Moonrise in:

winter

Other activities

Cross-country skiing, hiking/walking & snow-shoeing

Cross-country ski tracks and trails criss-cross the entire Villars-Gryon region, in total about 50km through areas of undisturbed silence and natural beauty. Some are purely relaxing, around beautiful mountain lakes and through woodland and others are far more challenging.

Casual walkers and serious hikers can enjoy 7 trekking and discovery itineraries on snow shoes, and 12 winter walk itineraries, of which 3km are even suitable for prams (maps available from the Tourist Office).

Some popular routes start from the Col de la Croix road, des Frasses (just above Chalet Moonrise at Barboleuse), des Chaux, de Cergnement or Bretaye.

Along the trails you’ll find restaurants and mountain huts with typical Alpine charm, which serve refreshments to recharge your batteries.

For the technically inclined: cross-country skiers, hikers and snow shoe enthusiasts can now download their mapped itineraries onto Palm/GPS (see the Villars Tourist Office website for details.)

Cross-country skis and boots, and also snow-shoes can be hired from the sports shops in the village.

 

Sledging

Glide downhill through the forest from Col de Soud to Villars on a 2km long run or enjoy an 8km slope at Col de la Croix from Les Mazots to Les Diablerets.

There are also sledging slopes at Gryon, Cergnement (at weekends) and Frience.

 

Ice Skating

On the square in Barboleuse, the outdoor ice rink of Gryon is a friendly meeting place in Winter. There’s a small snack bar, with skate hire and skating lessons on site. A larger indoor rink can be found at the Centre des Sports in Villars. Evening skating is also scheduled regularly and you can even watch the local hockey teams practicing and playing.

 

And also...