Always risk in week before xmas but we had a good base, then two days of heavy snow to give some good powder. No lift queues at all. Good guides from Mountain Air. Beautiful town, but very expensive to eat out in restaurants.
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The skiing in Verbier is fantastic. It is an awesome ski area with so much terrain above 2000m. The options are endless across the 4 Vallees, truly mind-boggling. The thing to do here is tour, get off piste and explore with numerous famous 'itineraries' to choose from. We stayed there a week and probably skied 25% of the place. On the food front, best mountain options we found were Chez Simon at La Tzoumaz and Restaurant de Moay in Bruson, where the locals gather to watch ski racing on a Sunday afternoon. Both are very good value. Lift prices at Verbier are reasonable. In town we liked to eat at Fer a Cheval, and had a good meal in the tapas bar in the W Hotel, which is a design nightmare. Overall Verbier is without doubt one of the world's great ski resorts. Make the effort. (Moderators note: Oh to spend a week here - such fun!)
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Hanging out in the Aosta Valley waiting for fresh snow, we finally made the journey to Verbier via the Grand St Bernard tunnel in March 2018. Aside from the extortionary nature of the tunnel fee and a car search by Swiss border guards for illegal immigrants (didn’t think anyone could hide in my skibag!), the drive to Verbier from Aosta in Italy is straight forward. Not as straight forward as a train ride from within Switzerland, but good enough. The carpark at the Le Châble gondola base near the train station is blissfully free of any monetary charge [Pleasant Surprise Number(PSN) 1]. The train station is being re-built in time for next winter, so will be perfect to receive us next time we journey to Verbier by train (PSN 2). Despite a fullish car park, there was no line at the gondola (PSN 3).

The Le Chable base area has 2 gondola options. One up to the Verbier village and one in the opposite direction to the small Bruson ski area. Both areas are covered by the Verbier or 4 Vallees ski pass, but it is possible to buy a cheaper local pass just for Bruson. In good snow, it is possible to ski to Le Châble from Bruson, but no official route exists from the Verbier side. Shame, cos it looks like it could be fun. Regardless, being March and only at 821m elevation, the snow was boney down low.

Heading to Verbier the widespread village appears over a rise and is reasonably pleasing on the eye (PSN 4). Predominantly wooden clad 4 to 6 storey buildings in a traditional swiss alpine chalet style the village appears sprawling but attractive.

In Verbier, at 1531m the ski area starts to appear. The open slopes of the Savoleyres are obvious to the left and the Medran gondolas head up through thick forest toward the tantalising peaks above. Much of the beginner terrain at Verbier is in & around the main village and up to Savoleyres. For a large ski resort it is somewhat limited.

A quick transfer to another gondola and up again and again and again and again. From Le Chable to the top of Mont Fort at 3330m is three gondolas and two cable cars. The cable car rides are jam packed full – we despise cable car rides for this reason alone. The views are exceptional though, glorious even (PSN 5).

After what seemed like an eternity, putting skis on seemed a novelty. Soaking in the stupendous panorama of mountain peaks, we scoped the way down, plunging in vile moguls on a steep pitch. Reasonably unpleasant. What one quickly understands about Verbier is that this is an off piste experts paradise. The beginner runs are limited, the intermediate and advanced pistes will please the majority for many a day, but it is the freeride terrain that holds the infinite possibilities. Loads of short bootpacks and skin tracks allow for fresh tracks to be gained easily and for days after snowfall (PSN 6).

Mont Gele has possibilities in all directions, but getting back to it after one run is no simple task. Local knowledge here is king.

Popular freeride routes (i.e. from Chassoare or Col des Gentianes to Tortin) and some advanced pistes (like the top of Mont Fort) quickly get bumped and skied out in Verbier. Whilst there was some unsullied snow still around during our visit, to be here on a fresh snow day would be sheer pleasure.

Whilst there are 5 lift ticketing options in the 4 Vallees ski area, thankfully it is near impossible to end up somewhere outside of your lift pass area. It is possible to be disappointed when you find that the cable car leading up to 1300m of pristine vertical is not on your lift pass! So, worth knowing. The standard Verbier ski pass does NOT include the big 3 cable cars (Jumbo, Mont Fort & Col des Gentianes). Only a 4 Vallees pass includes these major lifts.

Skiing down to Siviez one wonders whether it is indeed the place to stay for the serious skier. Just a few hotel and apartment buildings, restaurants, bars, three chairlift bases, some rope tows and beginner ski area, Siviez has the quickest access to all the best terrain with the least crowd prospects. Tree skiing options line the valley’s flanks for poor visibility days and pistes for all levels are one or two chairlift rides away. Was a great place for lunch, delicious and good value (PSN 7) - even though not technically in Verbier!

Back to Verbier via extensive and fast pistes plus some interesting freeride rounds out what is a great ski resort. Après ski options are everywhere and, unusually for Switzerland, quite vibrant. (PSN 8).

Scoring 8 Pleasant Surprises, Verbier surprised even me. We shall return.


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Verbier is famous for many reasons but the scenery should be the main reason. Set in the Alps, the verbier 4 valleys ski areas are vast and provide terrain for everyone.

We skied the Tortin and Chassoure areas and with fresh snow you couldn't ask for better free riding terrain for advanced skiers. The lifts were a bit busy, but with so much area to ski crowds were so much of a problem.

For families there were beginner options right out of Verbier and at Les Masses.

Pros: Free ski terrain at its Swiss best, huge area
Cons: Expensive even by Swiss standards
Best for: Anyone, free skiers will really enjoy.
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I had the opportunity to experience Verbier during a ski tour in Europe that brought me through Switzerland, France and Italy. Verbier was a great experience, and one of the more enjoyable places on my tour. Verbier in some ways has an almost Aspen-like feel, but with European culture. The town itself has great traditional European character, and good options for accommodation and restaurants.

The mountain resort itself is BIG and spread out. I actually wish I had a few more days there to truly explore all that Verbier has to offer. It's so spread out in fact, that you have to be careful not to get lost, and to be sure to time the end of your day correctly, or you'll end up having the spend the night in another town, or hitch-hiking back to the town (no joke).

Verbier has some great runs, and as it typical of European resorts, they are not very well marked, so you need to be a solid skier if you are going to hit some of the gnarlier terrain. There is tons of wide open alpine terrain, and I found variable snow conditions, depending on the exposure to wind and sun. If you go here, be sure to bring a good big-mountain ski that is versatile, as you can encounter lots of different types of snow depending on your elevation and exposure.

Pros: 1) Epic big mountain feel, 2) Town has a great European traditional character, 3) Vast terrain

Cons: 1) Can be expensive, 2) Snow can be variable
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I spent a season here back in the 90's. Verbier is one of the best ski areas I have skied any where in the world. Huge vertical, great lift accessed and sidecountry powder, fantastic nightlife and excellent variety of terrain.

If you want to be scared on skis there are some really steep gnarly runs which the hardcore locals will delight in showing you. Part of the 4 Valleys area, with the right knowledge and friends you can find untracked powder 2 weeks after a storm in some of the secret valleys.

If you are skiing in Europe, Verbier is a must and is up there with places like Chamonix and St Anton as iconic ski Mecca's.
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Verbier offers a delightful skiing experience where everyone is very civilised and proper. Verbier offers plenty of challenges for the everyday skier but is quite expensive and can be very busy during British school holidays.
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