La Tzoumaz Summer

Summer months – May to October

As the snows melt the mountains quickly become green and floral. The crocus appear just as soon as the last layer of snow fades away.
The cows are taken up to feast on the alpine meadows in June and cheese production gets underway.
The melt waters provide dramatic waterfalls and babbling brooks.
Have the mountains to yourselves during these quieter months of May and June before the lifts open again for the summer visitors. Share the mountains with just the locals – chamois, ibex, marmots, hares, birds……
At this time of year Chalet La Luge can be rented, or booked on self catered, half board or B&B basis for groups or individuals and of course all our rental properties are available too, take advantage of this peaceful time of year. Ideal for artists, energetic mountain bikers who are prepared to forego the luxury of the lift system and motivational breaks for team building!

***VIP Pass*** Play again and again and again ! All visitors to La Tzoumaz are required to pay tourist tax  and in return you receive your VIP Pass, which gives free pedestrian access to the lifts (summer only) 50% reduction with your bike and various other discounts on activities etc. More info here : VIP pass

Please use this link to open the resort summer brochure : Info Tzoumaz summer 2017

The lifts are open from early July through to end of August so you can really explore the mountains, but equally if you are here with a car you can drive up to the Croix de Coeur, on the Savoleyres mountain between La Tzoumaz and Verbier, slightly lower than the top station of the telecabine.

What to do – here’s some suggestions:

Easy and beautiful walking routes along the “Bisse” the ancient Saxon irrigation systems, ideal for families.
Maison of the Forest (House of the Forest) open May – October, has a pushchair & wheelchair friendly footpath (Sentier des Sens / Footpath of the Senses) an exposition of animals and plants of the region, and other interactive and educational fun for children.
New for summer 2019 and which will be completed in 2020, the Challenge of the River (Defi de la Riviere) at Les Pontets, lots of different obstacles to test your skills!
There is a children’s play area. The cafe at the Maison de la Foret has become very popular in recent years, serving a wide range of regional platters, homemade tarts, cakes, soup etc. Local honey, jams and wine are also available to buy. The cheese farm is just next door, made with the milk from the cows you will see grazing on the mountain pastures.
Trottinette – an exciting descent on a mountain scooter
More details can be found on the resort website La Tzoumaz
In the central square, children can play on the trampoline or play ping pong, there’s a zip wire, climbing frame and other facilities too! There’s another play area up at the House of the Forest, along with an educational and interactive about the animals and birds of the area.
Then of course there is some far more demanding hiking into the high mountains, you can plan a route to include overnight stays in mountain huts.

We have our own petanque (boules) piste behind the chalet, please help yourselves… Relax on the terrace in a hammock or deck chair with a book and a drink……

Parapenting – book a tandem flight, or take lessons to fly yourself….
Mountain biking – bring your own or rent one, we can arrange a guide so you don’t miss the best descents and singletrack, all the lifts will carry bikes, and we’ll provide secure storage, bike stand, tools and cleaning facilities.
Road biking – again we have secure storage for your precious steeds (we have a stable of bikes ourselves!); the climb up from the valley is used by the pro-teams: it’s the same distance and altitude gain as Alpe d’Huez! We can recommend some wonderful rides in the valley, with or without masses of climbing! We are offering half board with or without guiding, see our summer biking page for full details.

There’s a tennis court available by the hour, with one of the best views you can imagine!
Swimming in the indoor pool at the lift station, along with a sauna, and an outdoor relax area with deck chairs.
Pony rides are organised by the Domus foundation on the edge of the village.
Fishing in the River Fare and up at Lac des Vaux, for trout and arctic char. You need a permit, available at the tourist office

Slightly further afield:
Golf – full 18 holes and the par 54 pitch and putt (Les Moulins) in Verbier, and Sion or Sierre in the valley bottom
Martigny, an ancient Roman town, the amphitheatre is still used for events and shows, art and sculpture at the renowned Fondation Gianadda.
Sion is the capital town of Valais, with a lovely cobbled old town, some great restaurants and shopping, the ancient monastries of Château de Valère and Château de Tourbillon are situated on twin rock outcrops over looking Sion make for an interesting day out.
Grand Dixence dam, is one of the biggest in Europe and the lake it creates is really impressive. You can take a tour right inside the concrete wall, with details in a choice of languages, explaining how the electricity is generated too.
Emosson Dam Vertic’Alp on the border with France, 45 minutes, towards Chamonix, only a little over an hour away.
Thought you couldn’t have a beach day in the mountains? – Just a few miles from Sion (30 minutes by car), the lakes at the Domaine des Iles have been transformed from old gravel pits to sandy beaches ideal for swimming, and other activities such as sailing, archery, etc and just beyond Martigny (30 minutes by car) there’s a lake dedicated to windsurfing – the afternoon/evening breeze there is a daily occurence.
Lac Leman – Lake Geneva – also has beaches, water skiing etc
Chateau de Chillon, situated on the edge of the lake just outside Montreux was originally built in the 12th Century, Lord Byron spent some time here!

Perhaps a little unexpected, and partly due to the high number of sunny days and
Mediterranean climate in the flat of the valley, there is a thriving wine industry with literally hundreds of artisan producers; wine bars are prevalent where you can taste the relatively unknown varieties. The fertile plains of the Rhone valley provide ideal conditions for agriculture and the region is also famous for asparagus in spring, strawberries, apricots, apples, pears, and all manner of other fruits and vegetables.
The late summer is a lovely time to visit, the autumn colours against a cobalt blue sky are extraordinary. Cooler in the evening but still very pleasant and warm in the sunshine. Time for the ‘vendange’ – grape harvest, chestnut season – enjoy a ‘Brisolee Royale’ – a meal of roasted chestnuts served with cheese, dried meats, seasonal fruit, local apples, pears and grapes. It’s also hunting season, which lasts for 3 weeks, followed by a further 3 weeks when the hunters can shoot on Thursdays and Saturdays only. Numbers and licences are restricted to maintain a healthy population of the different deer; there are chamois, roe and red deer in the mountains here, and we often hear the stags rutting. The ‘chasse’ menus are delicious and can be found on every restaurant menu!