Verbier – very extreme and extraordinary!
Greg and I have skied some kick butt terrain out west (Snowbird, Jackson Hole and Big Sky come to mind), Delirium Dive at Sunshine in Banff Canada, and even Europe. Well, Verbier in Switzerland just moved in to the top slot for steepness, vastness, and sheer craziness.
Our first ride to the top of Mont Gele, we broke above the clouds for incredible views of the Swiss and French Alps. Perched on this jagged 9,917’ peak, we quickly recognized there were no groomed runs, no marked trails, just steep cliffs and NFT (no fall terrain) down 3,000’ vertical.
The only thing that capped that first descent was our second on Mont Fort, at 10,994’, with amazing vistas of Mont Blanc and The Matterhorn, and more sick steep terrain. We skied a crazy cat walk, clinging to a narrow 18” goat path above a cliff, to a delightful mountain Chalet de Glacier Tortin– the Swiss fondue was to die for, almost literally. Verbier is very cool, very challenging and vast - part of Les 4 Vallées with 410 kilometers of pistes (trails) plus more crazy off-piste terrain than you could ski in a winter. Wish I could stay longer, but tomorrow – Saas Fee! 
Contributors
Eric Wilbur is a lifelong recreational skier who spends most of his winter and spring in the mountains of New England. He does not ski in jeans. You can read more of Eric's work here.
Heather Burke is an award winning ski journalist with over a decade of ski news coverage. As a former ski instructor and a ski parent, she knows the ski biz from the inside out. She and her family visit New England ski resorts, as well as the West and Canada, to report on the latest trends and their best family finds. Her husband Greg takes all the accompanying photos, and their work can be seen at www.familyskitrips.com and www.luxuryskitrips.com.
