Verbier
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Verbier is a village located in southwestern Switzerland in the canton of Valais. It is one of the largest holiday resort and ski areas in the Swiss Alps, is recognized as one of the premiere "off-piste" locations in the world. Many top skiers have settled in the Verbier area in order to take advantage of the steep slopes, varied conditions and resort culture.[1]
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[edit] Geography
Verbier is located in the municipality of Bagnes, in the Swiss canton of Valais. The village lies on a south oriented terrace at around 1,500 metres facing the Grand Combin massif. The terrace lies on the east side of the Val de Bagnes, a valley located south of Martigny.
Verbier had 2767 permanent residents in 2006. The number of residents can rise to 35,000 in the winter season. There is a noticeable population of Scandinavian and British residents.[2]
[edit] Transport
Verbier can be accessed by road or by train. From Martigny a regional train (known as the Saint-Bernard Express) leads to Le Châble. From Le Châble a cable car (or a post bus) goes up to Verbier. Martigny is located 1hr45m from Geneva and 20m from Sion with the Federal railways.
Verbier has only one access road, which starts in the town of Le Châble. From Sembrancher (near Le Châble) a road leads to the Great St. Bernard Pass and another to Martigny or to the Col de la Forclaz. Verbier is around 2 hours’ drive from Geneva, 1 hour from Chamonix (Col de la Forclaz) and 1 hour from Aosta (Great St. Bernard Pass).
The nearest international airport to Verbier is Geneva Airport. Seasonal commercial bus transport is available from the airport to Verbier center.
The town itself is small enough to be explored on foot, but free buses run throughout the resort regularly during the day.
[edit] Skiing
Verbier’s ski domain ranges from 1500m (the town itself) to 3330m (Mont Fort). From which the view extends to the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. It is part of the "Four Valleys" ski area, which includes the ski resorts of Verbier, Nendaz, Veysonnaz, La Tzoumaz, and Thyon with a total of 410 km marked runs.
The ski area is divided into four sectors: Les Ruinettes, Les Savoleyres, Bruson. Verbier forms the western section of the 4 Valleys ski area. A common ski pass allows to tour all the way from Verbier to La Tzoumaz, Nendaz, Veysonnaz, to Les Masses and back.
The Verbier section of the 4 Valleys ski area has lifts made by Leitner, CWA, Poma and Garaventa AG; they are operated by Téléverbier SA. Most lifts were constructed during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. In Verbier alone there are 35 lifts (within the Verbier, Savoleyeres/La Tzoumaz and Bruson sector). A standard Verbier pass gives access to this entire sector, 33 standard ski runs, two snowparks, one "Jardin de Neige" (a relatively flat area that is used for small children learning to ski), four cross-country pistes and two walking areas.
[edit] Off-piste
Verbier is renowned for its off-piste and 'semi' off-piste opportunities. These include the itineraries: Vallon D'Arby, Tortin, Gentianes, Mont Fort, Mont Gelé and other notable off piste 'runs' such as the Backside of Mt Fort, Stairway to Heaven, Highway to Heaven, Rocky Garden, Col des Mines, Couloir des Dix, Fontanet and Creblet. Verbier is one of only a few resorts to have a mountain, Mt Gele, with no pistes coming down it.
Off-piste skiing can be lethal due to the risk of avalanches, crevasses, dead-end runs in front of steep rockfaces, etc. Only those with a strong knowledge of Alpine conditions and of the local terrain or those skiing with a real expert (ski instructor or mountain guide with the right certifications and training) should go on these runs. Almost every year there are fatalities off-piste, often involving highly skilled skiers who either ignored warnings or did not understand the dangers.
[edit] Ski and snowboard schools
Verbier has seven snowsport schools, three companies that organize mountain guides, plus a few independent mountain guides.
The Village has seven different ski & snowboard schools offering private lessons, group lessons, specialised clinics and courses, and performance coaching.
While Verbier has traditionally been recognized as more 'skier friendly',[citation needed] snowboarding continues to grow in popularity in the resort.[citation needed]
[edit] Education
The town has a public school system for its residents up until high school level, when locals must travel down into the valley for schooling.
In September 2010 the Verbier campus of St George’s, a private international school, was founded and opened its doors in the Chalet Mascotte at the entrance of the village.
[edit] Summer in Verbier
In the summertime there are 400 km of hiking trails and hikers can follow the tracks of the chamois and ibex through the mountains, some of them covered with snow all year round. There are 200 km of mountain bike piste. Other activities include climbing, paragliding, swimming, golf, tennis, trips aboard the mountain railways in the area,[3] and an annual music festival.
[edit] Society
Verbier is also a popular holiday destination for celebrities,[4] including Prince Harry of Wales, Sarah, Duchess of York[5] and her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Diana Ross, James Blunt, Richard Branson, Rose Neill, Lawrence Dallaglio and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark.[6] The Swedish Royal Family also come here.[7] It caters to British customers,[2] but also receives many visitors from Germany, Norway, Sweden, Holland, Italy, Belgium, France, Austria, America and South Africa.
[edit] Events
Recurring events in Verbier include:
- the most prestigious extreme skiing and snowboarding contest, the Xtreme Verbier which the final of the FWT
- the XSpeedski, FIS World Championship + Pro Race
- the Patrouille des Glaciers, ski mountaineering race every second year at the end of the ski season
- the Verbier Festival, Appraised international music festival
- the Grand Raid Cristalp, Mountain bike race Verbier - Grimentz
- the Grand Concours Hippique, a horse show featuring Grand Prix show jumping qualifiers
[edit] Other events
- 8 stage, 2005 Tour de Suisse - Pablo Lastras
- 6 stage, 2008 Tour de Suisse - Kim Kirchen
- 15 stage, 2009 Tour de France - Alberto Contador
[edit] References
- ^ Verbier worldtravelguide.net. Retrieved on 2009-07-17
- ^ a b Rich Brits invest in "St Tropez of the Alps" swissinfo.ch. Retrieved on 2009-07-17
- ^ Verbier wanderland.ch. Retrieved on 2009-07-17
- ^ Celebrities flock to the Alps for New Year swissinfo.ch. Retrieved on 2009-07-17
- ^ http://www.hellomagazine.com/travel/2007/02/14/beatrice-sarah-ski/
- ^ http://www.hellomagazine.com/travel/2007/02/08/mary-royals-verbier/
- ^ From swedish newspaper Expressen 2009
