Taking the train to ski resorts in Switzerland is one of our favourite things. Taking it to Champery is even better because it is one of our favourite ski areas in Europe. We consider it the best part of the Portes du Soleil (PduS), simply because of the exceptional snow quality, variety of terrain, uncrowded slopes, linkages to other PduS ski areas, ease of access by train, plus its charming & authentic village.

So good are the links to other areas that we went to France for an early lunch one day! Love it. A lot cheaper to dine on restaurant meals just over that imaginary line into Avoriaz!

We spent one afternoon skiing powder laps in the Ripaille-Grand Paradis sector of Champery and ending with some grogs & tunes at 'Black Out'. The long descents, great snow, lack of people, incredible views up to the Dents du Midi, and combination of on & off piste terrain make it an easy place 'get lost in'.

If two things let Champery down, it is the more expensive accommodation & meals (compared to the French sectors ….. bloody Swiss high-standard of living!), plus the lack of a valley trail into the village. Not much can be done about the first, however if prepared to take a daily train to Champery, it is easy to stay somewhere else in the Rhone valley (St Maurice, Aigle or similar) for a fraction of the accommodation price. It is also worth remembering that skiing here is way more affordable that at some other 'name brand' Swiss ski resorts. As for the second, everyone just has to be satisfied with the long, beautiful runs down into Grand Paradis, and then the free ski bus back into the village. A small price to pay for visiting such a glorious ski area.

We will be back again in 2024. You should too …..

Champery - Les Crosets has all the attributes of a quintessentially wonderful Swiss ski resort. Whether it’s the charming valley village accessed by train, the cable car up to the mountain situated just next to the railway station, the spanking views across to the Dents du Midi, or the ski-in ski-out village of Les Crosets set amongst the region’s best alpine ski terrain, it is hard to find any negatives. And so it is, not surprisingly, easy to fall in love with.

As with all the ski areas in the Portes du Soleil, Champery-Les Crosets benefits from being a part of a greater sum, but still provides more than enough of its own skiing & snowboarding in the ‘local’ ski lift pass area combined with Champoussin & the Folleuse sector of Morgins. Long valley trails are a feature of its mainly north-east aspect alpine terrain, as is some of the region’s most ‘sporty’ advanced runs. Try the ridiculous bumps on the infamous ‘Swiss Wall’ or “Chavanette”. The hype is as massive as the Volkswagon Beetle sized bulges all the way down the slope. Amusingly oft referred to “as one of the steepest & toughest slopes in the world”, the run is only 400m vertical & 1km long with a nice 37^o consistent pitch. The Swiss Wall is more of an insight into the way skiing used to be (i.e. the bad old days!) & not the type of run that us Powderhounds travel the world to seek. If you like bumps it is a MUST DO. If you like powder, there are plenty of choice freeride lines nearby! On a deep powder day though, those big bumps would be kinda fun!

The adjacent Champoussin has some fantastic, quiet off-piste, which was still providing us with fresh turns 3 days after the last storm (and easy to find with just a little bit of investigation).

Champery does suffer a little from heavy skier traffic traveling over from the French Portes sectors, but that’s the price you pay for being awesome. Champery-Les Corsets links directly to Avoriaz, plus after one extended piste trail into France, with Chatel as well. But you might just might that you never want to leave! A visit to Avoriaz village is mandatory though, just to see the architecture in its splendid location.

Unlike many ski resorts in Switzerland, prices in the Swiss sector of Portes Du Soleil are reasonable - for Switzerland anyway. The local lift pass is good value as is the accommodation. For the totally skint, several excellent hostels reside in the village at Champery. For the financially flush, or anyone looking for a more comfortable ski holiday, the region’s best hotels are there as well. Try the Hôtel National or the cosier, Hotel Beau-Séjour Champéry. Note that Champery doesn’t see a whole lot of winter sun in the afternoon.

Taking the train to Champery via Aigle removes the need for a rental car or transfer and provides another major reason we love skiing Switzerland. Oh, if every nation had a similar public transport system, what a wonderful world it would be! Aigle is on the main line between Geneva airport & Brig, then its few steps across to the line to Champery. Cannot wait to go back …..

You can see our thoughts on the pros and cons on the Champery Les Corsets overview page and also see our European ski resort ratings page regarding how we score it compared to other skiing areas.