Verbier Intermediate Skiing

Strong intermediates enjoy the variety of terrain and the opportunity to move through high mountain scenery; others might struggle to see the point.

Adventurous intermediates have a lot of scope in the Four Valleys, with around 40% of the terrain at their disposal, but it’s spread across the whole of the domain, making some of it hard to reach. There’s big skiing too, with the longest vertical descent on piste (1,227m) from Attelas to Verbier, which doesn’t even involve either of the highest lift-accessed points. The real problem with the otherwise excellent descents on the Verbier side is that they’re so crowded. The end of the day can feel like a high speed Chinese downhill as all the expert skiers head home after a day skiing the couloirs up high.

More useful, particularly at busy times of the season, are self-contained areas such as Savoleyres and La Tzoumaz which are ignored by many, yet deliver everything that a relaxed group of skiers could want. In good snow conditions, a day at Bruson is an excellent alternative to the main domain’s crowds. It’s easily reached, just up the valley by a free bus service, from Le Chable below Verbier.

Moderate skiers will find the distances across the Four Valleys a problem, as the biggest routes tend also to involve occasional tough sections. You shouldn’t consider the four valleys as seamlessly linked in the way that some of the French mega-resorts are; there’s certainly a case for skiers to consider Thyon or La Tzoumaz as a base if they’re shy of the more advanced skiing in Verbier. Essentially, the area as a whole consists predominantly of red runs – keep that in mind when judging whether Verbier is the place for you. Strong intermediates enjoy the variety of terrain and the opportunity to move through high mountain scenery; others might struggle to see the point.