Le Chinaillon
Le Chinaillon is a ski resort in the Northern Alps (Haute-Savoie), in the commune of Le Grand-Bornand. The village sits at 1,300 m and the ski area rises to 1,814 m, a skiable vertical of 539 m.
The area offers 61 km of alpine pistes, 77 marked pistes (36 green, 24 blue, 12 red, 5 black), 25 ski lifts, plus a snowpark. Green and blue runs dominate: terrain suited to beginners and families.
Measured on the OpenStreetMap map: the longest piste runs 3 km (Le Lac) and the highest lift tops out at 2,027 m.
The resort holds the Flocon Vert and Station classée de tourisme labels.
Access: 51 min by road from Annecy and 33 min from Saint-Pierre-en-Faucigny railway station.
5 official webcams show the pistes live (on the French page).
Seven criteria rated from 1 to 5 stars, in half-stars, from this page's sourced data. A rating is a rank among the 322 French resorts we cover — 5 stars means “among the best in France on this point”, not “perfect”. Nobody types these in.
- SnowCan you count on the snow?3 / 5
Top of the ski area: 1,814 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,275 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 115 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 83%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?3.5 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 61 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 61 km · Lifts: 25 · Balance between piste levels: 86%
- ValueIs the lift pass reasonable for what you get?n/a
Not rated: “adult day pass” is missing from this page.
- Families and beginnersIs it right for children and beginners?3 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 78% · Magic carpets: 4 · Sledging runs: 0 · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 1
- AccessIs it easy to get to?3 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 4 hr 30 · Nearest railway station: 33 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 23
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?3 / 5
Bars and pubs: 2 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 17 · Upcoming events: 0 · Collective tourist beds: 1,775 — index: what the map and the listings publish
- Luxury and comfortHow upmarket is the resort?1.5 / 5
5-star hotels: 0 · 4-star hotels: 0 · Share of hotel rooms in 4 and 5 stars: 19% · Spas and saunas: 0 · Jewellers, watchmakers, fashion boutiques: 0 — index: what the map and the listings publish
“Atmosphere” and “Luxury” are indexes: they count what OpenStreetMap and the event listings publish within 2.5 km (bars, nightclubs, rated hotels, spas, upcoming events), not what you experience there. A zero means “nothing mapped”, not “nothing there”. Sources per criterion: snow (altitudes (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata), snow depth observed at the Météo-France station, ERA5-Land model) ; ski area (OpenStreetMap pistes and lifts, linked area (Wikidata)) ; value (the resort’s official price list) ; families and beginners (OpenStreetMap pistes, price list, ESF ski school, Famille Plus label, OpenStreetMap leisure) ; access (OSRM drive times from 20 cities, SNCF stations, GTFS shuttles, airports) ; atmosphere and après-ski (bars, nightclubs and restaurants within 2.5 km (OpenStreetMap), upcoming events (OpenAgenda), collective tourist beds (INSEE)) ; luxury and comfort (rated hotels within 2.5 km (OpenStreetMap) and by category across the commune (INSEE), spas and boutiques (OpenStreetMap), day pass price).
Open pistes and lifts will appear here during the season, as published by the resort. Out of season we show nothing rather than a misleading zero.
Right now at the LE GRAND-BORNAND station (1,430 m)
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,300 m · top 1,814 m
Forecast corrected for altitude; fresh snow = forecast total at the top; UV = peak of the day. Beyond 3 days, check the resort’s own report. Source:Open-Meteo.
Average snow depth by month
Good snow from January to March.
☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 6.1 h · Dec 5.5 h · Jan 5.7 h · Feb 7 h · Mar 8.5 h · Apr 10.1 h — 26 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November—no record
- December44 cmVariable · 65%
- January63 cmGood skiing · 85%
- February72 cmGood skiing · 96%
- March67 cmGood skiing · 87%
- April56 cmVariable · 70%
- May—no record
30 cm on the ground: the benchmark for groomed-piste skiing. Bar = monthly average depth; percentage = share of time above 30 cm.
- Good skiing: 30 cm on more than 8 days in 10
- Variable: 30 cm on 5 to 8 days in 10
- Insufficient: 30 cm less than one day in two
Snow actually measured, winter by winter
11 complete winters measured, from 2015-2016 to 2025-2026 — on average 115 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec42 cmVariable · 55 %
- 16-31 Dec54 cmVariable · 72 %
- 1-15 Jan66 cmVariable · 78 %
- 16-31 Jan93 cmGood skiing · 99 %
- 1-15 Feb107 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 16-29 Feb110 cmGood skiing · 97 %
- 1-15 Mar119 cmGood skiing · 94 %
- 16-31 Mar108 cmGood skiing · 95 %
- 1-15 Apr77 cmVariable · 73 %
- Best winter of the series
- 2017-2018 — 136 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 2022-2023 — 67 days at 30 cm or more
Snowfall: no long enough record of fresh snow at this station. Rather than an estimate, we show nothing.
