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Le Grand-Bornand
Borne, Le Villaret - L'Essert. Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Borne, Le Villaret - L'Essert

Kayak spot · France

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

56Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: Wind 4 kn gusting 16, Air 13 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 50 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
6°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 54 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 59 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
6kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 52 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
6°C
Rain
0.6 mm

Sat 7 · 55 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 49 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
17kn
Air
6°C
Rain
4.2 mm

Mon 9 · 64 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
13°C
Rain
0 mm

Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 244, poor
  2. Tue 350, fair
  3. Wed 454, fair
  4. Thu 559, fair
  5. Fri 652, fair
  6. Sat 755, fair
  7. Sun 849, fair
  8. Mon 964, good
  9. Tue 1062, good
  10. Wed 1147, fair

The spot in three facts

  • Grade IIIits hardest rapid V
  • Moving waterthe water
  • Best Jun–Aug7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.

Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Borne, Le Villaret - L'Essert
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov44, poor2 kn9kn3°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov50, fair2 kn8kn6°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov54, fair1 kn7kn8°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov59, fair1 kn6kn10°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov52, fair1 kn7kn6°C0.6 mm
Sat 7Nov55, fair2 kn8kn8°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov49, fair4 kn17kn6°C4.2 mm
Mon 9Nov64, good4 kn16kn13°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov62, good4 kn19kn12°C3 mm
Wed 11Nov47, fair2 kn10kn8°C14.4 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Best time to go

best Jun–Aug

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for grade III paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec

Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.

Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.

Map

put-in, take-out, its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Borne, Le Villaret - L'Essert

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At La Clusaz, 3 km away

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More kayaking near here

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Borne, Le Villaret - L'Essert

A river section on the Borne, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade III, its hardest rapid V, on the international scale. Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 19 km away. For grade III paddlers the best months are usually June, July and August, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Le Grand-Bornand. Within 5 km we also list 2 ski resorts, 1 kayak spot and 1 climbing area.

  • River Borne
  • Grade Grade III, its hardest rapid V, on the international scale.
  • Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 19 km away.

Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,430–US$2,680 each

about US$1,430–US$2,680 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to MXP, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$496–US$1,030
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$141–US$234
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$328–US$543
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$583
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$154–US$288
Totalabout US$1,430–US$2,680

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Le Grand-Bornand

Closest

Le Grand-Bornand

about 5 min by car · 28 places to stay

about US$121/nightcountry average

See 28 places to stay in Le Grand-Bornand · Booking.com

About Le Grand-Bornand its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$121 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 17h 05m

About 17h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → MXP, direct, then 3h 30m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

River level

River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

The nearest named schools, clubs and kayak or canoe hire within 25 km, in a straight line. Listings, not a recommendation. Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits