Leysin Ski Resort Guide
Leysin ski resort combines with nearby Les Mosses and La Lécherette to make a fairly sizeable ski area. The 60km (local area) and 100km combined ski area are enough to keep most skiers and snowboarders happy for the duration of their ski holiday. Les Mosses is close to Geneva making it a great resort for hassle-free transfers.
LEYSIN FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Leysin has a famous revolving restaurant, Le Kuklos, that sits prominently at La Berneuse. Le Kuklos is one of the first things you will notice as you leave the gondola. Assuming you are heading straight to the slopes rather than the restaurant you will walk around 40 steps from the gondola to be met with a view across to Tour d’Ai. Under Tour d’Ai you will see the Leysin Park which is impressive.
One of the things that stands out at Leysin is the number of quality pistes for intermediates skiers and snowboarders. Pretty much from all lifts you can access a really cruise blue, so the whole resort has an accessible to everyone kind of feel.
View across to Leysin Park under Tour d’Ai
LEYSIN SKI AREA
Leysin ski resort has 100km of pistes if you include the combined ski area with Les Mosses and La Lécherette. Locally the 60km of pistes are well suited to intermediate skiers and snowboarders. There are plenty of well-groomed trails in Leysin to keep intermediates exploring the mountain. With the addition of terrain parks and boardercross tracks, Leysin would be a great place to progress your riding.
The Leysin ski resort is linked to Les Mosses and La Lécherette by ski bus, the journey takes 9 minutes and the service runs every 30minutes.
BEGINNERS TERRAIN AT LEYSIN
Beginners have two main options for taking their first turns in Leysin. Near La Berneuse gondola station at the bottom of the mountain is the Vallee Blanche beginners area. Serviced by a magic carpet this is probably the best spot in Leysin ski resort to have your first ski lessons. The pitch of the Vallee Blanche area is perfect for learning and the magic carpet makes it fairly hassle-free. The other beginner’s slope is found at the top of La Bernuese gondola and beside Le Kuklos restaurant. This area is convenient for use of nearby facilities but it is fairly small with only a rope tow to transport for back up the hill.
Around the rest of the mountain there are a number of nice blue runs for beginners to progress onto. However, proceed with caution and be sure to check the piste map before heading off as blues tend to merge into red runs in Leysin. I helped one poor lady down from a red after she had ended up their by mistake!
INTERMEDIATE TERRAIN AT LEYSIN
Leysin ski resort is really well geared up for intermediate skiers and snowboarders. The majority of the trails are either blue or red with plenty of long runs meaning you don’t need to keep stopping. The combination of runs that form a complete trail from La Berneuse top gondola station all the way to the bottom station is a leg burner. Although shorter, some of my favourite trails were found in Les Mosses with the Artet T-Bar accessing some nice runs. Within Leysin the red under the Solepraz chair is excellent, although the chair is slow and tedious.
There are two boardercross tracks within the ski area with the Leysin boardercross being fairly mellow.
ADVANCED TERRAIN AT LEYSIN
There is little in the way of advanced terrain with a singular black trail above the terrain park. The terrain park itself does have a large jump line and a half-pipe which should offer enough challenge for most. I mean if it’s good enough for Candide Thovex it is probably good enough for you and me.
FREESTYLE TERRAIN AT LEYSIN
The freestyle set-up in Leysin seems pretty good. Although my visit was early season there were a number of jumps and rails already set up and the construction of the large jump line and half-pipe was well underway.
LEYSIN PISTE MAP
LIFTS AT LEYSIN
The lift infrastructure at Leysin is pretty good with a majority of lifts being fast and modern. The notable exceptions are Solepraz and the terrain park chair, both slower two-person chairs. The chairs in place connect the ski area smoothly and ensure that it is easy to navigate Leysin.
Nearby Les Mosses and La Lécherette are linked to Leysin by ski bus. Be aware that when in Les Mosses and La Lécherette there are no chairlifts only surface lifts.
LEYSIN PROS
Leysin is a sunny resort with plenty of bluebird days
Intermediate terrain is aplenty at Leysin with some stunning red runs.
The terrain park at Leysin is renowned for its quality and is the best in the Vaudois valley.
Good lift infrastructure makes Leysin easy to navigate
LEYSIN CONS
Leysin has little in the way of advanced terrain and advanced skiers could get bored.
The link to nearby Les Mosses is via a ski bus that runs every half an hour, missing it can add a long wait to your day.
TRAVEL TO LEYSIN SKI RESORT
Leysin village is near the town of Aigle which is accessible by public transport from Geneva. The route by road is simple, a short 1hr 40min drive around Lac Léman leads you up to the village of Leysin via Aigle. Train routes are possible from Geneva airport with a change in Aigle before heading up to Leysin village.
LEYSIN SNOW RECORD
Leysin has an average yearly snowfall of 401cm according to OnTheSnow although this amount can fluctuate greatly.
LEYSIN LIFT PASS PRICES
If you are going to ski and snowboard in Leysin or any of the other Magic Pass resorts for more than a week, it makes sense to buy the Magic Pass at early bird prices. Below is a list of the Leysin ski pass prices in the 2021-2022 season.
LEYSIN VIDEOS
LEYSIN GALLERY
ACCOMMODATION AT LEYSIN
Leysin village is split across the mountainside with the majority of accommodation below the gondola in the main village. Some accommodation is available above the gondola in quieter areas of the village. In Leysin you can find everything from plush hotels, self-catering apartments to catered chalets.
SEASON DATES LEYSIN
Leysin opens in late November or early December and the season can last into mid-April. In 2021 its opening date was 4th December. The early and late season snow quality can suffer due to Leysin having a lower elevation.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON LEYSIN
Leysin is a popular resort with families with the location making it easily accessible by road or public transport. The 60km local area is enough for most people but the extended area that encompasses Les Mosses and La Lécherette will provide more terrain for those who really want to explore. Leysin receives an abundance of sunshine due to its orientation so a Leysin ski holiday should ensure a couple of bluebird ski days.
