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Visitor reviews for Villars Ski Resort

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• January 27, 2012
  Paul Meyer from United Kingdom
  

  We're back again. Just popped in for the weekend, snow and weather fantastic. Good idea to watch the icy roads as we have just slightly redesigned the car on route. Still good news is last year's snowfall seems to have put some of you off visiting. Those who seems to think Zermatt was good last year, well I can assure you it wasn't following a trip to the well renown Rifflealp Resort which saw us doing more gardening than skiing. Having a week in Soll next week so I will let you know what it's like but one thing is for sure it's going to be very boring without our local Olly Reid of the Alps, Murphy and a large bottle of Louis.
  Finest Ollon.
  car

• Villars Ratings

  Based on 11 votes. Vote

  Access: 4.1 (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Villars.	Public Transport: 4.7 (1) There are no buses or taxis to Villars, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 4.9 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 4.4 (1) No places to stay in/near Villars, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 3.2 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 4.7 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Villars.
  Ski in/Ski out: 3.8 (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.	Childcare: 4.5 (1) There are no child care facilities at Villars, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 3.8 (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Villars is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 4.2 (1) Villars relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 4.6 (1) There are no snow groomers at Villars, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Villars are groomed daily.	Shelter: 4.1 (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Villars is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 4.2 (1) If snow conditions are poor at Villars, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.	Regional rating: 4.1 (1) Villars usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
  Lift Staff: 4.5 (1) The staff at Villars are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Villars are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 4.0 (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
  Ski Schools: 4.8 (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.	Hire and Repairs: 4.8 (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
  Variety of pistes: 4.3 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Villars has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 4.9 (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
  Intermediates: 4.7 (1) No intermediate terrain at Villars, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 3.6 (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
  Snow Park: 3.2 (1) Not even a kicker at Villars, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 3.7 (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
  Cross-country: 4.2 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Villars, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 4.5 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Villars has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 4.3 (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.	Eating: 4.2 (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
  Apres-Ski: 3.9 (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.	Other Sports: 4.8 (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
  Entertainment: 4.3 (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.	Winter Walks: 4.5 (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
  Ski Pass Value: 4.1 (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.	Value (National): 3.6 (1) Overall, Villars is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
  Value (Global): 3.8 (1) Overall, Villars is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

  Based on 11 votes. Vote

• January 25, 2012
  Cyril H from Switzerland
  

  I am here in Villars now and can assure people that the snow is excellent and all runs open.

• January 21, 2012
  Steve Rumble from United Kingdom
  

  Just back from ten days of perfect pistes and weather. Petite Cham. Lift is superb and new safety measures at Alpe des Chaux are great. Best skiing conditions for many years and very quiet.

• January 05, 2012
  David H from United Kingdom
  

  Going back to Villars for all of February 2012, looking at early season snow and current conditions. I'm 100% certain the snow/pistes will be perfect and this combined with south facing dimension should make for some wonderful skiing conditions. With over 200cm of snow and the current forecasts I think this is as snowsure as you will get.

• January 02, 2012
  Paul f from United Kingdom
  

  There are a lot of comments on here about the lack of snow last year being unfortunate. That may be so, but it is hardly surprising given that this is a low altitude resort. It isn't snow sure, never has been. One comment states there was no snow anywhere in the Alps last year. This is simply not true. Zermatt, Saas Fee, Chamonix, even Livigno...snow sure places had perfectly good snow, simple as that.

  Villars is a nice town that also has decent skiing when conditions allow. If you are serious about skiing and want to go somewhere where you are guaranteed good conditions, this is not the place for you. Personally, I would never book a hol somewhere like Villars more than a week or two in advance. It's simply a gamble.

• December 19, 2011
  Alex Hutchinson from Switzerland
  

  New 6 man chairlift is Petit Chamossaire - opens up great off-piste runs and takes pressure off other lifts.

• December 12, 2011
  Steve Rumble from United Kingdom
  

  Here comes the white stuff, right on time for the opening next week. It can't be as bad as last year. It's such a great place and so much effort has been put in by the locals to improve facilities. They deserve a good season. I hope they don't upgrade the bonjour chairlift connection to Meilleret, the old one is really quaint.
  Also looking forward to further installments from Paul Meyer..........

• December 12, 2011
  andrew d from Australia
  

  Just been in Villars. Lots of snow fell last week (finally). More than 30cm on the mid slopes. More due this week.
  Going back for Christmas and really looking forward to it. One of the nicest resorts in the Alps and still relatively undiscovered (thank god).

• November 25, 2011
  David Hodges from United Kingdom
  

  Really looking forward to the new season, I'm sure the snow will arrive soon and fingers crossed for a great season. The new lift at Petite Chamossaire will be a much welcome addition, would be good to also upgrade a few lifts/T bars on the runs over to Les Diabrelets but I'm sure this will come in the next year or so plus we have the benefit of very very little queues problem.

