Dents du Midi Region
The Dents du Midi Region lies in the Chablais of the Swiss canton of Valais, in the Val d'Illiez valley at the heart of the vast Portes du Soleil ski area. It is a rural, mountainous destination made up of six Valais resort villages: Champéry, Champoussin, Les Crosets, Morgins, Troistorrents and Val-d'Illiez. The emblematic Dents du Midi massif, a chain of seven peaks above 3,000 metres dominated by the Haute-Cime (3,257 m), towers over the valley and the Rhône valley, whose river flows into Lake Geneva. The Vièze river runs through the valley from the summits down to the villages. The region is rich in nature, with forests, mountain lakes, glaciers, waterfalls and pastures, and offers a wide range of sports infrastructure, events and restaurants, as well as a national ice-sports centre. Its traditions, heritage, terroir and time-worn chalets reflect the authenticity of its villages. Champéry is one of the oldest tourist resorts in Switzerland and the first Olympic site in Valais.
Summer activities
In summer the Dents du Midi Region is a vast playground for outdoor activities. Around 800 km of marked hiking trails lead from the valley floor up to the summits, including the emblematic multi-day Tour des Dents du Midi and the historic Trail des Dents du Midi, one of Europe's oldest mountain races. The Portes du Soleil is Europe's largest mountain-bike area, with 600 km of trails, 75 downhill runs across five bike parks and a bikepark linking Champéry, Les Crosets and Morgins, plus e-bike routes and gravel itineraries. Pedestrian lifts and the Multi Pass give access to the high-altitude lakes, alpine huts and pastures.
Winter activities
Winter in the Dents du Midi Region centres on the Portes du Soleil, one of the largest linked international ski areas in the world, spanning 12 resorts between Switzerland and France. The Swiss sector around Champéry, Les Crosets, Morgins and Champoussin offers 37 lifts on a single pass, with wide groomed pistes, steep mogul runs, snowparks and legendary slopes such as the Chavanette 'Mur Suisse'. Beyond downhill skiing, the valley offers 150 km of snowshoe trails, ski touring with a dedicated rando-parc at Morgins, cross-country skiing at Champéry and Morgins, and ice sports including skating rinks, curling and hockey.
Culture and entertainment
The Dents du Midi Region has a strong cultural and traditional identity rooted in its rural heritage. Villages preserve centuries-old customs, heritage buildings, old mills, communal bread ovens and a bell foundry, while local associations safeguard the region's history, including tales of smugglers and the 1790 Lower Valais revolution. The cultural scene looks to the future with art galleries, exhibitions, libraries and an open-air museum, plus events such as the Champéry Film Festival, the Rencontres musicales de Champéry, summer concerts like Alpine Grooves and Jazz & Wine, and a lively programme of festivals, theatre and creative workshops.
