La Clusaz


La Clusaz is an alpine commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France.

Overview

Hosting a ski resort in the French Alps near the Swiss border, the commune is part of the Haute-Savoie alpine department. An old village, La Clusaz has been hosting winter sports since 1907. It is the birthplace of French skiers Guy Périllat, Vincent Vittoz and Candide Thovex. Located in the Aravis Range, La Clusaz was once called Clusa Locus Dei meaning "God's narrow place".
In 1902, the opening of the road connecting Annecy and the Thônes Valley with the Aravis Valley allowed La Clusaz to become a tourist centre for summer and winter sports.
In 1956, the first cable car was introduced. The commune of La Clusaz is classified a winter sports resort and of alpinism per decree of 18 June 1969. The first luge was added in 1985, before the first snow cannon 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.

Toponymy

As with many polysyllabic Arpitan toponyms or anthroponyms, the final -x marks oxytonic stress, whereas the final -z indicates paroxytonic stress and should not be pronounced, although in French it is often mispronounced due to hypercorrection.

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, Thônes, Le Grand-Bornand, Saint-Jean-de-Sixt and the larger Chamonix.

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,
Mirabelle Thovex,
Guy Perillat,
Alain Pessey,
Sam Phelps,
Catherine Lombard,
Raphaelle Monod,
Edgar Grospiron,
Regine Cavagnoud,
Loic Collomb-Patton,
Laurent Favre
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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

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. 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, 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. 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 'La Clusaz' is the title of an English novella and audio-book set in the 1950s in the town and on the surrounding mountains.