The ski area
Compare with another resort →77 pistes, by level — 61 km
- Skiable vertical
- 539 m (1,275 m → 1,814 m)
- Lifts
- 2 gondolas, 9 chairlifts, 10 drag lifts, 4 magic carpets
- Snowpark
- 1 mapped zone, 3 km from the resort — Snowpark
OpenStreetMap, surveyed on 18 September 2026. OpenStreetMap does not map individual features (kickers, rails): what is counted here are the named zones. - Cross-country skiing
- 4 km of nordic trails
- Night skiing
- 3 floodlit pistes (OSM)
- Without skis
- 0 km of snowshoe and walking trails
- Piste aspect
- N 35% · E 6% · S 16% · W 43% (descent direction of 78 OSM pistes, terrain model)
- Mountain restaurants
- La Duche (1485 m) · Les Gettiers (1478 m)
Pistes and lifts surveyed on OpenStreetMap within 4 km of the resort — for a resort in a linked area, the figure may include neighbouring pistes.
Lift passes detail →
The price list for this resort is being collected: most resorts publish winter prices between September and November.
The ski area in figures
Measured on 9 September 2026Measured on OpenStreetMap (altitudes: IGN RGE ALTI), not taken from the brochure. The vertical above is that of one piste, not of the whole ski area. Population: INSEE municipal population via geo.api.gouv.fr.
Staying and hiring gear in Le Chinaillon
We compare the partners that cover this resort. Some links earn us a commission — never at the expense of the price or of the data.
Stay & accommodation
Live webcams
All webcams (5) →Official players of the resort, live image. Checked on 12 September 2026.
Piste map
Open on OpenSnowMap ↗Pistes coloured by level, lifts as lines. The resort’s official map is the reference in season.
Base map © OpenTopoMap (CC-BY-SA) · pistes © OpenSnowMap (CC-BY-SA) · data ©OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Getting to Le Chinaillon
From Paris: 6 hr 25 (588 km) by road.
By road
- From Annecy: 51 min · 38 km
- From Genève: 58 min · 54 km
- From Chambéry: 1 hr 25 · 91 km
- From Grenoble: 1 hr 54 · 136 km
- From Lyon: 2 hr 23 · 178 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Saint-Étienne: 2 hr 57 · 227 km
- From Valence: 2 hr 58 · 229 km
- From Besançon: 3 hr 27 · 228 km
- From Dijon: 3 hr 33 · 309 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 4 hr 16 · 367 km
- From Montpellier: 5 hr 04 · 433 km
- From Marseille: 5 hr 10 · 442 km
- From Strasbourg: 5 hr 22 · 445 km
- From Nancy: 5 hr 36 · 513 km
- From Nice: 6 hr 18 · 518 km
- From Paris: 6 hr 25 · 588 km
- From Perpignan: 6 hr 26 · 581 km
- From Toulouse: 7 hr 22 · 667 km
- From Bordeaux: 8 hr 14 · 754 km
- From Pau: 9 hr 17 · 857 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Saint-Pierre-en-Faucigny station
regional station · then 33 min drive (26 km)
Nearest main station: Annecy, 51 min by road.
No direct bus line from the station to the resort appears in the open-data timetables (checked on 13 September 2026): ask the resort about a private shuttle or a taxi.
Shuttles and buses from the station: see the resort’s official website.
By plane
- Genève (GVA): 1 hr 23 by road · 62 km
- Chambéry-Savoie (CMF): 1 hr 28 by road · 90 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Le Chinaillon as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.
Charging an electric car
2 charging stations within 2 km
5 charging points · up to 24 kW
- LE GRAND-BORNAND - Chinaillon 2 · EASYCHARGE · 2 points · 24 kW · 0.3 km
- LE GRAND BORNAND - Route de l'envers du Chinaillon · EASYCHARGE · 3 points · 24 kW · 0.4 km
Freely accessible charge points read from the French national EV charging database (data.gouv.fr ↗, operators’ own declarations), checked on 9 September 2026. Check availability before you leave: the database says what is installed, not what is free tonight.
Road conditions
From 1 November to 31 March, snow chains or winter tyres are compulsory in most mountain areas (French “Loi Montagne II”).
Driving times computed on the OpenStreetMap road network (OSRM), SNCF stations (open data), airports (Wikidata). Indicative, not a timetable: allow extra time in snow.
Off-piste & ski touring
The resorts for off-piste skiing →Itineraries surveyed on OpenStreetMap within a 4 km radius (7 September 2026): “marked” means an itinerary exists on the map, not that it is open or safe on the day.
