Thyon (also known as ''Thyon 2000'') is a purpose-built
ski resort in the
Swiss Alps
The Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps (german: Schweizer Alpen, french: Alpes suisses, it, Alpi svizzere, rm, Alps svizras), represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss ...
, located in the canton of
Valais. The resort is situated in the central part of the canton, in the region of
Sion, and is associated with the village of Les Collons. It forms part of the "4 Valleys" interlinked ski area, which together includes Thyon,
Veysonnaz
Veysonnaz is a municipality in the district of Sion in the Swiss canton of Valais.
Geography
Veysonnaz has an area, , of . Of this area, or 29.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 44.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or ...
,
Haute-Nendaz,
Verbier and
La Tzoumaz. The ski pistes from Thyon and Veysonnaz effectively constitute a large, single integrated ski area, and connect with the rest of the "4 Valleys" area.
Thyon lies at a height of 2,095 metres above sea level, on the ridge descending from
Mont Rouge. The 'Thyon 2000' complex was constructed in the 1970s. Administratively, it lies in the municipality of
Vex.
Some of the winter ski pistes descend across what in summertime is still an active "alpage" - an area of high mountain pasture grazed by cattle, including some ''
Combat de Reines'' cows. Part of the local alpage cow barn has been converted to a seasonal restaurant. The alpage dairy produces cheese from the milk, some of which is sold in the adjacent village of Les Collons during the September "désalpe" festival - the ceremonious descent of the cows, often garlanded, to lower pastures.
Apart from winter sports and summer hiking, the resort has views of the Valais mountains, the so-called
Pennine Alps, with direct views of six 4000+ metre peaks (
Matterhorn,
Dent Blanche
The Dent Blanche is a mountain in the Pennine Alps, lying in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. At -high, it is one of the highest peaks in the Alps.
Naming
The original name was probably ''Dent d'Hérens'', the current name of the nearby De ...
,
Obergabelhorn,
Zinalrothorn,
Weisshorn,
Bishorn). A seventh, the
Jungfrau, is visible in the
Bernese Alps to the east.
In August, the annual trail race from Thyon to the
Grande Dixence dam takes place. This is a 16 km run with 700m ascent/descent at an altitude averaging 2,000m and attracts around 1,000 competitors.
The resort is accessed by road from Sion, by chair-lifts from Les Masses and Les Collons, and by gondolas from Veysonnaz.
Gallery
View of Thyon from above.jpg, View of Thyon from above
Thyon2000 2008-01-20 14-46-43.jpg, View of resort complex from the ski pistes
Summertime alpage, Thyon.jpeg, Summertime alpage, Thyon
References
External links
*
{{Coord, 46, 10, 55, N, 7, 22, 21, E, region:CH-VS_type:city, display=title
Ski areas and resorts in Switzerland