Lapped by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other, the southeastern US state of Florida is best known for its Disney parks and glittering cities. But go beyond the big hitters and you’ll find a world of natural attractions — from wetland-filled parks stitched with boardwalk trails to bays shining with nighttime bioluminescence that beg to be explored by kayak. Discover the best of them on this four-part round trip.
Skiing in Verbier: the ultimate guide
21.07.2023 - 07:36 / roughguides.com / Richard Branson
Rough Guides writer Lucy Pierce explores the best runs, off-piste skiing and touring in Verbier’s 4 Valleys, Switzerland.
Switzerland’s largest ski area – the 4 Vallées – is known for its epic off-piste, marked itinerary runs and touring opportunities, as well as a refined town with top tier dining and a vibrant après ski. No surprise that it’s a popular playground for European royalty, as well as Richard Branson and James Blunt. As a keen skier, it’s long been on my ski wishlist, alongside Whistler, Banff and Niseko.
Together Verbier, La Tzoumaz, Bruson, Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon offer an impressive 410 km of runs (24 blue, 39 red and 10 black), all easily connected by 80 speedy ski lifts. The summit of the highest peak, Mont Fort, reaches 3,330m making the resort relatively snow sure throughout the season.
I thought my legs were ready for a busy three days of exploring. Starting with perfectly groomed corduroy pistes, weaving down moguled itinerary runs and testing my balance off piste in the crusty powder. A little over eager, the night hike after a day on the slopes was maybe a step too far.
Skiing the Vallon d'Arby in Verbier © David Carlier
Ready for first lifts, I met local guide and instructor Eloise Favret from Adrenaline, who lives in Verbier. After a couple of runs around La Chaux it was straight up to Mont Fort – nothing like a black mogul run to get the ski legs back! The view at the top is sublime and stretches across the big-name mountains, like the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc.
As the run is steep and ungroomed all the fresh snow had been scrubbed off the first section of the run, making it a slip and slide. Once we’d popped over the moguls, the piste cleared into a wide cruisy run. This geared us up to practise our carving, so we did a couple of laps around Gentaines to do just that.
The sun was beaming down, the air was crisp and we had the slopes to ourselves – the perks of mid-week skiing in January. After a coffee refuel, Eloise suggested the marked itinerary run, Vallon d'Arby.
A 1,000m vertical down a gully, around the cliffs to what had become a mogul field as the snowpack had hardened. Our skis carried us through the Tzoumaz valley, where the light dappled through the pines and a stream trickled alongside.
It was time for lunch on La Marmotte’s terrace, the perfect suntrap. It was a tough call between cheese fondue, croûte and röstis. In the end I opted for a baked rösti with tomme from Bruson – a buttery cow’s cheese from the valley next door.
Lucy & friend at the top of Mont Fort © Lucy Pierce
After a quick swap to touring skis – that are a fraction of the weight of piste skis – we met our guide Gilbert Crettaz. My legs were weary after a full day, so we decided on a shorter tour
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