0 (1) Le Grand Bornand usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
  Lift Staff: 4.0 (1) The staff at Le Grand Bornand are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Le Grand Bornand are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 4.2 (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
  Ski Schools: 4.5 (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.	Hire and Repairs: 4.8 (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
  Variety of pistes: 4.2 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Le Grand Bornand has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 5.0 (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
  Intermediates: 4.8 (1) No intermediate terrain at Le Grand Bornand, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 3.8 (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
  Snow Park: 4.5 (1) Not even a kicker at Le Grand Bornand, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 3.5 (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
  Cross-country: 4.8 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Le Grand Bornand, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 2.0 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Le Grand Bornand has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 5.0 (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.	Eating: 4.2 (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
  Apres-Ski: 3.8 (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.	Other Sports: 4.2 (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
  Entertainment: 4.0 (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.	Winter Walks: 4.5 (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
  Ski Pass Value: 4.2 (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.	Value (National): 4.5 (1) Overall, Le Grand Bornand is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
  Value (Global): 4.5 (1) Overall, Le Grand Bornand is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

  Based on 5 votes. Vote

• January 05, 2010
  Steve from United Kingdom
  

  Just to clear things up, LGB (Le Grand Bornand) does have an automated lift system, the lift attendants are as good as any resort and it is only busy in the school holidays.
  Great resort.

• March 21, 2009
  Mogul Queen from France
  

  Pros: Le Grand Bornand is a pretty resort with easy skiing, generally good snow and plenty of mountain restaurants.
  Cons: Le Grand Bornand gets very busy and there are too many bad and out-of-control skiers resulting in too many wipe-outs.

• February 08, 2009
  Ian wickham from United Kingdom
  

  Another fantastic holiday at Le Grand Bornand, one of my favorite resorts and the snow was great. This year we spent a few more euro on a chalet on the piste in Les Outalays and it was worth every penny/euro.
  My daughter passed her second star but the usually fantastic Esf tuition this year was not so good. The instructor wanted to put my daughter back into the 1st star group after day two as she was younger and smaller then the rest of the group at seven years of age. We would not allow that and low and behold my daughter passes and three of the older kids (they were twelve/thirteen years old) did not. I personally think it was a language issue as she was the only English kid in the group. Just goes to show, stick by your guns as the instructors do not always know best.

• January 25, 2009
  Kathy from United Kingdom
  

  This year (March 09) will be our third visit to Le Grand Bornand. I don't like to tell too many people about it as it is so nice. Our two children started to learn at 3 and 6 years old and now at 5 and 8 they have no fear and teach me (mum) a thing or two. No doubt I'll get left behind this time as last year they were doing reds and leaving me behind. Starski Ski school is to blame for that (excellent tuition). So keep this little gem (Le Grand Bornand) quiet.

• January 25, 2009
  Ruth from United Kingdom
  

  I would like to say that this resort is awful, but only to keep people away. As one of its best qualities is how peaceful it is. This is heaven on earth. We have been coming for over 5 years now. We have always had snow, always had fun and we like the lack of nightlife, as we would much rather have a nice meal out instead. I would strongly recommend "le ferme du pepe" on the lescale site. We loved the place so much we have been two summer seasons too, great walks to the refuge on Point Percee, and to Aguile Vert. Cant wait till Feb to be back again.

• January 03, 2009
  Mick Sparkes from United Kingdom
  

  I have been going to Grand Bo (Le Grand Bornand) for the past 8-9 years with various friends and family and really love it. No need for those busy expensive resorts that everyone goes to. Maybe they can keep Grand Bo the same.
  

• November 23, 2008
  Helen from United Kingdom
  

  Le Grand Bornand is the little unspoiled treasure you don't want to see change. We visited the resort Easter 2008 (March) and had the time of our lives. We were blessed with fresh snow most days and the runs were empty! We couldn't believe how quiet the ski-lifts were and how easy it was to use the seated lifts - hardly any button/tow bars.
  We are a family with 2 young teenagers and they were not put off by the lack of 'night-life'. We are used to skiing at bigger resorts like 'Les 2 Alpes' with a 2 hour journey to get to the top where the best skiing is. You can get quite frustrated queuing for 30 minutes for each lift then another 30 mins before you join the next lift!
  Our accommodation was at the Chalet Everest,with only 8 steps from the front door to the ski bus leading up to the resort. The chalet caters for all groups of families 4-12, at very reasonable prices. It is also in reach of the quaint village of Grand Bornand. The weekly market on Wednesday is worth a visit.
  We are returning to LGB for the New Year and we all can't wait to have the batteries recharged again. Maybe this time I will be more careful and try not to break my cruciate ligament in both knees! Totally embarassing coming down the slopes on a stretcher to see people waiting at the bottom of the slope for me to be transported into the ambulance. From a crazy mistake - crossed skis when getting off the ski lift and falling over! Not the cheapest way of coming off the mountain (300 Euros) I hadn't broken the ligaments but damaged ligaments around the knee joints.
  We are hoping the sleepy village will still celebrate the new year or maybe we will see fireworks from the other nearby resorts.

