Verbier, Switzerland

Experience this "Burn-the-Candle-at-both-ends-Resort'' in Europe.

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Verbier is recognized worldwide as being Europe’s leading ski resort, in terms of skiing possibilities equally impressive from the beginner to the expert skier, as well as its' enviable snow record.

Verbier, Switzerland is situated in Canton Valais (Swiss-French)
and is close to the borders of both France and Italy.
The closest International airport is Geneva.

Verbier is one of the most gloriously situated ski resorts in the Alps. It sprawls over a sunny hillside high above the Rhône valley and is especially appealing in springtime, when the long days mean that many balconies and terraces retain the sunshine very late into the afternoon. There are spectacular, open views of the surrounding peaks.

Verbier is one of the world's greatest ski resorts, often ranked by serious skiers in their top 10, or top 5, or even as number one. The resort has it all: a huge ski area, with a vast vertical, topped with a glacier for year-round snow-sure skiing and boarding; a village with Swiss chalet-style architecture and great mountain scenery; excellent off-slope facilities; and an action-packed night life. These attractions draw skiers from all over the world. Verbier has something to offer everyone from non-skier to off piste expert and snowboarder.

When you arrive you are initially hit with the alpine charm Verbier has retained. Chalets and hotels are of traditional architectural style set against snow-covered meadows and pine woods. Looking around the valley you are treated to wonderful views of high mountain peaks that form a breathtaking backdrop to Verbier.
Comprising hundreds of small wooden chalets and many larger, but still chalet-shaped, apartment blocks and hotels built of concrete but clad in wood, Verbier sometimes looks as though it has existed for centuries. In fact serious development only began after the last World War, when the first ski lift was erected. The resort is far from compact and many chalets are quite a long walk or short bus ride from either of the main lift stations and the village centre. On the other hand most of the chalets have uninterrupted views and spacious private gardens and terraces. Verbier has the exciting buzz of a young resort and it plays host to a young and young-at-heart clientèle. The French-speaking Swiss Romande locals are generally more laid-back than their German-speaking counterparts and they foster an agreeable atmosphere of informality in this fashionable, cosmopolitan resort. Being just over an hour and half's drive from Geneva, Verbier is much favoured as a weekend ski destination and it is at this time that the slopes and bars are at their busiest. Indeed, increasingly Verbier seems rather dead from Monday to Wednesday, meaning empty slopes and empty nightclubs.
Verbier has been given a rough ride by the British press in recent years, principally on account of its queuing problems, but also because of a curious inverted snobbery about the type of Brits who holiday there. However the construction of new lifts has eliminated virtually all of the queue bottlenecks and the eight-seater gondola from Tortin to Chassoure finally removed one of the Alps’ most notorious queuing blackspots. The proportion of British guests peaked in the ‘80s and then dropped off, but it is once again on the rise although visitors need have no fear of being engulfed by Sloanes and Hoorays.

Verbier Altitude: 1500m

Staying and skiing in Verbier is an amazing experience and easily accessible by road, rail and air with Geneva airport less than 2 hours away. Sion airport only 45 minutes from resort.

Chalet Mont aux Sources, Verbier

Altitude of Mont Fort: 3330m

Verbier is an excellent place to learn to ski or improve your skills and the Maison du Sport can offer everything from beginner's lessons to Heliskiing, snowboarding to carving skies and snowblades at all levels and ages. Most Instructors speak English.

South-facing Verbier has wonderful weather in the winter months

Look no further for what is justifiably considered by the more experienced skiers to be the holiday maker's paradise, Verbier Village. Situated on a sunny horseshoe shaped plateau, 1 600 metres up the flanks of the mighty Entremont mountain range, Verbier is surrounded by some of Europe’s highest snow-covered peaks and lush pine forests which give immense colour to this idyllic Alpine resort.

Verbier has been purpose-built for the skier while maintaining the Alpine charm of traditional wooden chalets blending with the breath-taking scenery to radiate a warm welcome. The resort is undeniably prettier than most other purpose-built resorts and it has preserved a sense of unity and uniqueness in the slate-roofed wooden chalets fanning up the gentle slopes behind the town-centre.

A big attraction of the village is that most chalets and hotels are accessible by skiis at the end of the day (and in some cases you can ski to the lifts from your chalet or hotel) thus eliminating the hassle of queuing for buses or trudging around in ski boots.

ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND FASTEST SKI LIFT SYSTEMS:
Ski lifts carry skiers of all standards efficiently and safely to the widest range of ski slopes, ski runs and off-piste areas - offering the greatest ski experience quickly and efficiently, eliminating time wasted standing in lift queues.

