I've had the joy of skiing in Les Portes a few years back and loved every part of it. My wife and I got a place in Champoussin, on the Swiss side (which is literally the far end of the entire Portes Du Soleil entire map coverage). When you need a ski map, there are four of them to cover both France and Switzerland.

Getting to Champoussin is a challenge but also an adventure. If you dream of ski in/ski out, this is THE place: we stepped out of our building every morning and skied down to the one and only access T-bar to go up into the first mountain (don't worry, it is never crowded and very reliable). I would recommend Champery, if you want to stay near "ski civilization", but, if you are a true powder hound, I can't think of a better start to my ski day.

Being on the far end of an "8 resort" region is both amazing and challenging. While we are not young or ski racers, we can ski fast and anything (reds and blacks) that Les Portes offers, except "The Wall/Le Mur". Even from far away, you can tell, it is long, moguled and STEEP.

What is amazing is that it is impossible to go from one end (Champoussin, Swiss side) of the region to the other in France (way past Morzine) in one day. So, you have to plan your ski day and know where you are going, stop for a bite and, turn around and ski back. What a blast! No time to do the same run twice.. it is GO GO all the way and back!

We had booked another trip during COVID and it was cancelled (winter of 2020). One final image: it is the only place, other than when I heli-skied, where I felt that I was skiing in the middle of nowhere and on top of the world... truly a dream.

It may be only a tiny fraction of the wider Portes du Soleil, but Champoussin is a sweet petite delight. A high elevation, snow-sure, ski-in ski-out village (albeit served by a crappy selection of surface tows down low) with early morning sun, spanking views, low numbers of humans & some sensational terrain will generally please most visitors, including us!

Champoussin seems to us to be one of those many ‘forgotten’ Swiss ski areas that have been usurped by the major resorts. And that is exactly what makes it wonderful. Only a handful of ski lifts serve the ‘local’ terrain from around 1580m to a high point of 2152m on the Pointe de l’Au, but linkages to adjacent resorts by on or off-piste are simple and expand the possibilities exponentially.

Quality descents of around 400m vertical are possible off the Pointe de l'Au & Aiguille des Champeys chairlifts, plus broad alpine bowls & steeper pitches hold untracked powder for days. We skied fresh powder on a north-east aspect slope, only a short traverse of a piste trail, 3 days after the last snowfall. It was mid-Feb & we have never been here before (although we do have an ability to sniff out powder!). That is better than good, its fantastic. There are also couloirs directly off the peaks for the experts & those seeking a bit more challenge off the piste. A super long valley run all the way back to Morgins village can be accessed from the top of Champoussin’s lifts, however we opted to head to France & Avoriaz instead - another super long (8km+), but easy descent.

The local CLCF lift pass covering Champoussin, Champery-Les Crosets & the Foilleuse sector of Morgins is good value and has plenty of scope regarding terrain. BUT one cannot visit the region without fully exploring the rest of the Portes du Soleil. Champoussin is reasonably well located to undertake forays to Avoriaz & Chatel in France or Torgon on the Swiss side beyond Morgins. The popular resorts of Morzine & Les Gets are a mission, but certainly doable if one leaves early & skis all the way down to the Lindarets base in Avoriaz to catch a bus to Morzine. Don’t leave your return too late as getting stuck in the wrong country may have serious financial consequences but will provide a good laugh after the trip!

For a Swiss fromage fix, the goats & humans of La Ferme à Gaby provide a range of delicious cheeses, light meals & refreshments, just next to the Aiguille des Champeys chairlift base. What better way to get a true dose of the Alps. After skiing, Chez Gaby, on the other side of the lift base, has meals & a broad deck with super views of the Dents du Midi for a sedate apres session. Makes a good overnight location too. Restaurant Le Virage is the other slopeside eating option, but it is down low in the village next to the surface tows. The easiest alternative lodgings in the village are at the Champoussin Lodge - a hotel with a lovely indoor pool. Don’t expect too many shops & services in the village, because there aren’t many. A small grocery store, ski shop & the handful of bars/restaurants are pretty much it. One can go ‘shopping’ by ski down to Champery if required. Fun way to get some goodies, just make sure you can fit them in your backpack for the ski back!

We skied Champoussin during peak season in February, found some glorious powder stashes in the shadows of the Aiguille des Champeys in a resort that didn’t break the bank, or even come close to it. We rate Champoussin as a classic Swiss Alps traditional ski resort & mountain hamlet, with the added bonus of being interlinked to the super-impressive Portes du Soleil. We look forward to returning.

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