About Leysin

Leysin, a major summer/winter alpine resort and one of large Swiss ski areas, is located in the French speaking canton of Vaud, high in the Vaudois Alps above the eastern end of Lake Geneva. The closest city in the Rhône Valley below is Aigle, just beyond the Swiss Riviera shore of Lake Geneva that stretches in the westerly direction to Montreux, Vevey, Lausanne, and eventually toward Geneva.

Originally one of the highest-altitude Swiss farming villages and still the home of working farms, the present way of life of most people in Leysin is quite different. Tourism, resorts, schools, and snow and other sports provide the majority of the local employment. Resident year-round population of nearly 3,000 is almost one-half foreign, composed of some eighty nationalities. An extensive ski area, hotels, restaurants, chalets, a movie theater, shopping, and two indoor sport centers serve up to 10,000 visitors per day. In addition to the Schiller International University/American College, Leysin has a hotel school and American and Japanese high schools. Several new hotels and a revolving Kuklos restaurant on top of the ski area have recently augmented Leysin's tourist facilities.

Most visitors seek Leysin's sunny, healthy climate and captivating nature, but many also come for numerous sports events and competitions. Snowboarding, skiing, bicycling, tennis, rollerblading, ice hockey, and volleyball all have annual organized events in Leysin, which is also a major parapenting and climbing center. The village is perched at about 1300 m above sea level, high above the inversion level and its clouds, on an open south-facing mountainside with a breathtaking view into wide open valleys, and over adjacent mountains and Lake Geneva. Mountain meadows interspersed with forests and alpine expanses above the treeline offer numerous hiking trails with beautiful views of the Mont Blanc massif, the Matterhorn, and the Eiger. Most local peaks can be reached easily. The sun can shine throughout the day, because the mountains to the north do not cast a shadow, but protect Leysin from cold northern winds. Winter temperatures are moderate, despite often heavy snowfall.