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The Swiss ski resort of Verbier is part of the Four Valleys Ski Area with access to 412km of downhill skiing, with 193 individual pistes, served by 92 ski lifts.
In addition to the skiing in Verbier itself (412km of pisted ski runs), the appropriate ski Lift Pass will allow you to ski or snowboard in the other Four Valleys ski resorts of Bruson, Evolène, La Tzoumaz, Nendaz, Siviez, Thyon les Collons and Veysonnaz.
The 4 Vallées Ski area is one of the largest lift-linked areas in the world and the largest truly-linked and wholly in Switzerland. The maximum skiable vertical, when conditions are right, involves a trail of 15km (nearly 10 miles ) descending more than 2,500m ( 8230 feet) again one of the biggest and best verticals in the world.
Verbier has a good percentage of high-tech lifts able to shift large numbers of skiers quickly, most famously 'Le Jumbo' cable car, which carries 150 people at a time up to the Mont Fort glacier . In addition the Funispace lift contains giant gondola cabins on twin wires each capable of carrying 30 passengers. Other recent additions are the Chaux Express and Les Attelas lifts, increasing capacity and speed of access on key routes
Experts will be especially enraptured by what's on offer around Verbier. Highlights include the legendary Tortin snow bowl with its huge bumps, the extreme couloirs down from Les Attelas, the steep skiing around Mont Gele and the notorious Gentianes run below the cable car. Ski safaris are organised by the ski schools to French and Italian resorts in the area and heli-skiing is another popular option.
Ski mountaineering is yet another of the Verbier's strengths, lying as it does on the legendary 'Haute Route' between Chamonix and Zermatt (6 days). Intermediates inevitably have the greatest choice with hundreds of miles/kilometres of trails in the blue/red category. The huge Lac des Vaux bowl with lifts rising in every direction is one of the many options. Beginners may feel daunted by the skiing mecca all around them, but nonetheless have sunny nursery slopes just above the village centre.
Cross country skiers have half a dozen 4 and 5km (2.5- 3 mile) loops to choose from starting in the various Vallées villages, and there is a eight kilometre (five mile ) route through Val de Bagnes. |
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