EXCELLENT VALUE:
Verbier is a skiers resort and the preferred choice of millions of skiers from all around the world.  The concept of the Ski Chalet started in Verbier and was designed to offer the best value at the lowest price. Today Verbier is the Ski Chalet Capital of the world.

Mont aux Sources and other Verbier Chalets are 'Ski-in Ski-out"

A BRIEF HISTORY

Verbier is somewhat a "purpose-built" resort, although not in the way that has become typical today. Before 1925 there were no skiers here, and very few people at all, what is now the ski area only being used as summer cattle pasture. In 1925, the first hotel was built, and ski lessons were given two years later. By 1928, the resort's population reached three, and Verbier's first baby was born!

At the end of World War II, the year-round population was still only 27. In a study, government experts found that Verbier's south-west facing plateau location in the French speaking part of the country was, "...one of the sunniest in Switzerland; its climate is dry, with hardly any fog, and of great biological and therapeutic value." The first ski lift, in 1946, was a rather dangerous mechanized sledge-on-a-rope.

Verbier didn't finally explode on the international scene until ten years after that. The famous church, with its 40-meter (130-foot) spire, which dominates the resort to this day, was completed in 1962.

By the mid 60's, Verbier was one of the first alpine resorts to achieve an uplift of 10,000 skiers per hour. Today the figure is over 40,000 skiers per hour for Verbier alone, and much greater when all the lifts on the integrated 4 Vallèes pass are included.

SKIING

Verbier is at an altitude of 1500m and has a superb snow record enabling you to ski back to the chalets or village even in late season.
The skiing in Verbier is second to none with over 400km of piste and much more off piste. There is challenging and rewarding skiing at all levels. This is why Verbier has been the serious skier's favourite resort for years.
Snowboarders are equally well catered for with snowboard parks, half pipes and boarder cross courses to test your skill agility and daring.
The sheer amount of skiing available and beauty of Verbier makes this a resort you'll come back to time and time again.

Efficient ski-lift facilities provide access to 250 miles of slopes, a figure that already gives an idea of this vast area of virtually limitless skiing. To say nothing of an alpine panorama that will take your breath away. At an altitude between 5 000 and over 10 000 feet, snow conditions are exceptionally favourable from November to May for all snow sports. From Bruson, the other "land of the rising sun", with its magnificent summits that can be reached on touring skis with sealskins or heliskiing, there is no end to the range of possibilities.

The 4 Vallées Ski area is one of the largest lift-linked areas in the world comprising over 90 lifts and 400 km (249 mi) of trails. The maximum skiable vertical, when conditions are favourable, is a trail of 15 kilometres (nearly 10 miles ) descending more than 2,500 m (8,230 ft), again one of the biggest in the world.

Beginners may feel daunted by the skiing opportunities all around them, but none-the-less have sunny nursery slopes just above the village center.
Verbier has a good percentage of high-tech lifts able to move large numbers of skiers quickly (and is moving to replace a few notorious bottlenecks). The most famous is "Le Jumbo" cable car, which carries 150 people at a time up to the Mont Fort glacier (also open for summer skiing). The revolutionary new Funispace lift contains giant gondola cabins on twin cables each capable of carrying 30 passengers. the eight-seat Tortin Chassoure gondola replaces the previous lift, and triples its capacity.
Expert skiers will be especially enraptured around Verbier. Highlights include the legendary Tortin snow bowl with its huge bumps; the extreme couloirs down from Les Attelas; the steep skiing around Mont Gelé and the notorious Gentianes run below the cable car.

Heli-skiing is another popular option. Ski mountaineering is yet another of the Verbier's strengths, lying on the legendary "Haute Route" between Chamonix and Zermatt (a six day trip). Intermediates inevitably have the greatest choice with hundreds of miles / kilometres of trails in the blue/red category. The huge Lac des Vaux bowl with lifts rising in every direction is one of the many options. 

The Fun Park at Les Esserts is one of Verbier's newer on-snow attractions. The park is open for everyone to experience a variety of new snow-sliding techniques: tubing; snow cart (cross between a sledge and a go-kart); snow scooter; and snow cross (a dirt monster mini motorbike with snow tires). On Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, from 5:00pm to 8:30pm; Skiers and boarders can use the park on Thursday evenings. (Check locally for possible new hours!). The "La Mega" night descent by snow cross, cart, or scooter from Les Attelas at 2,730 m (8,957 ft.) is organized weekly.

Cross-country skiers have half a dozen 4 to 5 km (2.5 to 3 mi) loops to choose from starting in the various 4 Vallées villages, and there is a 30 km. (18 mi.) route through the Val de Bagnes.

