Ski Chalet : Chalet Janiska

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Ski Chalet Details

Les Refuge Des Outalays is located at 1300m and surrounded by trees, bordered by a mountain stream and with direct access to the ski pistes via a flat 50m walk along the access road onto the Piste Des Outalays. It is accessible by car at all times, although chains would be advisable if snow is actually falling. It is also only a short walk to local bars, sport shops and creperie.

 It faces west and in the summer has the sun in the evening until 8 pm with spectacular mountain sun sets. The views from the lounge and dining room are splendid- looking across the valley to the cross country Pistes and the charming old village. It is very comfortably furnished and beautifully finished with an authentic ‘mountain escape’ feel.

The apartment has a vaulted ceiling in wood with good natural light levels providing a bright and airy feel. The heating system and insulation levels allow you to be as warm or cool as you like on a room-by-room basis. There are ski lockers on the ground floor and there is a lockable garage in the building next door. Change-over day is Sunday.

We hope you can get a feel of how beautiful and serene the apartment is from the gallery of photos.

Rental Facilities

The sitting area has comfortable sofas, LCD TV/DVD and a satellite system  providing programmes in English. There is also a collection of DVDs, CDs, games and books. We have also provided a quality music system- everything to make you feel at home with stunning views across the beautiful valley.

The dining area has seating for 8 people with  cutlery, crockery and glasses to suit . Access onto the wide and open balcony is via French doors from this area.

The kitchen is well equipped with full size oven, 4 hobs, large fridge/freezer, dishwasher and microwave.

The appartment sleeps 6 in 3 bedrooms each with built in wardrobes providing plenty of storage space for clothes etc. There is a twin room, a double and a bunkbed room. A bathroom, shower room and separate toilet. Both bathrooms have heated towel rails and there is lots of hot water. All linen and towels are provided (except swimming towels). A cot (no linen) and high chair are available on request.

Chalet Food

To give you an idea of the fantastic gastronomy available from this region of the Alps, here’s a taster of the key components made in the farms scattered all over the mountains.

• Cheeses :
  • Le Reblochon fermier: the king of the cheeses from this valley, with the label "appellation d'origine contrôlée", has been produced since the 13th century in the alpine meadows of the Aravis district.
    The cheese is made in the morning and in the evening after each milking; the cows are mainly of the Abondance breed and they graze all year on the flavoursome grass of the Aravis Mountains.
    A green casein imprint on the cheese certifies its farmhouse origin (a red label signifies Reblochon made with milk from various farms).
    Reblochon is ready to eat after 3 or 4 weeks maturing in cellars. Its delicate flavour leaves an after taste of hazelnut.
    It is used as an ingredient in the traditional Pela and Tartiflette, dishes cooked with sautéed potatoes, onions and lardoons.
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  • La Tomme Blanche: this is eaten only in the Aravis district. It is a fresh Reblochon eaten as a fromage blanc immediately after it is made. It is eaten salted and peppered with potatoes, salad and ham or sausage.
  • Le Chevrotin: like Reblochon, Chevrotin has been made for more than 3 centuries in the district. This delicious cheese is made from untreated whole goat milk using a method similar to that for Reblochon. It is matured in cellars for at least 3 weeks. A casein imprint guarantees its origin in conformity to the A.O.C. obtained in 2002.
  • Le Persillé: this traditional cheese made with goat or sheep milk uses milk from 3 different milkings. It is matured in cellars for at least 2 months. It is eaten in thin slices with an aperitif or as a special addition to the cheese board.
• La charcuterie de Pays: hams and pork sausages dried and smoked over a wood fire are the main savoury dishes made in the valley. Hams and sausages are soaked in brine and placed above the open fire where the smoke dries and conserves them and gives them a special flavour.
• Les diots: these small pork sausages are braised in white wine and eaten with potatoes, farcement or polenta.
• Le Farcement: dating from the middle Ages, this traditional sweet-and-sour dish is made with grated potatoes, bacon and dried fruit cooked for several hours in a double saucepan in an open fire mould called a rabolire. It is eaten with diots or smoked sausages.
• Potatoes Fritters: made from grated potatoes, flour, egg, salt and pepper, flavoured with fine herbs and dipped in boiling oil.
• La Polenta: maize semolina of varying thickness, cooked with onions, pieces of bacon and grated cheese.
• The traditional sweets were associated with special feast-days; but now they are eaten every day:
  • Shrove Tuesday doughnuts or Carnival doughnuts: the dough is cut with a roller to form ribbons, and then partly split again in the middle to obtain the characteristic shape of the doughnut, which is then fried.
  • Christmas Rissoles: this family pastry can be eaten at any celebration but is especially associated with Christmas. Using short-crust or puff pastry, it is cooked in the fry-pan or the oven, served with stewed quince or apples. There are many variations on this recipe which goes back into the mists of time.
  • Savoy Biscuit Cake: this cake is the standard-bearer of Savoyard desserts; it is eaten with ice cream, chocolate mousse or stewed fruit.
  • Bescoin (patron saint's day): this sort of pastry roll is made by the village baker for the La Croix fair at La Clusaz (2nd Sunday in September) and the St Maurice fair at Grand Bornand (3rd Sunday of September). The aniseed-flavoured roll comes to two small points. The custom was for Godfathers to offer Bescoin to their godchildren for the "vogue" day.
  • Wildberry, blueberry and raspberry tarts
• Taste also honeys and mountain jams, Eaux de Vie with Gentiane which is the traditional alcohol of the Aravis.

