Off the back ultimate Ski: Off Piste > Verbier off-piste

Off the back

Verbier has some classic 'Off the Back' descents, first and foremost the 'Backside of Mont Fort'; others include Vallon d'Arbi and the Creblet Couloirs.

One of Verbier's classic 'Off the Back' freeskiing runs is appropriately named 'Backside of Mont Fort'. It's positioned at the highest point of Verbier's 400km ski area, the top of the Mont Fort lift at 3,300m. The fact that you can access such a vast range of terrain by lift is one of the amazing things about Verbier. The best advice when skiing off the backside of Mont Fort is too take a guide from the resort.

To access it walk down the stairs from the Mont Fort lift. At the bottom of the stairs there is rope you can get under and there you clip in. Traverse across to the left and then you are in the main colouir. It's a steep but nice pitch and takes you out to a plateau. There are two or three other main descents to ski before you get to the dam. A great experience and amazing views to take in, but always best appreciated with a mountain guide who has the experience and knowledge to make it a safe and exciting experience.

Vallon d'Arbi
Another of Verbier's oustanding 'Off the Back' descents is Vallon d'Arbi. To access it you ski through Lac d'Vaux and beyond the bottom of the Lac chair lifts. You come through to an amazing view where you can see across to Sion. Traverse around and across to an area where you have the choice of skiing Col d'Mines or traversing further around. When you do this far enough you come to a beautiful north-facing slope that has trees all over it and a nice gradient. It's a vast playground and one of the most stunning sights you will see. You end up by arriving in La Tzoumaz and take the cable car up to Savoleyres.

Creblet Couloirs
The Creblet Couloirs in Verbier are yet another classic. To access them get up the Funispace lift from Ruinettes. Once at the top you have a choice of four main couloirs. All are different, with levels of difficultly ranging from advanced to expert. Again here, unless you have skied it all before, you need a mountain guide or a ski instructor from the local school. All the couloirs lead out to Carrefour and you can jump straight back on the chairlifts to get back up to Ruinettes and do it all over again

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Away from the marked runs, you depend on your friends and your equipment should anything go wrong.

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Avalanche guide

Some passages in this section are extracted from Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain by Bruce Tremper, Director of the Utah Avalanche Center.
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