APRÈS-SKI

After a gruelling day on the slopes there can be fewer rewarding experiences than skiing directly back to the chalet with its log fire and scrumptious afternoon tea waiting. Here on the balcony you can relive that hair-raising run and relax in the last rays of the sun.
Verbier's après-ski takes a lot of beating, offering something for every style, pocket and age. It starts early with a huge hot chocolate at "Offshore", a beer at "Fer a Cheval" or a live band at the Farinet overlooking Place Central.

The pleasure of the guest is the order of the day at all the establishments in the resort and the Valley - from the cafés, restaurants, and tea rooms, to the bars, discotheques and clubs. The wide choice of gastronomical delights ranges from raclette with Bagnes cheese to the sophisticated cuisine of restaurants recommended by the good-food guides, topped by a selection of the wines of the region, red, white or rosé. Nightlife comes in a variety of colours too.
Why not try some extreme shopping after a days extreme skiing. The village has plenty of shops for all sorts of exciting purchases, and most of the clothing and equipment is cheaper than the UK.

After a three-course dinner at the chalet, if you have any energy left you can sample some of Verbier's famous nightlife, starting with a few drinks in the Pub Mont Fort where locals and celebrities can be found discussing the days adventures. From there drift onto other bars in town or visit one of the many night clubs such as the famous Farm Club where you can party till 4am.

If this all sounds too much just relax in the chalet with some drinks and music.

Chalet Mont aux Sources  is on the ski run, 
so you can ski home to your front door
(Click Here for a Piste Map)

NON-SKIERS

Non Skiers are extremely well catered for in Verbier. It is possible to travel all over the mountains on the lift system, enabling you to reach many spectacular destinations and meet up with your party for lunch at one of the many restaurants.

There are lots of beautiful walks around the area either on your own or with a guide. Why not hire a pair of snowshoes and explore. Within the area there is horseriding, parapenting and tobogganing while the Sports Centre can offer you ice skating, swimming, Jacuzzi, and sauna - why go skiing?

There are two toboggan runs, both a lengthy 10 km (6 mi) long, the first from Savoleyres to La Tzoumas, the other from Les Ruinettes down to Verbier. The resort's "Polysportif" Sports Center contains a 25-meter indoor pool with whirlpool, sauna, solarium and steam baths; two squash courts; fitness center; a 60-meter ice rink; ice hockey rink; and three curling lanes. There is another indoor pool and more exercise equipment in the Mondzeu Fitness center.

200 days to have fun in the snow

Chamonix and Mont Blanc make a
memorable day trip from Verbier
In addition to skiing and other snow sports, there are a thousand other good reasons to choose Verbier and the Val de Bagnes.
Here are a few of them, just for starters: paraglide over the region, take a break at the swimming pool in the Sports Centre, shoot down the toboggan slopes, hike with the family along sunny paths, compete with friends at a curling match, or visit the Alpine Museum with its two centuries of the region's history.

ACCOMMODATION

With 15 000 guest beds in chalets, apartments, hotel and pensions, Verbier has all the facilities of a large alpine village - modern infrastructures, shops and boutiques. At the same time, it has managed to develop in perfect harmony with its natural environment. From the centre of the resort, the buildings spread out gently up the sun-drenched slopes of Savoleyres and Les Ruinettes.

FACTS

Resort Height 1500m - 3330m
Snow from early November to late May.
Four valley network of approx 100 lifts, 400km piste and unlimited off piste.
Longest run 13km.
Mountain restaurants 27.
Excellent ski school and ski guiding - over 150 instructors in resort.
Childrens ski school and creche.
Free ski buses in resort.

 

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF TOURISM OF VERBIER / VAL DE BAGNES, 
Mr Patrick Messeiller:
When speaking of Verbier, we often have the impression that the public imagines a sort of megalopolis planted in the mountains. Only 50 years ago, the Verbier plateau was just a large expanse of grazing land, dotted with 'mazots" and chalets which for the most part sill remain.
However through the initiative of a few courageous pioneers, we now possess a magnificent resort permitting number visitors to benefit from the advantages of a stay in Verbier.
Although Téléverbier's network places us amongst the leaders of winter sports resorts at European and world level, it should not be forgotten that we offer a very wide range of opportunities throughout the year.
The Jumbo is an integral part of the motivation of Verbier to make constant improvements for friends of the resort.
The Tourist Office will pursue its efforts to make Verbier a place to visit and revisit with pleasure. But what we hold most dear is to maintain the quality of hospitality and tourist tradition that make Verbier "Le Must des vacances".

_______________________________________________________________________________

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