Valais

Col de Champex

A short pass with a spectacular lake and village summit

History

The pass road is directly linked to the development of the village. Champex was a pasture with cattle trails rising from the valley until tourism was established in 1892. A paved road came with the building of the first hotel - Hôtel de la Poste and by 1907, the resort had nine hotels. It was mostly a summer resort until the 1950s when the La Breya chairlift was built for skiers.

Notes

Champex is the starting point for many hikes and is a small ski resort in winter. It is a picturesque village surrounded by forest and mountains, and a busy stop on the Tour du Mont Blanc and the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc race in the summer.

Map

Statistics

Summit coordinates	46°04’08.8”N, 6°56’18.0”E
Summit Altitude	1490 metres
Distance	21.7 kilometres
Start	Orsières 887 metres
End	Valettes 613 metres
Opens	All year^*

* All year donates the pass is cleared of snow but maybe closed on some days