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La Clusaz La Klyuza (Arpitan) | |
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 Panoramic view of La Clusaz in winter | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of La Clusaz  | |
  La Clusaz  La Clusaz | |
| Coordinates:45°54′18″N6°25′26″E / 45.905000°N 6.4239°E /45.905000; 6.4239 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Department | Haute-Savoie |
| Arrondissement | Annecy |
| Canton | Faverges |
| Intercommunality | CC des Vallées de Thônes |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Didier Thévenet[1] |
Area 1 | 40.62 km2 (15.68 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 1,663 |
| • Density | 41/km2 (110/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Cluses |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 74080 /74220 |
| Elevation | 984–2,616 m (3,228–8,583 ft) |
| Website | www.laclusaz.org |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
La Clusaz (French pronunciation:[lakly.za];Arpitan:La Klyuza,Franco-Provençal pronunciation:[lakʎyza]) is an alpinecommune in theHaute-Savoiedepartment in theAuvergne-Rhône-Alpesregion in SoutheasternFrance.
Hosting aski resort in theFrench Alps near theSwiss border, the commune is part of theHaute-Savoie alpinedepartment. An old village, La Clusaz has been hosting winter sports since 1907. It is the birthplace of French skiersGuy Périllat andVincent Vittoz and sailorPhilippe Monnet. Located in theAravis Range, La Clusaz (originally from the wordcluse, meaning a narrow path between two mountains) was once calledClusa Locus Dei meaning "God's narrow place".
In 1902, the opening of the road connectingAnnecy and theThônes Valley with theAravis Valley allowed La Clusaz (formerly a small and remote village) 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 ofalpinism 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 ofLe Grand-Bornand to offer a total of 220 km (140 mi) of pistes.[3]
The commune of Clusaz is located 32 km (20 mi) 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.
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 villages includeManigod,Thônes,Le Grand-Bornand,Saint-Jean-de-Sixt and the largerChamonix.
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 Favrewilliam 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.
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 204.5 km (127.1 mi) and passed through La Clusaz at 66 km (41 mi) 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 theCol des Aravis, approximately 10 km (6 mi) from town to the summit, climbing approximately 450 m (1,500 ft). 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 theCol des Saisies. The stage ended inSaint Jean de Maurienne.
Horse rides are offered in the early morning before starting the day's skiing, or at the end of the day at sunset.[4]
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