Ski Resort and Chalet Location

Ski Chalet Chalet Janiska is in Le Grand-Bornand, France

The resort is divided in to two parts: Le Grand-Bornand Village is, at 1000 metres, a typical Savoyard village with a market square and “grenette”, a traditionally roofed market hall, its church and shops. The splendid Bouchet valley stretches away behind… a favourite cross country ski area.
Six kilometres further up, at 1300 metres and on the road to Col de la Colombiere, Le Grand-Bornand - Chinaillon is the other part of the resort, where most of the ski runs begin and here you will find the perfect location for a peaceful holiday. The old part of Chinaillon with its chapel, all of which is very well preserved and dates back to the 17th century presents an authentic picture card view from the balcony of haute Savoie at its best.

Unparalleled chocolate box chalets create a special charm
 There are more than four hundred of these beautiful authentic chalets spread throughout the village, often dating up to three hundred years old. So, how do you recognise a Grand Bornand chalet? By its typical architectural details such as the “pointe d’ane”- the master beam in the building; the “solaret” - a light and airy loft; and the “credence”- a kitchen cupboard built into the wall, or a small barn right next to the main house where the “goodies” were kept. Faced in wood, with covered balconies and warm interiors, these chalets are considered to be the true jewels of the alpine heritage.

Les Refuge Des Outalays is a group of nine traditional chalets containing a number of apartments grouped around such an authentic Savoyard farm and its Grenier- a real historical monument on your door step. The chalets have been built faithfully to the ‘Bornandine’ style of architecture; the chalets bring together quality and refinement by use of the noble materials- wood, stone and ‘tavaillons’.

In Le Grand-Bornand you will find its church with its splendid onion-shaped dome. This whole area has its customs and traditions upheld largely thanks to the folklore group, the area’s musical groups and the intense pride, belief in and love of the regions history and uniqueness.
An example of this can be found in the traditional Reblochon market on Wednesday mornings and the fairs and old festivals which are richly authentic.
This first generation resort has stayed faithful to its traditions and the whole village has been able to maintain its own spirit, its Savoyard identity above all else, at the same time as developing modern facilities to a high standard.

Le Grand-Bornand Guide

Le Grand Bornand is small very pleasant ski resort at the bottom of the Aravis Mountain, between Annecy's Lake, the Mont-Blanc and Geneva, ideal for family ski holidays or short breaks. The resort offers 39 ski lifts, 90km ski-runs, a snowpark, as well as 58km of cross-country skiing. Le...
Read more about the Ski Resort Le Grand-Bornand in our ski resort guide Le Grand-Bornand Find Chalets Guide