Beginner Skier Areas in Verbier
also see Verbier Ski Areas: All About the Ski Area

Beginner Ski Areas in Verbier

There are three nursery slopes/beginner areas in the resort itself, all of which are equipped with snowmaking facilities ensuring that even if Mother Nature comes up short, good quality beginner skiing can still be had! Although none offer “free of charge” lifts, the following 3 areas have their own low-priced lift tickets.

• Les Moulins (1 drag lift) Situated right in the heart of Verbier, it is the smallest of all nursery slopes in town. The École Suisse de Ski uses it exclusively for their Kids' Club program.
• Les Esserts (1 drag lift & 2 magic carpets) With its gentle slopes conveniently situated right next to the Hameau bus stop and a restaurant terrace, Les Esserts is without a doubt the most popular spot for beginner skiers and families alike. It is also home to the longest magic carpet in Switzerland, which costs only 5 SFR for foot passengers who would like to accompany their young while they are learning.
• Le Rouge (1 drag lift) This area’s two slopes run from the top of the village at Carrefour down to the centrally situated Brunet bus stop. The variable speed drag lift - Le Rouge, offers the beginner a slightly more inclined slope; the perfect place to safely set your sights on after having spent time on Les Esserts.

After feeling more confident on these nursery slopes, the La Chaux area up the mountain can be a good option, as there are nice, slow runs which tend to soften up in the afternoon given its south facing orientation.  Accessible from Médran via La Chaux Express lift, this sun drenched area, also serviced by a 4-man chair, is a great place to practice & progress!

Leisurely Runs in Verbier

Boasting three nursery slopes/beginner areas in the resort itself, the Verbier ski area also offers great beginner terrain up at La Chaux, now accessible directly from Médran thanks to the recently built La Chaux Express Combi-Mix lift. Also serviced by a 4-man chair, this sun drenched area is a great place to practice & progress as there are nice, easy runs which tend to soften up in the afternoon given its south facing orientation.

Four marked blue runs await beginners and low-intermediate skiers and snowboarders here. From top to bottom, these are:

Lac des Vaux 1:
From the top of the Lac des Vaux quad chair, exit left and follow the slope until an intersection where you can choose to go left (Lac des Vaux direction) or right (Ruinettes direction). Take a left and continue in that direction until another intersection, where you can either go straight or slightly right. Either way you choose, the slope eventually makes a final left turn and follows the Lac des Vaux triple chair line to the bottom of both Lac des Vaux lifts.

La Chaux 1:
From the top of the La Chaux Express, head towards the area of Les Fontaneys. From there, continue across the top of the bowl, traversing the whole thing along the flat road until you pop over back on the La Chaux side of the ridge. This run, also marked as ‘Grenier’ on the piste map, will eventually take you back to the bottom of the La Chaux Express lift, via the tail end of the snow park. Because it is slightly more out of the way, it isn’t rare to have parts of this slope entirely to yourself.

La Chaux 2:
From the top of the La Chaux quad chair, exit right and take the piste directly to the right. This run winds its way down for the most part on the skier’s left or directly below the lift line, eventually ending up at the bottom of the lift. Some sections are marginally steeper in places but overall, the descent is quite mellow; perfect for learning!

Médran 1:
Starting at the Ruinettes, this run is an endless cat road which switchbacks its way down a number of times all while crossing numerous red runs along the way, until it reaches the Médran lift station in town. It is also possible to take the run from the top of the Mayentzet double chair, from which it is a much shorter journey down.

Leisurely Runs in Bruson

There are 4 marked blue runs awaiting beginners and low-intermediate skiers/snowboarders.  From top to bottom these are:

Le Grand Tsai Superieure - La Pasay Superieure:
From the top of the Grand Tsai draglift, exit left and follow a cat track (the first short section being slightly uphill) which will take you back down to the top of the La Pasay triple chair and restaurant.  This ridge run affords fantastic views of the Mont Blanc massif to the west!

Etables du Six - Blanc - La Côt:
From the top of the Grand Tsai drag-lift, exit right and take the piste which starts just after the drag-lift hut. This run winds its way down the front face of the resort, and eventually ends up at the bottom of the La Pasay triple chair. Some sections are a little steeper in places but overall, the descent is quite mellow. 

Moay - La Pasay Inferieure:
From the top of the Moay drag-lift, exit left and follow a very flat cat road which will take you past the Moay restaurant to the right and eventually switchback down to the bottom of the La Pasay triple chair.

Route La Côt - Bruson Télésiège:
From the top of the La Côt double chair, exit left and continue past the bottom of the Moay drag-lift. Stay on the cat road which starts just after the drag-lift hut. This road winds its way down the lower portion of the front face of the resort, and eventually ends up at the car park at the bottom. Because it is the summer access road for cars to the Mayens de Bruson chalets the entire descent is quite mellow. Due to the low altitude of this piste, make sure the snow cover is sufficient all the way down and avoid if the weather is too warm as the piste becomes way too slow and sticky. In this case, downloading using the double chair is a better option.

Leisurely Runs in La Tzoumaz / Savoleyres

Officially, there are only 2 marked blue runs awaiting beginners and low-intermediate skiers and snowboarders in La Tzoumaz/Savoleyres but one of these, aptly named “Savoleyres”, is sub-divided into 3 separate legs which follow the summer mountain driving roads. Two legs are situated on the Tzoumaz side & the third, on the Savoleyres side.

La Tzoumaz side:

Savoleyres:
From the top of the Savoleyres bubble, exit on the right side of the building and follow the ridgeline piste to the top of the Taillay quad chair. From there, take a left and follow the wide, low-grade boulevard (also called the “Airport” run) down to a fork. Here, the run divides into 2 distinct segments. Taking the right leg will lead you down to the bottom of the Taillay quad chair, and continuing past it to the right will eventually lead you to the bottom of the Les Etablons double chair. Taking the left leg will lead you past the top of the Les Etablons double chair until you finally end up at the bottom of the Savoleyres Nord six-man chair.

Le Taillay:
From the top of  the Savoleyres Nord six-man chair, exit right and take the piste which starts to wind its way through the guts of the big open bowl below. Roughly halfway down the bowl, a right turn will join you up with a relatively flat section of the La Tzoumaz red piste. After crossing under the chair, a switchback will lead you onto the tail end of the Savoleyres blue run, back to the bottom of the Savoleyres Nord six-man chair. 

Savoleyres side:

Savoleyres:
From the bottom of the La Tournelle double chair, a cat road makes its way left across the front face, continuing past the Marmotte & Namaste restaurants and the Savoleyres Sud drag-lift, and finally ending up at the Carrefour. The second segment of this run, also referred to as the “Rte des Planards”, must not be attempted when closed as the slopes above create a high avalanche hazard. Better to take the drag-lift back up & download the bubbles from the top.