Champery Village
The village of Champery sits on two roads beneath the spectacular peaks of the Dents du Midi. The higher road is pure Swiss “Chocolate Box” charm.The lower, newer, through road runs up to the Telepherique and takes care of the practicalities. Everything is within fifteen minutes’ walk.Tourism in Champery dates from 1857 and the Swiss Ski School in Champery was founded in 1932 making it one of the older ski resorts in Switzerland. Development has been pretty much continuous but, with one extraordinary exception, has been in complete sympathy with the architectural heritage. The non-profit Fondation du Patrimoine Champerolain, founded in 1933, works hard to maintain not only architectural heritage but also the cultural history. And the result is a ski resort that’s pleasant to wander around looking at the old and beautifully maintained wooden chalets. Ther are plenty of bars, restaurants, hotels and shops too but they also blend in seamlessly.
Champery is not big; everything is within a 10 to 15 minute walk, apart from the Grand Paradis chairlift which is well served by the free ski bus service. So park the car, if you have one, and stroll around. A good place to start is the fountain at the bottom of the village where the purity of the water is recorded for posterity in granite. If you take in the beauty of the clock tower, you might notice the clock strikes the hour five minutes early. Not quite the legendary Swiss time keeping accuracy! (Perhaps it’s the French influence.)
Ski Hire and Equipment Rental
There are plenty of ski and board hire options, but the Skiset outlet is handily placed, between the Hotel Chateauform and the Hotel Suisse, has a good range , and gives generous discounts if you book online in advance here.