Villars, Switzerland

Visitor reviews for Villars

• March 22, 2008
  Paul Churchill from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  We bought here in 2003, and love the place, and would tend to agree with most comments submitted by previous subscribers, but would add the following:-
  This is not a place for adventurous skiing. In my 20's and 30's I spent a lot of time in the higher, better known resorts, and bought here in my 40's for myself and my family. It is perfect for my aging bones, but for my children, both teenagers and good skiers, the skiing has become unchallenging.
  Secondly, there has been a huge amount of building recently without sufficient investment in the skiing and transportation (apart from the new Roc d'Orsy bubble). When the new Royalp complex opens in 2008, the poor little railway station of Rochgrise will be worse than Victoria station in rush hour...and we come here precisely to get away from that sort of thing.
  Lastly, I can't believe the prices of these new apartments. Over a million pounds for a three bedroom pad, in a low lying, overcrowded ski resort with a poor snow record, and a five minute drive from centrville.

• March 21, 2008
  Susie from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Having skied in Villars for the last five years I would agree with all the positive points other people have made, but where people are moaning about the amount of skiers on the piste, I would say that it is certainly no worse than other resorts we have skied at during half term - that is the nature of school holidays. If you don't like busy pistes then go at other times. Also, in our experience the truly inconsiderate skiers were not English speakers, more those who knew the pistes extremely well and who had no time for those less experienced than themselves. One example would be a skier who came past us on a very narrow section at an incredible speed only to plough headlong into a couple of boarders who had crashed just around the next corner. Would you drive round a blind corner on a single track road at fifty miles an hour - I think not. However, I don't think Villars has any more inconsiderate skiers than anywhere else, probably less in fact as it is predominantly a family resort. We love it so much we have bought an apartment there - says it all I think.

• March 05, 2008
  nick from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Have skied in Villars every year since '64 for an average of three weeks a year and was a ski guide and instructor there in '80.
  Have seen the resort change out of all recognition and have always marvelled at the amount of building and how the slopes have managed to cope with the extra skiers. Was there in Feb this year and the amount of new building is phenomenal. However, there are now signs that they have overdone it and certainly at peak times they just don't have the pistes or the snow cannons to cater for all the people. Still a great resort off-peak and really pretty. Still have little idea of customer service.

• March 05, 2008
  D Ward from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Great resort, just pick your times, go at low season.

• March 01, 2008
  Del Re family from SWITZERLAND
  

  Agree with most of the comments made on Villars (eg. location from Geneva airport, families-friendly, English speaking instructors, etc. etc.)
  However, all the above has its negatives.
  1) Far too overcrowded on the few piste it offers, mostly inexperienced skiers, many beginners in the ski schools (many over from the UK thanks to EasyJet), travelling too fast, out of control or simply acting silly. Over the half-term week in February I personally witnessed 2 broken arms and at least 14 red helicopter takeoffs from the Villars-Les Chaux area....
  2) No snow cannons on the Villars piste. Thanks to our environmental shortsightedness the snow level remains high and the runs to the town become treacherous muddy/slushy (this year from early February). Most smart resorts employ snow cannons to ensure a good surface is restored every night (Italy and France have some excellent examples). Villars has virtually no such installations. Unless they "wake up and smell the roses" they will lose out to higher altitude resorts (eg. Verbier, Ovronnaz, Crans, etc.). Time to invest......
  The best advice for skiing in Villars when it is crowded is:
  a) get on the piste around 8.30am when the snow is crisp and most of the visitors are still sleeping. Enjoy Villars for about 2 hours with no queues and no crazy Englishmen hurtling down the mountain with the look of sheer panic on their faces.
  b) move over to Les Diablerets about 10.30am-11.00am. Ski and eat lunch there (less queues, better service, fewer silly skiers).
  c) Return to Villars town (if the runs to resort are passable) around 3pm-3.30pm before the whole mass of skiers begins the descent. Most of the helicopters were seen in this "twilight time" 3.30pm-4.30pm when the legs are tired, the runs are mushy, the room on the piste is limited, etc.
  Final comment: why would anyone consider skiing without a helmet. It is beyond logic to understand why we insist it on children (weighing one third our weight and travelling half our speed) but rarely see it on adults. A simple risk analysis would immediately identify that it is the adults that are far greater at risk (higher centre of gravity, less elastic, greater momentum, harder impact, etc.)
  So would the 14 incidents I witnessed. All adults getting taken away in helicopter. Food for thought.

  Safe skiing.....

