Verbier
A sunlit plateau above the Val de Bagnes, with Mont-Fort, Tortin and the Bec des Rosses within reach
Verbier sits at around 1,500 metres on a south-facing shelf above the Val de Bagnes, in the Valais. In winter it is the hub of the 4 Vallées, around 410 kilometres of pistes reaching across to La Tzoumaz, Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon. The high point is Mont-Fort, 3,330 metres, from where a clear day brings the Matterhorn, the Grand Combin and Mont Blanc into view. The plateau holds the sun for much of the day, and from Médran the gondola rises to Les Ruinettes, at around 2,200 metres, where most ski days begin.
What made Verbier's name is the ground between the pistes. Marked routes drop from Mont-Gelé, the Attelas and the Col des Gentianes, and each spring the Bec des Rosses hosts the final of the Freeride World Tour. Yet the resort is broader than its reputation: the quiet woods of Bruson across the valley, the long toboggan run down to La Tzoumaz, winter walks with the Combins on the horizon. Chalets are scattered over the sunny slope, many looking straight across the valley to the peaks beyond.
Our Verbier residences
The Verbier experience
Village life on the plateau
The village revolves around the Place Centrale, where the streets meet and the terraces sit in the afternoon sun. From there the road climbs to Médran and the gondola to Les Ruinettes; at the other end of the village, the Savoleyres lifts serve the sunnier flank towards La Tzoumaz. Free shuttle buses link the different quarters to the lifts, so in winter the car tends to stay put.
Down in the valley lies Le Châble, the main village of the Val de Bagnes commune. Trains arrive here and two gondolas leave: one for Verbier, the other for Bruson, the quieter ski area across the valley. Every other year in April, the Patrouille des Glaciers, the Swiss Army's ski-touring race, finishes in Verbier after 57.5 kilometres of high-mountain terrain from Zermatt via Arolla.
From Médran to Mont-Fort
The gondola from Médran rises to Les Ruinettes, and from there the lifts continue to the Attelas and the cable car up Mont-Gelé, 3,023 metres, where the only ways down are marked off-piste routes. Via La Chaux and the large cable car to the Col des Gentianes you reach Mont-Fort, 3,330 metres, with its glacier and the widest views in the area. From the Gentianes runs the celebrated descent to Tortin: steep, north-facing, usually heavily mogulled, and the gateway to Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon.
Verbier's itineraries are marked with yellow poles and open only while the lifts are running: Mont-Gelé, Clambin, Col des Mines, Gentianes-Tortin, Chassoure-Tortin, Otanes and the Vallon d'Arbi. None is groomed, so avalanche kit and experience, or a mountain guide, come with the territory. High in the ski area above Verbier, reached from the Col des Gentianes, rises the Bec des Rosses, where the Xtreme Verbier is held in late March or early April, depending on the weather. The season runs from late November to late April.
Huts, terraces and après-ski
Lunch here is reason enough to stop halfway down. Chez Dany sits in the woods at Clambin, below Les Ruinettes, and is known for its fondue and its terrace. The Cabane du Mont-Fort, beside the piste below the Gentianes, is a proper mountain hut where you can also stay the night. On the Savoleyres side, La Marlénaz is a traditional restaurant with a sunny terrace, reached by a ski route or on foot.
When the lifts close, life moves down into the village. Le Rouge, at the foot of the piste of the same name, has a large sun terrace and a well-regarded wine cellar; at Farinet, on the Place Centrale, live music starts early in the afternoon. In the evening there is raclette made with cheese from Bagnes, one of the classic raclette cheeses of the Valais, with a glass of Petite Arvine or Cornalin.
A week in Verbier
Ride the cable car to 3,330 metres for views of the Matterhorn, the Grand Combin and Mont Blanc.
The classic steep, north-facing route from the Col des Gentianes to Tortin, with avalanche kit or a guide.
From the Savoleyres lifts, a vertical drop of more than 700 metres on one of the longest runs in French-speaking Switzerland.
Free trails above Champsec in the Val de Bagnes, up to eight kilometres long, or the loops at La Chaux at around 2,200 metres.
With a mountain guide to the permitted landing sites on the Rosablanche or the Petit Combin.
In late March or early April, watch the Freeride World Tour final on the Bec des Rosses.
Did you know
The Xtreme Verbier on the Bec des Rosses is the Freeride World Tour final; the competition day is confirmed only a couple of days ahead, depending on snow and weather.
Every other year, the Patrouille des Glaciers ends in Verbier after 57.5 kilometres of ski touring from Zermatt via Arolla.
The Jumbo, the large cable car from La Chaux to the Col des Gentianes, carries 150 people at a time.
The gondola from Le Châble to Bruson was built in 2013, linking quiet Bruson with the rest of the 4 Vallées.