Swiss bliss

GO SWITZERLAND:Verbier and Villars offer a comprehensive package of top class skiing and lively social scenes, writes GRANIA WILLIS

I KNOW, I know, I’m lucky. As I’m living in Switzerland I can, in theory, head off skiing to one of any number of fabulous resorts at a moment’s notice. And now that Topflight, winner of Ireland’s “Best winter ski tour operator” for the past 16 seasons, has added Switzerland to its brochure, I’m doubly lucky as friends from home can come out and join me on the Swiss pistes.

So what could be better than a whistle-stop tour taking in two of the new Topflight destinations, Verbier and Villars.

Verbier

It’s a fabulously fashionable Swiss resort. Along with Zermatt and St Moritz, Verbier is probably one of the best known Swiss resorts and for a good reason. Not only does it offer wonderfully varied skiing, it also has a lively après ski scene and plenty of late nightlife – really the perfect mix for Irish visitors.

We set the tone on our first night with an exceptional dinner at Hotel Nevaï, next door to our accommodation at the four-star King’s Parc Hotel. A heavenly ceviche of yellow fin tuna and scallops with mango and avocado, followed by fillet of Arctic char kept me very happy indeed. This is fine dining and then some.

The only problem with eating at the Nevaï was the fact that we missed out on the Michelin star restaurant at the King’s, but that’s something that will be redressed on my next visit. It’s billed as fine dining with a Swiss twist – try saying that after some après ski at the Fer à Cheval, or The Shovel as its British regulars know it!

The rooms in the King’s Parc tick all the boxes, with open fireplaces, enormous verandas, huge double beds with fur (fake of course) bedspreads and all the niceties that make a hotel homely rather than hotel-y.

Despite our cosy surroundings, we were up in plenty of time to meet our guide for the day at the bottom of the Médran chair lift. And if a 10-minute walk to the lift is too much to contemplate, the hotel will provide a shuttle to whisk you up the hill.

Verbier has an incredible variety of terrain that will suit every level of skier, whether you’re looking for adrenaline-fuelled steeps in waist-deep powder or cruisey blues. The 40 ski lifts, including the Mont-Fort cable car which goes up to 3,330 metres, service more than 100km of pistes in Verbier, while the Four Valleys ski area extends to over 400kms of pisted runs. And the off-piste is virtually limitless. The Verbier lift past costs €250, but just €17 extra gives access to the entire Four Valleys.

And that night we hit the town, starting in Le Caveau with multiple slices of cholesterol-laden but luscious raclette before we worked off the cheesy excesses on the dance floor at The Farm. Verbier’s most famous club turned 40 this year and is still attracting the beautiful people.

On our second day, we opted for a change of scenery – since there is such a surfeit of it in Switzerland – and headed over to Champex Lac, just 40 minutes by car from Verbier, for the opening day of the season. As we were wafted silently upwards in the new chairlift, we took in glorious views of the frozen lake and surrounding mountainscape, including Verbier, which was luxuriating in winter sunshine on the far side of the valley.

The Champex ski area is not huge, with just 25km of pisted runs, but they were virtually empty on our visit, apart from a group of youngsters on race training. As we waited for one of our gang at the top of a run, the young ones came hurtling down, leaping over the lip off the road and vanishing in a spray of snow, reminiscent of a winter version of the bike scene in ET. Champex is definitely worth a visit for a day, particularly if Verbier is busy.

Villars

It’s lesser-known but is increasing in popularity, and justifiably so, as it’s perfect for families or mixed-ability groups. And there’s plenty of off-piste for the powder-hounds, even before you head for the glacier at Les Diablerets, which – at 3,000 metres – always has good snow.

Even the runs back to the resort at 1,300 metres are now guaranteed snow, following the installation of 85 eco-friendly snow cannons last year.

The Villars ski area has 100km of piste, but add in Les Diablerets and the area offers 220km of pisted runs, four snowparks, a snow kindergarten, 44km of cross-country skiing trails, sledging runs and loads of snow-shoeing possibilities.

And the views from the top are beyond sensational. The night we skidoo-ed up to the plateau at the top of the gondola at Roc d’Orsay, a creamy full moon hung lugubriously in the ink-black sky above the twinkling lights in the valley. And in the daylight hours, the rugged profile of the Mont Blanc massif is breathtakingly beautiful. On a clear day, the big guns – the Eiger, the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc – are all visible from the panoramic restaurant at Les Diablerets.

A train delivers skiers direct from the resort up to Bretaye at 1,800 metres and a six-day lift pass will set you back just €220. Free stuff for kids is something of a Villars speciality. Kids aged nine and under get free lift passes on Télé Villars-Gryon, with Les Diablerets Glacier 3,000 included. And the Palace Snow Kindergarten has also got in on the act, offering a free welcome programme for beginners, with a rope tow, a ski lift, two moving carpets and a carrousel to get the youngsters started.

Villars itself is a vibrant, fun resort, with plenty of bars and clubs for après ski outings, but the resort also offers lots of family fun, including tennis, an ice rink and an indoor swimming pool.

* Grania Willis was a guest of Topflight

Verbier/Villars where to . . .

Stay

Verbier: the best priced week at the four-star King’s Parc Hotel (kingsverbier.ch) is €1,479 in a junior suite, going up to €1,629 in mid-February. Hotel Nevaï (nevai.ch), next door, is more expensive, starting at €1,529pps for a twin room and going up to €1,659 at peak season.

Villars: four-star Le Bristol (bristolvillars.ch) is a five-minute stroll from the centre of the resort and a snowball’s throw from Murphy’s Bar. It has glorious views across the valley, if you’re lucky enough to get a room with a balcony. A week at the hotel, including Topflight charter and full luggage allowance, costs from €669 BB. Kids stay free.

Eat

Verbier: Le Caveau (caveauverbier.ch) is famous for the Swiss cheese specialities, raclette and fondue. Somewhat surprisingly, the raclette is served up by a Portuguese Super Mario. Owner Jérôme Bujard is only too happy to take you backstage to see the cheese cellar, where up to 70 golden wheels of pungent cheese are turned by hand every day.

Fer à Cheval (feracheval.ch) is famous for its après ski, but it also serves up some seriously delicious pizza and salads.

Villars: Le Cookie is just down the road from the Barboleuse cable car and offers up yummy fare, but it’s a popular spot and booking is recommended.

Websites

verbier.ch

villars.ch

Getting there

Fly direct to Geneva from Dublin or Cork and then hop on a train from the airport. A Topflight rep will meet you at the airport in Geneva and escort you to the train station. Book your rail tickets at sbb.ch. Swiss Pass (swissrailways.com) entitles you to unlimited travel on consecutive days throughout the rail, bus and boat Swiss Travel System network. The Swiss Pass is available for four, eight, 15 or 22 days or a month.