Work - Connect - Play. Autumn to spring in the Arpette Valley.
Your stay at the Relais d'Arpette begins with a warm welcome from our team. Arpette means "little alp" in local slang, a place full of peace and strength. Because power lies in tranquility. You will quickly realize this here, away from the hustle and bustle of the cities or large winter sports resorts. The goal is to switch off and recharge your batteries.
So that you can work, make phone calls, or hold joint meetings in peace, we offer various suitable rooms, all of which have a fiber-optic internet connection or fast Wi-Fi. You can walk to the village in 20 minutes. Here you can buy everything you need in the village shop or have a drink in the Broc'n Pub.
Its large forests and its lake, frozen in winter, have given Champex-Lac, a tourist destination with over a century of tradition, the nickname "Little Canada". When you arrive on the Arpette in autumn, you can still feel the pleasant late summer temperatures during the day. Now the days get shorter and at night it already cools down noticeably. You can literally feel the arrival of the third season. The magical coloring of the centuries-old larches gives the forest its special ambience.
This is the ideal time for trail running, hiking, biking, or climbing. In the evening, you enjoy a meal together and share the experiences of the day with other guests or continue to work.
The Breya 1 chairlift is in operation until the end of October and facilitates access to the upper part of the Val d'Arpette. With a bit of luck, you can still find the last wild blueberries there, near the Durnand spring that supplies us with drinking water. Depending on the year, the onset of winter can start in mid-October, or, with a bit of luck, you can still spend a golden November. A variety of activities await you all year round. We recommend you buy the pass www.pass-saint-bernard.ch when you arrive, probably the cheapest year-round activity subscription in the world!
Now it's time to enjoy your first cheese fondue from our friend Louis Bapst. Or you can treat yourself to a good piece of meat from my partner, the local butcher from his own slaughterhouse. He makes his own dried meat, (awarded a Swiss gold medal) lets his "Pavé de Boeuf" hang out for us for three weeks and creates many other delicious products. Of course, you will also find salads and other vegetarian and vegan dishes in the restaurant.
Of course, you can cook yourself or by arrangement with our chef.
Winter
Ski touring and freeriding:
Start your ski tour directly from the Relais d'Arpette or ski to the chairlift Breya 1 and shorten the first ascent. Follow the Val d'Arpette to the Col des Écandies at 2793 metres. Experienced ski tourers need about 2.5 hours for the ascent. You will then be rewarded with a long and beautiful descent.
At the top, you have a breathtaking view of the Trient Glacier.
For freeriders, there is the "Couloir des Mélèzes" in the ski area. This is a challenging off-piste run and only suitable for very good skiers with off-piste experience. It is not a groomed run. Please respect the hibernation of the animals and do not leave the marked routes.
There are many challenging couloirs in our valley for ambitious ski mountaineers and freeriders. We recommend that you only experience these with a mountain guide.
Alpine skiing and snowboarding:
The ski area is located between 1,486 and 2,200 metres and has a total of 2 chairlifts and 2 ski lifts. Of the 15 kilometres of slopes, 70% are blue, 20% red and 10% black.
You can go on many different winter hikes with and without snowshoes. There are also cross-country skiing trails and a great toboggan run that arrives right at the Relais d’Arpette.