Leysin

Leysin, Switzerland

Rated: 4/5 (from 6 ratings)

Leysin

Situated on a plateau above the Rhone Valley with magnificent views of Mont Blanc and the Eiger. Renowned for its sunshine (1900 hours annually which equals over five hours every day, average) ... and skiing.

Summary

The Swiss ski resort of Leysin is in the Swiss Alps at an altitude of 1,263m4,144ft, with 60km37 miles of marked runs.

Leysin is part of the Alpes Vaudoises ski area with access to 220km137 miles of downhill skiing, with 121 marked pistes, served by a total of 54 ski lifts. In addition to the skiing in Leysin itself (60km37 miles of pisted ski runs), the appropriate ski Lift Pass will allow you to ski or snowboard in the other Alpes Vaudoises ski resorts of Les Diablerets and Villars - Gryon.

With ski lifts as high as 2,331m7,648ft, snow cover is generally reliable.

Ski Area Stats

Leysin Overview

Leysin is a traditional Swiss resort that started a little lower down the mountain than the ski resort has reached now. You can get to the old village from a stop on the funicular railway that runs up to the resort from Aigle in the valley. The modern resort does not have a huge amount of architectural charm to shout about, but its location on a sunny 'balcony' with superb views of the Alpes Vaudoises is a great natural asset.

Leysin traditionally took a large chunk of the schools and students market, with educational establishments of its own on its lower slopes and school parties arriving on holidays from across Europe. This youthful attitude was no doubt a major factor in the early growth of snowboarding in the area. During the '90s however, Leysin built another reputation as a conference venue, with excellent facilities for this type of event.

Besides, the resort participates in the Alpes Vaudoises Pass which includes the neighbouring resort of Les Diablerets with its 3000m high year round glacier ski area serviced by a newly refurbished lifts. The link lift area of Gryon, Les Diablerets resort and Villars is also included as well as Les Mosses.

 Notable Ski Runs

The most difficult run is the 'Chaux-de-Mont'.

Skiing

Leysin's 60km (37 miles) of runs is actually quite an impressive 'single area' figure and the amount of skiing available in a week long Alpes Vaudoises Pass is as much as the biggest in the world. The local vertical of 1000 metres is good too and those nervous at the relatively low top lift height and south facing slopes can be reassured by the proximity of one of Europe's top year round ski centres, the glacier at Les Diablerets only half an hour away and included on the pass.

The lift-linked area between Diablerets village (separate to the glacier area), Villars and Gryon is closer still, and offers a further 100km (63 miles) of runs. A free ski bus service can take you there. Leysin has a great selection of 20 varied runs including a separate nursery area at village level and more at the top of the gondola. The lower slopes are wooded but the upper two thirds of the mountain is made up of wide fast cruise runs - mostly blues and reds. For experts, there are two blacks runs, the best running for the first two-thirds of a top to bottom descent over the full 1000m vertical beneath the Berneuse Express gondola. The high black served by the Chaux de Mont chair around the snowpark is also fun.

Mountain restaurants include the Kuklos 250 seat revolving restaurant at 2048 metres. As it turns 360 degrees in a 90 minute rotation it takes in panoramas of Lake Geneva, the Rhone Valley and famous mountains including Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn and the Eiger. The ski school offers ski touring and heli-skiing with its mountain guides for one or more days duration according to demand. There are 39km (24 miles) of cross-country trails in the area.

There are a variety of pistes to suit all levels of skier ability, from Beginner to Expert.

Snowboarding

Leysin has been a major 'boarders destination since the early years of the sport so its credentials and credibility are not to be questioned! The resort staged its first World Pro tour event as early as '92 when 'boarding was still banned by many resorts and the Nescafé Masters World Cup and separate European Championships through the mid '90s. The Giant X Tour is a major event for snowboarding and skiing in whole Switzerland. The final generally takes place in Leysin.

Fixed assets include a snowboard park with half pipe that is kept in shape when conditions are good. You can access most of the terrain from the gondolas and chairlifts which make up the vast majority of the lifts, a definite plus for 'boarders who have only a handful of T Bars to bother about and few of them of key access importance. The terrain doesn't have much steep and scary stuff but it does have plenty of interesting nooks and crannies, especially in the trees at the edge of the lower runs, so freeriders can find a lot to enjoy if they look about or tag along with someone with local knowledge.

An avalanche training center offers the opportunity to train on the avalanche risk. More information is available at the guides office: +41 24 4941846

Aprés Ski

There are about 8 bars, also in hotels or connected to restaurants in Leysin. The Cable bar is one of the livelier choices. The atmosphere is generally young and international. Snacks, barbecue and paella (on request) and concerts make it very popular! It is situated at the end of the slopes, down the gondola. There are two night spots - The Lynx and Le Seven playing the current European chart hits.