 Poster: A snowHead
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What's up with the inflated price of the Verbier ski pass? £196 for 10 days, £246 for 2 weeks. Is the skiing that good or are the Swiss after our cash? Or both. I've been doing a little research, I'm thinking of taking a Warren Smith course in a couple of weeks. Has anyone taken one of those and would like to pass on some comments. In the light of the expense of the whole thing it would have to be pretty good. And just for a laugh check out the 'What kind of skiier are you?' test in the Verbier tourist office web page......Do you like bums.....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's Switzerland, we all expect to earn a reasonable living and expect others to 
That said, 10 days in Val D'Isere is 260 euro which is pretty close so I'm not sure what else you'd expect.
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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?
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Verbier has always been a rip-off and it's worse now that Interwest own a share of Televerbier. IMO they are the worst lift company anywhere. I know the Green movement in Switzerland has a lot of influence but these guys blame everything from their failure to invest in modren equipment, to pisting effectively, on the pressures there are under from environmentalists. I stopped going there years ago and I can't say I've any regrets.
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You always find in Switzerland or seem to that the longer you stay the cheaper per day the lift pass works out at.
As an example Jungfrau Region pass
2 day 118 SFr
7 day 312 SFr
14 day 466 SFr
30 day 580 SFr
Season 800 SFr
This makes it a poor value country for weekend skiers but much better value for money if you stay for 2 weeks or more, effectively they are rewarding you with cheaper passes for spending more money in one area, one of the reasons I never spend less that 2 weeks in the resort
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| David@traxvax wrote: |
| Verbier has always been a rip-off and it's worse now that Interwest own a share of Televerbier. IMO they are the worst lift company anywhere. I know the Green movement in Switzerland has a lot of influence but these guys blame everything from their failure to invest in modren equipment, to pisting effectively, on the pressures there are under from environmentalists. I stopped going there years ago and I can't say I've any regrets. |
The prices don't seem to agree with you:
10 days in :
Gstaad - 373 chf
Zermatt - 534 chf / 472 chf
St Anton - 264 euro
La Plagne - 201 euro (7 days)
La Rosiere - 198 euros
Crans Montana - 378 chf
A Verbier pass isn't £196 of course, that's for the 4V, a Verber pass is really 396 chf or around £170.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Except that in Verbier you have to buy an extension for Mont Fort. Par for the course in Switzerland, if they could find a way of charging you to breathe their air they would. La Rosiere is half the price approx of Crans Montana or Gstaad. I'll bet they haven't got twice the skiing and the La Rosiere lift pass enables you to buy a cheap day pass in Val, Tignes, Sainte Foy and Les Arcs as well as including La Thuile. I would say that the figures do agree with my view.
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David you are talking complete gibberish, according to the above prices at todaays exchange rates La Rosiere works out to £130 ish and Gstaad about £160 where is the double the price difference ? It would be nice if before you make such sweeping statements you check your figures 
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Whoops, mixed Euros with Swiss francs. Still stand by my view that Verbier is one of the worst value places to ski in the Alps and La Rosiere is one of the best value. It's not just the price of the lift pass it's all the other incidentals, eating out, drinks etc. For the same reasons I wouldn't want to stay in Courcheval although I believe the sking in the 3 Vallees is superior to Verbier's. But then I'm not a fan of Swiss skiing, you'll just have to put me down as a Swissophobe.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Ok fair enough I guess I go down as a Swissophile, but some of their customs etc do take a bit of getting used to and they will never be the cheapest country to ski in either
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Verbier is well known to have a basically crap lift system compared to the top French areas, but for overpriced passes you really have to go to the US. Deer Valley and The Canyons charge an outrageous $67 for a day-pass, because they've got a captive audience of rich boutique & art gallery loving punters at Park City. In a normal year that works out at around £45 per day!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And people say Switzerlands expensive .... ouch ! 
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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.
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This weekend I got stung for $49+tax for a Sierra at Tahoe day pass, and $59+tax for a Northstar pass, last week Heavenly cost me even more. Can't remember what Kirkwood was - probably not cheap, but at least the place is half decent (even if the lifts are a bit on the slow side).
