The village is situated at 1050 m in the Chablais region at the foot of the Dents-du-Midi and the Dents Blanches and is one of Switzerland's oldest tourist destinations. Champery is one of the oldest, and prettiest, Swiss ski resorts.
Champery ski resort - Portes du Soleil ski area
Cable-cars and chair-lifts lead from Champéry into the skiing area of "Portes du Soleil", one of the world's largest continuous skiing areas. Within it, there are 12 different areas for skiers and snowboarders – 4 in Switzerland and 8 in France – with 208 lifts and 600 km of prepared slopes available to them.
On the Swiss side, the heart of the ski area is Champéry: a beautifully preserved old rustic village at the foot of the impressive Dents du Midi.
The Swiss part of the Portes du Soleil ski area can be accessed separately with a CLCF ski pass. This pass covers the four Swiss resorts of Champery, Les Crosets, Champoussin and Morgins and no fewer than 33 ski lifts. Here you can experience skiing and snowboarding at its best on a total of 100 km of slopes and ski routes.
Skiing & snowboarding
Champery is not a ski-in ski-out resort. The pistes are above it at Planachaux and to reach them it’s necessary to ride the Telepherique cable car up from the village in the morning or take a bus to the Grand Paradis fast Chairlift.
Apart from the two red runs descending to the bottom of the Grand Paradis chair, the local slopes are above the treeline and mostly between 2000m and 2300m. They tend to face East or South East so are at their best mid-morning.
There are plenty of blue runs in the Champery-Les Crosets area. When you’re ready to start making longer journeys, the Swiss side of the Portes du Soleil is almost entirely composed of blue pistes. The long blue runs to the bottom of Sepaya in Champoussin is a good initial destination. The next step must be the even longer blue run from Pointe de Mosette over the Col des Portes du Soleil and all the way to Morgins. If you accomplish that without incident, by the end of the week you might be ready for the lovely long Grand Paradis red at Champery.
In contrast to its appeal to near novices, Champery can not be recommended for absolute beginners. Even getting to the slopes is tricky for first timers. At the top of the Telepherique, it’s necessary to descend a short but quite steep and narrow path to the pistes.
Some of Champery’s blue pistes are actually quite steep, most notably the ones beside the Ripaille Drag Lift. Beginners and nervous intermediates who want a gentle start should initially stick to the area around the Planachaux, Louis and L’Echereuse lifts.
Those actively seeking out the toughest challenges should warm up on the short and sweet red run beside the Marcheuson drag lift. Then if they are brave enough, advanced skiers can head for the Swiss Wall under the Chavanette chair. This is usually a heavily mogulled run, marked as an ungroomed itinerary on the map. The ski slope at Pas de Chavanette – often simply called "Le Mur Suisse" (the Swiss Wall) – is one of the steepest in the world. Although it is only a kilometre long, the descent covers a difference in altitude of nearly 400 metres, with gradients of up to 60 degrees.
Much gentler, much longer and much more beautiful, is the Grand Paradis red run which curves around the Pointe de Rapaille red run and descends all the way down to the bottom of the Grand Paradis lift. It’s a lovely and popular way to end the day but it’s even nicer in the morning when you may well have it all to yourself.
Champery village
Champery ski resort is not big, everything is within a 10 to 15 minute walk. 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! Along the village street, there are numerous traditional chalets with their carved balconies and typical roofs, while visitors are delighted by the charming little shops, bars and restaurants. In the village, there is one of Switzerland's few bell-foundries still remaining in production.
Champéry’s relatively quiet après-ski scene is made up for by the town’s fantastic selection of dining options. The picturesque town’s main street features everything from Michelin starred fayre to classic family-friendly pizza to traditional local cuisine served in the cosiest of Alpine settings.
Hotel National while you may want to try the modern Asian menu at the Cafe du centre. The Bar Des Guides is the best starting point for a "night on the town" in Champery. La Crevasse, Champery's groovy nightclub, is the place to go if you really want to party.
Don’t miss an afternoon floating about in calcium and magnesium enriched waters at the Therms Parcs (located just outside of Champéry).
