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CHATEAU D’OEX
This picturesque Swiss village, in the Canton of Vaud, is located a mere 15 minutes
from prestigious Gstaad. Château d’Oex also enjoys excellent rail and road links to
Geneva (143km) and nearby Saanen (12km) with its private airfield. Sion is just 90km
away. The ski region of Château d’Oex offers seven ski lifts and 40 km of pistes but
has recently become part of the new SuperPass ski pass. The SuperPass offers a
varied choice of 420km of slopes throughout the valley of Gstaad, all of which are
a short drive away.
Further activities and facilities include snow-shoe treks, toboggan runs and winter
walking trails. As well as superb winter sports, there is a varied range of year-round
activities including hiking, mountain biking and tennis. After an active day, Château-
d’Oex’s town centre offers quality restaurants, cafes and bars to wind down and
enjoy the Alpine surroundings.
The village made headlines in March 1999 when Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones
lifted off from the Alpine resort to become the first to circumnavigate the globe
non-stop in a hot-air balloon. This was the start of Château d’Oex‘s reputation as
a ballooning metropolis. The “Balloon Week” festival, held in January, was the first
event of its kind held in the Alps in winter. The festival attracted more than 100
pilots from countries worldwide in 2009 with balloons flown across the low-lying
valleys in the Pays d’Enhaut region to Gstaad, Gruyères and further afield. It is now
an established, annual event.
Chateau d’Oex
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