 Poster: A snowHead
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Early February 2013 in Verbier to us meant almost no queues and very good snow. We found that Verbier is surprisingly easy to reach for an oval weekend via Geneva or Lausanne. Finding a place to stay was the worst part for a Friday-Sunday stay – Verbier and LaChable were full or ridiculously expensive. We ended up in Martigny with our (Lausanne) rental car, hotel Vatel – not cheap (210SFr/dbl/night via Booking.com) but flexible/available and easy to reach via Autoroute from north. Quiet, good standard, 15 min dark walk from city center – which in the case of Martigny, was unexpectedly dull. Not an after-ski town, at all. But only 25min drive to LaChable with large stress-free parking lots and access to the gondola which, after 8:40, goes straight to the slopes at Ruinette. Ideal. Also because LaChable is low situated at 800m and chains are not required for the whole Geneva-Chable drive, most of it Autoroute. Trains go to LaChable, but car is easier when staying outside. But don't drive up to Verbier itself for a daytrip. Happy2000 Sport in LaChable were, yes, happy to rent us skis we had prepaid from their internet site, 300m from the lift and “en route”. Recommended.
Also, a further 25min drive east from Martigny in the Rhone valley is Sion (we visited for a nice dinner one night), a much larger&nicer city complete with old-city pedestrian center - and short access to the intermediate friendly Veysonnaz-Thyon end of 4V, road conditions permitting (1300m). A start here enables much more easy use of these fine slopes as compared to starting the day in Verbier and traversing via Siviez. Staying in the valley with a car also means 1) no (after)ski feeling but 2) easy possibilities for day trips to other Valais resorts as Crans-Montana (Sierre funicular from valley floor), Anniviers, Saas Fee etc. Should time allow. Even Zermatt if you are up early.
Scenery and offpiste is fantastic in Verbier/4V, of course. But: Once in Verbier, we found the pisted slopes surprisingly limited for being a brand name resort. Focus is on the bumps and steeps, and the unpisted ski routes (yellow/blacks). We liked the bumpy Vallon d'Arby (ski 'road' carved out in the snow first) to Savoleyres, Chassoure and Gentianes-Tortin yellows and the 3300m MontFort black (one of few black pisted runs, from a magnificent viewpoint). Mont Gele was too steep&deep for our (55+) liking. Savoleyres area is also great, access from main slopes is via effective skibus from 'Carrefour' (fast & scenic return on skis to the Mayenzet chair). Enough nice terrain for a weekend of course, but really nothing compared to the size of 3Vallees or PdSoleil slopes, and you must be quite interested in the off-piste powder (and perhaps a guide) for a weeks vacation. There certainly are limitless offpiste possibilities. We found most mountain restaurants much more crowded than any lift queue.
Crossing Siviez to the Veysonnaz/Thyon sector helps for finding more intermediate friendly pisted slopes with fabulous looks over the Rhone valley, but takes quite some hours traversing and depends upon a few crucial lifts for which you would not like to see a queue on your return. And you need to use the yellow routes (or download on lifts), no groomed pistes direction Siviez. That day, according to our iPhone ski app, we covered 92km and 18000m vertical on skis - so it takes time. Never tried Nendaz, suppose it is nice but a bit awkward to get to from Verbier sector.
A place for all ages, in my opinion - but not the first few weeks on skis perhaps... And snow conditions 10/2 weekend were very enjoyable.
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