I'm in bad need for a good pair of hiking boots. I guess something midrange in the range of a couple of hundred CF. I need other sport stuff too. Are there any bigger sporting goods stores in the Geneva/Lausanne area?

Check SportXX at the Migros Parc La Praille, they have some still on sale
In the "La Praille" shopping center just to the side of it you'll find the Ochsner sports that is a big store. Check out also Athleticum in Meyrin and you could also go to the Balexert shopping center were you'll find another SportXX

Thanks! So what would be the best way to find the locations of these places? I'm not familiar with the area at all yet.

For the Atheleticum and Migros stores, check out there websites for an address (www.migros.ch, www.athleticum.ch). They may even have maps, but if not, you can enter the address into map.search.ch and it will highlight it for you on a satellite map.

SportXX: click on the canton, then the location:
http://www.sportxx.ch/g3.cms/s_page/150120

Same for Athleticum:
http://www.athleticum.ch/s06/content...bersicht_f.asp

A bit more complicated for Ochsner Sport:
http://www.ochsner-sport.ch/modules....DS=27&region=6

Plug the addresses into http://map.search.ch/index.en.html, then hover over nearby bus stops or SBB stations for line and frequency info, zoom in, zoom out, follow roads etc., have fun.

Happy trails!

www.au-vieux-campeur.fr

This is a great shop in Thonon just down the lake from Geneva if you have a car, I have found it cheaper in France.

equally, we have found that the Decathlon in Amphion is really cheap compared to Swiss prices www.decathlon.com

Thanks everybody! Looks like I have some shopping to do. Decathlon also carries the 3 sec Quechua tents that I've been looking for.