Ski touring routes described
Resorts for ski touring →12 ski touring routes documented within 10 km of Le Chinaillon — up to 2,100 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roc des Tours · Variante par La Gaudinière (couloir) | 2.2 · E2 · AD- | 630 m | 1,364 → 1,994 m | SE | 1 km |
| Roc des Tours · Depuis le Chinaillon (voie normale) | n/a · PD- | 630 m | 1,370 → 1,994 m | SE | 1 km |
| Aiguille Verte du Chinaillon · Arête S depuis Samance | n/a · PD- | 700 m | 1,350 → 2,045 m | E | 1.1 km |
| Col de l'Aiguille Verte du Chinaillon · Depuis le Chinaillon | n/a · PD | 550 m | 1,350 → 1,900 m | E | 1.1 km |
| Mont Lachat (Châtillon) · Couloir SE et Face N | n/a · PD+ | 1,200 m | 1,250 → 2,050 m | NE | 1.2 km |
| Le Buclon · Couloir SE | 5.1 · E2 · TD- | 700 m | 1,360 → 2,072 m | SE | 1.2 km |
| Crête du Maroli · Depuis le Chinaillon | 1.3 · E1 · PD- | 566 m | 1,280 → 1,846 m | NW | 1.5 km |
| Pic de Jallouvre · Le Super Tour des faces W (Verte et Jallouvre) | 4.1 · E2 · D+ | 2,100 m | 1,300 → 2,408 m | NW | 1.6 km |
| Lac de Lessy · Depuis Samance | n/a | n/a | 1,370 → 1,950 m | E | 1.7 km |
| Pic de Jallouvre · Pentes de la Cuchat | 4.2 · E4 · D | 1,080 m | 1,304 → 2,408 m | SE | 1.8 km |
| Pic de Jallouvre · Couloir des bouquetins | 4.3 · E4 · D+ | 1,050 m | 1,304 → 2,408 m | SE | 1.8 km |
| Pic de Jallouvre · Face SW | 5.2 · E3 · TD- | 1,050 m | 1,360 → 2,408 m | SW | 1.8 km |
Source: Camptocamp.org topo guide (CC BY-SA), routes starting within 10 km, read on 13 September 2026. Descriptions and photos are on Camptocamp; an empty cell is a field nobody has filled in. Camptocamp ski touring routes ↗
Beyond skiing at Le Chinaillon
Toboggan runs
- Luge des Prés · La Clusaz · 7.8 km away
Swimming pool
- Espace Aquatique La Clusaz · La Clusaz · 7.2 km away
Paragliding
- Parapente : décollage du Lachat · Le Grand-Bornand · 2.4 km away
- AirLinks : école de parapente · Le Grand-Bornand · 3.2 km away
- Parapente : terrain d'atterrissage "Les Potais" · Le Grand-Bornand · 4 km away
- Aire de décollage de parapente de Brison/Solaison · Brizon · 9.1 km away
Museum
- La Maison du patrimoine · Le Grand-Bornand · 3.6 km away
- Le Hameau des Alpes · La Clusaz · 8.5 km away
Cinema
- Cinéma Les Rhodos · Le Grand-Bornand · 3.7 km away
Source: DATAtourisme (open data), within 10 km of the resort; places in a large town of the valley are left out. Checked on 12 September 2026. Opening times and prices are the operator’s — check before you go.
Practical information
Collective accommodation
1,775 bed spaces in tourist residences, holiday villages and hostels
- 12 hotels · 219 rooms (2 × 4★, 8 × 3★, 2 × 2★)
- 1 holiday village or family centre · 161 bed spaces
- 3 tourist residences and apartment hotels · 1,614 bed spaces
- 2 campsites · 245 pitches
Commune: Le Grand-Bornand · INSEE tourist accommodation survey, 2026, read on 12 September 2026. Collective accommodation only — privately let flats and second homes are not counted. INSEE dataset ↗
Tourist office
Bureau d'informations touristiques du grand-bornand chinaillon
🌐 legrandbornand.com/bureau-d-informations-touristiques-du-grand-bornand-chinaillon.html
Days without skiing
- Cinema · Le Charmieux
In case of accident
112 — the European emergency number, free of charge, triggers mountain rescue. On the pistes, the ski patrol number is printed on the piste map and at lift ticket offices. Piste rescue is charged: check your insurance or take the option sold with the lift pass.
Nearby resorts
Frequently asked questions
How high is Le Chinaillon?
Le Chinaillon sits at 1,300 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 1,814 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Le Chinaillon have?
Le Chinaillon has 61 km of pistes served by 25 lifts (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Le Chinaillon?
The longest piste is Le Lac: 3 km (green run), for 281 m of vertical. Measured on the OpenStreetMap map, segments of the same name and level joined end to end, altitudes from the IGN RGE ALTI terrain model — a resort sometimes advertises a longer run by chaining several pistes.
How high do the lifts go in Le Chinaillon?
The highest lift, Lachat, tops out at 2,027 m (IGN RGE ALTI terrain model). The 20 lifts mapped on OpenStreetMap total 19 km.
How do I get to Le Chinaillon?
By road, Le Chinaillon is 51 min from Annecy (38 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Saint-Pierre-en-Faucigny, 33 min by road from the resort. No direct bus line from the station to the resort appears in the open-data timetables. The nearest airport is Genève, 1 hr 23 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Le Chinaillon?
6 hr 25 for 588 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
Is the snow reliable in Le Chinaillon?
Yes: good snow through most of the winter according to twenty winters of Météo-France measurements; in season the daily report prevails.
Is Le Chinaillon good for beginners and families?
78% of the pistes are green or blue: a very accessible area.
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