• October 29, 2008
  Judy Gray from France
  

  I live in the resort and agree with all the comments made this year, 2008, including the various comments from Tony Wade,
  The new Floria lift is going to improve the speed up the mountain and the lift company has taken the opportunity to improve the return to the start of both the Floria and Chatelet lifts, so hopefully no more collisions between learners and experienced skiers on the bottle-neck down to the Igloo.
  One thing that no one mentions is that Chinaillon is 1 of the few resorts where you can always ski back to your car, even at the end of April.

• October 21, 2008
  Steve from United Kingdom
  

  I regularly Snowboard in Le Grand Bornand, and though the apres-ski isn't as exciting as some resorts I don't go snow boarding for apres-ski, I go to board. The staff, to my knowledge, have always been helpful and awake, the pistes always well maintained. It is the perfect family resort, with pistes to challenge most skill levels, plus the benefit of getting an Aravis pass for only a small amount more with the benefit of using the more challenging slopes of La Clusaz.

• October 21, 2008
  Tony Wade from France
  

  Another update from an unbiased citizen. A clubbing friend of mine is in the process of going through the motions to open a club in the village so there is hope that there will be nightlife in GB 2008/09. Also they have replaced the 'Floria' lift with a high speed 6-seater. which is good as it used to be very long to the top. The local instructor mentioned below is a friend and very good although it's not 'Manny', but rather 'Manu'.

  @Dan - yep, it's all relative as I said before. If you are a beginner or intermediate (99percent of the British market) then GB has all you can handle. But it's not incredible compared to some resorts in the immediate vicinity. I don't criticise the former club for being 'French', but rather for being 'Crap'. There's a big difference.

• October 11, 2008
  Andrew from United Kingdom
  

  An update on the lift attendant situation - it seems that from this year there will be keycards, not the mildly annoying plastic cards around your neck or arm. Purchaseable in advance online, and can be topped up online if you keep it.
  Which is nice.

• August 08, 2008
  Stephen from United Kingdom
  

  We simply love the place. We live in Northern Ireland, but we've property in LGB for family and friends only as we use it for about 4 to 5 months per year. It's a super resort in winter and summer and it is authentic France. No posers here. Le Grand Bornand offers a wide variety of restaurants - La Croix St Maurice, Casanova and Le Traineau [Michelin star] to name a few. The hotels are very central and offer good value. ESF is the main ski school, but you should try Emmanuel [Manny] a local ski instructor [+33680570803]. He really is excellent and totally fluent in English. He also runs a paracending school which is a very popular summer [and winter] sport. Watch out for the hot air balloons on Saturday mornings - excellent. You can get a ride, but it's not cheap! Check out LGB's web site for activities. Most of the towns have several fairs per annum - great fun. Keep a look out for the big Kid's festival at the end of August each year and also for the 'Tour' which regularly goes through the town.

• June 04, 2008
  Dan from United Kingdom
  

  I don't rent out property for tourists either - I just like the place.
  It is a bit odd to criticise a French night club for being French though. As for lack of expert terrain, that also seems a bit harsh - as witnessed by the extent of off-piste mentioned below (and there seems to be plenty). The black pistes and mogul fields (and dedicated free-ride area off the back of the Lachat) seem quite advanced to me. Still, what do I know?

• May 09, 2008
  Tony Wade from France
  

  Just a little update for those of you who are interested in a review from someone who does NOT rent property in the area for tourists.
  As of last season the crap nightclub was closed in order to make way for yet more rental property development. If you're coming away with the idea of late nights out you'll be in for a surprise.
  The paragliding is still excellent.

• March 09, 2008
  A.kimber from United Kingdom
  

  Travelled to Le Chinaillon for New Year with boys 14 and 16 years. Stayed at Pistes du Soleil appartments in a fantastic location overlooking ski runs with a huge balcony. Sourced apartment direct from owner at fantastic price! Lovely resort especially as thanks to a top up overnight snow fall on the first night had uninterrupted sunshine and fantastic skiing all week. ESF ski school; brilliant again, and, as a very nervous 40 something female, I felt I made good progress. Good for beginners and, from what my boys and husband told me, the rest of the resort ~ bits I would never see according to them ~ was great. The comments I have read about the lift operators I can't agree with but the system is not automated with passes needing to be checked visually. Used a fantastic ski hire shop that allowed your ski and boot storage at no extra cost with very helpful and friendly staff. Can't recall the name but it was literally at the end of the 'eglantines' run back to the resort. Resort itself, small with a limited number of restaurants and shops but buses run regularly to Le Grand Bornand which looked a delightful Haute Savoie town. Again, along with Les Saisies which we skied at last Easter, it was another very French uncrowded gem. Hope it stays that way!

• March 01, 2008
  sue from United Kingdom
  

  Second visit to Le Grand Bornand in Feb 08. Had another fabulous time. The skiing was just right for beginners/intermediates. We have yet to explore many of the routes. We have not skied anywhere else so have nothing to compare it to. Having 2 children (10yrs and 12 yrs), night-life is not important. The choice at the restaurants is very good with a great market on Wednesdays.

