
Les Diablerets
87km pistes, 1,224-2,971m elevation, Glacier 3000 access. Swiss resort in Vaud Alps near Geneva.
Les Diablerets operates between 1,224 and 2,971 metres across 87 kilometres of marked runs and 29 lifts, with the Meilleret sector connecting directly to Villars and Gryon for access to over 100 kilometres of combined terrain. The resort's 2,020 Winter Youth Olympics pedigree shows on the Willy Favre piste, which hosted downhill events. Glacier 3000 extends season access from early November to late April with year-round glacier skiing at Scex Rouge.
The terrain splits heavily towards learning progression, with 76 per cent beginner runs, 21 per cent intermediate, and 3 per cent advanced. The Meilleret area features predominantly blues and reds connecting through to Villars via chairlift. Glacier 3000's Combe d'Audon descends 10 kilometres with 1,000 metres vertical, whilst the Isenau sector remains closed since 2017 pending lift replacement.
The village sits at 1,200 metres in the Ormont Valley, built from traditional wooden chalets beneath the 3,210-metre Diablerets massif. Free ski buses link to Col du Pillon for Glacier 3000 access. The Musée des Ormonts and 14th-century chapel at Vers l'Eglise preserve valley heritage three kilometres from the main village.
Multi-day passes include the Alpes Vaudoises network covering Leysin and Les Mosses, whilst three-day-plus tickets allow Glacier 3000 access. Magic Pass holders ski free across the Villars-Gryon-Diablerets domain. The resort suits families and intermediates seeking uncrowded pistes with glacier reliability, though expert terrain remains limited outside Glacier 3000's off-piste zones.
Les Diablerets spreads 50 runs across 87 km of piste of terrain. It leans beginner at 76%, with 38 beginner runs to find your feet and 2 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
The 2025-26 season runs from 7 December 2025 to 6 April 2026 across the Villars-Gryon-Diablerets domain, with Glacier 3000 opening from early November through 30 April dependent on conditions. Typical season length spans 18 weeks valley-side, extending to 26 weeks including glacier access. Operating hours run 8.30am to 4.30pm daily.
Annual snowfall averages 430 centimetres at village elevation, rising to 618 centimetres at glacier altitudes. Current base depth sits at 135 centimetres with 41 centimetres recorded over seven days. Glacier 3000's elevation between 2,525 and 2,971 metres guarantees reliable coverage from November through spring, whilst Meilleret's tree-lined runs between 1,224 and 1,949 metres benefit from natural snowfall patterns.
January and February deliver peak powder conditions with consistent cold temperatures and regular fresh snow cycles. March offers warmer spring skiing with extended daylight hours. December and early January can feel cold at glacier elevations. Late March through April provides corn snow conditions on south-facing Meilleret runs whilst maintaining powder at altitude.
Thursday night skiing operates on the floodlit Jorasse piste from 25 December to 19 March 2026, conditions permitting. The resort hosts FIS giant slalom events at the Diablerets Alpine Centre. Summer activities include the Alpine Coaster and Peak Walk by Tissot suspension bridge. The Les Diablerets Film Festival runs annually since 1969.
Les Diablerets occupies the Ormont Valley in the canton of Vaud at 1,200 metres elevation, beneath the north face of the 3,210-metre Diablerets massif. The municipality of Ormont-Dessus spans 61.65 square kilometres with 1,467 residents. The village sits in Switzerland's French-speaking Alpes Vaudoises region, 40 kilometres from Lake Geneva.
Montreux lies 40 kilometres north via the Rhône Valley, whilst Gstaad sits 30 kilometres east over Col du Pillon at 1,546 metres. The satellite hamlet Vers l'Eglise dates from the 13th century and sits three kilometres west. Aigle, 20 kilometres northwest in the valley, serves as the main rail junction. The village preserves traditional chalet architecture with 20 restaurants and five bars along the pedestrianised main street.
Geneva Airport lies 120 kilometres west via the A9 autoroute. Exit Junction 19 at Bex, then follow signs through Gryon to Les Diablerets - total drive time approximately 90 minutes. The A9 motorway parallels Lake Geneva before turning south through the Rhône Valley. Col de la Croix provides summer access east towards Château-d'Oex when open June through October.
The Aigle-Sépey-Diablerets narrow-gauge railway reaches the village in 50 minutes from Aigle station, which connects to Geneva in 90 minutes total via SBB mainline services with one change. Trains from Geneva Airport require transfer at Aigle. Sion Airport sits 70 minutes southeast but operates limited scheduled services. Free ski buses run between village and Col du Pillon for Glacier 3000 access throughout winter.
Hotels and lodges near Les Diablerets, powered by Stay22.

Brian Head is targeting 6 November, though last year it aimed for 7 November and did not open until the 25th. Park City, Alta and Solitude are pencilled in for 20 November, Snowbird and Snowbasin for 27 November, and Deer Valley for 5 December. Eagle Point will stay closed after the Cottonwood Fire. A super El Niño is forecast, but the big snow is not expected until January.

Hintertux became Austria's second glacier to open for 2026-27 on Friday 2 October, after the Pitztal Glacier. Twelve kilometres of piste are running around the Olperer and Gefrorene Wand, served by one gondola and two drag lifts, with the Betterpark also open. Lifts officially run 8:15 am to 4:30 pm, but skiing stops at 2 pm for now.

A historically poor western winter cut Vail Resorts' annual net income from $280 million to $147.5 million and skier visits by 13.4 per cent. Now 2026-27 pass units are down 12 per cent as of 18 September, worse than the 10 per cent flagged in spring. Vail blames the weather and thinks some buyers are simply waiting, and it forecasts a rebound if the snow behaves.

Arizona Snowbowl advertised eight $1 lift ticket days this winter. Go looking and only three are showing - 10 March, 1 April and 10 April - so the rest may already have gone. The consolation is a calendar full of $9 days, including all but one day in April. Opening day is 20 November, weather permitting, and opening weekend is $19.

For years, Whitewater's Short Side was where you ducked a rope and hoped for the best: unmapped, ungroomed and unpatrolled. This winter it's inbounds. Six new runs of glades and fall-line skiing add 190 acres (about 77 hectares), taking the resort past 1,400 acres in total. F2 Logging spent a month in the trees to make it happen, and opening day is pencilled in for 4 December. Bonanza now needs less snow to groom, too.

Mammoth got its first snow of 2026-27 on Monday 28 September - and promptly lost it by Tuesday morning. Barely an inch fell at McCoy Station, but with opening day pencilled in for Friday 13 November, it's the first sign the Sierra is waking up. Last year's date slipped from 14 November to 20 November, so nobody's booking flights on a dusting just yet. Here's where California's early openers stand.

Four connected areas, 70 lifts and a World Championship course, yet Saalbach Hinterglemm still runs like a family holiday. Two days on snow and a Worlds Super-G later, here is who it suits, what the Ski ALPIN CARD covers and why Epic Pass holders should pay attention. Big on blues, light on steeps.

Sölden's World Cup opener has been two giant slaloms on the Rettenbach glacier for as long as most fans can remember. From 2027/28 it could be four. Director Jack Falkner wants to add two Super-Gs, backed by a nod from Vincent Kriechmayr, and turn the opening into a full week where the ski world gathers in the Ötztal. FIS and the ÖSV are yet to sign off. This year, it's still just the two GS races on 24 and 25 October.
3 live angles across the mountain. Tap any camera to go full-screen.
More Les Diablerets intelligence: snow report, lift tickets, trail map, resort overview.