Verbier
Verbier Ski Resort Rating











Total Ratings = 11
Ratings sum = 41
3.72727272727
Verbier Ski Resort Statistics
Verbier Ski Resort
Verbier is famous for its legendary off-piste and glamorous nightlife. Its location near Geneva makes it a favourite of jet-setters who want to fly in, ski hard and dance the night away, but there are gentler and more affordable ways to explore its huge and high 4 Valleys ski area.
At first glance, Verbier is a rambling collection of wooden chalets on a sun-kissed meadow 1500m up a mountainside, but despite rustic appearances the village is a purpose-built ski resort which before 1925 was little more than summer pasture. But the combination of superb skiing and easy access from Geneva Airport meant the resort grew and grew.
And so did the skiing. Verbier’s vast 4 Vallees ski area now stretches across to 8 other resorts: Nendaz, Siviez, Veysonnaz, Thyon 2000, La Tzoumaz, Les Collons, Les Masses and Bruson. (Le Chable, 700m below Verbier, does not have any ski slopes but is a vital cog in the system, with lifts linking it to both Verbier and Bruson.) It’s the largest lift-linked ski domain wholly in Switzerland, with a claimed 410km of runs, over 80 lifts and a highpoint on the Mont-Fort Glacier at 3330m. No wonder there are over a dozen ski schools and guiding companies operating from Verbier alone.
Despite all the high snowsure groomed piste available, it’s the off-piste that grabs attention. High profile competitions like Verbier Ride and O’Neill Xtreme ensure that top skiers and boarders, and lots of wannabes, come from all over the world. But there are gentle itineraries as well and Verbier is an ideal resort to try off-piste for the first time.
The apres ski starts in the bars on the slopes and slowly drifts down to the resort where it carries on into the next morning. The smartest night clubs like the Farm Club are very expensive, but there are plenty of live events where the price of admission is just a (rather pricey) beer. And there is every sort of restaurant available from Michelin star fine dining to pizzerias. Some of the lower mountain restaurants stay open at night and ferry guests to and from the resort on snowcats.
The choice of accommodation includes more than a dozen hotels and numerous apartments and chalets. Prices tend to be high in central Verbier, but are more affordable in the outskirts that are a bus ride away from the main lift, or in Le Chable and the other 4 Vallees resorts.
Recommended Hotels in Verbier
W Verbier Hotel 5-star
Chalet d’Adrien 5-star
Hotel Nevai 4-star
La Cordee des Alpes 4-star
Le Chalet de Flore 4-star
Hotel Vanessa 4-star
Central Hotel Verbier 3-star
Hotel Ermitages 3-star
Hotel Farinet 3-star
Hotel Phenix 3-star
Helpful Links
- Accommodation in Verbier. Hotels, Chalets, Self-Catering Apartments, Package Holidays, Where to stay… Read more >
- How to get to Verbier. Nearest Airports and Railway Stations, Airport Transfers, Hire Cars… Read more >
- Ski Schools & Guides in Verbier. Ski & Snowboard Schools, Mountain Guides, Private Instructors… Read more >
- Discounted Ski & Snowboard Rental in Verbier:
- ALPINRESORTS.com works with several ski hire shops in Verbier and the surrounding villages and can secure discounts of up to 60% if you book online in advance here
- SKISET has an outlet near the centre of Verbier, Xtreme Sports, and will give discounts of up to 50% if you book online via this link.
Verbier Pros & Cons
+ Huge ski area
+ Extensive off-piste terrain
+ Improved ski lifts and snowmaking
+ New gondola from Le Chable to Bruson
+ Attractive village with sunny aspect
+ Great apres ski and nightlife
– Piste map and sign posting
– Overcrowding in some areas
– Sun-affected lower slopes
– Relatively expensive
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Verbier Ski Area
Verbier’s 4 Vallees ski area – the largest lift-linked ski domain in Switzerland – offers superb skiing on 412km of pistes served by 88 ski lifts, including 300km pistes and 50 lifts linking Verbier, Savoleyres - La Tzoumaz and Bruson, and some of the best off-piste on the planet.
