Champery Ski Resort Review 2026
Champery is the most characterful corner of the Portes du Soleil, a real Swiss village of weathered chalets with cable car access to around 600 km of linked skiing. It suits intermediates and mixed groups who want French scale mileage with Swiss village charm and calmer evenings. Skip it if you need doorstep ski in ski out convenience or snow to the front door, because the village sits low and you ride the cable car home at the end of the day.
By the Ski Resorts for Kings editorial team · Last reviewed July 2026
Mountain stats at a glance
| Resort altitude | around 1,050 m |
|---|---|
| Top lift | around 2,250 m on the linked circuit |
| Vertical | roughly 1,200 m from the high points to the valley |
| Pistes | around 600 km across the Portes du Soleil |
| Run split | blue and red heaven with famous expert exceptions |
| Lifts | well over 150 across the full circuit |
| Season | roughly mid December to mid April |
| Nearest airport | Geneva, roughly a 1 hour 45 minute transfer |
| Day pass | around $75 |
Photos via Google. Contributed by Michael K., Danile Sauterel, Oleh, aka Alex A.lex.
Who it suits
Champery suits skiers who want the full Portes du Soleil, around 600 km of linked pistes shared with Morzine, Avoriaz and Chatel, but would rather sleep in a genuine Swiss village than a purpose built French station. The main street is weathered timber and slow evenings, the hotels are small and personal, and the cable car puts you on the Planachaux slopes in minutes. Intermediates get one of the great cruising circuits in the Alps from a base with real soul.
We send clients here who have outgrown the big French names and want quieter dinners and better service for the same money. Be clear about the tradeoffs though. The village sits at around 1,050 m with no reliable ski back, beginners face a lift ride to the learning slopes, and anyone who measures a holiday in doorstep convenience will be happier in Avoriaz. Champery is for people who think the village matters as much as the mountain.
The skiing
The cable car climbs from the village to Planachaux at around 1,800 m, where sunny, open slopes feed into the Swiss sector of the Portes du Soleil. Les Crosets and Champoussin lie over the ridge with a generous spread of blues and reds that stay noticeably quieter than the French side. From Pointe des Mossettes at around 2,250 m the whole circuit opens up, Avoriaz in one direction, Morzine and Chatel beyond.
The famous exception to all this gentleness is the Swiss Wall at Chavanette, one of the most notorious mogul descents in the Alps, a long, steep wall of bumps that strong skiers treat as a pilgrimage and everyone else rides the chairlift down. Beyond it the expert terrain is patchy, decent itineraries off the ridgelines after a storm, but this is fundamentally an intermediate circuit.
Snow is the honest caveat. Much of the Swiss sector faces south or west and sits below 2,300 m, so February is dependable but early and late season can be thin, and the low village means you plan around the lift home rather than skiing to the door. Mixed ability groups still do brilliantly here, there is always somewhere good to meet for a long Swiss lunch.
The village
Champery is the real thing, a farming village that became a resort in the nineteenth century and never tore itself down to prove it. The single main street runs between dark timber chalets and small family hotels, with the Dents du Midi filling the sky at the end of it. Evenings are fondue, a couple of low key bars and an early night, with a respectable pool and ice rink complex for families.
Non skiers do better here than in most Portes du Soleil bases because the village itself is worth a wander and the rail link down the valley opens up Montreux and the Lake Geneva shore for a day trip. What you will not find is nightlife or shopping of any consequence. The wrong guest is bored by Wednesday, the right one books the same week the following year.
Where to stay
Lodging is small hotels, family run and personal, plus a good stock of rental chalets and apartments. The addresses closest to the cable car station earn their premium on stormy mornings. Groups who want the catered chalet formula will find a handful of operators running houses here at prices below the famous French names across the ridge.
Our guide to booking a catered chalet explains the formulas. If you want Champery priced for your dates, use the form below and we will route your brief to operators who know the Swiss side of the circuit.
Lift pass prices and how to save
The full Portes du Soleil pass runs around $75 a day, fair for around 600 km of linked skiing and cheaper than the big Swiss circuits. A Swiss sector only pass exists for noticeably less and is honestly enough for a relaxed week based here. Multi day and family rates improve the picture further, and buying ahead online beats the window in peak weeks.
Compare current prices and buy ahead through our lift pass partner.
Lessons and ski hire
The local Swiss ski school is small enough to feel personal and strong with children, with English widely available. Private instruction is the better product here for adults chasing the full circuit, a guide who knows the quiet Swiss corners transforms the week. Hire shops cluster near the cable car, and reserving ahead matters in February.
Arrange lessons through our lessons partner and gear through our ski hire partner.
Getting there
Geneva is the gateway, roughly 1 hour 45 minutes by road, one of the easier transfers in the Alps. The scenic alternative is rail, a train to Aigle then the little mountain railway that climbs directly into the village, which is one of the prettiest arrivals in Switzerland. Drivers should note the village manages traffic tightly in season, which keeps the street pleasant.
Book an airport transfer through our transfer partner, and sort cover through our travel insurance partner before you travel.
When to go
February is prime, with the best snow on the Swiss sector's sunny slopes and the village at its liveliest. January is colder, quieter and better value. March works high on the circuit but plan on the lift down as the low runs soften, and early December and late April are a gamble this far below 2,500 m. If conditions matter most, aim for mid January to early March.
The honest bottom line
Champery is where you base a Portes du Soleil week when the village matters as much as the mileage. You trade doorstep snow for charm, calm and Swiss service, and for the right group that is a trade worth making every time. Keen circuit skiers, families with patient logistics and anyone allergic to purpose built resorts will be happy here.
If you want this trip priced by specialists, tell us your dates and budget below and we will route your brief to operators who know Champery and the Portes du Soleil.
Nearby alternatives
Avoriaz: The snow sure, ski in ski out hub of the circuit, the convenience Champery deliberately is not. Morzine: The big lively French market town option with the same circuit and far more nightlife. And Chatel: The other authentic village of the Portes du Soleil, on the French side at friendlier prices.
Common questions
Is Champery part of the Portes du Soleil?
Yes. Champery is the main Swiss village of the Portes du Soleil, linked by lift to Les Crosets, Champoussin and across to Avoriaz, Morzine and Chatel, around 600 km of pistes on one pass.
Can you ski back to Champery?
Not reliably. The village sits at around 1,050 m and the home runs rarely hold good snow, so almost everyone rides the cable car down. Plan on it and the village's charm more than repays the inconvenience.
Is Champery good for beginners?
Only moderately. The learning slopes are up the mountain at Planachaux and Les Crosets rather than next to the village, and progression means dealing with lift logistics. Beginners get an easier life in a purpose built resort.
What is the Swiss Wall?
The Chavanette descent between the Swiss and French sectors, one of the steepest and most heavily mogulled marked runs in the Alps. Strong skiers love it, everyone else takes the chairlift down with no shame whatsoever.
How do I get to Champery?
Geneva is roughly 1 hour 45 minutes by road. The rail route via Aigle ends with a mountain railway that climbs straight into the village, a genuinely lovely way to arrive.
Is Champery expensive?
Mid range for Switzerland and reasonable for the skiing on offer. Day passes run around $75 for the full circuit and lodging is small hotel and chalet led, so most weeks land in the $2,000 to $4,000 per person band.
Where should you stay and when should you go?
Plan your Champery trip with specialists
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