Sixt – APASSION

Les Cascades – Whats it really like?

robin.tarr — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 16:40:45 +0000

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!

Tarmac Rodéo (electro) swing into Sixt

robin.tarr — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 14:54:21 +0000

Electro Swing lights-up Sixt Fer-à-Cheval

Thought-out the summer the commune of Sixt Fer-à-Cheval put on free weekly concerts, the Music O’ Jardin, with artists coming from across the country to light-up the grounds of the Abbey with a wide range of musical genres.

This week was swing week and “wow” were we treated to some high energy electro-swing by the amazing Tarmac Rodéo.

No way to describe it so you best just get a taster for yourself from the clip below and understand why the place was swinging!

Cirque de Fer-à-Cheval – Where Cliffs and Waterfalls Meet

robin.tarr — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 07:24:44 +0000

Taking its name from the shape of the semi-circular rock formation (Fer-à-Cheval translates to “Horseshoe” in English) the Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval is the largest mountain cirque in the Alps.

The steep sided cliffs that line the valley rise up to over 2,000m and create a stunning back-drop for the many waterfalls that offer the opportunity for a very refreshing dip in the height of the summer.

The Cirque forms part of the Sixt-Passy National Reserve, the largest national reserve in Haute Savoie, which is home to a truly magnificent array landscapes, animals and plant species.

You’ll find more information about the hiking options within the Hiking section of our website

A Perfect Yoga Retreat (despite a little rain!)

robin.tarr — Sun, 02 Jul 2023 09:37:43 +0000

What a perfect few days filled with 5 yoga sessions with the amazing Tess from Alpine yoga with Tess, parapenting, hiking, and plenty og healthy eating (including a fabulous night out at le 8M des monts) and of course plenty of laughs – not even the rain showers could dampen the spirits of our ladies!

First ride out of 2023

robin.tarr — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 15:59:47 +0000

Whilst there is still plenty of skiing to be had before the 2022-23 season draws to a close its still never too early to benefit from the glorious Spring sunshine and the stunning scenery from the saddle of a bike!

With that in mind (plus the incentive of a Sunday morning coffee in the sun) we unpacked our cycle gear, dusted-off the road bikes and tried to remember how to unclip our cleats before falling off!

A little chilly in the shade at first but we warmed to the occasion and were soon working-up a sweat just to keep-up with ‘lead-out’ man Paul.

Given it was our first outing of the season we took the 13km ride from the chalet, along the valley floor through the village of Sixt Fer-à-Cheval, to the Cirque de Fer-à-Cheval in the Sixt-Passy National Park.

Always a beautiful ride regardless of the season and we were rewarded with blue-skies and snow (as well as that coffee on the way home!)

Yoga in the French Alps

robin.tarr — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 15:21:00 +0000

Many thanks to all the ladies that joined our September yoga retreat and made it such a success. In addition to enjoying their 5-yoga sessions out on the terrace with the fantastic Tess, judging by the photos we’ve received of people’s memories of the weekend then the other highlights from include:

The stunning beauty of the Sixt Passy Natural Reserve and the Cirque du Fer a Cheval
Vicky’s super tasty healthy cooking
Meeting like-minded ladies looking for a weekend dedicated to rest, relaxation and yoga!

Hope to see Cécile, Delphine, Femke, Jane, Mélinda, Michelle, Sabine back in the mountains soon and thanks for the great photos!

If you would like to experience all the benefits of one of our yoga retreats then please just get in touch!