Verbier 4 Vallees Ski Domain
The 4 Vallees ski domain is quite complex and may be difficult for newcomers to navigate by lift and piste, rather than by following a mountain guide, but its two main peaks, Mont Fort and Mont Gele, offer superb skiing and boarding, both on- and off-piste, with panoramic views from the top of the Mont-Fort (3,330 m) encompassing Mont-Blanc, Matterhorn and Combins mountain ranges.
Even when frequently consulting Verbier’s 4 Vallees piste map, it’s confusing. You might not locate the four individual valleys at a glance – they neither radiate from a central point, nor sit conveniently parallel to each other, meaning they’re of limited use as a navigational framework – so whether you’re trying to work out piste itineraries or where Verbier’s best off-piste routes are found, you need to be switched on.
Verbier Mont Fort 3330m
The ski area above Verbier, La Tzoumaz and Bruson comprises 195km of pistes including two distinct skiable peaks – Mont Fort 3330m and Mont Gele 3023m – and three winding ridges that separate the 4 Vallees. Mont Fort and Mont Gele are the big summits, each with a cable car to the top. The terrain between them and Verbier – Attelas 2727m, La Chaux 2260m and Chassoure 2740m – makes up much of Verbier’s skiing, on- and off-piste.
The ski area falls mainly in Verbier (the first valley), as well as the bottom end of La Tzoumaz (the second valley) and the upper end of Siviez / Nendaz (the third valley). Access is via the Medran gondolas to Les Ruinettes 2200m, the staging point for onward travel: to Attelas 2727m and points northwest by two parallel gondolas or to La Chaux 2260m by chairlift and onwards to Col des Gentianes 2950m and the highest terrain on Mont Fort 3330m by two cable cars.
From the top of Mont Fort 3,330m is a genuinely big, steep, very black mogul run which descends the north face. All other routes from the top of Mont Fort are off-piste, many of them legendary. To skiers in the know, ‘off the back of Mont Fort’ speaks volumes. Mont Gele is a similar proposition though it’s all ‘off the back’, with no piste skiing at all. Two itineraries are the official routes down but plenty of couloirs are also on offer.
Savoleyres – La Tzoumaz
Almost completely separate from the main skiing, Savoleyres to the north of Verbier provides 55km of lower altitude, sun-drenched skiing, accessed by gondola at the opposite end of the village to the main Medran ski lifts. When everyone’s chasing fresh tracks up high after heavy snow, it’s a great spot for gentler pitches without the crowds. Over the top, on the north face of Savoleyres, are more challenging runs down to La Tzoumaz, but the piste skiing is mostly easy with 62% rated blue for beginners, 33% red for intermediates and just 5% black for advanced skiers and boarders.
Thyon
Onwards from Chassoure 2740m, via Tortin 2050m then Siviez 1730m, to Thyon 2100m (the fourth valley), which is a long haul by piste and lift back to Verbier. One of the main reasons for ending up this far over is to ski the off-piste itinerary from the Greppon Blanc 2700m that drops to the far valley road, from where you can catch a bus back to Les Collons 1800m to return to Verbier via the lift system, but check lift access and closing times and allow plenty of time for the return journey on snow, otherwise you could be facing an 80km (one hour and 40 minutes) long, expensive taxi ride back to Verbier.
Ski St Bernard
Further south, the ‘Ski St-Bernard’ ski area comprises five small ski areas – Bruson, La Fouly, Champex-Lac, Vicheres-Liddes and Les Marecottes – with 100km of pistes on quiet unspoiled slopes between 1103m and 2267m, served by 17 lifts and offering good opportunities for beginners and freeriders. The two most accessible ski areas from Verbier are Bruson and La Fouly, with 48km and 20km of pistes respectively and each served by four lifts.
