Easter Skiing in Villars

villars skiing switzerland

We were lucky enough to have the chance to ski at Easter in Villars. As always with this time of year the snow conditions can vary considerably and can potentially be a concern. Despite it not being a vintage season for snow the Villars ski domaine was in an excellent state with pistes in great condition and the runs open right into the town at 1300m. We also had a huge day long dump of snow over the Easter weekend so the following days of bright blue skies meant big smiles all round.

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What totally surprised us was the virtually empty slopes throughout this time. We had imagined the strength of the Swiss Franc would have put off overseas visitors but what about the locals? Being only 35 mins from Montreux, and 90 mins from Geneva, Villars is very accessible yet even with the brilliant conditions, a 30% “resort” discount on offer for April and it being a bank holiday the crowds never materialized. On Easter Monday itself we sometimes could not ski straight on to a chairlift but that was worst of it. Couple this feeling of often having the mountain to ourselves was the beautiful scenery of the area. This was not factory skiing with lifts and runs in all directions but a mountain environment relatively untouched, and well protected, with deserted alpine meadows & woodlands and wildlife a plenty – we saw Alpine Ibex most days. To cap it all the views were simply stunning – is there anywhere else you can gaze across the Rhone Valley to the Dents du Midi then turn your head and see Lake Geneva, Mount Blanc and the Eiger from the same spot?

We took one day off to ski the Swiss sector of the Portes de Soleil and a short 35 mins drive across the valley found us at the main lifts of Morgins – so close and easy. In poor snowing conditions we managed to ski right across to Champousin, Les Crosets and Champery before returning down a seemingly deserted & never-ending valley run to Morgins.

 

Leaving Villars at the end of a gorgeous week we took the chance to stop in Martigny, feast on a cheese fondue blowout in the old town and visit the St Bernard Dogs and Pass museum. It was difficult not be fascinated by the stories from this historic European mountain thoroughfare or to be utterly charmed by these gorgeous creatures – a stop here is a must for any families passing through the Valais.

Being so close to Geneva and accessible by train it is easy to see why Villars is a popular weekend resort. The town is attractive, although without a discernable hub, the skiing area beautiful, the lift system good and the variety of runs excellent although it does lack much choice at the tougher end. We only managed to ski half of Les Diabalarets, and did not get to the glacier, in a week, so there was plenty to keep us occupied. The Ecole du Ski Suisse was a friendly and helpful as they come and perhaps this encapsulated the place – genuinely friendly and delightfully charming in a slightly old fashioned and traditional way. For us any Easter worries were brushed aside as soon as we arrived – in 2016 its earlier on the 27th March so perhaps even less cause for concern.

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