Les Diablerets report

A snowHead

We (two adults, 4 teens/students) chose this resort because of its transport links. 1 hour by fast train from Geneva airport (hourly service) to Aigle then another hour on the connecting mountain railway to Les Diablerets. If the engine didn't break down half way up all would have been fine, but in the end we had to hop on to the next train to complete the journey!

We stayed in an apartment opposite the station. Excellent for access with bags, less so for the lifts. There is a ski bus which gets us to the main areas in a few minutes, but then continues to the Glacier 3000 telecabine meaning a return journey of 25 minutes. Quicker to walk.

The snow was excellent and queues non-existent. The best snow was beyond the Meilleret ski area, above Villars and Gryon, which is connected by a long slow chair. (Villars was busier than Les Diablerets). The Isenau area was pretty good at the end of the week but we found only one run worth spending time on. We also spent a day up at Glacier 3000 which was interesting but unchallenging. The runs off the Glacier (red and black) were closed. Piste restaurant prices were not as scary as I expected, if anything slightly cheaper than popular French resorts like Meribel. We didn't eat out in the town although there were a few nice-looking places. No nightlife that I could see.

We bought the "superpass" which covered all the Vaud area plus the Gstaad area half an hour away by bus. Although not much more expensive than the local pass (something like 320 instead of 290 francs for 6 days), I wouldn't recommend it unless you have your own transport. The first bus to Gstaad leaves at 10am and the last back is at 4.15. By the time you are up on the slopes you get maybe 3-4 hours skiing. Other resorts on the Superpass don't have any connecting buses at all.

In short, it's a great little resort for families, especially if (not like us) you have under-9s, which qualify for free lift passes. Where it suffers is the infrastructure. Nothing quite links up. The buses don't quite run to the bottom of the lifts. They get you there quickly but not back. Lots of drag lifts where chairs would be appreciated. Various annoying little flat or uphill connecting bits which would benefit from at least a rope. Resorts anly a few km apart don't connect. No buses connecting either.

One nice touch was the presence of picnic shelters. The on at the top of Les Mazots chair was integral to a cheap cafe. The ones at Glacier 3000 and Isenau had views to die for.

Would we go again? Yes, probably, depending on the group. It doesn't have the expanse of the 3 valleys or Paradiski but it's good for an un-hurried break. Villars is arguably a better base for the region but it's rather fun skiing there even if the piste map is less than clear as to which direction the various lifts run. Transport and lift pass was expensive for what it was but food and accommodation was on a par with France and Austria.

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Les Diablerets report

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