• January 16, 2008
  Thomas family from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Villars is a great, medium-sized ski resort, offering skiing for all ages and levels. It is known for its good snow conditions making it a great place to ski. It is not far from Geneva airport and is easily accessible. Great resort for families with a friendly ski-school with friendly, good English speaking instructors. There is a good number of restaurants to choose from with some great ones hidden away in the mountains worth finding! Looking forward to returning this February with the family.

• December 13, 2007
  Jan Schnewlin from SWITZERLAND
  

  Absolutely great! New cable car taking only about 8 minutes from bottom to top!
  There is also a 24hour race every winter.

• March 05, 2006
  EH from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  This is a sensational resort. 72 miles door to door from Geneva airport (90% of it on 3 lane motorway), 220km of pisted runs, loads of off-piste if you know where to go, the 3rd highest glacier in Switzerland to give you guaranteed snow and if that's not enough the mountain scenery is incredibly beautiful to boot. Excellent restaurants and bars. Bernie Ecclestone is rumoured to have bought the Glacier to run as a business which illustates how awesome this place is.

• February 23, 2006
  Trevor Colebourne from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  I have skied for over 20 years in most European countries, and the majority of resorts in USA & Canada - so I ask myself where does Villars find its rank. Pretty high up in my view. I have never stayed in the resort itself (my pal has a place 30 mins down the road) so I cannot comment on the village life, but the place looks very good if not a bit on the quiet side (sorry I compare with the likes of Courcheval and Whistler.) Ok this is not the Trois Valleys or Colorado but this is an Easy Jet flight to Geneva (+ 1 hour) and you can get there from the UK for the price of a round of drinks in Courcheval 1850.
  When you arrive at the bottom lift station you will find the staff very pleasant and helpful and the day pass is fairly cheap. On to the more important stuff; the on piste skiing is excellent for the intermediate, and plenty of good stuff for learners. The advanced is a bit limited but if you enjoy long, high speed stuff (of the red & blue variety) you will not be disappointed. Try the run down by the golf course and stop at the restaurant for coffee (and in our case brandy) you will love it (but don't bother working out how many Swiss francs came out of your wallet)
  I'm back there again next week, and the snow looks good. I highly recommend this place; I suggest you try it even if only for a quick break.

• January 20, 2006
  Angus Gilmour from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Our family have skied in Villars for 2 consecutive seasons and will be returning in February 2006. Our first years was really to introduce our children to skiing and give them the basics through the ski school. Both boys absolutely loved it and we returned in 2005.

  My first impression was that there was not a huge mileage of challenging piste for the more advanced skier (I place myself in such category) and in February I enrolled in ski school. I am self taught and ski with my feet locked together and as I was feeling a little flush and conscious that my 205 metre skis the previous year were the longest by far in the train and cable car, I invested in a new pair of skis. I placed myself in class 6.

  Our week had a fantastic dump of snow and our group were taken off piste and we discovered areas that I had no idea existed and certainly were of equivalent difficulty as Verbier and Crans Montana but more beautiful and without the braying of Britons from Fulham and Chelsea.

  Sure, black pistes are not in great evidence and those that are are
  not particularly challenging. However, in the last 30 years I have
  noticed that black runs tend to be frequented by intermediate grade
  skiers (which is good) but those that are skiing tend to make runs of
  short durations stopping in places that are slightly narrower
  or steeper - and these are the places which give the run its black
  rating.

  That is more a criticism of skiing than of Villars itself.

  Take advantage of the lift pass and explore the adjoining resorts of Gryon and Les Diablerets. I have not been up to the glacier yet - in 2003 the day that I wanted to get up to the glacier it was closed due to extreme conditions and last year there was so much powder that it seemed such a shame not to take advantage of that that was on offer.

  I fully intend to take our family up there when we visit in Feb/March this year.

• January 08, 2005
  Simon Malster from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  If you are looking for a weekend break, Villars is a great choice as it took only 1hr 15 mins from Geneva airport. There are lots of new lifts and a decent ski area. Although it is a family resort we found some good bars and El Gringo night club was fun.

• November 19, 2003
  colincameron from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Great resort with lots of intermediate grade skiing. It also provides excellent facilities and slopes for beginners. Although it can be a bit limited for experts there is lots of excellent off piste.
  The resort is incredibly easy to get to from Geneva airport, being served with a railway all the way up through the village to the heart of the ski area!
  There are good ski schools, excellent hotels and the usual mix of restaurants, night clubs and bars.
  On the mountain there are a number of good places to eat and drink.
  The fact that this area links all the way to the top of the Diableret Glacier at over 3000m makes a this ski area a real gem with year round snow guaranteed at the top. The glacier is open for summer skiing with a large half pipe being built to give boarders a summer play park.

• 
  alun evans from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  stayed a week in Villars in Feb 2006, super little resort, close to Geneve airport and suitable for all levels of skiing