Shompee lak (yeh ok, Champex Lac, but try pronouncing it correctly spelt like that!) certainly has some oomph. The chairlift ride up almost gives one a nose-bleed with its steep ascent. Whilst I exaggerate a bit, the chair's precipitous rise from the base area does give one an immediate sense that you ‘are not in Kansas anymore Toto’.

The mountain has unexpected, long-distance views all the way down the Rhone River valley to Lake Geneva, plus across to Verbier and beyond. Shame the restaurant was burnt to a crisp on New Years Eve as it would have been a fine location to ‘drink’ in the views, but we understand plans were already drawn up for its replacement, so fingers crossed in that department.

The upper mountain intermediate pistes are fun but shortish, limited to less than 250m vertical. What counts is that they are deserted midweek through January, so you have them and the La Breya 2 chair all to yourself. In fact you will have the entire place to yourself, which is just so decadent. Also decadent was some nice powder in between the pistes in the upper bowl. A short climb up to the higher ridge would provide more vertical but avalanche danger was extreme, so it was avoided on this visit. Next time for sure though.

Steep tree lines abound under and skier’s left of the main chairlift. They extend deliciously right across the bottom half of the mountain from the base of La Breya 2 chair all the way along & below piste #1. Away from the groomers, much of the lower zone was still a little bony with shrubs, sharks and stumps poking through, but with a full cover this place would be sensational on a powder day. And then, given the lack of people, the next day or two as well.

With only one (admittedly long) ‘beginner’ piste, this is not a mountain for those learning to slide on snow. The beginner piste does do a great job as a sledding trail though, AND, more importantly as an easy entry/exit from the off-piste trees. The cutely (is that even a word - is now!) named Petite Breya J-bar at the base is a weird lift with a black top and fast exit that is definitely not for novices. Another surface tow, Lac, has a beginner run but we missed it so cannot confirm its bonafides. The fact that is disconnected from the road, car park and base area don’t bode well for it.

As we were skiing a range of different resorts over a number of days, we stayed centrally in Orsières at the simple but fantastic Hôtel Terminus, which also happens to be one of the best restaurants in the region. Not to be outdone, Champex-Lac village is nestled comfortably around the sunny side of the frozen lake a short walk from the base of the lifts. It seems divinely peaceful and includes more fancy hotels & restaurants than such a small place has a right to. Au Club Alpin is the standout, but Hotel Mont.Lac, Hotel Splendide, Hôtel du Glacier are not far behind. There are others as well.

If we are in this region, we will come back to Champex-Lac, but only IF it has a full cover snowpack from top to bottom. Not too much to ask we thinks! If you are in Verbier and need to ski something more akin to a deserted, 'real’ Swiss ski area with oomph, Champex-Lac (or La Fouly, or Vichères Liddes) could be your Nirvana. We suggest doing a quick reconnaissance visit on a clear day and then return on a powder day. We don’t think you’ll regret it.

See our thoughts on the pros & cons of the resort via our Champex-lac overview page.

See our video here

This was another small area in the Orsieres region that would be good to add to the arsenal for a storm day if the top of Verbier was closed and/or socked in, or the Verbier crowds were overwhelming.

We visited on a fine day, 2 days after a snowstorm, and whilst the off-piste snow was OK up high thanks to the bias toward a northerly aspect, the snow below the Breya 2 chair was less conducive to proper reconnaissance, mostly because there wasn’t enough base in parts. We could only salivate at the terrain from the steep Breya 1 chairlift and La Noire piste. The terrain was bussin’, which is an apt description because the word is derived from North America, and the very tasty terrain under the chairlift reminded me of North America; British Columbia cat skiing in particular. The terrain mostly consisted of steep glades peppered with the occasional cliffette. Assuming the snow was “on”, you’d need lots of patience to do laps (and apparently I have lots of patience!), because the Breya 1 chairlift was a dawdler. You’d want to hope your companion had lots of witty banter, or you had the flexibility to twist 180 degrees to admire the amazing views.

We played a little off the Breya 2 chair, which is really the main part of the ski area. Even though there are only 2 pistes, this lift also services varied off-piste terrain including open meadows (that have a lot of exposure from above), steep pitches aside rocky features, and glades, where you can push out skiers’ right and traverse back to the Breya 2 chair to avoid the necessity to drop all the way to the base.

With respect to crowds, there weren’t any. To put it into perspective, we arrived late morning and could park the car straight across the road from the lift. We also didn’t see too many people up on the hill. Undoubtedly it would’ve had more patronage during and immediately after the snowstorm, yet the snow wasn’t fully chowdered up and there were still a few fresh-ish tracks about.

Crowds definitely weren’t a problem at the on-mountain restaurant because unfortunately someone overcooked a fondue at some stage and burnt the place to a crisp. This was a shame because the views from the restaurant site were spectacular, and who doesn’t love a panoramic lunch.

The nearby village of Champex-Luc was rather beautiful with its traditional wooden chalets overlooking the frozen lake and mountains. Considering the Canadian style terrain, it was easy to see why the place is nicknamed “Little Canada”, and whilst not quite the grandeur of Lake Louise, the lake area was very pretty.
See our video here

Waited 5 days at the end of a major storm cycle for Champex-Lac to open and boy was it worth it! First thing you see is the Breya double which appears to go straight up from the base. From the top there is an open bowl and a second chair, or you have your choice of endless lines through the forest - either on the insanely steep and technical lift line face or off the blue piste. The terrain is more reminiscent of something in North America than what you'd find in Europe - steep but well-spaced tree skiing with plenty of obstacles and cliff bands - and it needs to have snowed recently, but when it's on, it's on! There's not really any off piste for non-expert riders and the avalanche hazard can't be understated. Pistes are quite limited as well so it's really a one trick pony. Day tickets cost 46 CHF, but I showed my Magic Pass and they gave me a season pass for 69. I think this works for any season pass.
See our video here