Leysin: skiing beneath the Tour d’Aï in the heart of the Vaud Alps

Leysin is not an unfamiliar place to me. We regularly visit here in the summer for our children’s hockey camps, so I mainly associate this corner of the canton of Vaud with mountain hikes, green meadows, and views of the surrounding peaks, among which the Tour d’Aï reigns supreme.

This made me all the more eager to see Leysin in winter – and this year, the impulse was simple: I bought the Magic Pass, which includes the Leysin ski area.

I set out to ski on Monday, expecting a quiet day on empty slopes. The reality was completely different. The slopes were full of school classes – probably from local (boarding) schools, but also from German-speaking areas of Switzerland.

Surprisingly, I didn’t mind this “school” atmosphere at all. Quite the contrary. Skiing felt very safe to me. Although I was skiing alone, I was confident that if anything happened, there were enough people around and someone would definitely help. And that’s something I always appreciate on days like this in the mountains.

How to get to Leysin

By car: From Bern, take the A12 motorway towards Lausanne. At exit 14-La Veyre, stay in the left lane and follow the signs for E27/E62/A9 towards Simplon/Gd-St-Bernard/Martigny/Montreux. Then take exit 17 towards Aigle/Ollon/Les Mosses and follow the signs to Aigle. From here, it is a 15 km climb to Leysin. There is a covered car park at the lower station of the Télécabines la Berneuse cable car – you can pay here using the PayByPhone app.

By public transport: Trains from Montreux run almost every 15 minutes. The journey to Aigle takes 9 minutes. Here you can board the R25 train, which will take you to Leysin-Feydey in 27 minutes. This train runs once an hour, always at .56. From here, it is about a 900-meter walk to the lower station of the Télécabines la Berneuse cable car. From Leysin-Village, Versmont, and Leysin-Feydey stations, free bus lines 170 and 171 also run to the cable car station.

Skiing with Magic Pass and prices without it

Leysin offers dynamic ski pass prices – for adults from CHF 68, children and juniors from CHF 25 and CHF 37, respectively, if you buy your ski pass online. However, the Magic Pass is valid here, which was one of the reasons I chose to ski here. The ski lifts are in operation from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Ski slopes in Leysin

Leysin is a well-known resort in the canton of Vaud above Lake Geneva. Formerly known as a place where people with tuberculosis were treated in sanatoriums, today it is home to prestigious boarding schools. But that doesn’t detract from the place’s picturesque nature. In addition to 250 kilometers of summer hiking trails, you will find 60 kilometers of ski slopes here in winter. The ski area in Leysin is connected by bus to the Les Mosses-La Lécherette area. Together, they offer 100 km of ski slopes, mostly blue and red (though one could argue they got the colors mixed up).

An interesting fact is that the slopes are not numbered. The small signs with numbers that you see on the slopes are not slope numbers, they are SOS points for rescuers – in the event of an accident, you report the number of the SOS point where you are located, which speeds up the response.

Personally, I liked the wide slopes in the “rear” part of the area near the Les Fers – Choulet ski lift the most.

Leysin for non-skiers

As in other resorts, there is a local ski school here. Lessons take place in the Vallée Blanche area above the village or at the top station of the La Berneuse cable car. The area also offers trails for winter hiking.

Where to eat in Leysin: mountain restaurants and refreshments on the slopes

There are quite a few places to grab a bite to eat here. Among the restaurants, Restaurant Kuklos stands out: it is the only revolving restaurant in western Switzerland (you are probably familiar with the revolving restaurants at the peaks of Stanserhorn or Schilthorn). If you don’t have time to enjoy the entire menu from appetizer to dessert, you can grab a quick bite at the self-service restaurant one floor below, where you order your food via a touch panel. You can also head to Refuge de Mayen or Chalet les Fers, and at the lower station of the Berneuse cable car, you can visit Restaurant Bar Le Bel Air or Cable Bar.

If you want to enjoy your picnic, there is a hut for that (but check whether any school classes are booked).

Other activities

For technical reasons, the local Freestyle & Snowpark is currently closed. But if you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, you can head to Tobogganing Park near the Centre Sportif de la Patinoire (winter stadium) after skiing. The park is just a minute away, right at the village entrance. It is recommended to reserve a spot (for 1 hour and 45 minutes) in advance. Prices are also dynamic, ranging from around CHF 24 on weekdays to CHF 35.

Summary

Leysin has once again convinced me that great skiing in Switzerland does not necessarily mean large, crowded resorts or extremely demanding slopes. It is the combination of blue and red trails, a lively but manageable atmosphere, and good infrastructure that makes Leysin a place where people like to return – even on their own.

Thanks to the school groups and the family-friendly nature of the resort, I felt safe and relaxed here, even though I was skiing unaccompanied. Leysin is also an ideal choice for families, school ski courses, and anyone who wants to spend a day in the mountains without stress or unnecessary rush. And if you have a Magic Pass, Leysin is a very pleasant bonus that is worth including in your winter itinerary in the canton of Vaud.

For me personally, it was a wonderful opportunity to get to know a familiar place in a completely different season – and confirmation that Leysin works not only in summer but also in winter.