Vaud, Switzerland

Capital City: Lausanne
Closest Airport: Geneva - Lausanne
Population: 433,235
Resort Area: Château-d'Oex - Les Diablerets - Les Mosses - Leysin - Rougemont - Villars-Gryon - St-Cergue - Sainte-Croix
Snow Season: Mid-December - end March
Main Language: French
Currency: Swiss Franc

Vaud (and the Lake Geneva region in particular) is often described as an amalgam of all the best bits of Switzerland. You've got the lakeside resorts and the almost Mediterranean climate around Lac Leman, the cosmopolitan cities of Geneva, Montreux and Vevey (with the best transport links of anywhere in Europe), and some pretty impressive castles, villages and scenery.

The mountains are no exception. The region has some of the best cross-country skiing in Switzerland (thanks to the Jura Vaudois), as well as some slick resorts and some good high-altitude terrain. Ok - Vaud lacks the sheer height of some of the monster peaks in Valais but with a glacier at 3,000 metres, the resorts of Villars, Gryon and Les Diablerets all get to offer some quality, snow sure riding.