Nendaz Lift System

The four-person Etherolla lift in Thyon was installed recently opening up the skiing in that area with a long black and a red branching off the top. But a lot of the lift system, especially in the Printse area, would benefit from updating to make the links between the different resorts speedier. There are many button lifts and T-bars – and some of them, such as Greppon Blanc, are very long. There are a few old two-man and four-man chairlifts that are rather slow such as the Siviez chair, the Prarion chair, and the Les Masses chair.

The good news is that constuction of the lift proposed to link Siviez to the top of Plan du Fou with a high-speed cable car is expected  to begin in the next few years.

Recommended is taking a local guide on a tour of the Four Valleys area to show you all of the best ways to link up between resorts and to avoid the queues, which can be up to five minutes long in peak season.



However, most of the integral linking lifts in the Four Valleys system is high-speed chairs or fast bubbles such the chair from Siviez in the direction of Verbier. On the Verbier side, there are a better proportion of faster lifts and only one very slow two-man chair.

Worth bearing in mind is that if you get stuck in one of the outlying resorts (apart from Siviez) this could mean a very costly taxi ride back to Nendaz, so best to be aware of the timings of important lift closures such as the Lac des Vaux chairlift. Lifts are open between 8.45am to 3.30-4.30pm. From Verbier to Nendaz by taxi costs 300CHF and takes about an hour.

Book ski passes on www.telenendaz.ch. A six-day pass for the Printse area costs £165, and for the Four Valleys costs £212 at the time of writing.