|
 Col
des Mosses (1,450m) is situated at the heart of the Alpes Vaudoises,
in beautiful mountain scenery. There are opportunities for many
sports and activities, including skiing (downhill and cross-country),
snowboarding, skating, ice diving in Winter, and walking, mountain
biking, tennis, sightseeing and shopping in Summer.
The region offers a great choice of walking at all standards. Through
beautiful countryside, you will discover the charm of this pre-alpine
region, its valleys, lakes and mountain streams, and the diversity
of its flora and fauna.
The resort is easily accessible throughout the year by car or train/postbus.
It has adequate shops and facilities, with supermarkets available
in Chateau
d'Oex and Aigle.
There are several excellent hotel/restaurants in the village.
The resort is superbly situated for touring this part of Switzerland,
with Lac Léman and Montreux, Gruyères and Mont Blanc
all within easy reach.
For more information,visit the
Les Mosses Tourist
Office web site.
Winter sports:
The eleven lifts around Les Mosses and the adjoining La Lecherette are well spread over both sides of the pass, giving access to about 60km of pistes for
downhill skiing between 1400m and 1900m and 25km for cross-country (see Piste
Map). The great majority of the runs are graded blue or red, making it ideal family terrain, while enthusiasts can test their legs on the three black runs. There are pistes to suit everybody, in particular beginners and intermediate standard skiers.
The geographical setting in the North-West of the Alps gives Les Mosses the best of snowfalls, and with most of the runs facing east or west the pistes hold their surface quality well. This also means that on cold days you can move around the valley to stay in the sun all the time.
Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the skiing is the sheer lack of queues. Anyone who has stayed here before or visited from a nearby resort can vouch for this; even in the busiest periods queueing averages no more than five minutes. More typical is to find the lifts waiting for you.
Lift passes are good value at about £12 per day,
and equipment hire is around £60 per week.
A snow report for the Lake Geneva area is available
here.
 For
the more adventurous wishing an away-day, there are many extensive
and challenging resorts within a 40 min drive, for example: Diablerets
and its glacier, Villars,
Chateau d'Oex,
Leysin, Gstaad,
Saanen.
Leysin in particular is worth a visit, especially  for
a view
like this.
Places to visit:
The many attractions within easy reach of Les Mosses include:
- The charming medieval town of Gruyères,
famous for its cheese and the beautiful surrounding countryside.
Take a trip up the Moléson
by funicular railway and gondola.
- A trip on Lac Léman by paddle-steamer. The "Montreux",
shown here, built in 1904, is the oldest of the fleet of eight
paddle steamers, and has recently been extensively restored, including
the installation of a new steam engine. Details at the Compagnie
Générale de Navigation web site.
- The Château
d'Aigle, dating from the 12th century, and housing the Wine
Museum.
- The ancient salt
mines at Bex, where you can visit the excavation galleries
and find out about salt mining techniques dating from 1684 when
these mines were opened.
- The impressive Château
de Chillon, full of history from the 11th to 16th century.
It was here that Bonivar, subject of Byron's "Prisoner of
Chillon", was held.
- The Swiss
Vapeur Parc at Le Bouveret, entirely dedicated to railways
and steam locomotives.
- Lose yourself in the world's largest maze at Labyrinthe
Aventure, at Evionnaz.
- Enjoy a wild and wet day at Aquaparc,
at Le Bouveret
- Attractions for all the family at Happyland
New, at Granges.
- Try canyoning, mud bike, via ferrata etc. at Parc
Aventure at Aigle.
To get in the mood, find some Swiss music from Swissinfo.
|
