30 Years in Verbier - Our Top Tips
Verbier is undeniably one of the most famous ski resorts in Switzerland. World renowned for both on and off-piste skiing, racy nightlife and après ski, it has long attracted wealthy, international and celebrity visitors.
Verbier is the largest of the resorts in the Four Valleys, the biggest ski network in Switzerland, it can be split into 4 distinctive areas, each with their own attractions.
The Verbier Ski area is an incredible area to ski in and offers superb slopes for beginners right up to advanced skiers, boarders and off-piste adrenaline junkies as well as a snow and terrain park.
As you would expect, the slopes are extremely well groomed and dotted with mountain restaurants to serve every palate ranging from high class restaurants down to a plate of chips.
We asked our friends and Verbier veterans the Rhodes to tell us about what makes Verbier such an iconic and special place. With over 30 years skiing experience in Verbier we think they are well placed to share their knowledge.
Here’s what Tiger, Helen and their 3 children Max, Oscar and Ru had to tell us…
How easy is it to get to Verbier?
We normally drive or fly and then hire a car, but we have taken the train from Geneva airport as well. The train is direct to Martigny in 1 ½ hours and the views are lovely over Lac Leman and the mountains. From Martigny you can catch the Saint-Bernard Express train to Le Châble which only takes 20 minutes.
From Le Châble you can either take the bus which stops in the centre of Verbier or take a taxi which is much quicker (and very expensive!). An in-season alternative if we are travelling light or without the kids is the gondola connection direct into the resort at Médran.
Which Ski School do you use in Verbier?
We have only used European Snowsport who have been really helpful in setting up the right lessons and groups for the children to be in. All three children have liked the instructors, who are a mixture of English and European and who all speak English. The lessons have always challenged the children.
Which Ski Rental shop do you recommend?
We are long term customers at MountainAir for buying boots and hiring boots and skis. The customer service is friendly, helpful and nothing is too much trouble. They kept a box of spare parts for Tiger’s boots that kept them going for years and Nick also completely re-moulded my boots after my feet spread after having the children. Most importantly they really want you to enjoy great skiing.
What are your favourite ski runs?
Lac des Vaux is a lovely mix of blue and red runs. It sits in a wide bowl and it has a small amount of off-piste at the edge of the marked runs to practice small jumps and bumpy terrain. La Chaux is in a sunny bowl and is popular with families. The terrain park is here with three routes of jumps and rails of varying difficulty, a giant airbag and a ski cross/boardercross run. The children like La Chaux as it is, in their words: “amazing and the snow park is fun with easy jumps which are good for any ability, it’s like jumping around in a playzone”. M25, a red run down to Ruinettes that can be busy at the end of the day as the name suggests. Vallon D’Arby, an ungroomed but marked itinéraire through a stunning valley down towards La Tzoumaz. Gentianes, another itinéraire from the Tortin glacier down towards Siviez.
Which are your favourite restaurants on a sunny day on the slopes?
The Mouton Noir is great and combines gourmet and self-service food. It’s a bit different and is popular because there is live music and other entertainment on the slopes every afternoon throughout the ski season (if the weather is good). The restaurant is at the top of the Médran lifts.
The Dahu is next to the snow park at La Chaux and provides great pizza, authentic Swiss cuisine as well as just coffees and croissants. It is a really good meeting point at the bottom of several runs such as La Chaux and Gentianes. A top tip to avoid the queues is to turn left at the bar and grab a standing table. Enjoy a glass of fendant with your oysters or steak tartare on brioche toast!
The Cuckoo’s Nest is a restaurant with a twist as it’s designed to make you feel as though you’re inside a deconstructed cuckoo’s clock. It’s situated at quite at high altitude at 2,700m and there is an amazing 180-degree view over Mont Blanc and the Grand Combin. Apparently famous with the rich and titled so keep your eyes peeled here.
Cabane Mont-Fort is also well worth a visit. It’s a “proper” alpine hut with self-service traditional fayre at a very good price. The menu is limited but the food is outstanding. The views are also very special.
And on a snowy day?
If it’s snowing, we quite often sledge to La Marmotte restaurant from the top of Savolèyres. Or you can walk up there and sledge back down to Verbier. There are also wonderful views from here on a sunny day so it’s well worth a visit then too.
What do you do with the children in Verbier if the weather is poor and you can’t ski?
We hire sledges for CHF10 each a day and go down the luge run at Savolèyres which takes you down to La Tzoumaz. This is the longest sledge run in the French part of Switzerland and has a vertical drop of 834 metres. You will need to wear waterproofs to make the most of it as you will get so so wet!
There is an Ice Karting Track which is really popular but check the weather forecast as you need to book in advance. It’s like Go Karting but on ice and is brilliant fun. If you do not have daredevil children the instructors can control the speed for them from the sidelines. If you want something inside out of the cold, there is a cinema in Verbier which shows childrens’ films with English subtitles. It tends to open early if the weather is poor. The seats are really comfortable according to the children!
What are your favourite places for Après Ski in Verbier?
The Fer à Cheval is great for après ski, especially as they hand out free pizza! Pub Mont Fort does Happy Hour with music and we also love La Rouge.
What do you all love about Verbier and how does it compare to other resorts you’ve skied in?
We find everyone here very friendly and it has not been difficult to integrate into the community. There is an international and cosmopolitan feel to the resort which we enjoy, and the ski school is brilliant. There are a lot of promotional freebies especially around fête and festival times which the children really like. The ski lifts here are all really good and very up to date. There are only a few vicious chair lifts and we’ve only found one button lift.
The food here is much more varied as it used to be just traditional and often very heavy and cheesy food. Now they do the best pizza we’ve ever tasted and amazing pastas. There is a lot of repeat business from customers here, so the service is generally very good.
In comparison to other resorts we’ve skied in we find that Verbier seems to have more permanent residents and therefore we have been able to make friends easily and meet them here year after year.
And the children?
Max – “I like the hot chocolate as it comes in a sachet with a cup of warm milk”.
Oscar – “Everyone’s friendly and happy to have a chat in lift queues and in restaurants”.
Ru – “I love skiing!”.
Extra tips…
Yes, it’s wonderful here at Christmas with huge baubles hanging from the trees. There is a huge amount of effort that goes in to making the resort look perfect for Christmas. There is an Xtreme Ski Festival in April with big screens to watch and stalls in the resort. The Churros were gorgeous!
See you there soon!
Read our blogs: Verbier Property Insights and Summer in the Alps, Verbier
Alpine Property intelligence September 2018