• February 18, 2008
  Andrew from United Kingdom
  

  In addition to the reviews below, having just returned from Le Grand-Bo for a very sunny but cold week of nice family skiing, there are developments. It seems to be becoming more popular with the British and there has been a lot of building over the last two or three years. I hope they don't over-stretch themselves. The sheer amount of off-piste tracks, some of which must have taken hours of hiking to reach, was mind-boggling: look out from the Col des Annes and they go forever, and there were also many from the mountain behind the Vieux Village which seemed to come from miles away.
  I would also like to give a mention for the excellent Starski ski school. They've got my 7-year-old son unafraid of red pistes after only two visits, which can't be bad.

• February 03, 2008
  ian Wickham from United Kingdom
  

  Hi All,
  Another fantastic Le Grand Bornand holiday. Snow was great in Le Chinaillon but the runs down from Rosay to Le Grand Bornand were closed.
  Still a great holiday and the kids were awarded their 1st star by a fantastic Esf ski school.
  Guess where I'll be going next year.

• January 11, 2008
  Fiona from France
  

  Grand Bornand is a lovely place for families & couples not looking for buzzing nightlife. I read one reviewer complaining about the night club. If you want night clubs and fancy bars go somewhere else. This is a laid back resort offering a relaxed break for beginners to intermediates. There are plenty of non ski activities and the people are very friendly.

• January 10, 2008
  chris wilson from United Kingdom
  

  Grand Bornand is one of the best kept secrets of the French Alps. A lovely unspoilt and completely authentic part of the Aravis region. The village is charming and the locals are some of the most friendly I have met whilst skiing. In summer the place is enchanting - and as one of the region's biggest agricultural communities there are three times more cows than people.
  The skiing is excellent - with a great snow record and, because a lot of the skiing is on mountain pasture, it does not need the depth of snow which much rockier resorts need to get a decent coverage. While the piste map does not indicate a massive amount of skiing on the scale of the mega French resorts, this is deceptive. A morning with a local instructor will show you lots of fabulous intermediate to very difficult off-piste areas.
  I have been coming here for the last 4 years - and will keep coming. Cant wait until they build the interconnecting link with La Clusaz!

• January 07, 2008
  Sam Brown from United Kingdom
  

  Great resort. Quiet and traditional. Just got back and the snow coverage was very good over the Christmas period. The town is fairly quiet but very nice nonetheless. Very nice in the summer too :p

• December 27, 2007
  Lucy Brown from United Kingdom
  

  I have visited Le Grand Bornand on many ocassions now, both in the winter for skiing and the summer for walking. It is quiet enough to be relaxing and peaceful in summer, but busy enough in winter to have a bustling ski resort feel to it. With plenty of beginner and intermediate slopes to choose from, it is an ideal place to learn how to ski. There are a number of more challenging slopes, plus great transport links to other Aravis resorts nearby where there are plenty of slopes to keep all abilities happy. I look forward to returning again soon and hope not too many people find out about the delights of the area, so that it retains its small friendly French ski resort feel.

• February 06, 2007
  Ian Wickham from United Kingdom
  

  Hi all,
  Just got back from Le Grand Bornand. Snow not as good as last year and there were a few more English voices to report ( Thomson now has property here). When we arrived the resort was 80% green but a good dump of snow on Tuesday/Wednesday opened the resort. We have now been back home ten days and it has taken me this time to repair the ski damage to three sets of ski's (from stones). Still, we will be going back next year.

• December 30, 2006
  Ian Wickham from United Kingdom
  

  A beautiful resort, like previous reviewers a very french resort with few english voices.There are some loverly resonable priced restaurents with good home cooked food.
  We are returning to le grand bornand in January 2007 which is very rare for us, the snow cover last year was fantastic here's keeping our fingers crossed for 2007.

• January 20, 2006
  Andrew from United Kingdom
  

  A lovely resort, not huge but big enough and you can get a lift pass to cover La Clusaz and the rest of the Aravis if you want. Unpretentious, good skiing and also not over-priced. Not only is Le Grand Bornand village itself a nice place to stay (can recommend the Hotel Croix St. Maurice), but you can stay up the mountain in Le Chinaillon; even Annecy, a beautiful city with lots of everything is only 40 mins. drive away, giving the opportunity to ski all day and get some city sophistication in the evenings. If you like that kind of thing...

• March 22, 2005
  marcus from United Kingdom
  

  If you want a European resort away from all the Brits, and like the idea of a very 'Frech' resort, this is it. Very picturesque, good value, not the wildest at night, fairly small ski area (when compared to the big ones like Val d'Isere) but very unpretentious. A breath of fresh air if you want to avoid all the English hordes - excpet me of course.

• December 03, 2003
  Will Cox from United Kingdom
  

  Le Grand Bornand is a beautiful resort in Summer and Winter. It retains its old charm and has fantastic skiing and mountain walks in the Summer. We have been coming here for 5 years ever since we bought our chalet.