• November 05, 2011
  Paul Meyer from United Kingdom
  

  2012 season is nearly upon us in Villars. Fantastic news of a new lift at the Petit Cham which will cheer up seasoned visitors. Last year's snow was mediocre to say the least but no different to any other resorts across the Alps where we visited as well(Soll and France included). Can't wait to sample some of the excellent après including that vintage Ollon brew and some fantastic cuisine at our fav restaurant Cookie which compares to some of London's finest. Oh and not to forget my favourite fun police woman who we did bump into last year parking her broomstick at the new Cookie Cafe Bertaye. Murphy were comin to get ya x

• May 27, 2011
  RAFAEL MIRANDA from Brazil
  

  I spent a week in January at Villars and there was very little snow. I am a snowboarder and it was very hard to go down the slopes on some days. The resort and the village is very nice and we had a blast. I will come back sometime and hopefully with more snow.

• May 25, 2011
  Josh Ackrill from United Kingdom
  

  I spent the entire 05/06 winter season in Villars and loved it, as a result I make the effort to visit on a yearly basis - tearing it up in Murphy's, Charlies and El Gringo's! The skiing is great, you hear people moaning about queues.....push in! ;) - On a serious note - this s a great resort, that has been updated hugely over the past 5 years, there are new chairlifts, a new telacabine - Cookies has opened up at Bretaye and it is all only 1hr 30 from Geneva - an all round winner! See you soon Villars as well as The Meyer's, The Murphy's and The Leech's.

• February 27, 2011
  fred bloggs from Afghanistan
  

  The last report on this site that said that it hadn't snowed for over a month was incorrect.

  [Editor's note: text reduced to maintain relevance]

• February 16, 2011
  Steve from Guernsey
  

  Half term next week and no snow in Villars/Gryon. Weather forecast does not look promising either. Snow cannons sitting idle. A real shame for the people who depend on a good ski season for a living.
  The guys in Pure Mountain sport are a nice bunch and have some good specialist kit. Good place to go if you are into Telemarking.

• February 11, 2011
  Leon from United Kingdom
  

  Villars is a great place and normally receives fairly good snow. Unfortunately, this is not the case this season. Time is getting on now and we haven't seen any snowfall for well over a month. The resort is in a bad spring like state and although we have the new snow canon installations, they have been working overtime up until a week or so ago. They have now run out of water in the reservoir so are unable to produce any new snow. It's a tragic season so far and loosing hope of it getting any better with temperatures regularly reaching 15 degrees by day. Cheers global warming!

• January 27, 2011
  Kevin from Switzerland
  

  Stayed in Gryon (Villars) this year. Great snow over Christmas. Love this place! Great new restaurant 'Cookies' run by Aussies and also found this little shop at La Barboleuse 'Pure mountain sport'. Super nice guys and they speak very good English and they have a good selection of kit.
  Heard that the snow is not too great at the moment but will be back for Feb so lets pray.

• November 26, 2010
  Julian from United Kingdom
  

  We're staying in Villars for a week. Over 18 inches of snow in the past 36 hours. Temperatures around -10 during the day. Looks amazing. It's a wonderful village with some lovely restaurants and shops.

• November 23, 2010
  Sally Dingle from United Kingdom
  

  85 km of snow cannon installed during the summer months - the link across to La Chaux and skiing right back to Villars (Roc d'Orsay) guaranteed throughout the season, which is good news given the late Easter in 2011. We have had an apartment in Rochegrise (Villars) for ten years and are still enchanted with the place - a real town, not a ski-station, full of character, decent skiing, great restaurants (try Lac de Chavonnes in the ski-season, but get there in good time, it gets full up very quickly) and friendly people. Not over-run with louts and speed-merchants. No problem at the Rochegrise station by the way, even after the Hotal Royalp development.

• November 09, 2010
  James Williams from United Kingdom
  

  People going to Villars in February over half-term week shouldn't complain about queues or inexperienced skiers; that all goes with the territory of half-term skiing. I avoid Feb altogether and suggest that those who complain about the crowds do so too; send your kids skiing on a school trip!

  XX

• October 15, 2010
  chris manfield from United Kingdom
  

  I was in Villars over the summer and the news is that they are putting in a load more snow cannons from Bretaye down to town - so will be able to ski down all through the season. Also, they have cannoned La Rasse (run down by Golf Club) as well as putting new cannons in at Gryon.

• May 31, 2010
  Tyson from Australia
  

  Showing off about how much wine you drink, how fast you go and who you hang out with does not make a good review or a good character reference!

• March 06, 2010
  Paul Meyer from United Kingdom
  

  We're on the way back for our fourth week this season in Villars. The snow this season has been good along with the Ollon which seems to taste better with every visit. Still not bored after 10 years, especially not with the 7pm straight line run home from the Col De Sud with Murphy pie eyed and full of vino.

