© Barnaby Bos
© Barnaby Bos
© Barnaby Bos
© Barnaby Bos
© Barnaby Bos
Next-level snow conditions in Verbier this week
Over 70cm have fallen since Monday night
The upper mountain has been closed for the past three days but Savoleyres and Bruson have been open, and boy has it been good! I spent yesterday skiing in Bruson and, even though most of the resort was closed, there were still hardly any skiers over there. With the snow conditions being so good, I spent the whole day off-piste, predominantly in the trees due to poor visibility.
In places, the snow was waist deep, yet it was incredibly light and easy to turn in. The only downside of this was that, if you fell over, it was a challenge to stand up again but that, at the very least, provided a good laugh for everyone. We lapped the Bruson trees a few times and, even by the end of the day, there were plenty of fresh tracks to be found.
I finished the day by skiing the itinerary underneath the Bruson cable car and down into Le Chable. The snow was knee deep, fluffy, and hardly tracked, so I would definitely recommend it if you’re coming out as it’s one of the longest runs in resort when there’s enough snow.
I spent the following day off-piste once again, this time in Savoleyres and La Tzoumaz. Our first run of the day started by tenderly making our way through a whiteout blizzard with 60km/h winds. Once we eventually found the trees, the visibility immediately cleared up and we managed to find fresh tracks all the way down to the cat track at the bottom of the mountain.
After this, I skied down underneath the 4-man La Taillay chairlift. The terrain there is very fun as it’s not too steep, nicely spaced trees, and lots of small rollers and rock drops to jump off. The snow was a little windblown but there was still a 10cm layer of fresh powder on top.
My final run of the day consisted of a short traverse from the top of the Taillay chairlift over the backside of Savoleyres and around to above Les Esserts. From there, I dropped into some of the best terrain I’ve skied so far this season, winding my way down through completely untracked tree sections, quite steep in places but not too hard to control speed. One for the books for sure.
The avalanche risk today was at a level 4, which means that heading off-piste should be reserved for those with the correct avalanche safety equipment. This is largely due to the ultra-high winds we’ve been experiencing in resort. It’s been snowing constantly since Monday night, and that’s set to continue, with the forecasts predicting up to another meter to hit resort by Tuesday morning, when the clouds should break and we might see sun for the first time in a week.
It’s looking like they’ll probably keep the upper lifts up to Col des Gentiannes and Mont Fort closed until the snow stops and they can make sure the mountain is safe. Until then, there’s plenty of open lifts and mountain available to keep you occupied and still tonnes of untracked powder to be found.
Ski safely off-piste
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 hire one. Many ski schools, and also mountain guides, provide instruction in off-piste skiing, avalanche safety and mountaineering techniques. Make your time in the mountains unforgettable for the right reasons, ski safe!
