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WINTER RESORTS OF LAKE GENEVA REGION
Ski above Switzerland’s Beautiful Lake
Lake
Geneva (Lac Leman) is famous for it paddle steamers and grand and glorious
Bel Age Riviera towns of summer, but in winter when the snow
frosts the Alps peaks in a blanket of snow glimmering in the crisp water,
the Geneva Lakeland becomes a winter playland for skiers, boarders
and
even hot air balloons - with special savings for families.
Château-d'Oex
near Gstaad is the capital hot air balloons in January,
thanks to its special microclimate, over a hundred worldwide hot air
balloon enthusiasts come to Château d’Oex for the International
Balloon Festival (see Chateau
D'Oex Winter Balloon Festival), but if fast slopes
rather than bags of air float your boat - a fixed price for skiing gives
access
to
over
250
km
of runs,
including the Gstaad Mountain Rides and Glacier 3000 area. The downhill
ski slope offer alternatives for every level. For the kids, the snow
garden is the ideal place to learn to slide while having a blast. Snowshoe
enthusiasts have over 40 km of marked trails, and for those who prefer
speed low to the snow, a 4 kilometer sledge run connects the upper Domaine
de La Braye to the intermediary station. Families will particularly appreciate
the winter sports offers in Rougement, where all children under 9 are
admitted free on the ski lifts and enjoy reduced accommodation rates.
Les Diablerets – Glacier 3000 - located at 1,200
meters in the Alps of the Lake Geneva Region, Les Diablerets features
a broad range of winter sports - skiing, backcountry, tobogganing,
ice skating and curling. The Les Diablerets Region offers three ski areas
- Isenau, ideal for families, children and beginners; Meilleret, with
easy and average difficulty runs. The Glacier 3000 ski area includes
25 kilometers of runs at altitudes ranging from 3,000 to 1,350 meters.
The Combe d’Audon slope is one of the longest and most demanding
challenge for any skier. With its “Monsterpark” Glacier 3000
provides good snow as early as November. Its Big Mama run will set every
snowboarder and free skier’s heart beating a little faster. Next
to the Meilleret chair lift, the Fun Park with its sledge lift is a great
place for families, with night operation four days a week. Families will
especially appreciate that children under 9 are admitted free on the
ski lifts as well as in some lodgings.
The
Les Mosses – La Lécherette
Plateau - this Alps plateau offers a downhill skiing area,
as well as a vast network of cross-country ski runs and several trails
for snowshoe walking.
The quaint little village provides a cozy winter hideaway less traveled.
The Nordic area boasts cross-country ski runs and snowshoe trails.
On the Pra-cornet plateau the Espace Nordique is a privileged area
with its own refuge, accessible only to cross-country skiers and snowshoe
walkers. The downhill ski area of Les Mosses-La Lécherette ranges
in altitude from 1,450 to 1,870 meters offering 40 kilometers of runs
and 13 ski-tows. A treadmill, mini ski-lifts grouped together in the
snow garden, and progressive ski-tows allow for learning to ski while
gaining self-confidence, making the area a favorite for beginners and
families. The Les Mosses-La Lécherette ski area is connected
to Leysin by shuttle bus together with over 100km of ski runs. Children
under 9 can ski for free and are accommodated in their parents’ room
free of charge.
Leysin - More
than the altitude, what is breathtaking at La Berneuse above Leysin
is the
view of the
Mont Blanc, the Dents du Midi, the Eiger, and de Mayen.
The solar powered revolving restaurant at Kuklos presents a magnificent
stunning panoramic mountain view while keeping warm. Leysin has many
sports activities to offer including downhill skiing and snowboarding.
There are fifteen slope runs from the summits to the village. Thanks
to snow cannons the descent all the way down to the village continues
through the season. There are easy slopes for kids and for snowboarders
and thrill skiers, Leysin has a special area reserved for freestyle with
a snow park, a super-pipe and a permanent snow-cross trail. The Tobogganing
Park next to the skating rink and offers up to 12 runs for young and
old. Inner tubes and Toboggans slide a track comparable in bobsledding – built
by Olympic-medal-winner in tobogganing, Silvio Giobellina.
Joux Valley in the Jura - to the west of Lake Geneva in the Jura mountains, the Joux Valley is the land of cross-country skiing and snowshoes. Over 220 km of runs above the valley fog and under the sun, snow covers the hilly countryside of the Jura sector near Geneva, allowing intense moments of communion with winter’s nature, silence and the biting cold. During intensely cold winters Lake Joux freezes over completely to become a huge, natural skating rink, and regardless of the weather, the indoor skating rink of the Sentier Sports Centre ensures high-quality ice all winter long. Travel and ski packages are available through the Lake Geneva Region tourism bureau. Geneva is the nearest airport or rail from Zurich is under two hours. With a Swiss Rail Pass (see Swiss Pass Value) travel between the resorts for variety. © Bargain Travel Europe
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Lake
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These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission. Photos courtesy Switzerland/Lake Geneva Tourism.
SEE ALSO:
OLYMPIA BOB SLED RUN - ST MORITZ-CELERINA
PADDLEWHEEL CRUISING LAKE LEMAN
CHATEAU
D’AIGLE WINE MUSEUM
PATEK
PHILIPPE WATCH MUSEUM GENEVA
IS SWITZERLAND TRAVEL EXPENSIVE?
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