Champoussin

Champoussin is a small, traffic-calmed village above Val-d'Illiez, with meadow-side chalets, gentle slopes on the doorstep and one of the largest linked ski areas in the world beyond them.

Sitting on a sunny shelf above the Val-d'Illiez, Champoussin is the calmest of the Swiss gateways into the Portes du Soleil — a circuit of more than a dozen linked villages spanning the Swiss-French border. Wide, forgiving pistes above the village make it a natural choice for families, while the runs towards Les Crosets and Avoriaz reward stronger skiers.

Accommodation here is traditional rather than glossy: timber chalets with open fires, saunas and balconies looking straight onto the slopes, most within a short walk of the lift.