Snowshoe tour in the Vaud Alps

When I was watching the sun set over Lake Geneva on a beautiful autumn evening in Prafandaz near Leysin last October, I decided to visit the Vaud Alps in winter. A few hours before, I had to confess to my shame that I had always taken the train in Aigle in the direction of Champéry – Les Portes du Soleil and had NEVER been to the Vaud Alps with the main towns of Villars, Les Diablerets, Leysin and Château-d’Oex. Time to change this! At the end of January, the time has finally come.

Winter weekend in Villars-Gryon

My winter weekend in Vaud together with Laurène from Carnet d’Escapades is just around the corner. At Aigle station, this time we take the bus in the direction of Villars. On an adventurous road with numerous serpentines, the post bus slowly winds its way uphill. We leave the Rhône Valley behind us and see Villars-Gryon in front of us on a sunny hillside with a view of the Dents du Midi. Once at the top, the narrow-gauge railway continues in tight curves to Bretaye at 1,800 m above sea level. This is the starting point for winter adventures in the Villars-Gryon ski area. Today, however, a snowshoe tour is planned.

Start of the snowshoe hike at the mountain station

Before we plunge into the snowshoe adventure, we fortify ourselves at the Cookie de Lac restaurant, which is located right next to the mountain station of the Bex-Villars-Bretaye cable car. A very cozy restaurant with friendly service (the German-speaking Swiss could take a leaf out of their book of hospitality here!), but which has exotic surprises in store on the menu that I wouldn’t necessarily have expected. We order fish & chips (27 CHF) and a Croute Chammosaire (24 CHF).

But so many calories also want to be worked off again. That’s why we pull ourselves together just before the soup comma and strap our snowshoes to our feet.

An easy afternoon tour around the three lakes – Lac de Bretaye / Lac Noir / Lac des Chavonnes – and back to Bretaye is planned.

Already after the first few meters I am completely enchanted by the cozy chalets. We cross the idyllic hamlet of Morgex, which is located above the Lac de Bretaye. Imagine spending your winter holidays in one of these chalets, in the middle of the ski area. It doesn’t get any more perfect than that, does it?

We cross a ski slope and then we find ourselves on a beautiful snowshoe trail that takes us through quiet and unspoiled winter landscapes. To the left and right of the trail there are exciting animal tracks to discover. Between the fir trees, there are always beautiful views in the direction of Leysin and Château-d’Oex, where the Festival International de Ballons is actually taking place. Unfortunately, they have a bit of bad luck with the weather this weekend.

At the Lac de Chavonnes we take a short break and enjoy the seclusion. No skier gets lost here. The lake itself lies under a thick layer of ice. It is hard to imagine that it has a temperature between 21 and 24 degrees in summer and invites you to swim. Although, the snow has also saved a bit here this winter with its splendor. At the restaurant of the same name on the lakeshore, a sign marks the snow depth from the record winter of 1999.

The snowshoe tour at a glance

After a good 2 hours (distance 5 kilometers) we reach our starting point in Bretaye. The route can be found on the map below. You can find more route suggestions for snowshoe tours in the region here: Villars-Gryon winter map

Of course, we don’t go back to Villars without a veritable aperitif. That’s exactly the beauty of holidays in French-speaking Switzerland – life is still enjoyed to the fullest here! But aperitifs also have to be earned, so we trudge down the valley with our snowshoes for another 15 minutes until we reach the Crazy Moose restaurant in the Maison de la Montagne. The former military building is now used as accommodation and a restaurant. Conveniently, it is located just two minutes from the Bouquetins stop. So after the aperitif we take the narrow-gauge railway back to Villars.

Note: My stay in the Vaud Alps was supported by Villars-Gryon Tourisme. As always, my readers can be sure that I always represent my views and enthusiasm here.