Bruson
The ski area above Bruson 1080m has four lifts serving a total of 48km of pisted terrain of which 48% is designated for beginners, 14% intermediate and 38% advanced as well as plenty of easy off-piste terrain between the pistes, north and south of the upper lift stations, including good possibilities for newcomers to guided skiing off-piste. Getting to Bruson is easy; take the telecabin from Verbier 1500m down to Le Chable 821m, connected to Bruson since December 2013 by the new Le Chable – Bruson gondola in place of the free shuttle bus.
La Fouly
The ski area at La Fouly 1600m is tiny, just 20km of pistes – 30% blue, 20% red and 50% black –between 1600m and 2200m as well as a natural halfpipe. Popular for winter walking and cross-country skiing, La Fouly is about 30km (40 minutes) from Verbier and difficult to get to unless you have your own transport.
Snowmaking in Verbier
Following investment in more snowmaking on the Mayentzet-Medran link, latest improvements in time for 2013-14 ski season include a new snowmaking system on the 1,200m vertical run from Attelas down to the bottom of the Rouge lift. This means virtually all runs in the Medran-Attelas area are now covered by high performance snow making systems and brings the Televerbier lift company one step closer to a fully linked ski area with guaranteed snow.
Freeriding Off-Piste in Verbier and the 4 Vallees
The off-piste opportunities in Verbier’s 4 Valllees are immense, but we strongly recommend that you hire a mountain guide and check avalanche risks if you intend to go freeriding. Security information about latest snow conditions and avalanche risk is provided by Verbier’s ski lift company at the lift station at Medran in partnership with Mammut and Recco. For anyone needing practise using an avalanche transceiver, probes and shovel, Verbier Guides offer free one hour courses every Sunday afternoon at 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00 from December to March at the DVA Park La Chaux. Equipment available on site.
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Verbier Ski Lifts & Lift Passes
Verbier's 4 Vallees ski domain is served by a total of 88 lifts, more than half of which cover the terrain in Verbier, Bruson and La Tzoumaz. Verbier’s once disastrous lift queues have been mostly alleviated, mainly because of a new gondola from Verbier to Les Ruinettes.
Verbier Ski Lifts
Skiers still come to Verbier for the terrain and despite the lift system rather than the other way round, even if the lift company has spent CHF 100 million over the last 10 years. Verbier's lifts run from 8h30 until 16h30 and the disastrous queues that used to build up at several points have been mostly alleviated – a 20 minute wait is now claimed to be the worst you might face and there is a chairlift alternative to the busy Funispace.
Probably the most important improvement was the new gondola from Medran to Les Ruinettes, with an uphill capacity of 1,100 riders per hour that has taken the sting out of the first lift up, even if there’s an irritating climb up a broad staircase to reach the lift; itself quite possibly a queue dissipation measure.
A new gondola from Le Chable to Bruson, opened in December 2013, makes it easier still to get to the Bruson ski area, which when snow conditions are good is well worth visiting as an alternative to Verbier’s busier slopes.
Verbier Lift Passes
You can now buy your hands-free lift pass online from www.televerbier.ch to avoid the other major queue you might face in the morning. Beginners can get a reduced price pass for Les Esserts lifts; the full 4 Vallees lift pass covers Verbier, Mont-Fort, Nendaz, Veysonnaz, Thyon, Bruson and La Tzoumaz and for a supplement you can also ski the La Breya area.
As well as allowing access to all Verbier 4 Vallees lifts, for skiing in winter, hiking and biking in summer, a new partnership agreement with Vail Resorts entitles holders of the Annual Verbier+ Ski Pass to ski free for three days in any of eight "Vail Resorts" in Colorado and California – Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, Kirkwood, Northstar and Arapahoe Basin. There’s just the small matter of who pays for the cost of getting from Verbier to the USA!!
Holders of the Annual Verbier+ Ski Pass are also entitled to three non-consecutive days free skiing in Sierra Nevada – Spain’s highest and Europe’s most southerly ski area – where you can look down on the Mediterranean and on a clear day see as far as Morocco and the North African coast.
