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Le Grand Bornand resort snow
Lat Long: 45.94° N 6.42° E
Ski France

Le Grand Bornand Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Le Grand Bornand at 1550 m altitude

Issued: 7 pm 06 May 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Le Grand Bornand: 0.8 cm on Tue 12th  (after 8 AM)

Visitor reviews for Le Grand Bornand Ski Resort

Le Grand Bornand Ratings

Overall: 4.2. Based on 37 votes and 31 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 3.9

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Le Grand Bornand is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.2

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Le Grand Bornand has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.6

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.8

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 4.8

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Le Grand Bornand

Public Transport: 4.2

  • There are no buses or taxis to Le Grand Bornand
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.7

  • No places to stay in/near Le Grand Bornand
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 4.0

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 3.8

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Le Grand Bornand

Ski in/Ski out: 4.5

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 4.4

  • There are no child care facilities at Le Grand Bornand
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 4.1

  • Le Grand Bornand relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 4.5

  • There are no snow groomers at Le Grand Bornand
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Le Grand Bornand are groomed daily

Shelter: 4.2

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Le Grand Bornand is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 4.1

  • If snow conditions are poor at Le Grand Bornand, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.0

  • Le Grand Bornand usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 4.5

  • The staff at Le Grand Bornand are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Le Grand Bornand are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 4.1

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.5

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.7

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.7

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.6

  • No intermediate terrain at Le Grand Bornand
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 3.9

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 4.4

  • Not even a kicker at Le Grand Bornand
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 4.5

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Le Grand Bornand
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 3.2

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Le Grand Bornand has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 4.7

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 4.5

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 3.7

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 3.8

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 3.5

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 4.2

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 4.2

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 4.2

  • Overall, Le Grand Bornand is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 4.3

  • Overall, Le Grand Bornand is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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November 23, 2008
Helen from Ski United Kingdom 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 Ski France 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 Ski United Kingdom 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 Ski France 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 Ski United Kingdom 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 Ski United Kingdom 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 Ski United Kingdom 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 Ski France 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 Ski United Kingdom 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 Ski United Kingdom 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.