Verbier
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Verbier is a ski resort in the Swiss Alps, in the canton of Valais. It is part of the "Four Valleys" ski area, which includes the ski resorts of Verbier, Nendaz, Veysonnaz, La Tzoumaz, and Thyon. Verbier is recognized as one of the premiere "off-piste" resorts worldwide. Many top skiers have settled in the resort in order to take advantage of the steep slopes, varied conditions and vibrant nightlife. Verbier is also a popular holiday destination for celebrities, including Sarah Ferguson, Diana Ross, James Blunt and The Crown Prince Couple of Denmark: Frederik and Mary. It caters to many British customers, but it receives a lot of German, Swedish, Dutch, Italian, Belgian, French, Austrian and American visitors too.
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[edit] Geography
Verbier is located in the Val de Bagnes, in the Valais region of Switzerland. Verbier only has one access road, which starts in the town of Le Châble.
Verbier is around 2 hours’ drive from Geneva (Switzerland), 1 hour from Chamonix (France) and 1 hour from Aosta (Italy).
[edit] Events
Recurring events in Verbier include:
- the world-famous O'Neill Verbier Freeride extreme freeriding and Verbier Ride competitions
- the XSpeedski, FIS World Championship + Pro Race
- the patrouille des glaciers, every second year at the end of the ski season
- the Verbier Festival & Academy, an international classical music festival
- the Grand Raid Cristalp, Mountain bike race Verbier - Grimentz
- the Grand Concours Hippique, a horse race
[edit] Skiing
Verbier’s ski domain ranges from 1500m (the town itself) to 3330m (Mont Fort).
The ski area is divided into four sectors: Les Ruinettes, Les Savoleyres, Bruson and the resort itself. Verbier forms the western section of the 4 Valleys ski area. A common ski pass allows to tour all the way from Verbier to La Tzoumaz, Nendaz, Veysonnaz, to Thyon and back.
The Verbier section of the 4 Valleys ski area has lifts made by Leitner, CWA, Poma and Garaventa AG; they are operated by Téléverbier SA. Most lifts were constructed during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. In Verbier alone there are 35 lifts (within the Verbier, Savoleyeres/La Tzoumaz and Bruson sector). A standard Verbier pass gives access to this entire sector, 33 standard ski runs, two snow parks, one "Jardin de Neige" (a relatively flat area that is used for small children learning to ski), four cross-country pistes and two walking areas.
Verbier has seven snowsport schools, three companies that organise Mountain Guides, plus a few independent Mountain Guides.
[edit] Off Piste
Verbier is renowned for its off-piste opportunities. In particular Tortin, Mont Fort, Mont Gele, Stairway to Heaven, Valon D'Arby and Creblet are all popular excursions as well as the fact that Verbier is one of the only resorts to have a mountain that has no pistes coming down it.
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