Closer to ‘home’, Annual Verbier+ Ski Pass holders are also entitled to eight days free skiing in the Chamonix Mont Blanc valley and one day’s free skiing in the nearby Ski St Bernard ski domain.
Verbier Lift Company
Televerbier SA
Gare de Medran, Case Postale 419
CH 1936 Verbier, Valais, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0)- +41 (0)27 775 25 11
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.televerbier.ch
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Verbier Beginner Skiing
Les Esserts, within Verbier itself and well away from the main runs, is ideal for novices, but progressively more challenging beginner runs are harder to reach; Les Moulins has a special children’s area.
Nursery slopes for beginners in Verbier
First time skiers can have a good time in Verbier. Les Esserts, within the village, is an ideal starting point for beginners with a 120m magic carpet and snowmaking, well away from the main runs; Les Moulins has a special children’s area.
However, it’s not so easy for skiers to progress to more challenging beginner runs: Verbier tends to give you all or nothing, just when you need something in between. And while it’s true that novice skiers can be expert après-skiers, Verbier’s other great selling point – the high mountain scenery – will be missed by most beginners, though the sunny setting of Verbier itself may be enough to get people back for more.
Best progressive beginner runs in Verbier
The best progressive beginner runs are on Savoleyres and over the ridge into La Tzoumaz. These family-friendly slopes run through trees and keep better snow than the very sunny south facing slopes of Savoleyres. There are plans to develop this area to improve links with Verbier, but even now the runs back to town from the top of Savoleyres are easy meandering blues and there’s also the option of returning by gondola.
Higher up there are good blues at La Chaux; getting there and back can be intimidating, with advanced skiers hurtling by, but the area is now a slow ski zone. There’s also a slow zone from the top of Tournelle down to La Tzoumaz. For the rest of the domain, there are certainly plenty of blue runs in total, but for beginners and early intermediates they might as well be on the moon for all the likelihood of you reaching them – if you’re staying in Verbier, that’s where you’ll ski; likewise Thyon and all the other bases.
Whether a first time novice or improving beginner Verbier ski and snowboard schools offer high standards of tuition and around half a dozen ski schools to choose from.
Ski Schools & Ski Lessons in Verbier
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Verbier Intermediate Skiing Verbier's 4 Vallees ski area as a whole consists mainly of red runs. Strong intermediates enjoy the varied terrain and the opportunity to ski through high mountain scenery, but others might struggle to see the point so keep that in mind when judging whether Verbier is right for you.
Adventurous intermediates have a lot of scope in Verbier and the Four Valleys, with around 40% of the ski area at their disposal, but 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.
However, the real problem with the otherwise excellent descents on the Verbier side of the ski area is that they’re so crowded. The end of the day can feel like a high speed Chinese downhill as more advanced and expert skiers head home after a day skiing the couloirs up high. More useful, particularly at busy times of the ski 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 Verbier’s more crowded slopes. Bruson is just across the valley from Verbier and now more easily reached by the new Le Chable – Bruson gondola, opened in December 2013 in place of the free bus service. In good snow conditions, the ski terrain at Bruson also include good opportunities for learning to ski off-piste on relatively gentle slopes.
Some intermediate skiers may 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 wary of the more advanced skiing in Verbier.
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Verbier Advanced & Off-Piste Skiing
Verbier’s 4 Vallees offers superb ski terrain for advanced and expert skiers and is a European mecca for off-piste. Mont Fort forms the heart of Verbier's challenging skiing – there’s only one run down, but it’s steep, broad, bumped and over 1,300 metres from top to bottom.
Advanced skiing on-piste in Verbier
Typically, at least 30% of skiers visiting Verbier are in the advanced category, attracted not only by the off-piste, but also by the tougher intermediate pistes, along with several serious blacks which together make a total of 40% advanced terrain.