• January 29, 2010
  Ross Goodburn from United Kingdom
  

  We went out to Villars the first week of Jan 10 and stayed at the Club Med hotel near the station.

  We had a very enjoyable week. The week before, apparently, was awful with heavy rain right up to 3000m! Luckily for us it snowed, we had about 80 cm of snow at the start of the week that made the conditions further up the mountain fantastic. However, the runs to Villars were very bad. They really do need to invest in proper integrated snow making on the lower slopes. They do have these giant portable snow makers but all they do is cover one patch with a load of man-made snow. Ok for when they smooth it out later but no good during the day!

  I agree with other people: it's faster to hop on the bus and take the gondola up than to go on the train but do go on the train at least once as it is a beautifully scenic, leisurely trip up to the slopes.

  I didn't see any crazy local brew filled English people hurtling down the slopes. In all honesty, there are always a few idiots from all nationalities, even the French and Swiss. But only one or two who are stupid enough to brag about being an idiot!

  I've skied in various very large resorts and was worried about going to a smaller one but this was unfounded. There is plenty to keep most people very happy here, it was only the price of everything here that caused concern. Luckily, I was all inclusive at Club Med. To give you some idea, a basic meal in Villars will set you back 35-40 CHF which currently is about £28-30 and that's just a main meal (more expensive on the mountain as well)!

  If there weren't so many other great resorts I've not skied yet, I would come back to Villars. I recommend it to everyone.

• December 15, 2009
  Wendi Leech from United Kingdom
  

  We too love Villars, not just for the skiing, which is ample for us, but for the ambiance and amazing views, coupled with the beautiful sunshine.

  We bought in Villars in 2005 and do not regret it at all. Yes, sometimes it gets busy, but look at the French resorts. Do you really want to meet everyone from Surrey? .....

  If the snow is not so good, Verbier is only 50 minutes away and Zermatt is about 2 hours drive if you feel like to doing a day trip with an early start.

  Those who don't care for Villars....that's ok, leaves more space for the rest of us!

• December 14, 2009
  paul meyer from United Kingdom
  

  Hopefully a great new season to come in Villars. I am hoping for great snow, some great ollon and a fun night out with Pamela Hutchinson who works for the local fun police.

• December 08, 2009
  Jack Lewis from United Kingdom
  

  I've been going to Villars for about 4 or 5 years. I basically learnt to ski there so I have done all of the ski school levels. 1, 2 and 3 in the Child sessions and 4, 5, and 6 in the adult sessions. I agree with most the comments, but I would like to add that Villars is actually very very quiet outside of the school holidays (in France, the UK, and Switzerland). During the school breaks it can be very busy.

  At the busy times it is always best to:

  Avoid the train up between 9 am and 10 am, as this is when most of the ski school go up.

  Book lunch and get away from the central Ski area, Bretaye.

  Go to Les Diablerets for a day trip

  Come down early or come down as late as you can.

  If you can get down early enough I would really recommend the toboggan run. If you're feeling extra organised then ski to Les Diablerets have a cup of tea at Les Mazots and do the Les Diablerets Toboggan run. It takes between half an hour and an hour but is absolutely fantastic and a great break from skiing.

• July 14, 2009
  pamela hutchinson from Switzerland
  

  I love Villars for its family appeal. It worries me, however, that people find it amusing to hurtle down the slopes fuelled by the local brew. We live here and worry for our little ones and this irresponsible attitude prevails seemingly amongst Brits. Wake up. If your little one was hurt I don't think you would have this bravado.

• January 29, 2009
  paul meyer from United Kingdom
  

  Many an enjoyable holiday enjoyed here at Villars flying down the slopes out of control fuelled by the local brew, Ollon. We have been at it 10 years and there's no better place to catch up with some fellow English lunatics. Hope that puts you off going to France.

• January 26, 2009
  lang from United Kingdom
  

  When it's high season Villars does get crowded due to the small number of slopes and it's low altitude. However, aside of the few weeks a year when it's crowded, Villars offers majestic skiing. During most mid week days, you would be pushed to see 10 people on the same run and you would often be alone.

  Over the years Villars has been getting more crowded in the busier weeks, and at weekends a lot of day trade arrives from locals, but that's because they know the best place to go.

• December 19, 2008
  David from United States
  

  Unfortunately the snow was lacking quite a bit in early Jan of 07 but still a fun location with very nice people and the views were amazing! You may even run into an ex Formula 1 driver. Best to ski at Les Diablerets if you want a challenge. Hope I can get back. Still it makes me a proud Canadian with Whistler not too far away from my NYC digs.
  As long as we can keep Global Warming at bay Villars should be OK!!.