I went to Le Grand Bornand on a February weekend day-trip from Annecy, with my partner, who is a beginner. Overall, it was a relatively good value option - €45 for a day pass on a Sunday, though La Clusaz is cheaper if you take the bus like we did - that especially shines as a day or weekend trip option from Annecy or Geneva with or for a beginner. Just make sure you're flexible with where and when you ski, and keep the fact that it's near not just one, but two, big cities in mind.

First, the positives. LGB really markets itself as a beginner resort where the whole family, or mixed-ability couple that isn't in the mood for a breakup, can ski. It 100% delivers on that. Unusually, and especially for a resort its size, the entire place is navigable using green absolute beginner-level runs, and most of the piste is green or blue. If you are a beginner and find yourself up some random lift, there will always be a way back down via a green or blue at the most difficult. When with a beginner, even as a non-beginner, it's great to be able to alternate between a nice, easy confidence-boosting green and skill-building blue without having to do the same baby slope-level runs over and over again. Difficulty levels are mostly as advertised, though the blue La Duche and Abondance have some slightly tricky sections.

My other half did her first ski school lessons elsewhere, and we didn't avail ourselves of that option. But we did look into LGB for the first go, complete with lessons. The local ESF school has competitive rates, for adults as well as children. Signing up for a week-long group lesson would also deliver a chunky discount on the lift ticket price. With that discount, the lift pass for six days was in the range of Bardonecchia in Italy, where we went, one of the cheapest big Alpine ski resorts. From what I could observe on the mountain, lessons were professionally run, catered to groups of all ages, and progressed well through different skills.

The second big plus is its convenience. Annecy, a sizeable French alpine city that's an hour from Geneva, two hours from Lyon, and three and a half hours from Paris, is close enough by bus for a day-trip. It's about an hour on the bus from Annecy, and €17 return. As long as you can hack the bus, and especially if you have your own equipment, this probably works out a lot cheaper than trying to stay somewhere in LGB. That may be more convenient, especially with children.

But aside from some after-dark skiing, offered some days of the week, what little nightlife there was didn't seem worth sticking around for. Staying in Annecy also offers flexibility. You can choose LGB, La Clusaz, or the small but very cheap and cheerful Semnoz, depending on what takes your fancy and what the weather's like. Alternatively, Saint-Jean-de-Sixt is also a good shout. It is about equidistant from LGB and Clusaz, being a short bus ride away from both. It's both bigger than either of the villages, and cheaper. Unlike Annecy, there are easily accessible rental shops there. We rented, but at LGB itself. We had a great experience with our gear and the service, but it was a bit of a time-suck.

The proximity to Annecy and Geneva - regular shuttles link LGB and Geneva airport in winter - is a double-edged sword, however. It means the resort can get pretty busy on weekends and during school holidays. We waited about half an hour to get up the main Rosay gondola after arriving at about 9:15am on a Sunday at base. This is by no means the worst lift queue you can experience, and the queues generally weren't anywhere near as long elsewhere. Except for some of the other feeder lifts in the morning, and the Lachat lift to the very top in late afternoon, you can usually expect to wait five minutes or less for a lift after getting up Rosay.

A top tip to be tip top is that you can also take the smaller Joyere gondola lift and then the Taverne fixed-grip lift up. It's a green run from there to where the Rosay lift spits you out. All things being equal, this would be slower than Rosay, by about 10 minutes. But the queue for Joyere is usually way shorter, and if it'll take you half the time to get on that lift you should do it. Downloading on either Rosay or Joyere is a breeze - beginners shouldn't attempt the ski to the village.

Another caveat is that this is probably not the place to be going if you're looking for a pure intermediate to advanced level or off-piste experience. Clusaz has more to offer the Annecy-based skier for the former, and Chamonix isn't much further from Annecy by bus for the latter. You can find both tougher groomed runs and off-piste in a pinch, however. There are a few red and black runs, which have the added advantage of being next to deserted since there are so many beginners. There's also some decent-looking off-piste around the Annes and Tolar lifts, though I didn't avail myself of either.

Although this will be obvious if you look at a map of the place, also keep in mind that LGB is a mid-altitude resort. It will generally be skiable through the late December to end of March core season. But you shouldn't be expecting Chamonix or Val Thorens levels of snow-sureness. We had great snow there despite some warm-ish temperatures for February, but had gotten lucky thanks to a dump the previous day or two. Spring snow is probably better for the beginners anyways, but if you're there in March, or just a warm year in general, expect that this will be what you're getting.

To sum up, if you're on your own as an intermediate-level and above skier, or with a similar group, maybe consider somewhere else. But for a mixed-ability group with at least one beginner, LGB is a fantastic option. It is also a bargain considering many beginners would have to be going to a mega-expensive mega-resort for similar levels of suitable piste. LGB sets out to do one thing - offer a good enough experience for skiers of all ability levels. It does that very well indeed.

Also, the views are jaw-dropping - see the photo of the Aravis range, taken from next to the top of the Tolar lift.
See our video here