Of Verbier's pisted runs, Mont Fort forms the heart of the challenging skiing – there’s only one run down, but it’s steep, broad, bumped and over 1,300 metres from top to bottom. The fact that for most of the way they are on the Tortin Glacier passes most people by – crevasses are not an issue between the markers – but it certainly helps the northwest face to keep great snow. Continuing to Tortin via a much-used ‘ski-tour’ itinerary or via the long red to La Chaux extends this already long descent but without the focus or challenge of the high mountain face.
All the other black runs are spread disjointedly round the remaining valleys – a relatively short, steep, east facing route from Attelas to Lac des Vaux and also on the west face, to the Attelas chair; a longer run, Les Fontaines down to Prarion, served only by a drag lift; from the Greppon Blanc towards Combatzeline, also served by a drag; and a long run at the farthest reaches of the Four Valleys, from Etherolla towards Les Masses, dropping 800 metres to end at around 1,600 metres on a north facing slope. Also on this side and below the Greppon Blanc are some interesting reds, though the number of draglifts puts a dent in the popularity of the area and certainly slows the rate at which these slopes can be repeated.
Verbier Ski Routes and Off-Piste
There are two further ski run designations within the Four Valleys, both best described as official off piste itineraries. Ski routes, known locally as ‘Ski Tours’, are ‘marked, not maintained, not controlled and intended for experienced users’ and ‘High Mountain Tours’ are ‘not marked, not maintained, not controlled and intended for very experienced users’, but in practice, these are normally so well frequented that you might think you were on piste, except for the lack of signs and grooming.
Virtually every square foot of Verbier’s snow gets skied, even when it’s at the top or bottom of big cliffs or nestles in tight, steep couloirs. Local guides acknowledge that the reputation of the place for extreme skiing means that even with a posted avalanche hazard of four out of a maximum five (when sane people stick to the piste), many hardcore freeriders still choose to go off-piste rather than risk missing out on fresh tracks.
With the density of tracks all over the mountain, it is at least arguable that every nook and cranny is well consolidated over the course of each season, slightly reducing the overall avalanche risk as compared with similar un-skied terrain. That said, hiring a guide is advisable both for safety sake and to find the best snow conditions.
The concentration of faster ski lifts (though longer queues) and steep slopes around Mont Fort, Plan du Fou, Les Attelas, Chassoure and Tortin makes those areas the focus for accomplished skiers (they’re also within easy reach of Verbier) and it’s also where the real action is to be found: the itineraries, off piste routes and couloirs described in the Freeride Verbier section.
Heliskiing in Verbier
Give back-country skiing a shot accompanied by a mountain guide. Take on the Vallon d’Arby or the «Backside Mont-Fort» for a powder-filled day. For a completely unforgettable experience, try heli-skiing – with a helicopter flight and incredible downhills in perfect snow. Four drop-off points are Petit Combin, Glacier du Trient, Rosablanche and Pigne d'Arolla.
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Verbier Snowboarding & Freestyle The snow park in Verbier - with cheap lift ticket - is right by La Chaux, but it's the off-piste that makes Verbier one of the extreme snowboarding resorts in Europe.
Verbier's snow park is right by La Chaux, www.mysnowpark.ch. If that’s all you need, you can buy a daily “Snowpark” rate ticket for SFR40 to access the large snowpark’s rails, jumps and boarder cross for all levels; there are plans for a half-pipe. Another skier/boarder-cross area is at Snowpark Taillay above La Tzoumaz.
Elsewhere the off-piste makes Verbier one of the extreme boarding resorts of Europe, regularly hosting competitions such as the O'Neill Xtreme (www.xtremeverbier.ch) and Verbier Ride (www.verbierride.com) each year, but some of the run-outs from the best off-piste routes can be a long struggle on a board, including Mont Fort descents along the shores of the Lac des Cleuson.
The Lac des Vaux and the Vallon d'Arbi provide perfect natural terrain for freestylers, but the steepest terrain tends to get well bumped after a few snow-free days, so it’s less than ideal on a board. More useful is the absence of draglifts in the main Verbier area.
