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Verbier & the 4 Valleys Intermediate Runs
| Intermediate Runs in Verbier & the 4 Valleys |
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From the mellow pistes of the Lac des Vaux to the wide, cruising boulevards of the Attelas and the Combes, Verbier has everything to please the intermediate crowd. |
| Intermediate Runs in Verbier |
There are a good number of marked red runs awaiting intermediate skiers and snowboarders. Here is a description of a popular few:
Attelas 3 : From the top of the Les Attelas 6-man chair, exit right and take the piste directly to the right. This run follows the fall line for the first part to the skier’s left of the lift, making its way down a second, steeper pitch before a flat section and a bit of a left leads to yet another steeper section. You then pass the Chalet Carlsberg to the right before the slope flattens once more before a final pitch leads you straight to the bottom of the 6-man chair. An alternative start & finish to this run is to take it from the top of the Olympique station at Attelas and to end up at the Ruinettes station.
Médran 2 : From the Ruinettes station, exit right and head straight down towards the treeline directly below, to the beginning of the old Les Ruinettes double chair. From there, a left turn will take you down through the forest in a succession of switchbacks until you eventually reach the pretty little hamlet of Clambin. At this point, a cat road leads you to an intersection where you can join up with the Médran 1 blue run and make it all the way down to the village. This piste is also known as the run to “Chez Dany”, as it leads to the famous restaurant situated in Clambin, which is well worth the fondue stop!
La Combe 1 : From the top of the Combe 1 double chair, go straight for 20m and then hook a left, eventually making a 180 degree turn past the bottom of the Les Attelas 6-man chair. From there, the run narrows through a section which takes you left, until you reach the lift line. From there, a right turn takes you to the bottom of the lift, straight down the fall line Alternatively, you can hook a right turn after the first pitch under the lift, and then a left will take you onto a wide open, slightly flatter piste running parallel to the other, which eventually ends up at the same place. |
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last updated 26-Feb-2008 |
| Intermediate Runs in Mt Fort / 4 Valleys |
There are 4 marked red runs awaiting intermediate skiers and snowboarders in the Mont Fort sector. From top to bottom, these are:
Glaciers 2 : From the top of the Glacier 1 & 2 drag-lifts, exit right and choose one of two options. Either take the boulevard straight ahead which will eventually lead you back to the Col des Gentianes, or follow the piste to the skiers left of the lift. This wide run eventually brings you back down to the bottom of the lift.
Gentianes-Tortin (1st part) : From the Col des Gentianes, take the piste which follows the Col des Gentianes tram line in the direction of Tortin. This run will eventually lead you to the start of the Gentianes-Tortin ski itinerary, which starts at the bottom of the Glacier 1 & 2 drag-lifts. This itinerary is quite steep in place and, much like the Mont Fort black run, oftentimes full of moguls, so to avoid getting stuck having to ski it against your will, make sure the drag-lifts are in operation before setting off this way!
Les Gentianes-La Chaux : From the Col des Gentianes, go past the restaurant and take the piste which follows the Jumbo tram line towards La Chaux. After a first straight section, you can either continue down on a second, relatively steep (and often icy) pitch, or choose a mellower winding path which crosses this section many times over. Then, the run flattens and widens, continuing towards the Cabane Mt-Fort. Maintain your speed for the last section before the hut as the cat road there is quite flat. After the hut, yet another nice pitch awaits you, but again, it is advisable to keep your speed up here as the rest of the descent towards the bottom of the Jumbo is relatively flat.
Jumbo : An alternative to the second half of the above-mentioned run, this piste which follows a lower yet pretty much parallel course, is truly for amateurs of beautiful views! Before the cat road leading to the Mt-Fort hut, take a left. The run will continue past the hut (above on your right) towards one of the Jumbo’s towers. Directly to your left is an off-piste run called “Barry’s Bowl”, and below it, the protected zone of Patiefray and its beautiful snow covered meandering marshlands. Follow this run past the tower, making sure to keep your speed up on the final pitch, where a long flat cat road will eventually bring you back to the Jumbo.
The Printze area of the 4 Valleys counts more than 15 distinct red runs, some of which branch off into multiple legs. Too numerous to describe in detail, we advise you to set off early one day on the road to discovery, and take a “4 Valley Tour”. When doing so, do keep an eye on the time to avoid missing the last lifts, and getting stuck with a REALLY expensive taxi ride back to Verbier! |
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last updated 26-Feb-2008 |
| Lift & Piste Maps (Verbier & the 4 Valleys) |
This is the main inter-active piste map from Televerbier, the local lift company. Use it to find out more about the slopes, restaurants, lift system and facilities of the area, including the latest piste and lift opening status. Paper piste maps are available from the lift-stations, Tourist Office, hotel receptions and the like...
Piste map for Verbier & the 4 Vallées
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last updated 12-Feb-2008 |
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