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Fantastic week of skiing in Verbier

Blue skies set to continue for the coming days

featured in Snow report Author Barnaby Bos, Verbier Reporter Updated

It’s been a fantastic week here in Verbier, with 30cm of snow falling last Friday to provide some excellent opportunities for some late season off piste skiing over the weekend. Since then we’ve had sun, sun, and more sun, yet despite the lack of any snowfall in the past week, the pistes remain in great condition.

With the endless sunshine and fluctuating temperatures, we’ve been experiencing some freeze-thawing overnight, so there are some icy patches around resort early in the day before the sun has the chance to soften the snow. However, by 11:00, most of the pistes are already nice and soft, and resembles something similar to the spring skiing conditions you’d expect for this time of year and into the late season.

Fantastic week of skiing in Verbier

One of the best things about Verbier at the moment is the virtually empty slopes, with almost no queues and plenty of wide-open piste to confidently ski down without worrying about colliding with another skier or boarder. As you head further into the 4 Vallees, towards Thyon, it gets even quieter too. We skied across to Veysonnaz early on Tuesday morning, and encountered hardly any other people, skiing freshly groomed corduroy all the way to the other side of the resort. The conditions off-piste across most of the resort leaves something to be desired at the moment, as the warm weather has created a very crusty top-layer on the fresh snowfall from last Friday. Anything that’s relatively easy is also quite tracked out, which is common for Verbier given its reputation for incredible lift-accessed freeride skiing, and subsequent numbers of people that travel here to experience it. However, those who are willing to hike or tour can still find good conditions and fresh snow, mostly above 2500m, especially in the Backside Mont Fort and Six Blanc areas.

Fantastic week of skiing in Verbier

Most of my time spent skiing this week has been on the La Chaux/Medran side of Verbier, and it hasn’t disappointed. My favourite run currently is the red Fontanet, which winds it way around the south facing side of the mountain. It’s a little tucked away and often gets forgotten about, so tends to be far less skied than many of the other red runs in the area. Because of this, it rarely gets bumpy and is a good option for escaping the crowds. Another excellent run currently is the red Gentiannes, which offers a long and very cruisey ski for 2km down past the Bec des Rosses and into La Chaux. Halfway down is the Cabane de Mont Fort, an excellent place to stop for some food, with one of the best views in the whole of the Alps, i’d argue. The atmosphere in resort at the moment is electric, as the town gears up for the Freeride World Tour final to commence on Saturday. The snow conditions on the Bec des Rosses are looking good, as it’s been closed off for three weeks now, so it’s lining up to be a great competition.

Fantastic week of skiing in Verbier

The Rue de Medran has been pedestrianised for the weekend, with lots of food and shopping stalls littering the way up to the Medran lift station. In front of the lift station itself, the live action from the Xtreme Verbier will be played from a giant screen, and lots of other events will be happening, including an autograph signing session with the Pro-riders from the FWT. The forecast for the next five days continues to be bright and sunny, with no snow predicted, but relatively warm temperatures, with the freezing level hovering around the 2300m mark. All of the runs and lifts around resort are open at the moment. At 2200m, there’s a 220cm base, nearly three meters above 2700m, and still plenty around town with the base at 130cm. This means that we’re looking good for snow going into the late-season when it begins to melt. With Verbier being so quiet at the moment, this is an excellent time to look into booking a holiday here. On top of that, there’s some excellent events lining up, such as the Verbier High Five in early April, and the One Piece Descent on April 10th. Without a doubt, spring is one of the best times to be in the alps if you want sun, great apres, and soft snow.

NB: Exploring beyond the ski resort boundaries is an amazing experience for anyone who's physically fit and has mastered the pistes well enough. There are, however, risks associated with venturing outside the safety of the marked/patrolled ski area, including awareness of your actions on those below you on the slopes. Mountain guides are professionally qualified and have extensive knowledge of the local terrain to provide you with the safest and most enjoyable possible experience in the mountains; as a visitor here we highly recommend you hiring one. Many ski schools also provide instruction in off-piste skiing, avalanche safety and mountaineering techniques. Make your time in the mountains unforgettable for the right reasons, ski safe!

Off-piste skiing and mountaineering are dangerous. The opinions expressed in these articles are very much time and condition-specific and the content is not intended in any way to be a substitute for hiring a mountain guide, undergoing professional mountaineering training and/or the individual's own backcountry decision making.

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