Make the most of Verbier in 2018
Time is precious, use it wisely
A week’s skiing holiday in Verbier is one of the most rewarding experiences you can encounter, with an amazing ski area, apres scene and much more.
However, too often a week will fly by in a second. So here’s how to make the most of your time in Verbier.
Make the most out of your lift pass
The Verbier region lies within the 4 Valleys, a massive linked skiing area which covers 410km of pistes, and countless opportunities for off-piste skiing. If you’ve purchased a full area lift pass, then make sure you spend at least a couple of days heading beyond Siviez and over towards Thyon. Thyon has arguably the best snowpark in the 4 Vallees, and the long tree-lined runs down into Veysonnaz are so good, they are used for many high profile slalom competitions.
Similarly, if you’ve gone for the Verbier local area lift pass, then make sure you head across to Bruson, a little gem across the valley from Verbier. When the runs around Les Chaux and Savoleyres are busy, it’s quite often the case that Bruson is almost empty! After a big snowfall, people usually head for the well-known slopes around Les Attelas and Mont Fort. However, Bruson has some unbelievably good off-piste riding through the trees and it usually stays untracked for a lot longer thanks to its lack of crowds.
If possible, avoid the school holidays
While it may not be possible for some of you to take time out of the school holidays for a skiing holiday, if you can, it’s exactly what you should do. There’s no denying that in Verbier, as with any ski resort, the town and slopes get considerably busier during the holidays. Over Christmas and New Years, some of the lift queues were 20 minutes, whereas now there are no lift queues at all.
Furthermore, if you’re after uncrowded slopes, then February should be avoided too. The UK Feb half term week runs Saturday 10th to Sunday 18th. During this week, a lot of British families descend on Verbier. However, the Swiss system of school holidays is slightly different in that the various regions around Switzerland have their half-term weeks at different times. This means that for the whole of February and a bit of March, it’s the Swiss school holidays, and so February is naturally a busier time.
Try to plan your trip to coincide with the best events
Verbier plays host to some fantastic events over the winter season, with the most prominent being the final stage of the Freeride World Tour. This takes place from March 31st to 8th April when the whole resort becomes alive as the some of the best and most daring skiers in the world take to the untamed Bec des Rosses to see who is crowned world champion.
As well as that, you’ve also got the Boss des Bosses on 21st March, a European inter-resort mogul competition with lots of fancy dress, partying, and good times to be had. If you want to try your hand at competition skiing, then the Verbier High Five by Carlsberg on 7th April is an open-entry ski competition that pits professionals against amateurs across 4 disciplines. There is then a big party at Chalet Carlsberg, with live music and food stands. These are just a few of the main events in Verbier this winter but there are tonnes more, so head to our events calendar to check them out.
Hidden Gems
With so many amazing live music venues, restaurants and activities to experience in Verbier, there’s a lot to choose from. There are some real hidden gems out there though, such as Restaurant le Marlenaz, which sits halfway up the mountain towards Savoleyeres and overlooking Verbier. In winter, it’s completely surrounded by snow, so the best way of getting there is by taking the Snowtaxi. This is a huge snowcat which takes you up to the restaurant, and makes for a unique and unforgettable experience, on top of the amazing food they offer.
There’s also lots of amazing walking routes littered around the Verbier region, which often take you to much more isolated areas where you can witness the silence and natural beauty of the forests and mountainside.