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Verbier Mountain Restaurants Most mountain restaurants in Verbier are of the self-service variety, perhaps reflecting the serious attitude taken by many of the skiers to the area.
There are 30 mountain restaurants throughout the domain. Given the upmarket profile of Verbier, the on-mountain eating isn't in the mega-league. The number of functional high-volume places perhaps reflects the serious attitude taken by many of the skiers to the area - and of course there's no shortage of good eating at the end of the day back in town.
Several restaurants in the Verbier area offer both self-service and quality table service: try l'Olympique at the top of the Funispace lift. Also in the Ruinettes and Attelas area is the Restaurant Col des Gentianes and the Cabane Mont Fort, on the Gentianes to La Chaux ski run. This is actually a refuge with showers and 2-bed and dormitory rooms - perfect for first tracks. The cosy interior gets crowded in bad weather; otherwise the sun terrace with its great views is the place to be. Below Ruinettes in the trees towards Verbier, Chez Dany is a classic mountain restaurant with good food and views; booking is recommended but if you can't get in by day, try an evening meal followed by a toboggan run back to Verbier.
Savoleyres has two self service restaurants, one with a large sun-terrace, at the top of the gondola. More rustic is La Marmotte at around 1930m near the T-bar. Further afield, the base area at Siviez has a couple of large restaurants for pizza or spaghetti and in La Tzoumaz the Hotel Poste is recommended.
Ideal for last stop of the day is Le Carrefour and the adjoining open air Wax Bar. The restaurant is good, though not so well placed for the middle of a ski day; the Wax Bar is the place for a gluhwein and a piece of cake while waiting for the bus to take you back to Verbier town centre. There's good après-ski atmosphere partly thanks to being on a much less stressful ski route down than the final run to town from Les Ruinettes.
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Verbier Village Verbier looks like picture-postcard chalet heaven from afar and close-up it’s undoubtedly one of the more attractive ski villages, but still there's too much traffic in the centre of the village and commercial development continues apace.
Unless it has just snowed three feet, Verbier never looks quite as good as you feel it should. The main reason is the traffic which roars up the hill through the centre, revving hard to cope with the gradient, dividing busy après ski areas and scaring pedestrians. Though it may not compare well to the picture postcard view of town from Savoleyres on a sunny day, from where Verbier looks like a snow-laden chalet heaven, Verbier is an attractive ski village with scenic views and the effective one-way system at least allows the essential bus system to run well.
From La Place Centrale up to the Medran lift is Verbier's main street – it’s the route to the main ski lifts with good ski shops scattered between the bars and restaurants that line both sides of the road leading up to the lift station. Going down the hill from the central square are more shops and some accommodation. The entire area feels sufficiently swamped with English speakers that you might expect the official statistics to be the opposite of the reality: 40% of Verbier's visitors are Swiss, with just 12% English. Really?
The further you go from the centre of Verbier, the more traditional charm there is in the shape of big old chalets. Newer ones have also appeared, with some of the finest around the Savoleyres area dividing the old ski routes down into town.
Verbier Tourst Office
Carrefour Central 2, Case Postale 300
CH-1936 Verbier, Valais, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0) 27 775 38 70
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.v-sb.ch
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Google Map
[UmbracoContentMacro Index="0" ]Verbier Bars & Restaurants
Verbier's main apres-ski scene is below the Medran base station - a downhill pub crawl back to the Place Centrale and beyond. Dining options in Verbier range from hamburgers at Harolds to gourmet at much-lauded Pierroz, then on to some of the most exclusive nightclubs in the Alps.
Verbier Apres-Ski Bars
Verbier has on-mountain après-ski at the Wax Bar and Au Mignon, whose sunny terrace beginners can ski to from Le Rouge, but the main apres-ski scene is below the Medran base station - a downhill pub crawl back to the Place Centrale and beyond, with music thumping out into the street from the bars, care of live bands and DJ's drawing in the crowds. If it’s New Year’s Eve and you’re in this part of the Alps, La Place is the place to be!
