After this weekend, I feel so blessed to live in Geneva, Switzerland where we have access to amazing skiing just a few hours away!

Friday evening we left Geneva around 7pm, a bit later than expected. As our entire car was starving by 8:30 we stopped at a McDonalds half way between Geneva and Verbier. I was amazed by this McDonalds as it has a full coffee bar area, computer screen ordering and a very different assortment than the US. There were 3 different types of fries and two levels of chicken nuggets. While the guys went with enormous hamburgers, I went with their chicken strips, fries and a Diet Coke.

We reached our weekend accommodations, my friend Nora’s lovely ski home, about 2.5 hours after leaving Geneva which wasn’t bad considering our dinner stop. We unpacked the car and enjoyed a few beers before deciding to make the most of the weekend and head out for the evening. Ranald, who came with us this weekend, was very familiar with Verbier and served as tour guide for the weekend choosing our bar and restaurant spots. It was nice to let someone else handle the plans! Farinet Lounge and Bar was just a 10 minute walk from our flat and perfect for a weekend warm-up. We enjoyed a few beers, people watched and danced to the DJ who was wonderful until he started playing disco music around 2am. It turns out that was his method for shutting down the bar.

After just 5 hours of sleep, we woke up ready for a great day of skiing! There wasn’t a cloud in the sky as I ate muesli on the porch Saturday morning. Our plan for Saturday was for Bo & Ranald to ski together since they are closer in ability while Emily and I would enjoy 6 hours of lessons. Bo and Ranald ended up conquering what is known as Four Valleys. The guys had an awesome day together and Bo can now confidently say he is a skier when talking with our friends in Geneva as this run is something more challenging than anything he has skied before and he survived WITHOUT injury! 

Per Ranald’s suggestion, Emily and I booked a full day lesson with European Snow Sports. Unlike many other places, they allow you to have 2 people for a private lesson without charging extra. This allowed Emily and I to split the cost and make it more economical. Our instructor for the weekend, Maddie, was exactly what we wanted: positive, encouraging, challenging, and understanding. We spent all day Saturday and half of Sunday learning and reinforcing fundamentals while challenging ourselves. Verbier’s “bunny slopes” were not open due to lack of snow towards the bottom. This meant that as soon as the day kicked off we took the gondola and a lift up to La Chaux. Neither of us expected to be able to experience the mountain this way so it was such a delightful treat to not be stuck on bunny slopes near the base. The views from 2260 (7500 feet) meters were pretty incredible! 

We skied the entire day other than a quick 30 minute sandwich break overlooking the valley while soaking in the sun. The temperatures were warmer than expected this weekend, averaging around 28-35 up on the mountain and the full sunshine was delightful!

Since the morning was spent on the basics, we spent the afternoon doing one run constantly until we perfected it. The run, which is considered a beginner run in Europe was equivalent to a blue in the US. It had a few steep inclines and was long enough that we didn’t grow bored of the run. In addition, Maddie would often make us practice different skills depending on the section of the run. There was a bit of information overload but by the end of the day Emily and I were both full of smiles and felt very accomplished!

While I’ve skied and had lessons for 1-2 days the past four winters up in Stratton Mountain, Vermont I have never experienced something Saturday. Maddie was the perfect instructor for us she always seemed to know when to push me harder so that by the end of the day I was completing runs that scared me in the morning. If you ever ski in Verbier, Zermatt, or St Moritz I highly recommend European Snowsport for any of your lessons whether you are a beginner or someone looking to learn about skiing off piste!

Here’s a quick video Maddie filmed at about our half way point. It’s hard to tell the steepness but needless to say at this point I was already skiing a slope more challenging than anything I conquered after three days of skiing last year!

A few people have asked me how skiing in Verbier compared to the US. Bo and I can really only compare this weekend to Stratton Resort where we’ve spent the most time skiing the past few years. The key differences we experienced are as follows:

1) Snow conditions were very different – even very early in the season, the snow felt great, there was ample powder on the slopes to even facilitate real off-piste skiing vs. Vermont which is icier

2) You ski a mountain range, not a mountain – there are multiple resort areas (Valley towns) for a single ski area and you can ski from valley to valley (4 Valleys in the case of Verbier) across the range

3) The runs, even beginner, are MUCH longer – as a result, it’s a more physical sport as you have to be skiing intensely for 15 – 20 minute increments rather than 5 – 10 minute increments

4) The food is better – at the top of the mountain, there is the opportunity to get a real mountain meal (think a braised pork chop with a little pasta veggies and mushroom sauce)

5) Après ski begins atop the mountain – you get a little of this in Colorado but there are literally a half dozen places to get a drink way up the slopes and a couple even have live DJs

Speaking of après ski, after a full day of skiing our group was ready to get our party on beginning with apres ski beers at the new ski up W Verbier bar followed by a night of delicious Swiss dinner and eventually dancing at Farm Club, a famous hot spot in Verbier.

If you’re a skiier, what is your favorite mountain or resort?