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TRAVELLER
HEWEARS
Padded jacket, Le Coq Sportif, £110; roll neck, CK by Calvin Klein, price on request; jeans, Nudie Jeans, £85; ski boots, Nordica Sportmachine Retail, £275 at
no1 Sports shop in Verbier
SHEWEARS
Padded jacket, Chanel, £1,600; roll neck, Paul Smith, £315; trousers, Campagnolo at Snow+RocK, £140; hat, LK Bennett, £245; goggles, Chanel, £198;
ski poles, Scott Retail, £55 at no1 Sports shop in Verbier
THE SKIING
Verbier is renowned for its off-
piste, but that shouldn’t put you
off if you prefer cruising down
easy reds and gentle blues on the
selection of 89 slopes across four
valleys. But it’s the steep powder
and massive mogul fields that are
the real draw. Evocatively named
runs, like Stairway to Heaven, are
a great introduction to the huge
array of backcountry terrain – a
short, steep hike from Col de
Gentianes brings you to the top
of a long, powdery run all the way
down to the Tortin Restaurant
(
tel: +41 (0)27 289 5252
) at the
start of the Col des Gentianes
chairlift. If you prefer bumps,
car-size versions can be found on
the imposingly steep front face
of Mont-Fort. The views from
here, one of the highest pistes
in Europe, are magnificent, and
if you ski the whole north face
you’ll have conquered 1,300m
of “vert” (ie, extreme downhill).
Back on the piste, try the long,
flowing red run from Les Attelas
to Les Ruinettes, a great place to
practise your technique, or the
quieter Savoleyres area, which
has a good mix of runs to suit
different abilities.
This page and opposite page,
on the slopes looking
down towards the resort
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