The Ski Resort
Verbier is without doubt one of the best luxury ski resorts in Europe and one of the best chalet ski holiday destinations on offer. Verbier is part of the 4 Vallees ski region and a mecca for intermediate and expert skiers.
Verbier town itself blends charm, style and partying in abundance and this is not a ski resort not to be seen in!
In terms of the skiing, Mont Fort and Tortin are legendary and quite rightly so as you descend through steep and beautiful scenery down towards Nendaz, Siviez, Veysonnaz, Thyon & Les Collons. Its a journey we have never forgotten and are always eager to repeat.
Worth Knowing
Savoleyres & Bruson ski areas of Verbier are much quieter and worth exploring especially on peak weeks if you want to avoid the main crowd. They are also both great for family friendly skiing too.
If you want to maximise time on the slopes, rather than taking the Medran Gondola,
try one of the quieter areas mentioned above or take the bus to Carrefour and ski into the Medran area via the chairlift or from the drag lift on Le Rouge at Brunet and the Le Mayentzet chair lift.
Dining is a must in Switzerland, a country who many might be surprised to find rival the French for cuisine and fine wine. In Verbier dine on the mountain at Chez Dany, one of the best mountain restaurants in Verbier. But not just in the day, but in the evening too when you can sledge back down in the dark from the Marmotte.
And for Apres ski lovers, make sure you get a table early at the Farinet, although the table is for standing on only, as it was voted the World’s best bar for dancing on the tables to live bands!
And finally, for short transfers to the slopes you can fly to Sion with Snowjet, cutting up to an hour off airport transfers.
Off Piste Skiing
The on-piste is fantastic, the off-piste is even better. Verbier is an experts paradise. You can start gentle in Verbier or pick steep, and there is more of the latter than the former.
The itineraires such as Tortin are off piste but marked and can be explored without a guide. The Col des Mines and Vallon D Arby are relatively easy in good weather and the Greppon Blanc is a bit further into the 4 Vallees but is worth the effort nevertheless. Please note the Greppon route ends on a road and you have to catch a bus to Les Masses.
The Mont Gele lift gives you access to a number of routes from with some down very steep rock faces.
A guide is a must if you would like to do the more difficult routes off the back side of Mont Fort or even the Haute Route to Zermatt (a minimum of three days touring with stops in huts).
Ski School
Verbier has a great selection of ski & board schools for great chalet ski holidays. There is usually plenty of availability but we would recommend booking in advance for New Year, Half Term & Easter.
New ski schools spring up daily but there are 5 ski schools which are British run and guarantee an English speaking instructor. For snowboarders there are 3 boarding schools + lessons being offered through the ski schools.
Snow Boarding
Verbier is a freeriders resort and has a great reputation for extreme snowboarding. There is easily accessible powder, trees, cliffs & the snowparks. This is the best resort on the Freeride Tour with the finals being held on the Bec des Rosses.
The off piste is fantastic for boarding and a guide can help you get the most out of the area.
There are drag lifts in the 4 Vallees area but we are pleased to advise that there are none in Verbier and the Savoleyres areas.
Nendaz over the valley has a Snowpark and is very popular as a consequence.
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Pros
Intermediate and expert skiing
Great off-piste
Never ending sunshine
Fantastic apres-ski
Cons
Can be expensive
Runs home a rat run
Lift queues at Medran (peak weeks)
Ski Resort Map
Ski Piste Map
Getting Around the Ski Resort
Whilst Verbier is spreading out due to forces of demand, its still relatively compact and most chalets are within a 5 to 10 minute walk of Verbier centre where you will find most of the shops, restaurants and bars you will want or need.
The main lift is Medran which is 5 mins walk from the centre or Savoleyres (smaller quieter ski area) which is 5 mins by bus.
Verbier is also well linked together by the free bus service although only some areas are serviced by buses at night.
Whilst most areas are quite close to Verbier centre, please note that the Sonalon and Carrefour areas are quite high up the mountain, and Les Esserts, Savoleyres & Patiers are circa 20 minutes walk from the centre, but there is a taxi service which is excellent. Many of our catered Verbier ski chalets also offer a mini-bus service which can be appreciated both in the daytime and evenings.
View Verbier Ski Resort Guide - Chalet Ski (www.chaletski.co.uk) in a larger map
Activities Outdoor
Indoor: Sports Centre with pool, squash courts, sauna, jacuzzi, gym, iceskating
Library, pilates, yoga
Outdoor: Dog sledging, toboganning, paragliding, snowshoeing, helicopter flights.