Nendaz Advanced & Off-Piste
From tough, thigh-burning itineraries, to powder skiing and ski touring, Nendaz has it all for advanced skiers and freeriders.The Four Valleys has some of the gnarliest terrain anywhere. The infamous Bec des Rosses, which you can see from Mont Fort, is where the World Freeride Tour culminates. Skiers and snowboarders make their way down a near vertical, 800m-long run riddled with cliff drops. For those that aren’t pro skiers, there are plenty of options, from black runs, to ungroomed itineraries and a multitude of off-piste possibilities. But do go with a qualified mountain guide and the proper avalanche safety equipment on powder days.
Nendaz
Two itinerary runs down to Siviez are Chassoure and Tortin. They are both very long, with large, compact bumps if it hasn’t snowed for a while – watch out for uneven snow coverage or rocks. On a powder day these itineraries come into their own; but if they are tracked out it is worth getting a guide to take you on other routes. If you want to ski from Verbier in the direction of Nendaz, you have to ski Chassoure or you can take the gondola down.
The Mont Fort glacier has some excellent snow and one of the few genuine black runs on the Four Valleys – a steep bump run that mellows out into a wide piste for large carving turns. The views from the top are astounding. Spot the Matterhorn, the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc.
La Tzoumaz
A favourite run includes the itinerary Vallon D’Arby, taking you down from Lac des Vaux towards La Tzoumaz in the valley between Verbier and Nedaz. The run is marked by poles with a yellow strip at the top and it’s a good place to ski when there’s poor visibility. When there’s powder snow, there are many variations on the itinerary route that take you into gullies and glades, and spit you out on a cat-track at the bottom.
Thyon
There is a very long east-facing itinerary called L’Étegeon down from the top of the twin Greppon Blanc Lifts at 2,700m taking in over 1km of vertical. As with all itineraries, expect either bumps or powder stashes if it has recently snowed. Free buses ferry you to the village of Les Masses and run from 11.30am to 4.30pm every hour taking half an hour. Allow 20-30 mins for the run or take a taxi if you can’t squeeze on the bus.
Verbier
There are some decent groomed black runs on the Verbier side including the FIS from the top of the Les Attelas high-speed six-person chair called ‘James Blunt’ after he inaugurated it. You can also have a blast down the short, steep, rollered Lac des Vaux run.