Les Alpes Vaudoises

Skiing in Switzerland is pretty awesome. For a start, there is an incredibly large choice of resorts and fields to go to. There's even an iPhone app to help you choose; you can sort by weather conditions or just hit the location button to see which fields are closest. For a second thing, they're all serviced by public transport, which makes getting there and back easy. And, the train company offers Snow'n'Rail deals. Apart from the silly 'n' usage in the name, there's nothing to dislike about these deals - they cover return public transport to the ski field and a lift pass, and you get 20% off the lot for combining them.

Tanya about to drop in on a steepish run.

Tanya and I are on a mission to try a few different ski resorts while we're on our Christmas break. Most of the ski fields near us are accessed through the town of Aigle in Valais, where, in the train station next to the main intercity railway, there is a neat line of little trains. Each little train goes to a different ski resort; they all leave at about the same time and branch off to their different destinations in the mountains. Yesterday we decided we would try Les Alpes Vaudoises, so we skied at two fields: Les Diablerets and Villars. As before, we left our house before dark, lugged heavy ski gear to the station and zoomed off into the gloaming. Dawn didn't break until we were near the resort itself, already well amongst the little villages and trees absolutely covered in snow. The lift queues were pushy but the snow was great, and we returned well after sun-down, with sore muscles and big grins.

Tickets! Bought from an automatic machine - this system is brilliant.

Lake Léman seen through the hills from a high point at Villars.

Real depth of field from an iPhone camera!

Snow on trees! Beautiful.