Verbier ski resort

Get to grips with Verbier - one of the world's best off-piste ski resorts
  
  


Verbier
Welcome to Verbier in the Val de Bagnes, in the Valais region of Swizerland. At around two hours' drive from Geneva airport, the town is at the heart of the Alps and Europe’s ski industry Photograph: Neil Emmerson/Corbis
Alps
Switzerland lies at the centre of the European Alps, in the middle of this satellite image. In summer, the only snow is on the highest peaks and glaciers… Photograph: NASA
Alps
… but when the temperature drops and the first storms of autumn roll in, the 1,200km long mountain range is covered in snow Photograph: NASA
Verbier town
Verbier is best known for its off-piste skiing and riding and is one of the only Alpine resorts to have a completely ‘piste-free’ mountain open to skiers and snowboarders Photograph: Sandro Vannini/Corbis
Lift
There are 35 lifts, most built since the 1980s. A standard Verbier ski-pass gives access to 33 pistes, two snow parks, one children’s snow area, four cross-country pistes and two walking areas Photograph: Neil Emmerson/Corbis
Piste skiing
Piste skiing above Verbier. Over one million people ski and snowboard here each year Photograph: Sandro Vannini/Corbis
Race
It also attracts the experts. British ski racer Chemmy Alcott (left) and US racer Lindsay Vonn compete in the Verbier High Five, run in April, a fun competition of five separate disciplines organised by a local beer producer Photograph: Christophe Bott/Corbis
Jump
The resort also attracts the world’s elite extreme skiers. Here France’s Aurelien Ducroz jumps over a cliff during a freeride competition Photograph: Olivier Maire/Corbis
Speed
And for speed skiers, Verbier’s ‘flying K’ is just the ticket. Skiers go flat out to reach speeds of 200kmh. Pictured here at the start during the 2008 XspeedSki, speed skiing world cup final Photograph: Olivier Maire/Corbis
Cross country
There is also plenty of scope for cross-country skiing ... Photograph: Verbier.ch/PR
Telemark
... off-piste telemarking ... Photograph: Verbier.ch/PR
Paragliding
... and paragliding Photograph: Verbier.ch/PR
Fergie
The resort has always been popular with royals and Euro-money. It was a favourite of Sarah Ferguson and family in the 1990s, pictured here on holiday in February 1998 Photograph: Stephane Ruet/Corbis
Glacier wrap
Since then, the world has changed, not least for the Tortin glacier on Mont Fort, which gets an insulating cover to protect it from melting caused by climate change in summer Photograph: Olivier Maire/Corbis
Virgin
If you have the cash to splash, you can stay at Richard Branson's latest addition to his holiday property portfolio. The Lodge in Verbier offers three nights from £665 Photograph: The Lodge/PR
Inside Virgin
And this is what greets you when you step inside The Lodge Photograph: The Lodge/PR
The Bunker
If you don’t have a big budget, The Bunker offers dorm rooms for £14 a night, and is the only atomic-bomb-proof hostel in the world. Built inside a real nuclear bomb shelter, the Bunker offers 132 beds in five dorms Photograph: The Bunker/PR
The Bunker
And this is how they squeeze you in ... triple-deck bunkbeds Photograph: The Bunker/PR
 

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