Les Cascades – APASSION https://www.apassion.com Live life with APASSION Tue, 24 Feb 2026 16:38:50 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 https://www.apassion.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-Mountain-Motif-Grey-32x32.jpeg Les Cascades – APASSION https://www.apassion.com 32 32 Les Cascades – Whats it really like? https://www.apassion.com/cascades-whats-it-really-like/ Sat, 31 Jan 2026 16:40:45 +0000 https://www.apassion.com/?p=11314

Does one of the longest pistes in Europe live up to all the hype?

At 14km, Les Cascades piste, in the Grand Massif ski domain, is the 3rd longest run in France and has to rank as one of the most beautiful of any piste, regardless of length or colour!

Exiting the Grandes Platières gondola at 2,480m you might just think the views can’t get much better as the Mont Blanc massif dominates the views. With just the Arve valley between the top of Flaine and Mont Blanc you can even see the sun glinting off the Aiguille du Midi lift station, which at 3,842, is the highest lift station in Europe. 

After a quick photo session and the obligatory selfie you are very quickly at the start of your 14 kilometre journey as the Les Cascades piste leaves the resort of Flaine behind. 

The run, recently upgraded to a red piste (graded blue until winter 2025-26), skirts along the edge of the Sixt Passy National Reserve and takes you completely away from any other runs or lift infrastructure, so all you are left with are the stunning views and the tranquility of the mountains.

The run itself descends a total of 1,800m and can take as little as 30 minutes but you’d be missing the point if you didn’t take considerably longer to make your way down to the village of Sixt.

Pause and take in the views or, even better, take a picnic, find a suitable spot and relax and enjoy the scenery; You might even get luck enough to spot some of the local wildlife. 

So, with so much to love, why is there some negativity about the infamous 14km run called Les Cascades? Well, in order to offer a balanced opinion . . . there are are some ‘issues’ that people should be aware of before setting off for themselves.

Firstly, given the piste drops down to just 760m, the bottom section of the run can often be a little short of snow and in some instances it might be necessary to flip-off your skis and walk a small section ahead of continuing on skis to the finish in Sixt.  

Secondly, there are some flat and even slightly up-hill sections along the route that will require even the speediest of skiers to do a bit of poling. 

Thirdly, the final section of the piste takes a number of narrower, sharp turns as it descends down the side of the frozen waterfall from which the run takes it’s name.  

And lastly, you’ll need to take a 20 minute bus ride from Sixt to get back the Grand Massif Express lift station in Samoëns. 

So, what are the local tips to avoiding the pitfalls to ensure you get the best out of Les Cascades? 

  • Mindset: Set out with the view thats its an adventure into nature as opposed to just another piste!
  • Take a picnic (or even just a flask of tea) as well as lots of pictures
  • Give yourself time to relax and enjoy it . . .  which means our top tip is to do the run as early in the day as possible; Don’t make the mistake made by many of leaving it until the last run of the day and being faced with a deadline and slushy snow!
  • Enjoy a refreshing (and well deserved) beer at the snack bar before just jumping on the bus!
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