Mountain Layout — Snowboarding

Snowboarders will not have a hard time getting around Le Grand Bornand. There are only a couple long, flat cat tracks that should be bearable for even beginner boarders. There is good range of difficulty in the runs here, and it is not a pain to access the more difficult ones. However, in shabby conditions, there are very few options for advanced and expert boarders.

The snow park consists of ten or so well maintained flat tops alongside a boarder-cross course, with a fairly steep 150-foot halfpipe at the bottom. It is in the Vallee du Maroly area. Boarders can reach it by taking the Chouly Poma lift or the Terres Rouges chairlift.

First-timer snowboarders should start out in the area at the top of the Rosay gondola or off the quad chair, Les Gettiers. Here the runs are wide and flat. Be careful not to take the Lachat chairlift; the easiest way down will probably be via the same chairlift you ride up in.

Beginner and lower intermediate boarders can venture almost anywhere at Le Grand Bornand. There are wide runs in the Vallee du Maroly area. The three chairlifts that meet at La Floria (1800 m) lead to more challenging terrain. There still may not be an easy enough way down Le Lachat for beginners.

Intermediate and advanced riders will enjoy the steeper, ungroomed terrain on La Floria. On these runs there are many turnoffs that lead to ungroomed snow fields. From the top of the Maroly Poma lift, boarders can reach a vast area of ungroomed terrain with many fun land features. Plenty of ungroomed terrain can be reached from the top of the Lachat chairlift, but sometimes these runs are covered in moguls. Also, snow permitting, there is some good tree boarding on the Tete des Annes.

Experts should stick to the two peaks, La Floria and Le Lachat. The marked runs are mostly ungroomed, and the terrain is steeper than it appears on the map. Also, there are many opportunities to drop into bowls or chutes; just beware of cliffs. The bottoms of these steep runs merge into the intermediate runs that the lower lifts serve; in order to get back to the steep stuff, boarders must take these flatter, more crowded runs.