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Villars / Ski area
© copyright Office du tourisme de Villars-Gryon
Neither exceptionally big nor hopelessly small, the Villars ski
area’s saving grace for keen skiers is its link to the Diablerets
glacier, where more modern uplift and extensive (and naturally
snow-sure skiing) can be found. To skiers accustomed to major resorts,
it’s the lifts rather than the piste mileage which is the limitation in
the main Villars area. But once you’re on the mountain, via either cog
railway or slightly inadequate gondola, the system offers sufficient
variety and options across three 2,000m hills, one of which can be
reached directly by gondola from Gryon, the neighbouring village to
Villars. Total piste length, including Les Diablerets, but not the
glacier, is 100km.
Above Villars and to the west is Roc d’Orsay, reached by the gondola from one end of town. Much of the skiing lies in the bowl to the east and north of this point, with drag lifts and chairs rising from the centre to the 2,120m high point - Grand Chamossaire - and east to 1,987m Chaux Ronde. A chair and drag heads north east from here below the ridge to Meilleret and beyond to Les Mazots and then the village of Les Diablerets and access to the glacier; to the south is the final mountain in the Villars ski area, Les Chaux above Gryon with an entertaining mix of reds, blacks and blues served by a long chair and a drag.
Off piste routes abound in Villars without going far afield: much of the skiing is below tree line and some of the forest is open to skiers, while the bowls are broken up with unpisted steeper areas interspersed with minor cliffs, leaving a significant portion of the terrain untamed but open to off piste exploration.
Possibly the most family-friendly aspect of the whole setup is the return to base, snow-permitting, with all routes taking gentle, meandering forest paths, right back into Villars, between cosy chalets, with a sense of skiing as it used to be. The grooming regime covers blue runs each night, reds every other, and blacks not at all.
Above Villars and to the west is Roc d’Orsay, reached by the gondola from one end of town. Much of the skiing lies in the bowl to the east and north of this point, with drag lifts and chairs rising from the centre to the 2,120m high point - Grand Chamossaire - and east to 1,987m Chaux Ronde. A chair and drag heads north east from here below the ridge to Meilleret and beyond to Les Mazots and then the village of Les Diablerets and access to the glacier; to the south is the final mountain in the Villars ski area, Les Chaux above Gryon with an entertaining mix of reds, blacks and blues served by a long chair and a drag.
Off piste routes abound in Villars without going far afield: much of the skiing is below tree line and some of the forest is open to skiers, while the bowls are broken up with unpisted steeper areas interspersed with minor cliffs, leaving a significant portion of the terrain untamed but open to off piste exploration.
Possibly the most family-friendly aspect of the whole setup is the return to base, snow-permitting, with all routes taking gentle, meandering forest paths, right back into Villars, between cosy chalets, with a sense of skiing as it used to be. The grooming regime covers blue runs each night, reds every other, and blacks not at all.
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