Skiing

For those in the know, Villars has access to a wonderful and varied ski area. The closest ski resort to Geneva Airport, Villars is a beautiful, tranquil ski region that unlike other more famous Swiss resorts is not overcrowded in the winter.

Guests of Chalet Balthazar will be able to enjoy a multitude of different ski areas, all excellently linked and offering a fantastic experience for all levels of skiers and snowboarders.

From Villars, visitors can ski the Villars, Gryon or Les Diablerets ski areas. Chalet Balthazar is excellently situated in the heart of Villars, moments from the shops, bars and restaurants and also from Villars station.

All visitors to Villars must take the short train ride to the main ski station in Bretagne. This is a mere 10 minute ride, the cost of which is included within your ski pass. This base station in Bretagne is where the multi lingual ski schools meet.

Perfect for beginners, the ski areas around Bretagne provide nice, easy runs and are where the ski schools tend to spend most of their time. For the more advanced skiers, Grand Chamossaire and Petit Chamossaire are both excellent runs and from Grand Chamossaire to Chaux Ronde there are some great off-piste opportunities.

Chaux Ronde, at the first station above Bretagne, is also an excellent sun trap so for the more casual skier, there is a fantastic Heineken tent to relax, get some sun, enjoy a beer and watch the skiers and snowboarders in the board park below. For the more serious skier, from Chaux Ronde down to Bretagne you can also do time trials.

From the lift station at Chaux Ronde it is easy to get across to the skiing at Gryon. This is a lovely, boutique ski area that has a mix of blue, red and black runs and some lovely restaurants. Taking the blue run from Croix des Chaux all the way down to Gryon is an excellent leg burner and if you need a break, visit Harambe bar in Barboleuse on the way down! Les Chaux is also a lovely restaurant with a big terrace.

Also from Chaux Ronde, there are some great runs over to the lifts accessing Les Diablerets. This region has some really good skiing, for all levels. It is also possible from Les Diablerets to reach the glaciers at Floriette and La Palette. On the way over to Les Diablerets, there is a great restaurant at Lex Mazots.

Pure Destinations says...

"I love skiing in Villars because it is not as challenging as in other resorts, so this really gives it a friendly feel, and there is the impression that other skiers are there to have a good time, not to show off!

The runs are varied which is excellent. I like being able to decide (and easily get to!) where to go when the sun is out and where to go for the best snow conditions in the afternoon. The fact that you can easily access the Diablerets ski area is a huge bonus for things like this.

There are some runs in Villars-Gryon, like at Les Chaux, that you can do over and over again and not get bored. There is also some very achievable off-piste skiing."

Hannah