These were for day passes so you can probably get them cheaper, also you can get them cheaper from shops in the bay area - still a bit expensive though
The girl serving me at the lift pass counter at heavenly tried to convince me that it was a snip, I'd just got back from Whistler and compared to that even the expensive pass there was a bargain, and the mountains are much bigger
Whistler is not cheap compared to the 3-vallees for the lift pass at least - however at least it's huge and has great service.
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Wed 24-03-04 18:26; edited 1 time in total
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| David@traxvax wrote: |
| Except that in Verbier you have to buy an extension for Mont Fort. Par for the course in Switzerland, if they could find a way of charging you to breathe their air they would. La Rosiere is half the price approx of Crans Montana or Gstaad. I'll bet they haven't got twice the skiing and the La Rosiere lift pass enables you to buy a cheap day pass in Val, Tignes, Sainte Foy and Les Arcs as well as including La Thuile. I would say that the figures do agree with my view. |
Which is nothing compared to the Chamonix top lift scam of course.
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You know it makes sense.
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Ok I'll bite, what's the scam ise ?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Back on topic briefly, the weeks skiing I had in Verbier was the most expensive yet, it was also the best yet.
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Poster: A snowHead
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They hand you a leaflet explaining what great value paying 36euro for a day ticket for 7 lifts then they charge you 5euro per trip to ride the one lift everyone wants to ride. This apparently is a great idea because if you didn't ride the top lift you'd save at least 5 euro. Discounts for not using the other lifts or any prepared piste appear not to be available.
If you consider this means you could ride the lift, say, three times for three marked itineires then it's costing 51 euro for the day. Meanwhile an Espace Killy pass would cost 38euro and there's a sight more than 7 lifts.
From the same economic logic that justies PFI I think
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hmm probably it's certainly that same sort of twisted logic, at least the ski pass lets you take the cable car up to the schilthorn at Murren even if you may have to pay to get down if you don't feel up to the ski run 
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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?
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Over the past 10 years Televerbier has invested pretty heavily in uphill transport to more or less eliminate the horrific queues of the past. There are now twin bubbles up from the village to Les Ruinettes. From here there is the Funispace ( a cross between a bubble and cable car up to Les Attelas). The Mont Fort glacier is served on each side by 2 high capacity cablecars. The Col de Chassoure bottle neck from Tortin to Lac de Vaux has been improved by a fast 6 man bubble within the last 5 years or so.
The current 6 day pass which includes the whole 4 Valleys as well as Mont Fort costs 306 Swfrs (£136) but there are good reductions for families 6 to 16 you pay 70% 17 to 21 you pay 85%. For husband and wife and child (6 to 16)in the SAME family 1 parent pays 100% the other 70% and the child 40%.
We have always stayed in Nendaz on the Printze sector of the Verbier circuit where it is cheaper but still with reasonable access to Verbier. Here the local price for 6 days is 235 Swfrs with the same family reductions. If you want to upgrade to go to Mont Fort and Verbier you pay a supplement of 17 Swfrs per day.
The Verbier chairlifts are not as swish as the French system. While on the Veysonnaz, Thyon 2000 and Nendaz side you will find some 2 person chairs and frankly too many T-Bars.
Mountain restaurants prices I reckon are no worse than France with a Spag. Bol. costing 15 to 17 Swfrs (2.25Swffrs to £1). A large beer cost 5 Swffrs. bowl of Goulasch Soup 8 Swfrs, and Vin Chaud at 5 Swffrs.
Just had another super week there staying in a lovely new apartment for 6 at £520 per week from 6th March booked with Interhome.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I don't ski Verber much but I'd agree the lift system seems just fine to me.
However, I would avoid Interhome like the plague. Their commission rates are absolutely horrific which inflates the prices by, arguably, nearly 50%.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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G-Rock - I did the Warren Smith course in February and thought it worth every penny. I'd consider myself a good intermediate skiier though maybe a tad cautious. The course has changed the whole way I think about getting down a slope and by the end of the week I was actively seeking out bumps. I've just had a week in Val D' where I got plenty of practice in all the new techniques on and off-piste and for the first time in my life found the face easy.
On the cost side I don't think any of the headline resorts are cheap but you pays your money and takes your chances. Verbier is an awesome resort.
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Thanks for that feedback, MaggyK!
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