Flaine

Flaine is a ski area in the Haute Savoie region of the French Alps, and is a part of the linked Grand Massif domain. It is in the territory of the communes of Magland and Arâches-la-Frasse. Flaine is linked to Samoëns, Morillon, Les Carroz and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, with pistes in total. It featured the first 8-seater high speed chairlift, Les Grands Vans, and the first snow cannons to be installed in Europe. Flaine is often called the "big snowy bowl" due to it having one of the best snow records in the Alps. Flaine has been dubbed “the world's ugliest ski resort” due to the brutalist architecture of its buildings.

==History== thumb|300px The site was discovered in 1959 by the geophysicist Éric Boissonnas and his wife Sylvie Boissonnas, who wanted to combine outdoor recreation with architecture and design, with the goal of prioritizing aesthetics and care of the environment. Éric and Sylvie Boissonnas entrusted Flaine's design to Marcel Breuer, the eminent Bauhaus architect whose structural designs are well known around the world. He designed the resort using brutalist architecture, with details such as sculptural fireplaces and door handles to hang a ski glove. Ski runs designed by champion Émile Allais, while gondola lift stations were kept on the same level as the ski runs.