Les Brasses
The Massif des Brasses is a mid-sized alpine ski area in the Haute-Savoie department of France. The ski area is located in the commune of Saint-Jeoire, at the head of the Giffre valley. It is marketed as a close ski destination to Geneva, with a claimed transfer time of 20 minutes from the Genevan basin.
Introduction from the English Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).
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?2.5 / 5
Top of the ski area: 1,495 m · Bottom of the pistes: 880 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 115 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 38%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?2.5 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 20 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 20 km · Lifts: 12 · Balance between piste levels: 87%
- 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?2 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 54% · Magic carpets: 0 · Sledging runs: 1 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 1
- AccessIs it easy to get to?3 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 4 hr 31 · Nearest railway station: 37 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 14
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?1.5 / 5
Bars and pubs: 0 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 4 · Upcoming events: 0 · Collective tourist beds: 0 — index: what the map and the listings publish
- Luxury and comfortHow upmarket is the resort?1 / 5
5-star hotels: 0 · 4-star hotels: 0 · Share of hotel rooms in 4 and 5 stars: 0% · 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.
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 1,320 m · top 1,495 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.
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 →28 pistes, by level — 20 km
- Skiable vertical
- 615 m (880 m → 1,495 m)
- Lifts
- 3 chairlifts, 9 drag lifts
- Cross-country skiing
- 25 km of nordic trails
- Without skis
- 1 sledging run
- Piste aspect
- N 86% · E 7% · S 8% · W 0% (descent direction of 25 OSM pistes, terrain model)
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.
Source: national register of mechanical lifts (STRMTG, CAIRN), fleet as of 1 January 2025 — lifts attributed to Les Brasses only (“BRASSES (LES)”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Les Brasses
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 (1) →Official players of the resort, live image.
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 Les Brasses
From Paris: 6 hr 15 (572 km) by road.
By road
- From Genève: 49 min · 37 km
- From Annecy: 1 hr 05 · 66 km
- From Chambéry: 1 hr 32 · 108 km
- From Grenoble: 2 hr 06 · 164 km
- From Lyon: 2 hr 23 · 180 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Valence: 3 hr 04 · 266 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 3 hr 05 · 244 km
- From Besançon: 3 hr 17 · 211 km
- From Dijon: 3 hr 24 · 293 km
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 4 hr 06 · 350 km
- From Montpellier: 5 hr 11 · 470 km
- From Strasbourg: 5 hr 12 · 428 km
- From Marseille: 5 hr 17 · 480 km
- From Nancy: 5 hr 27 · 496 km
- From Paris: 6 hr 15 · 572 km
- From Perpignan: 6 hr 33 · 618 km
- From Nice: 6 hr 35 · 540 km
- From Toulouse: 7 hr 29 · 704 km
- From Bordeaux: 8 hr 04 · 737 km
- From Pau: 9 hr 24 · 894 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Marignier station
regional station · then 37 min drive (24 km)
Nearest main station: Annecy, 1 hr 03 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 14 by road · 45 km
- Chambéry-Savoie (CMF): 1 hr 36 by road · 107 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Les Brasses as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.
Charging an electric car
No freely accessible charge point is declared within 2 km of the resort (checked on 9 September 2026). Covered car parks in the resort may offer chargers reserved for their customers: those are not listed here.
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 →Named itineraries: Jonction · La Joux · Freeride la Mouille · Les Poses (hiver) · Les Poses (Hiver) · Mur de la Noire
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 Les Brasses — up to 1,221 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pointe des Brasses · Depuis les Chenevières | 1.3 · E1 | 625 m | 875 → 1,503 m | NE | 0.4 km |
| Pointe des Brasses · Depuis Ville-en-Sallaz | n/a · PD | 800 m | 700 → 1,503 m | W | 0.7 km |
| Pointe des Brasses · depuis Chaîne d'or | 1.2 · E1 · F | 300 m | 1,200 → 1,503 m | N | 0.7 km |
| Pointe des Brasses · Depuis Les Places | 1.1 · E1 · F | 406 m | 1,097 → 1,503 m | N | 0.8 km |
| Pointe de Miribel · Par Plaine Joux | 1.1 · E1 · F | 332 m | 1,249 → 1,581 m | S | 5.2 km |
| Pointe de Miribel · Par le Martinet et la Tête des Cudres | n/a · PD- | 700 m | 949 → 1,581 m | N | 6.1 km |
| Pointe des Jottis/Les Rebelas · Par Mégevette | n/a · F | 680 m | 880 → 1,548 m | SW | 6.3 km |
| Le Môle · Face E | 3.3 · E1 · AD- | 1,060 m | 800 → 1,863 m | E | 6.8 km |
| Pointe de Miribel · Depuis les Granges Meynent | n/a · F | 511 m | 1,070 → 1,581 m | N | 6.8 km |
| Petit Môle de Marignier · Versant E | n/a · F+ | 850 m | 730 → 1,574 m | E | 7 km |
| Le Môle · Traversée S-E en boucle | n/a · AD | 1,221 m | 1,105 → 1,863 m | W | 7.3 km |
| Le Môle · les friches NW du Môle | 4.3 · E2 · D | 1,100 m | 1,160 → 1,863 m | NW | 7.3 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 Les Brasses
Paragliding
- Vol en parapente · Viuz-en-Sallaz · 4.4 km away
- Ecole de parapente les Choucas · Mieussy · 6.9 km away
Museum
- Le Musée Paysan, un site de PAYSALP Culture & Patrimoine · Viuz-en-Sallaz · 4 km away
Cinema
- Cinéma La Trace · Villard · 5.5 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 hotel · 9 rooms (1 × 2★)
Commune: Saint-Jeoire · 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
Point information touristique
📍 93 Route de Chaîne d'Or, 74250 Bogève
Ski school
ESF Les Brasses
42 instructors
🇬🇧 51 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available
🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗
Source: esf.net
Days without skiing
- Cinema · Les Chavannes
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 Les Brasses?
Les Brasses sits at 1,320 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 1,495 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Les Brasses have?
Les Brasses has 20 km of pistes served by 12 lifts (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Les Brasses?
The longest piste is La Mt Blanc: 2 km (blue run), for 302 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 Les Brasses?
The highest lift, TK Pointe Brasses (platter lift), tops out at 1,495 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Les Brasses have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 14 installations at Les Brasses (2 chairlifts, 10 drag lifts, 2 magic carpets), for an authorised capacity of 12,498 people per hour, of which 1,530 for TS de Mont Méton alone. The fleet spans 1972 to 2021, an average age of 41 years. This count covers the resort itself, magic carpets included, not the whole linked ski area — a resort brochure often announces a different number. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How do I get to Les Brasses?
By road, Les Brasses is 49 min from Genève (37 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Marignier, 37 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 14 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Les Brasses?
6 hr 15 for 572 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
Is Les Brasses good for beginners and families?
54% of the pistes are green or blue: a rather technical area.
Every figure carries its source and date; a missing figure shows as “—”, never estimated. Embed this widget on your site