Arâches-la-Frasse is a commune of Haute-Savoie in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, 18 km north of Sallanches.
The territory of the locality is vast of more than 37 km ², ranging from 560 to 2466 m of altitude. It is true that the town is the result of the merger in 1973 of Araches and La Frasse, the new entity having adopted its current name, Arâches-la-Frasse, that January 1, 2000.
Several villages and hamlets compose it, overlooking the valley of the Arve, the Chevran mountain to the large Platières.
With nearly 2000 inhabitants, the town is now famous for its two winter sports resorts, Flaine and Les Carroz d'Arâches, both belonging to the Grand Domaine with the neighboring resorts of Morillon, Samoëns and Sixt-Fer-à- Horse.
But before tourism became the primary asset of the town, the territory was renowned for its source of ferruginous water and a coal mine whose coal was transported to Geneva.
In the nineteenth century, a large part of the population works in the field of watchmaking, in addition to agriculture.
During the twentieth century, now attached to France, Araches and La Frasse benefit from the rise of winter sports. The station of Carroz was created in 1936 and that of Flaine, architectural masterpiece, is arranged in 1968.
Tens of thousands of holidaymakers stay in both winter and summer on Arâches-la-Frasse, enjoying an exceptional area but also a preserved environment, splendid high mountain panoramas and a range of leisure and cultural events. very large.
Carroz station:
Located between 1140 and 2113 meters above sea level, the Carroz ski resort, created before the Second World War, now has 15 ski lifts serving 29 alpine ski runs (3 black, 8 red, 16 blue and 3 green), some 7 km of descents. For cross-country skiing, there is a 1-km long green-listed track.
Spaces are dedicated to new forms of skiing (freestyle skiing, bumps...) and the resort has a toboggan track.
An antenna of the French ski school offers group lessons or individual lessons. Information on +33 4 50 90 02 38.
All information on the resort's sports and related leisure activities in winter on +33 4 50 90 00 04.
On the resort, again, the Aquacime is a wellness complex featuring spas and a heated outdoor swimming pool. Open every day in season (winter or summer) until 20h. Price: from 13.50 and 17 euros. Information on +33 4 50 90 24 80.
In any season, the historical heritage of the ancient village is not lacking in interest. To see in the heart of the hamlet of La Frasse, the church built in 1787 with its tower-shaped bell tower with a small campanile. The choir and the statues it houses, formerly covered with baroque paintings, were repainted in ocher in 1953. At the level of the tribune, one notices a organ of 1822 recently restored. Open on Tuesday.
On the hamlet of Ballancy, which has a typical high mountain aspect (typical houses, orchards, farms), do not miss the amazing 8-meter high round chapel and its "domed" slate roof. The diameter is more than 7 m. Dating back to 1839, the building was restored in 1984. The chapel is home to rich decorations and fine furniture: frescoes on the ceiling, murals, trompe l'oeil columns of Baroque inspiration. Open every day, guided tour on Tuesday (information on +33 4 50 90 00 04).
The chapel of the hamlet of Pernant (1733) dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene, the oratory of Carroz, carved in granite in 1895, decorated with a niche housing an angel's head and supporting a metal statue of the Virgin are also worth a look, as of course the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, contemporary design (1972). We appreciate his Christ in carved boxwood, the windows of the local artist Eric Salley and the bell tower, more recent (1995), which houses six bells and allows the organization of carillon concerts.
At the Serveray, the old plain oven now restored hosts a bread festival in early May.
Finally, there is the hamlet of Treydon, where typical Savoy farmhouses and the parish church of Arâches are located, whose architecture includes a church and presbytery. It dates from 1710. Guided tour in season.
On the resort and its surroundings, magnificent views, where gazebos and tables have been laid out, mark a walk or hike.
This is the case at the locality of the Stone in Laya (rocks remained on pastures after the retreat of the ice hundreds of years ago), since the top of the gondola Kedeuze (view on the village Carroz, as well as the surrounding peaks and even the Mont Blanc, lift rate: 7 euros), Mont-Favy (Cluses view), the Pierre Carrée pass (view of the Arve Valley), at Les Molliets car park (view of Pointe Percée, highest point of the Aravis chain). Finally in the village of Carroz, a panorama on the tip of Areu, a peak of the Aravis chain overlooking the valley of the Arve definitely worth the detour.
In summer, the Carroz resort is especially suitable for mountain bikers and hikers.
Direction now Flaine station.
Built in 1968 on the Giffre massif, between 1500 and 2500 m above sea level, it has 24 ski lifts serving 64 ski slopes (5 black, 25 red, 26 blue and 8 green), or 146 km descents.
Less specifically dedicated to a family audience than its neighbor Carroz, its accommodation is "walk-in" with the slopes.
Obviously, the resort has adapted to new disciplines (freestyle skiing, moguls etc.).
All information at +33 4 50 90 80 01.
In the summer, Flaine has the specificity of having a high mountain golf course at the Pierre Carrée pass (one of the highest in Europe at nearly 2000 m altitude). We take advantage from June to September. Players enjoy spectacular landscapes and vistas along the 18-hole, 3.5-kilometer (par 63) course. Information on +33 4 50 90 85 44.
However, whether or not you are a skier, Flaine is best known for its architecture designed by Marcel Breuer, Bauhaus master (1902-1981). He also designed the Unesco Palace in Paris or the Whitney Museum in New York. This is why the historic heart of the resort is labeled "Architectural Heritage of the twentieth century". The hotel "Le Flaine" with its solarium terrace overlooking a cliff and the building "Betelgeuse", inaugurated in 1969, were thus registered in the supplementary inventory of the Historic Monuments in 1991. As for the ecumenical chapel, it is classified since 2004.
The station is also an open-air museum: in a sculpture park, its creators, the couple Boissonnas, bequeathed major works by Jean Dubuffet, Pablo Picasso or Victor Vasarely. As for the 500-seat Auditorium, which hosts high-quality concerts (jazz and classical), it houses a Pol Bury fountain.
Finally, the art center created by Sylvie Boissonnas includes an exhibition space dedicated to contemporary art, a multimedia center and video projections. Open Sunday to Friday.
All information on the resort, winter and summer where hikers, cyclists, paragliders or rafting enthusiasts are welcome to +33 4 50 90 80 01.