The Pub Mont Fort near Medran is a long established après-ski bar essential for English-speakers, with happy hour from 4-5pm, food and late night opening. The Big Ben pub is also lively with a good outside area. Nearby, the Offshore Cafe goes right through from breakfast until 7.00pm; a surfing VW Beetle interior sets the tone, and there are cakes and shakes on the menu. Lower down along Verbier's main street, Le Fer a Cheval has good apres-ski outside and a small North American Indian-meets-the-Alps interior for pizzas and pasta; it’s also the place to get local knowledge on the skiing. Murphy’s Bar is another major indoor and outdoor après-ski venue.
For a completely different vibe, the Milk Bar does hot chocolate, cake and more; it’s in a central location but without the loud music that pervades most of this area. Other tea rooms in Verbier include Chez Kamel in the Migros building, which also serves a full curry menu including a buffet every Friday and Saturday evening. Right on the Place Centrale, Farinet has high energy live music and happy hour in the apres-ski bar, or a more relaxing wind down in the lounge bar.
Beyond the Place Centrale, the Wonderbar has pool tables, internet and pub games; the Kings Bar and Lounge (part of the hotel) has a real fire, leather armchairs and cocktails. In the sports centre you can find the Verbier Beach happy hour, DJ's, big screen TV and cheap pasta with all you can eat on a Saturday night.
Verbier Restaurants
There are over 40 dining options in Verbier, from hamburgers at Harolds on the Place Centrale to a gourmet meal at one of Le Rosalp Hotel restaurants: the 'Pierroz' restaurant is run by Roland Pierroz, one of Switzerland's most renowned chefs, with 19 points in the 2004 Gault Millau guide; there’s also La Pinte du Rosalp and Le Baravin wine bar. The Hotel Garbo has two restaurants (a sushi bar and a mid-priced brasserie); Kings Restaurant has great seafood and game on the menu.
Verbier Nightclubs
Then comes what Verbier does best – some of the most expensive nightclubs in the Alps. The Farm Club is a good place to start parting with your money, if only because you have to go there once, and you can club till the small hours at Scotch, Taratata and Casbah (in the Farinet hotel basement) without spending quite so much.
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Verbier Other Activities Verbier has plenty of other sports activities, including cross-country skiing, ski touring, snowshoeing, tobogganing, winter walking and ice climbing in winter, but for non-skiers and non-sporty types the range of other activities in winter is somewhat limited.
Verbier has 16 miles of winter walks, ice climbing, snow shoeing, a small amount of cross-country skiing in resort and one trail at 2200m, Ruinettes-La Chaux; there are more extensive routes at Le Chable (when there’s snow), with a total of 45km in the Val de Bagnes. The Maison du Sport guides run a ‘suspended adventure trail’ at the Medran Parc and there’s an impressive 10km toboggan run from Savoleyres-Tzoumaz.
The sports center has a range of facilities including swimming pool, sauna, whirlpool, solarium, squash, ice rink and curling. Mondzeu has another pool, sauna and fitness centre. Verbier’s cinema shows films in English language as well as French.
Cross Country Skiing in Verbier
The Verbier St Bernard region has around 40km of cross-country ski trails spread across half a dozen locations – Champex-Lac (12 km), La Fouly (10 km), Champsec (9 km), Les Ruinettes (5 km), Plamproz (2.4 km) and Verbier Station (1.8 km) – of which most falls within the Ski St Bernard region (www.ski-psb.ch). Cross-country trails range from easy to medium difficulty, including forest tracks, high altitude trails and village circuits, skating tracks at La Fouly and Champex as well as classic trails at each location.
