|
|
 |
|
|
|
Verbier |
|
Europe offers more lift-served powder skiing than anywhere else in the world. Ski journalists Vanessa Webb and Pat Sharples, authors of The Top 50 Ski and Snowboard Resorts in Europe, pick the five best places to lay down fresh tracks. Click to view Top 5 EU Powder Ski Resorts.
|
Best for Extremists (Verbier, Switzerland) |
|
 The ultimate EU resort for extremists is La Grave but ProductSifter already has it covered. Also, it has nothing else - not a solitary piste or nightclub. That's why we've opted for Verbier as our hardcore choice. It offers some of the most extreme skiing in the world but in a context that could keep you happy for a lifetime. |
| |
| Verbier is the heart of Europe’s extreme freeriding community. Within Verbier’s endless backcountry you will find some of the gnarliest faces in the world; the Bec des Rosses, Mont Gele, and the back of Mont Fort to name just a few. On these runs Verbier hosts some of the World’s most extreme freeride events attracting World-class riders. Seth Morrison has said that Verbier is his favourite area as there is so much challenging terrain and Britain’s top freeriders – including the Southwell brothers, Jamie Cameron, and Andy Bennett - spend most of the season training on Verbier’s fierce terrain. In ‘Top Ski Resorts of the World’ Arnie Wilson writes that “hard-core skiers from all over the world regard the skiing and boarding here ‘to die for’”. Serious freeriders couldn’t choose a better resort. |
The best faces for extreme freeride |
 The Bec des Rosses (home of the O’Neill Xtreme event) is one of the hardest faces in the world and should only be attempted by seriously good riders, and even then with a guide. Mont Gele has been the home of the Verbier Ride Big Mountain event for the last few years, and once again has extreme terrain and some massive cliffs to hook off. There is a cable car up there but it’s rarely open so you usually have a 40 minute hike. The back of the Mont Fort is another popular spot in Verbier. On a powder day this is the perfect place to find amazing steeps, gullies and cliff drops. Getting out is quite hairy though, as there is a long traverse along the side of the dam on the way. The ‘Stairway to Heaven’ run begins near the Col de Gentianes with a steep but satisfying climb, taking you right over into the next valley. This place is known for its incredible snow conditions and you won’t see many other riders around. If you need shelter from the weather, head across the valley to Bruson, the perfect place to ride through the trees.
We highly recommend that you carry all the necessary safety equipment and, more importantly are well versed in how to use it: avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe, helmet, back protector, etc. It is also wise to take a qualified mountain guide to ensure that you get the best out of Verbier’s incredible terrain. |
Freeriding Events |
 The events that take place in Verbier are a testimony to its status as an extreme freeskiing mecca. The Verbier Ride (18th – 19th February 2007) is one of Europe’s leading New School skiing events. This slopestyle event is immediately followed by the Big Mountain Heli Ride (21st – 25th February 2007). Previously the Verbier Ride 'Big Mountain' discipline, the Big Mountain Heli Ride is the newly-formed event for the 2nd stop of the elite IFSA Freeskiing World Tour. |
| |
In March is the equally fierce O’Neill Xtreme Verbier (23rd-25th March 2007).
|
| |
 Launched in 1996, this competition brings together 24 of the finest freeriders (two-thirds snowboarders, one-third skiers) to compete at Bec des Rosses, on gradients between 45 and 55 degrees, with couloirs and cliff drops. Spectators should gather at the Col des Gentianes. |
High Performance Coaching |
| The extreme off-piste potential in Verbier has also attracted some of Europe’s best high performance coaches and guides. Warren Smith, one of the UK’s leading freeskiers, an internationally qualified performance coach and organiser of the Verbier Ride and Big Mountain Heli-Ride, has his Ski Academy in Verbier (0041 (0)79 359 65 66, admin@snowsportsynergy.com , www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com). This is the perfect school to bring your skiing to the next level. Tiffany Hancock wrote in The Sunday Times (January 15th 2006), ‘not only was the ski technique entirely different to anything I’d been taught before… but the teaching style was also far more effective.’ Off-piste guiding and heliskiing/boarding are also offered by La Fantastique (027 771 41 41, lafantastique@verbier.ch, www.lafantastique.com). |
Verbier’s other attributes |
 As a final pulling point the nightlife in Verbier is also difficult to beat. The Farinet is the place to stomp on the bar in your ski boots and the massive Pub Mont Fort is another staple part of the Verbier scene. The best nightclub is the Casbah, under the Farinet, which has a number of rooms playing different music, from rock, to pop, to hip hop. |
| |
| Prices: Not as bad as you might think. |
|
Other great reviews in Places:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Could this