Situated high up at 1500m in a natural bowl, the town of Verbier is striking in appearance, it’s a very pretty ski resort, with a noticeable absence of high rise development that blights some of the other alpine resorts. The most noticeable thing though about Verbier is that the chalets are all facing south west, like a huge meadow of timber and stone sunflowers, unlike sunflowers they don’t track the sun from east to west throughout the day but they do take advantage of the many sunny days that this wonderful, world renown ski resort enjoys. There must be more terrace and balcony per square mile here than anywhere on earth and not just to take advantage of the sunny day but also to take advantage of the fabulous mountain scenery.
Snow is guaranteed in Verbier due to its high altitude and the possibility to ski on the glacier. Verbier forms part of the Four Valleys ski area which offers over 400 kilometres of ski runs and 93 state of the art lifts, all covered in one (hands-free) lift pass. The vast ski area means that there is guaranteed to be something to suit skiers and boarders of all levels. If off-piste floats your boat, then Verbier is also recognised as one of the premiere off-piste resorts in the Alps, if not the world, with great Heli-skiing opportunities too, Verbier is rightly said to be skiers paradise.
Verbier is also a party town and the après ski is legendary, Verbier’s nightlife is almost as famous as its skiing. With 12 bars and discotheques, Verbier boasts some of the best après-ski and nightlife in the Swiss Alps. If you don’t ski or there’s a whiteout that keeps you off the slopes then there’s always the Alpine Museum, art galleries, indoor swimming pool, saunas and plenty of shopping and retail therapy to keep you busy.
By Dan Frith, founding owner and Director of SkiBoutique.
