Chateaux d'Oex, Switzerland

Chateaux d'Oex ski holidays

Established in 1904 the Swiss ski resort Chateaux d'Oex lies at 1000 metres altitude in the Vaud region of the Swiss Alps / Alpes. With the highest lifts and ski slopes at 1700m the area is not snow sure. Over 3 snow cannons ensure artificial snow making covers 0.3km of trails, which equates to around 5 of the slopes. The nearest airport transfer to Chateaux d'Oex is Geneva / Geneve at a distance of 142km or approximately 150 minutes driving time. Their 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

Beginner Trails  4 runs 3km	40%	Intermediate Trails  2 runs 3km	60%
Advanced Trails  3 runs 5km	30%	Expert Trails  1 runs 4km	10%

10 pistes and trails means approximately 25km of runs. 6 Chateaux d'Oex lifts have capacity to transport 5000 per hour. The longest run in the Swiss ski resort is over 4km. Visit summer or winter as there is glacier skiing in Chateaux d'Oex.

Of the 6 ski lifts, 3 are surface lifts or "drag lifts" - this gives an indication of how modern the lift system is and how good Chateaux d'Oex is for snowboarding - especially for beginners learning to board. Facilities include 1 terrain parks and 0 half pipe (longest half pipe length is 0 metres), 0 quarter pipe and 0 boardercross courses.

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 ?.

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.

Childcare in Chateaux d'Oex, Switzerland

Chateaux d'Oex day and evening care plus snow ski schools and babysitting.

A good choice for families, this centre is very rare for a village its size in Switzerland in that the Swiss ski school offers day care for children from age one up. Many of the hotels are also very child friendly, notably the Beau Sejour and the Ermitage, which has a children's playroom. If your children are just starting to ski then there are few more family-friendly gentle slopes than the lower slopes at les Moulins. Of course kids love getting on the mountain train to travel between resorts and then hopping on the gondola to try a new ski area every day. Children up to age nine receibe free lift tickets. Getting off at Gstaad and wandering down the pedestrianised high street to the big swimming pool complex is popular too. Château-d'Oex's cafe, especially for older children - with non-alcoholic drinks and a games room in the basement is another rarity. Later in the season the crazy golf course opens, but before that the natural ice rink goes down well, as does the night skiing twice a week, or maybe toboganning or a sleigh ride.

3 stars out of 5 overall    

Chateaux d'Oex Shopping

Chateaux d'Oex shopping - fashion boutiques, outdoor gear and food shops

Three shopping approaches to choose from in Chateau-d'Oex. First of all there are the shops in the resort itself - much as you would expect for a mid-sized resort, several good ski and gift shops, although a mix of 'normal' stores also. Then there's the option of hopping on the train to Gstaad to sample the stunning designer shopping opportunities for which that resort is famed - now with a pedestrianised high street to wander around on between them. Finally, there are the local products of the Pays d'Enhaut Valley, in particular the Etivaz cheese, created in the same way for generations. Even today 80 families are engaged in cheese production from June to October, using the traditional technique of heating the Alpine milk in enormous copper vats over a wood fire. For connoisseurs, the cheese has its premium varieties just like wine!

Chateaux d'Oex value for money gets 4 stars out of 5 overall    

Ski Equipment Rental Shops in Chateaux d'Oex

Chateaux d'Oex hire shops - overview of all shopping in Chateaux d'Oex

Three shopping approaches to choose from in Chateau-d'Oex. First of all there are the shops in the resort itself - much as you would expect for a mid-sized resort, several good ski and gift shops, although a mix of 'normal' stores also. Then there's the option of hopping on the train to Gstaad to sample the stunning designer shopping opportunities for which that resort is famed - now with a pedestrianised high street to wander around on between them. Finally, there are the local products of the Pays d'Enhaut Valley, in particular the Etivaz cheese, created in the same way for generations. Even today 80 families are engaged in cheese production from June to October, using the traditional technique of heating the Alpine milk in enormous copper vats over a wood fire. For connoisseurs, the cheese has its premium varieties just like wine!

Chateaux d'Oex ski rental shops value rating gets 4 stars out of 5 overall    

Main Ski School in Chateaux d'Oex

Chateaux d'Oex ski school - snowboarding course & skiing lessons

The official ski/board school is called Swiss Ski and Snowboard School and has ? teachers teaching in English, French, German, Italia, Spanish, Swedish and taking students from a minimum age of 3.ecoledeski@bluewin.ch www.ess-chax.ch 9246848

Chateaux d'Oex for beginners         gets 3 stars out of 5 overall    

Chateaux d'Oex for intermediates  gets 4 stars out of 5 overall    

Chateaux d'Oex for expert skiers   gets 4 stars out of 5 overall    

Chateaux d'Oex for snowboarding  gets 3 stars out of 5 overall    

Mountain & Snow Sports in Chateaux d'Oex

Chateaux d'Oex snow sports - off slope winter mountain sports

Cross Country Skiing (langlaufen) in Chateaux d'Oex: 28km X C ski trails, Lessons available? Y

Easy XC Ski Trails: 28km     Intermediate XC Trails: 0km   Difficult XC Trails: 0km

Telemark Tuittion: Y     Telemark Rental 1      Paragliding schools: 2

Snow mobile Rental: 0     Toboggan Run Length: 4km

Non Skiing Winter & Snow Activities in Chateaux d'Oex

Chateaux d'Oex snow fun - off slope winter activities

Outdoor Ice Rink: 1 Indoor Ice Rink: 0 Balloon Flights: 1

Prepared Winter Walks: 10 Snowshoeing: 1 Hang Gliding : 1

Snow mobile Rental: 0 Toboggan Run Length: 4km Paragliding schools: 2

Chateaux d'Oex non skiing facilities also include ?.