mrmattandmrchay | The Flaine WINDING DRUM incline lift in France (one cable!) @mrmattandmrchay | Uploaded February 2019 | Updated October 2024, 11 minutes ago.
Yes, I'm aware that one cable is enough to pull this incline lift up and down, but it's just a bit daunting looking at that one cable attached to a drum and then thinking about it pulling the cab full of people up that steep incline without a counterweight!
If you've come here looking for details about FLAINE as a holiday destination, then here is some info for you: (From our holiday in Dec 2018)...
INTERESTED IN FLAINE FOR A SKIING DESTINATION?
READ HERE:
We attended 5x dry-slope lessons before arriving, else you'd spend your whole holiday learning! It had been 30 years since I last went on a ski slope!
We chose Flaine due to the number of Green slopes available and the quick and easy access to the slopes.
In fact, from our apartment it was only a 5 minute walk!
The whole town is a car-free zone, unless you have a permit.
Flaine contains everything you need all in one village. It's not the most modern looking place with lots of concrete apartment blocks (see: youtube.com/watch?v=QqguJs_H1Ak) but this town dates back to the 1960s where it was converted to a skiing resort. Personally, I like brutalist concrete structures!
THE AREA:
There are two parts to Flaine, top and bottom. Top part contains mostly apartments and has a small shopping centre with bakery, and Spar shop. There is a incline lift that takes you down to the lower part of the town and I think there is also a bowling alley up here as well.
There are two lifts (featured on my channel and this video) that take you from upper to lower parts.
The lower part has a larger shopping centre, but we are not talking BIG here! Towards the lower skiing area is a much larger Spar type shop.
SKI HIRE:
These are everywhere, we received a 20% discount voucher from our accomodation reception, from the ski-hire shop next door.
SKI AREAS:
For free, you can start at the upper ski area, go up a ski-travelator, then the nursery slope back down. Or you can continue and ski for free all the way from the upper part to the lower part. To get back up, more ski-travelators and then basket lifts bring you (and your skis) to the upper part. This is all for free.
Apart from a trip to the top of the mountain in the Gondola, we were actually content with what Flaine had to offer without buying a lift pass. This is probably because we are beginners, but others may like to use ALL the runs available. Unfortunately we cannot advise here, as we didn't use them!
GETTING HERE:
Fly to Geneva, then it's about 1.5 hours using one of many transportation companies.
To start with, we were wondering (and getting slightly worried) if there was 'any' snow, until you go up and up the winding roads to Flaine, which I believe is the last town on the road.
Yes, I'm aware that one cable is enough to pull this incline lift up and down, but it's just a bit daunting looking at that one cable attached to a drum and then thinking about it pulling the cab full of people up that steep incline without a counterweight!
If you've come here looking for details about FLAINE as a holiday destination, then here is some info for you: (From our holiday in Dec 2018)...
INTERESTED IN FLAINE FOR A SKIING DESTINATION?
READ HERE:
We attended 5x dry-slope lessons before arriving, else you'd spend your whole holiday learning! It had been 30 years since I last went on a ski slope!
We chose Flaine due to the number of Green slopes available and the quick and easy access to the slopes.
In fact, from our apartment it was only a 5 minute walk!
The whole town is a car-free zone, unless you have a permit.
Flaine contains everything you need all in one village. It's not the most modern looking place with lots of concrete apartment blocks (see: youtube.com/watch?v=QqguJs_H1Ak) but this town dates back to the 1960s where it was converted to a skiing resort. Personally, I like brutalist concrete structures!
THE AREA:
There are two parts to Flaine, top and bottom. Top part contains mostly apartments and has a small shopping centre with bakery, and Spar shop. There is a incline lift that takes you down to the lower part of the town and I think there is also a bowling alley up here as well.
There are two lifts (featured on my channel and this video) that take you from upper to lower parts.
The lower part has a larger shopping centre, but we are not talking BIG here! Towards the lower skiing area is a much larger Spar type shop.
SKI HIRE:
These are everywhere, we received a 20% discount voucher from our accomodation reception, from the ski-hire shop next door.
SKI AREAS:
For free, you can start at the upper ski area, go up a ski-travelator, then the nursery slope back down. Or you can continue and ski for free all the way from the upper part to the lower part. To get back up, more ski-travelators and then basket lifts bring you (and your skis) to the upper part. This is all for free.
Apart from a trip to the top of the mountain in the Gondola, we were actually content with what Flaine had to offer without buying a lift pass. This is probably because we are beginners, but others may like to use ALL the runs available. Unfortunately we cannot advise here, as we didn't use them!
GETTING HERE:
Fly to Geneva, then it's about 1.5 hours using one of many transportation companies.
To start with, we were wondering (and getting slightly worried) if there was 'any' snow, until you go up and up the winding roads to Flaine, which I believe is the last town on the road.
