Verbier
(part of my guide to skiing the alps)
Verbier is the main destination in the massive ski network known as 4 Vallées. Don't forget your altimeter: 92 lifts and more than 6,000 vertical feet makes this one of the biggest resorts in the Alps (trail map). It's located roughly halfway between Chamonix and Zermatt, so on a clear day, you can send a shout out to Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn from the summit.
For a warm-up run, you can't beat the gorgeous descent from Col des Gentianes down to La Chaux, a gentle 2,200' drop down a valley with panoramic views. But if the snow's good, you'll have more fun skiing the bowls above Tortin, beginning either at Mont-Fort, Mont-Gelé, or Chassoure: the terrain here is deliciously vast and steep. Unfortunately, we missed the previous storm by more than a week, so we could only imagine the real glory. After two days of flopping around moguls, one of my free-heeled friends accepted his powderless fate and picked up a cheap pair of alpine skis to better enjoy the conditions.
Our most interesting run was a 4,200' descent from Lac des Vaux to La Tzoumaz by way of Vallon d'Arbi. After ten minutes, we found a bulldozed path tunneling through an apparent ice field, traversing sharply left across the valley. The path consisted of more rock than snow, of course, since I had just waxed and edged my skis the previous evening. No matter: below the traverse was a mushy-but-enjoyable bowl that drained into steep trees, both of which were a welcome respite from hard-packed moguls.
As with many marked "ski routes" in the Alps, the bottom of the valley wasn't anywhere near a ski lift. To reach La Tzoumaz, we skated and glided a few kilometers along a roadside path, wondering whether we'd managed to get hopelessly lost again (see Davos). We shortly reached La Tzoumaz, where a surprisingly long gondola (3,600' vertical) connected us back to the Verbier side via Savoleyres.
Getting to Verbier is relatively simple, unless you live in Zürich, from which all of the mountains in the Valais are a bit of a hike. Take a train to Martigny, then connect to the mountain railway going up towards Le Châble. Jump on the gondola here for a scenic ride into the middle of Verbier (avoid the slow PostAuto bus).
Be warned that Verbier is not a cheap place to sleep, eat, or drink, even by Swiss standards. We rented an apartment with a large terrace directly on Place Central from the Hotel Ermitage, from which we happily hosted our own après ski festivities.
Verbier is the main destination in the massive ski network known as 4 Vallées. Don't forget your altimeter: 92 lifts and more than 6,000 vertical feet makes this one of the biggest resorts in the Alps (trail map). It's located roughly halfway between Chamonix and Zermatt, so on a clear day, you can send a shout out to Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn from the summit.For a warm-up run, you can't beat the gorgeous descent from Col des Gentianes down to La Chaux, a gentle 2,200' drop down a valley with panoramic views. But if the snow's good, you'll have more fun skiing the bowls above Tortin, beginning either at Mont-Fort, Mont-Gelé, or Chassoure: the terrain here is deliciously vast and steep. Unfortunately, we missed the previous storm by more than a week, so we could only imagine the real glory. After two days of flopping around moguls, one of my free-heeled friends accepted his powderless fate and picked up a cheap pair of alpine skis to better enjoy the conditions.Our most interesting run was a 4,200' descent from Lac des Vaux to La Tzoumaz by way of Vallon d'Arbi. After ten minutes, we found a bulldozed path tunneling through an apparent ice field, traversing sharply left across the valley. The path consisted of more rock than snow, of course, since I had just waxed and edged my skis the previous evening. No matter: below the traverse was a mushy-but-enjoyable bowl that drained into steep trees, both of which were a welcome respite from hard-packed moguls.
As with many marked "ski routes" in the Alps, the bottom of the valley wasn't anywhere near a ski lift. To reach La Tzoumaz, we skated and glided a few kilometers along a roadside path, wondering whether we'd managed to get hopelessly lost again (see Davos). We shortly reached La Tzoumaz, where a surprisingly long gondola (3,600' vertical) connected us back to the Verbier side via Savoleyres.Getting to Verbier is relatively simple, unless you live in Zürich, from which all of the mountains in the Valais are a bit of a hike. Take a train to Martigny, then connect to the mountain railway going up towards Le Châble. Jump on the gondola here for a scenic ride into the middle of Verbier (avoid the slow PostAuto bus).Be warned that Verbier is not a cheap place to sleep, eat, or drink, even by Swiss standards. We rented an apartment with a large terrace directly on Place Central from the Hotel Ermitage, from which we happily hosted our own après ski festivities.
4/03/2006
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