Chateaux d'Oex switzerland
Review of snowboarding and skiing in Chateaux d'Oex Switzerland.
Chateaux d'Oex Ski Holiday Facts
Established in 1904 the Swiss ski resort Chateaux d'Oex lies at 1700 metres altitude in the Vaud region of the Swiss Alps / Alpes. With the highest lifts and ski slopes below 2500m Chateaux d'Oex ski area is not snow sure. Over 3 snow cannons ensure artificial Chateaux d'Oex snow making covers 0.3km of ski trails, which equates to around 5 of the ski slopes. The nearest airport transfer to Chateaux d'Oex (Switzerland) is Geneva / Geneve at a distance of 142km or approximately 150 minutes driving time. Chateaux d'Oex ski season runs from December to April.
SNO-man says
A lovely village on the French side of the French/German language border within Switzerland. Home for many years to actor David Niven and still to the biggest annual ballooning festival in the Alps each January. More than 250km of piste are available on the Gstaad Mountain Rides pass which includes the mountain railway which conveniently runs between base lifts at most of the resorts en route.
alpine downhill runs to ski in Chateaux d'Oex Switzerland
Beginner Trails
 4 runs 3km |
40% |
Intermediate Trails
 2 runs 3km |
20% |
Advanced Trails
 3 runs 5km |
30% |
Expert Trails
 1 runs 1km |
10% |
Chateaux d'Oex Resort & Holiday Info
| Beginners learning to ski |  |
| Intermediate Skiers | |
| Expert Skiers | |
| Snowboarders | |
| Apres Ski | |
| Family friendly | |
| Snowsure | |
| Ambience | |
| Value for money | |
| Ski Pass Prices (adult 6 day) | CHF297 - CHF297 |
Traditional Ski Village / Purpose Built Ski Resort |
| Ski Resort Opens | Dec 2011 |
| Ski Resort Closes | Apr 2012 |
| (snow conditions often influence resort opening & closing) |
Ski Area Chateaux d'Oex Mountain
| Downhill Ski Runs | 25km |
| total length of Chateaux d'Oex trails |
| Longest lift serve Run | 4km |
| longest piste or trail reachable by ski lift |
| Ski Slope Orientation | N, E |
| direction Chateaux d'Oex ski areas face |
| Top Altitude | 1700m |
| top station of highest ski lift |
| Bottom Altitude | 968m |
| bottom of lowest ski run |
| Resort Altitude | 1000m |
| centre of Chateaux d'Oex ski resort |
| Vertical Drop | 802m |
| total descent from top lift to bottom piste |
| Skiable Vertical | ^v 802m |
| can include extra hike up which may be possible above top lift - stat used by some resorts to con us about true "vertical drop" which is lift-served |
Skiing in Chateaux d'Oex
Skiing Chateaux d'Oex you'll enjoy 10 pistes and trails and that means approximately 25km of ski runs. Chateaux d'Oex lifts number 6 with the capacity to uplift 5000 skiers up the mountain per hour. The longest ski run in the Swiss ski resort of Chateaux d'Oex is over 4km long. Ski Chateaux d'Oex summer or winter as there is also glacier skiing in Chateaux d'Oex.
Chateaux d'Oex Ski Area
Chateaux d'Oex ski area has 40% beginner ski runs or nursery slopes, 20% intermediate, 30% advanced ski slopes and 10% for expert skiers - the most difficult Chateaux d'Oex piste is the 4km Bois Cheneau run, with a steepness/slope angle of ?%. You can't ski Chateaux d'Oex after dark.
Chateaux d'Oex for skiing gets 4 stars out of 5 overall
Snowboarding in Chateaux d'Oex
If you snowboard Chateaux d'Oex you'll want to know that, of the 6 ski lifts in total, 3 are surface lifts or "drag lifts" - this gives a good indication of how modern the lift system is and well set up Chateaux d'Oex snowboarding is - especially for beginners learning to snowboard. Chateaux d'Oex snowboard facilities include 1 terrain parks and 0 half pipe (longest half pipe length is 0 metres), 0 quarter pipe and 0 boardercross courses.
Chateaux d'Oex for snowboarding gets 3 stars out of 5 overall
Chateaux d'Oex Apres Ski
The apres ski Chateaux d'Oex scene and off-slope or "non-skier" activities include:
10 apres ski bars 13 restaurants 1 bowling 1 night club 1 cinema 5 billiards / pool 1 games room 0 concert 0 indoor swimming 0 outdoor heated pools 0 saunas 0 hot tubs 1 solariums 1 masseurs 0 indoor ice skating 1 outdoor ice skating 1 indoor sports centre 0 indoor tennis 0 squash racquetball 1 sleigh rides 1 ballooning 1 horse riding 10 prepare winter walks 1 climbing 0 golf 0 fishing 2 museum 1 library Plus these additional apres ski facilities ?.
SNO-man says
Château-d'Oex has the facilities you would expect of a small village with limited exposure to mass tourism. There is an outdoor natural ice rink and a teenager's cafe with games room. However, with the lift pass, it's easy to jump on the train and access the large indoor swimming pool complex in Gstaad (free to lift pass holders) or the excellent sports centre there. Really you get the best of both worlds, a friendly, picturesque and unspoilt village with reasonable prices, but 'free' access to one of the world's top international resorts and its attractions thrown in.
Worth a visit in Château-d'Oex is a small but good museum which charts the history of the region and, in particular, its cheese production, as well as the opportunity to try ballooning, for which the resort is famous, or parascending.
Day trips beyond Gstaad to Montreux, Lausanne or even Geneva are all easy on the train. The highlight of the year in Château-d'Oex is the international ballooning festival, the largest in the Alps, with over 80 participants, staged every January.
Chateaux d'Oex for apres ski gets 3 stars out of 5 overall
More Chateaux d'Oex Snow Ski Area and Resort Information
Chateaux d'Oex resort - ski Chateaux d'Oex by any other name
The Swiss ski resort of Chateaux d'Oex ski resort is also known as Château d'Oex La Braye and has the following common misspellings:
Chateaux d'Oex ski area has ski slopes which face N, E
The direction which the various Chateaux d'Oex ski slopes face can make or break your skiing or snowboarding holiday. If you want to guarantee good snow and ski conditions, you should choose a resort with ski slopes which face the right way for the time of year you're travelling.
- In the coldest winter months of January and February you need a ski resort with some sunny south facing ski slopes, so your days on the snow doesn't feel like a polar expedition. Conversely, in the warmest spring skiing months of March and especially April, a ski resort with some cool and shady north facing slopes will ensure you're not skiing on slush, but benefitting from best late season snow. The best ski resorts have ski areas and slopes which face in all directions so that you're guaranteed greating skiing whatever the weather. Chateaux d'Oex ski resort has ski slopes facing N, E.
Chateaux d'Oex for snow gets 3 stars out of 5 overall