Sunny & perfect conditions in Verbier

Incredible December skiing in the 4 Valleys

featured in Snow report Author Barnaby Bos, Verbier Reporter Updated 26 December 2017

The sun has been shining here in Verbier over the last few days, and given the significant snowfall we had last week, the skiing conditions out there are phenomenal. With almost all of the lifts open, it’s looking to be a perfect Christmas week.

I spent the day yesterday skiing in the Savoleyres area, and down to La Tzoumaz. First we headed down the Piste de Coeur, a beautiful long and smooth red run which undulates it’s way down into the trees. The snow was grippy, and very little ice was evident, so I was able to ski fast and put plenty of large carving turns in with the confidence that my skis would hold their edge. Sometimes when the snow is fresh and the sun comes out it can become quite heavy and slow, but this wasn’t the case at all, most likely because the temperatures have stayed low enough to keep the snow nice and dry.

The Piste de Saxon is another long winding red, with some steeper sections and mellow rollers in places. The crowds up here were remarkably minimal, so once again I had no worries with skiing hard and fast, although this run seemed to have a few more icy patches towards the bottom as it enters into La Tzoumaz. This is quite a cold valley, and out of the sun, which would explain the ice.

We then began to venture off-piste, first of all following underneath the main La Tzoumaz bubble lift. We found some beautiful pockets of powder, despite it not having snowed for 4 days, and it was easily knee deep in places. At the top of the bubble lift, in between the Coeur and Taillay pistes, the terrain is perfect for intermediate off-piste skiers, with the option to take some very steep routes, or alternatively there are slopes with a much more mellow incline.

Following this we lapped a few runs of some very fun and playful terrain either side of the 4 man Taillay chairlift. There were a few cat tracks that we had to watch out for, but other than that there was some great access to some nicely spaced trees, with plenty of little drops and natural kickers.

After only a few hours on the mountain, we were sufficiently knackered, so decided to make our last run of the day another off-piste excursion off the backside of Savoleyres and down towards Les Esserts, as the blue Planards piste which you would usually take was closed due to avalanche risk. The snow was definitely becoming a bit heavier by this point, as expected on a south facing slope when the sun is shining all day. However, it was still light enough to put in some easy turns, and didn’t feel like it was weighing you down.

Overall it was a great day, and the pistes are in amazing condition. One of the most positive things I can say is that I didn’t hit any submerged rocks off-piste, which is great for this point in the season.

The snow cannons are running every night, so there’s fresh snow on many of the pistes every day. The piste bashers are doing a fine job of grooming the runs, and the variety of terrain here is fantastic. The off-piste is a little chopped up now and might stay like that for the next few days, but the forecast is saying there’s potentially another nice dump of snow on its way on Tuesday. Until then it’s sunny skies and mild temperatures.

The avalanche warning is at level 3 currently, which means considerable danger, so take all the appropriate equipment, and maybe even hire a guide if venturing off the beaten path.