Verbier

The spectacular 4 valleys ski area is not to everyones taste, people used to the superbly linked and signposted 3 valleys area in France will notice a marked difference in this Swiss mega resort. The runs in Verbier are unnamed and first timers may find following the piste map difficult. The rule of thumb is to call the run by the colour and the lift that serves/joins it. Having said that once you get to know the area the skiing is some of the best in the world.

The resort is well know for its itinerary routes (marked but not maintained routes). Bob here at Snowfinders had a particularly enjoyable and at times frightening morning skiing the Mont Gele bumps all the way down to Siviez. The Mont Fort and the Tortin bumps are two of the most famous runs in the world and for many skiers itinerary runs such as these are the reason people return to Verbier year after year. For intermediate skiers the runs from the top of the Attelas and Funispace lifts offer some amazingly wide swooping runs all the way down to the Medran in Verbier village.

Also why not spend a day skiing all the way to the edge of the 4 valleys and back with a trip to Les Masses. A ski area that most visitors to Verbier fail to utilise is the Bruson area, with only 3 lifts it is an amazing place to visit after a fresh fall of snow, because of its "out on a limb" situation you can still make fresh tracks in powder days after a fall of snow. Beginners and early intermediates will really enjoy the Savoleyres area with its gentle runs down to Tzoumaz.

The Verbier nightlife has a well deserved reputation and the Mont Fort pub (just around the corner from the bottom of the Medran lift) happy hour is from 4.00-5.00pm and is a great starting point for a night of fun. From the Mont Fort on to the Farinet with its live bands jugs of beer, sliding roof and a host of celebs. We were lucky enough to catch Roger Taylor of Queen playing drums with the house band Waste cheered on by the crowd that included Richard Branson and Bob Geldof!

Verbier really is a great place for visit, especially for those who want to ski hard during the day and party hard at night.