La Clusaz (; frp, La Klyuza, ) is a commune in the

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè d'Amont'' or ''Hiôta-Savouè''; en, Upper Savoy) or '; it, Alta Savoia. is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its prefecture is Ann ...

department in the

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in south-eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Overview

It is a

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...

resort in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

near the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports * Swiss Internation ...

border. The commune of La Clusaz is part of the

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...

''. An old village, La Clusaz has been hosting winter sports since 1907. It is the birthplace of French skiers

Guy Périllat Guy Périllat Merceroz (born 24 February 1940) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the resort of La Clusaz, Haute-Savoie, one of the top ski racers of the 1960s.Vincent Vittoz Vincent Vittoz (born 17 July 1975 in Annecy, Haute-Savoie) is a French former cross-country skier, non-commissioned officer and coach. He grew up in the town of La Clusaz in the Northern French Alps and has been competing since 1982. He made his F ...

and sailor

Philippe Monnet Philippe Monnet (born 31 January 1959) is a single-handed sailor from France, born in La Clusaz. He is the brother in law of French singer Julien Clerc. Biography Originally from La Clusaz, he is a pioneer of maritime routes and a single-handed a ...

. Located in the Aravis mountain range La Clusaz (originally from the word

cluse William Sampson Cluse (20 December 1875 – 8 September 1955) was a British Labour Party politician. Born in Islington, he was orphaned at the age of five, by the time he was eleven Cluse was working part-time. At the age of fifteen he was appr ...

- meaning a narrow path between two mountains) was once called Clusa Locus Dei meaning God's narrow place. In 1902, the opening of the road connecting

Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nickname ...

and the valley of

Thônes Thônes () is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France, and is the ″capital″ of local cheeses Reblochon and Chevrotin. Geography The Fier flows northwestward through the middle of ...

with the Aravis Valley which allowed La Clusaz (formerly a small and remote village) to become a tourist center for summer and winter sports. In 1956, the first cable car was introduced. The commune of La Clusaz is classified winter sports resort and of

alpinism Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, ...

per decree of June 18, 1969. The first luge was added in 1985. The first snow cannon was added in 1994. La Clusaz is part of the Aravis skiing area which it shares with the neighbouring resort of Le Grand Bornand to offer a total of of pistes.

Geography

The commune of Clusaz is located to the east of Annecy, in the Aravis Valley. There are a number of different lakes nearby, the best known of which is the Lac des Confins.

Coat of arms

Many sheep herds were found in the parish of La Clusaz. The King of Sardinia, the Duke of Savoy, no doubt wished to evoke this pastoral activity, in 1602 gave the village the right to use the arms of “a silver sheep on a green field”.

Nearby

Nearby villages include

Manigod Manigod (; frp, Manegôd) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Eastern France. In 2018, it had a population of 998. Geography The linked area of Manigod consists of several different ski areas: La ...

Le Grand Bornand Le Grand-Bornand (; frp, Bornan) is a commune in the eastern French department of Haute-Savoie. The commune is a ski resort and takes its name from the river that runs through it. The inhabitants of Le Grand-Bornand are called Bornandins. Geo ...

Saint-Jean-de-Sixt Saint-Jean-de-Sixt ( frp, Sent-Jian-de-Sixt) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. It lies in the Aravis Range of the French Alps. The inhabitants are the ''Saintjeandais'' or ' ...

and the larger

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...

Tourism

La Clusaz's main tourist draw is skiing during the winter season. It has introduced a number of different skiers including: Candide Thovex,

Vincent Vittoz Vincent Vittoz (born 17 July 1975 in Annecy, Haute-Savoie) is a French former cross-country skier, non-commissioned officer and coach. He grew up in the town of La Clusaz in the Northern French Alps and has been competing since 1982. He made his F ...

, Mirabelle Thovex, Guy Perillat, Alain Pessey, Sam Phelps, Catherine Lombard, Raphaelle Monod,

Edgar Grospiron Edgar Grospiron (born 17 March 1969) is a French freestyle skier and Olympic champion. He won a gold medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.Regine Cavagnoud, Loic Collomb-Patton, Laurent Favre william bardsley. Shopping in La Clusaz is much like other small alpine villages - centred on local shops specialising in either local delicacies such as cheese, meats and wines, or ski shops.

Le Tour de France in La Clusaz

The Tour de France tends to pass through La Clusaz every few years, often ending in Le Grand Bornand after the tough climb up Col des Aravis. It's not always the case: Stage 9 of the 2010 Tour de France passed through La Clusaz on 13 July
source
The stage was and passed through La Clusaz at into the race that day. The route started in Morzine. The peloton came through the main part of town on the D909 and continued up to the

Col des Aravis The Col des Aravis is a mountain pass in the French Alps that connects the towns of La Clusaz in Haute-Savoie with La Giettaz in Savoie. At 1487 m it is the lowest pass in the Aravis Range of mountains. Appearances in Tour de France (Since 19 ...

, approximately from town to the summit, climbing approximately . The climb from town to the summit of the Aravis is approximately 7 percent. It is a category 2 climb. After the summit, there is a descent into a tunnel and on to the

Col des Saisies Col des Saisies (el. 1657 m.) is a mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Savoie in France. The pass is delimited by the peak of Bisanne to the west, and by the peaks of Légette (Lézette) and Chard du Beurre to the east. The ski res ...

. The stage ended in Saint Jean de Maurienne.

Horse-back riding in La Clusaz

Horse rides are offered in the early morning before starting the day's skiing, or at the end of the day at sunset.

In Popular Culture

* Webfield/Webber (2017/2021)'La Clusaz' is the title of an English novella and audio-book set in the 1950s in the town and on the surrounding mountains (TOCYPress).