returning to vebier after 5 years, any must do's ski or otherwise? itineraries etc....... i cant really remember what the skiing is like etc
cheers
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
It'd be useful to know first what sort of skiing you like to do and what sort of level you ski at. Also whether you're alone, in a pair or a group and if the latter, how the ski skill level varies across the group. Then any advice will be better targeted.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Main itineraries: Mont Fort (short steep pitch at top usually with some large bumps) , Gentianes-Tortin (long run with varied bumps most of the way), Chassoure-Tortin (lots more bumps!), Plan de Fou (fully pisted now, unless you drop in right under the top lift for some rock hopping), Vallon d'Arbi (lac des vaux to La Tzoumaz, some nice trees interspersed with open sections but quite a long flat bit at the bottom), Col de Mines (lac des vaux to verbier, shares start with vallon d'arbi)), L'Eteygeon (top of greppon blanc down to the valley floor to the East, the crux is getting back into the 4V from there now the bus service has stopped (the cafe shop's spouse does however run a taxi service to take you up to les Collons!), Mont Gele to either Tortin or La Chaux, plus some in Bruson.
These were mainly OK (but the lower ones getting a bit thin) a month ago, last time I was there. Since then with no further snow some may well be out of condition now, certainly quite a few showing as closed on the verbier website. Mont Fort, Gentianes, and Mont Gele usually the best bets due to altitude. When are you going?
Loads of named freeride routes as well (not controlled or marked, so at your own risk), the local guide services like Powder Extreme can usually find you some snow, somewhere.
I'll be there next week and plan to have a look at the main Mont Gele itinerary "La Grande Journee" to Tortin (the lift is open today but the itineraries showing as "in preparation"), & if the snows OK there, checkout some of the freeride routes nearby (Highway, Stairway, the Col de Mouche variants...)
It’s freeze thaw conditions so if you’re skiing itineraries you need to ski them at the right time. Too early and you’ll need several chiropractor visits to recover, too late and they will be mush. At the right time, you might get some nice corn
Eg this is Col des Mines (traverse left over towards Creblet for less tracks) last run of the day on Sunday. We were a bit late but it was still fun. The run before, Gentianes -> Tortin which doesn’t get the sun was horrible!
I'll be there next week and plan to have a look at the main Mont Gele itinerary "La Grande Journee" to Tortin (the lift is open today but the itineraries showing as "in preparation"), & if the snows OK there, checkout some of the freeride routes nearby (Highway, Stairway, the Col de Mouche variants...)
Would suspect La grande journée will be big very hard bumps! Would recommend either the front side that may still be a bit chalky or the itinerary to La Chaux in the afternoon once it’s softened. Best of all is the South Couloir but the access is a bit trickier
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The start of the Plan de Fou run was getting pretty bare and scraped at the end of last week. Chassoure-Tortin was a festival of bumps (not necessarily in a good way!)
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
The Plan de Fou red is a great option early as it gets the sun on it and starts to soften. As does La Chaux
Wouldn’t recommend any of the Tortin itineraries until there’s fresh snow
Didn’t ski Mont Fort but it might be slightly better - good skiers only in these conditions!
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@BobinCH, Is that the red down to Siviez? If so, it was one of the runs in better condition at that altitude. Unlike the run to Prarion which was just a mess, whatever time of day I did it!
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
LOTA wrote:
@BobinCH, Is that the red down to Siviez? If so, it was one of the runs in better condition at that altitude. Unlike the run to Prarion which was just a mess, whatever time of day I did it!
Yep nice long winding red to Siviez. One of my favourite pistes in the 4V. I’ve only skied down to Prarion a couple of times but I agree with your assessment. When staying in Nendaz I prefer to start/finish in Siviez, although the new lift to Plan de Fou has certainly significantly speeded the route over if starting from Nendaz.
Jumbo piste is also a good one - use the zig zag path across the steep bit at the top if necessary. And enjoy the views of the Bec and say a prayer for the poor riders throwing themselves off it on Saturday morning
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
We came across this today on a walk down from Savoleyres to Verbier-Carrefour:
When you get to Carrefour, you can see it sits almost exactly on a straight line drawn between the two, about half the way up. It wasnt there last summer and as you can see from the digger, seems only just to have been completed.
I wondered if this was something to do with the new combimix scheduled to be built to replace the ageing Savoleyres-Verbier télécabine? All the plans I've seen from Téléverbier place this construction dead on the line of the new gondola.
Of course, it might be nothing to do with the replacement gondola, but I thought it was interesting. All the works for the new snow guns got completed well before the end of last summer, if not the summer before, so it doesn't seem likely it's part of that project. And looking closer at the door area, there wasn't anything like the usual labels you get with water or electricity utility works. And all the big water/hydroelectric stuff down from Lac de Vaux goes down into the Vallon d'Arbi - there's no water catchment around Savoleyres.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
It looks just like the explosives store near Ruinnettes to me...don't tell anyone though!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@LaForet, not sure about the bunker but we enjoyed the views above!
Looking over to Chamonix
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