Ski Area

Last November, Verbier was once again awarded the prestigious title of Best Swiss Ski Resort, for the fourth time in five years, by the esteemed World Ski Awards. And that recognition comes along with also being named the World’s Best Ski Resort for the second consecutive time in 2022! Why? Surely because the immense 4 Vallées ski area is simultaneously the highest, largest, and most beautiful resort in the Alps, complete with its own unique collection of superbly diverse high-altitude restaurants. Not to mention the area’s consistently excellent snowfall, a precious advantage these days as we confront the ongoing challenges presented by global warming and climate change. Here, you can expect 410 km of skiable slopes for almost half the year, from November to April.

The 4 Vallées ski area regroups six individual (but efficiently well-connected) stations: Nendaz, Veysonnaz, Bruson, La Tzoumaz, Thyon, and, of course, Verbier, which gives skiers a vast array of options and orientations to choose from. It cumulates in the iconic Mont Fort peak (3,330 m), the gateway to high-mountain adventures, plus ski touring and freeriding at altitudes over 4,000 m. The peak is famous for its bumpy black piste, which is 1,750 m long and has steep gradients – in some places up to 40%! But luckily, the 4 Vallées also offers slopes for all tastes and levels, lovingly maintained by local professionals, and efficiently serviced by an abundance of mostly modern and comfortable lifts.

Also on offer is the incredible Mont Gelé (3,022 m), which received a brand-new cable car installed five years ago. Freeride skiing was practically invented on this mountain in the 1960s, and today it is still home to two of the seven routes proposed by the 4 Vallées. These itineraries are not groomed or avalanche-controlled but have piste markers, while avalanche-controlled runs offer newbies (without their own avalanche beacons) a chance to explore off-piste skiing without ending their run beneath the snow- something very few other places offer in such abundance! There’s obviously a multitude of freeride possibilities on Mont Gelé, but also on the backside of Mont Fort and the iconic Bec des Rosses (3,222 m), which is also home each year to the famous Verbier XTREME stage of the Freeride World Tour. Heliskiing is also a highly popular sport in this area. It almost goes without saying that it would be impossible to explore it all in a week-long (or even in a season-long) visit to the area. The adventure awaits!

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