Trail maps are important to me. Not only do they set the tone of a visit to a ski resort, but more importantly perhaps, a trail map (or piste map if you prefer!) often defines whether I will visit at all. Sadly the Villars Gryon Diablerets trail map is so understated that I had put the resort on the review backburner for years. Turns out this ski resort is way more than I bargained for, and proved to be the most pleasant of surprises.
From anywhere in Switzerland, getting to the ski resort is simply a matter of trundling along the main railway line between Montreux & Martigny to stations at either Aigle (for Les Diablerets by train, or Villars by bus) or Bex (for Villars, Bretaye or Gryon by train) and then catching the relevant connection to your favoured destination. So very Swiss. The train station at Col de Bretaye is wonderfully located in the centre of the ski area right amongst the lifts & pistes. A nice learn-to-ski area is a few steps away, as is the Grand Chamossaire chair to take freeriders up to extreme steeps. Perfect.
Intermediates will particularly enjoy the valley descents into Les Diablerets, Vers l’Eglise, La Rasse, Villars & Gryon.
For us the best zones here are the off-piste lines from the Grand & Petit Chamossaire, backside of Meilleret, and the Chaux Ronde. If you want to ski classic Swiss Alps rural landscape, drop down from Chaux Ronde for the 600m vert down to La Rasse. Gorgeous on a sunny day.
The downside of the ski area is its relatively low elevation and the shortish skiable verticals of many lifts. Whilst 2-300m of vertical when powder skiing is (and was!) great fun, it pales into insignificance when compared to other nearby locations. Having said that, there are still long, long trails here, and we barely scratched the surface on the off-piste side of things. Plus it was a helluva lot of fun.
Restaurant wish, the ski resort is a ripper. Away from the usual self-serves dotting the place, a couple to try are the lakeside Restaurant Lac des Chavonnes and Restaurant L'Etable. Restaurant Lac des Chavonnes has some resident goats and a menu with several local trout specialties. Getting there involves a fun little journey down from the bottom of the Petit Chamossaire lift. A surface tow helps you get back up from the restaurant. Restaurant L'Etable (The Stable) has numerous resident donkeys & very cute sheep. Located in the Gryon sector, it is rightfully popular for its locally sourced, house-made cuisine. Honourable mention to Hotel du Lac for its tasty food & great service.
The villages at Villars & Gryon remain a mystery to me. I never went to them. Judging from the amount of people emanating from their direction it appears they are quite popular. Having stayed in the quant Les Diablerets village and utilised its proximity to Glacier 3000 for powder days, I see no reason to stay anywhere else (with one possible exception), but I promise to check them out next time I visit. The exception is the ski-in ski-out Hotel du Lac right in the heart of the Villars sector. A night here for a powder day certainly makes a lot of sense. And of course, as with everywhere here, one can take a train nearly all the way to it.
I bargained for a pleasant ski area where I would plop along from lift to lift, trail to trail, skiing easy groomers and enjoying the Swiss countryside. Whilst I got that, I hadn’t bargained on the deep powder, steep freeride, amazing dining, and fantastic ambiance of this resort. With a Magic Pass next season I may well return for further exploration.
Read more about the pros & cons of this ski resort on the Villars-Gryon-Diableret overview page.