Ski Touring in Verbier
Deep in the heart of nature, enjoy an amazing experience far from the crowds. While it may require an effort to reach it, the mountain summit offers a stunning reward: a breathtaking view followed by a descent through an untouched valley. Carve fresh tracks in complete safety with the region's guide! At the heart of VERBIER St-Bernard you will find classic routes such as the ascent to the Brunet hut or the Grand-St-Bernard Hospice, as well as some essential highlights for unforgettable experiences: the "Rosablanche" and the "Grande Lui" await you! A guide will accompany you for this activity. A few suggestions - Lourtier - Cabane Brunet - Mont Rogneux, Grand-St-Bernard Pass and Hospice, Rosablanche and Grande Lui
Snowshoeing in Verbier
Snowshoeing is popular with as many as 33 groomed and signposted trails, 155km in extent, throughout the Verbier Ski St Bernard region including Verbier (12 km), La Tzoumaz (13km), Val de Bagnes (28 km) and Pays du St-Bernard (102 km) with experienced hiking guides available to guide you on easy terrain and mountain guides for more difficult terrain. Snowshoeing itineraries range from 1 hour 30 minutes to 3 hours duration and mostly easy to medium difficulty.
Toboganning in Verbier
The start of the 10km toboggan run at La Tzoumaz is reached by cable car from La Tzoumaz or Verbier and offers thrilling fast descents along a 10km course – the longest toboggan run in French-speaking Switzerland – and 848m vertical elevation. Helmets are compulsory and children must be accompanied by an adult. There’s a small 600 metre long toboggan run on the Petite Combe run at La Fouly, which is floodlit every Wednesday and Saturday evening in winter, and a toboggan run through pastures and forest at Vicheres-Liddes. For more information contact the Tourist Office in Verbier.
Winter Walking in Verbier
The Verbier St Bernard region has 25km of groomed and signposted winter walking paths and a range of themed itineraries including walking FOR THE VIEW from Ruinettes to La Chaux, walking with pit stops and a gourmet lunch at mountain restaurants in the ski area above Verbier, walking trails with breathtaking glacier views at La Fouly and walking in idyllic winter landscape around the lake at Champex-Lac. For more information contact the Tourist Office in Verbier.
Ice Climbing in Verbier
Verbier and the Val de Bagnes is well known for ice-climbing with over 30 frozen waterfalls (icefalls) in winter offering climbing opportunities from beginner to expert level. Ice climbing guides can be booked through most of Verbier’s mountain guiding companies. For more information contact the Tourist Office in Verbier.
Paragliding in Verbier
Verbier has three paragliding schools offering tandem flights and various levels of instruction with stunning panoramic views of the Verbier St Bernard region. Take-off areas are at Ruinettes, Attelas (winter only), Savoleyres, Croix-de-Cœur, Tournelle and Breya, and landing sites above the Centre Sportiff and Esserts in Verbier and at Le Chable in Val de Bagnes. For more information contact:
Fly Xperience
Fabien Maillard, Ch. de la Chapelle 18, CH 1934 Bruson
Tel: +41 (0) 78 648 20 68, Email: [email protected], Web: www.fly-xperience.com
Verbier Summits
Chalet Anguillita, Chemin de la Côte 15, CH 1934 Villette
Tel: +41 (0) 79 710 91 32, Email: [email protected], Web: verbier-summits.com
Fly Verbier
Gaël Sahli Ammann, Case Postale 147, CH 1936 Verbier
Tel: +41 (0) 79 764 80 32, Email: [email protected], Web: www.flyverbier.ch
Cinema in Verbier
The stylish Cinema de Verbier in the centre of Verbier re-opened in December 2012 after a two year closure for renovation to the delight of local cinema lovers. Improvements include a new digital projector. The cinema seats up to 400 people and features films in English as well as French language.
Cinema de Verbier
Case Postale 84, CH 1936 Verbier, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0) 27 771 24 35
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.cinemaverbier.com
Verbier Tourist Office
Place Centrale 2, CP 300
CH 1936 Verbier, Valais, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0) 27 775 38 88
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.verbier.ch
Open daily from 08:30 to 19:00