My forecast for Verbier? Sunny, snowy and chilled
I LAST visited Verbier in 2004 and that trip has always stood out from my more recent skiing holidays. A pretty, traditional Alpine village, it’s one of the few resorts with scenic, tree-lined and more gentle slopes – ideal for skiers like me.
Going away in a group – in this case, eight girls – was ambitious but Tom at holiday company Ski Armadillo made it painless. He proved to be invaluable with his planning and suggestions, and handled our last-minute changes.
Due to work commitments, we arrived in Switzerland at different times but our transfers all worked out well.
There was a huge dump of snow a couple of days before we arrived, but the first girls to arrive were unable to ski due to whiteout conditions and poor visibility.
Tom arranged a guide – Emma from Element Concepts – to lead us around the slopes according to our ability. She gave us advice about our technique and arranged lessons for those who wanted them.
On our first day we skied nearly 30 miles. Emma’s insider knowledge was brilliant. Having worked for more than a decade in Verbier, she knows every inch of the slopes – and all the best places for lunch.
One day she took us to La Dahu for alfresco dining at 7,200ft. We also ventured to Le Vache – owned by singer James Blunt, former England rugby star Lawrence Dallaglio and world superbikes champion Carl Fogarty – which had a contemporary, chilled-out vibe.
As you’d expect, Verbier has more apres-ski spots than you can shake a ski pole at. We went from standing by an open fire pit with a mug of rich hot chocolate with Cointreau (think velvety, liquid chocolate orange) to sampling cheese and wine in a refined deli.
At the other end of the scale, Le Rouge was probably the one of the most popular places we visited. It is conveniently based at the base of the slopes and was a blur of giant bottles of rosé and Euro dance tracks on a
busy terrace. In contrast, our chalet was the most comforting place to rest and recharge our batteries after a day on the slopes.
Just a five-minute walk from the village, the chalet was a dream come true, with candles, comfy sofas and sociable open-plan sitting room with lots of space for all of us, as well as a couple of extra friends we ran into in the bars throughout the week.
Each of the four bedrooms had an en suite bathroom with heated floors (a luxury I wish I had at home), fluffy white towels and White Company bath oils. We were always ravenous after getting back to our accommodation, so we scoffed the traditional afternoon spread of tea and home-made cake, breads and jam within seconds before we got showered and changed for dinner and the evening ahead. We felt spoilt by our chalet hosts. They were awesome at providing canapes together with a faultless MasterChef style three-course dinner every evening. After dinner some evenings we wandered back into town, and as the weekend approached we noticed that the bars got busier. Farinet is a Verbier institution. One side of the venue has live music, bottles of beer and raucous dancing on tables. The other side is a smarter, swankier lounge bar, with leather sofas, a DJ booth and waitress service.
One evening, we were lucky enough to grab a massive corner sofa overlooking the bar, have a couple of glasses of champagne and some nibbles.
The following night we returned a little later than we planned and discovered that Prince William and his friends had poached our favourite spot. You snooze, you lose…
The Farm Club, one of the resort’s oldest bars, has been going strong since the 1970s and is a sight to behold and experience – if only for the clientele and punchy bar prices. It’s a Euro melting pot – quite literally, as it gets so hot and crowded. It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted.
It was impossible not to stop off at the hidden bakery (hole in the wall) around the corner for midnight snacks of ham and cheese croissants to fortify us for the short walk home.
One morning, when the weather did not look so appealing thanks to clouds shrouding the mountain, a couple of us ventured to the new W hotel to use the spa and revive our aching limbs.
We pretty much had the place to ourselves – a steam room and sauna and an indoor/outdoor pool.
By lunchtime, the skies had cleared, and so, rejuvenated and refreshed with glowy, moisturised skin, we got back on the slopes for the most beautiful, sunny afternoon. As a TV weather forecaster, I know that you can’t beat snow, sunshine and endless blue skies.
By the fourth day we were picking out our favourite slopes to revisit, acutely aware that the holiday was drawing to a close.
Verbier has clearly grown since my last visit more than a decade ago to cater for increased demand, but it has managed to retain its traditional charm.
I heard that the resort has lowered the rating of some of its more challenging slopes to attract skiers of all abilities. I quite liked this fact – we were possibly dipping into black runs thinking they were easier reds. My skiing might have slightly improved after all.
From this winter, instead of a two-hour transfer time from Geneva, skiers will be able to reach Verbier in just 45 minutes if they choose to fly to the lesserknown airport at Sion instead.
If that makes Verbier an even more popular resort for shorter and weekend hops, you can count me in!