
412km across 1,950m vertical. 68 lifts serving Mont Fort at 3,330m. Epic Pass access to Switzerland's largest interlinked domain.
The 4 Vallées network spans 412 kilometres of marked runs across elevations from 1,350 to 3,330 metres at Mont Fort, making it Switzerland's largest fully interlinked ski area. The domain records 1,950 metres of vertical drop and deploys 68 lifts serving 94 runs distributed across six connected villages. Terrain splits 26% beginner, 49% intermediate, 15% advanced and 10% expert, whilst high-altitude zones above 2,500 metres deliver reliable coverage throughout the five-and-a-half-month season.
Verbier anchors the western sector with celebrated off-piste terrain including Mont Gelé at 3,023 metres and the Bec des Rosses, venue for the annual Freeride World Tour finals each March. The Tortin lifts connect westward to the Printse sector encompassing Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon, whilst Savoleyres and Bruson provide quieter, family-oriented alternatives. Intermediates favour the wide boulevards at Attelas and La Chaux, whilst beginners progress through dedicated nursery zones at Les Esserts and Les Moulins.
Verbier village sits at 1,500 metres with a cosmopolitan atmosphere and lively après-ski culture, contrasting with the traditional mountain character of Bruson and the family focus of La Tzoumaz. The Médran base area handles peak-season crowds, though regular lift investments have reduced bottlenecks outside February half-term. On-mountain dining spans 50 establishments from self-service canteens to white-tablecloth restaurants with Mont Blanc views.
Epic Pass holders receive five consecutive days of access for the 2025-26 season, with expanded eligibility now including Epic Local Pass. The 2025-26 winter runs 8 November to 26 April across the full network, with weekend openings at Lac des Vaux sometimes beginning late October. The resort suits confident intermediates through to extreme skiers, though beginners require patience navigating between sectors on predominantly red connector runs.
Verbier anchors the 4 Vallées, with 412 kilometres of piste over 94 runs and a vertical of 1,950 metres between 1,350 and 3,300 metres. Intermediates take 49% of the network, with 26% beginner, 15% advanced and 10% expert, a bigger expert share than most large Swiss areas. The linked region connects La Tzoumaz, Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon, and the lift count is huge: 16 gondolas, four aerial trams and around 30 T-bars. Finding fresh terrain is rarely hard, even on a busy day. Even the groomed network rewards an early start.
Freeriding is the signature, with lift-served itineraries at Tortin, Mont Gelé and Vallon d'Arby the best known. Tortin is a north-facing bowl of big moguls that tests stamina, Mont Gelé is exposed and sensitive to wind and aspect, and Vallon d'Arby drops through cliffs, open slopes and forest. These routes are marked but ungroomed and can close, so check conditions and consider a guide. Strong intermediates will enjoy the variety, while experts have plenty of serious terrain to work through. Treat the marked routes as a starting point, not a guarantee.
The 2025-26 season operates from 8 November 2025 through 26 April 2026 across the full 4 Vallées network, with possible weekend-only skiing at Lac des Vaux from late October depending on early snowfall. The season spans 24 weeks, amongst the longest in the Alps owing to elevations topping 3,300 metres and predominantly north-facing aspects above 2,500 metres. Lift operations run daily throughout Christmas, New Year and Easter periods.
Verbier receives average annual snowfall between 4.5 and 5.5 metres, with the summit accumulating significantly more than base elevations. High-altitude terrain above 2,700 metres maintains excellent coverage from December through April, whilst lower slopes benefit from snowmaking covering approximately 40% of marked runs. The glacier-adjacent zones on Mont Fort provide snow-sure skiing into late spring, though south-facing exposures can transition from ice to slush rapidly on sunny March afternoons.
January and February deliver peak powder conditions with the most consistent natural snowfall, whilst December offers quieter slopes as the network ramps up operations. March brings longer days and stable spring conditions, with the Xtreme Verbier Freeride World Tour finals scheduled 22-30 March attracting global audiences. April skiing remains viable on high-altitude terrain, though afternoon slush requires morning starts.
The resort hosts the Verbier Festival classical music programme in late July and early August, the Grand Raid Cristalp mountain biking race, and the Grand Concours Hippique equestrian competition during summer months. Selected lifts including Le Châble-Verbier, Mont Fort and Col des Gentianes operate for hikers and cyclists from late June through September, providing 10 months of annual lift access.
Verbier occupies the Val de Bagnes in Canton Valais, southwest Switzerland, with the village at 1,500 metres overlooking the Rhône Valley. The 4 Vallées network extends across Val de Bagnes and Val d'Hérens, bordered by the Grand Combin massif to the south and opening northward toward Sion. Mont Fort's 3,330-metre summit delivers panoramic views encompassing the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Dent Blanche and the Bernese Alps.
Le Châble serves as the valley town at 821 metres with rail connections and the principal gondola link to Verbier village four kilometres uphill. Martigny, 30 kilometres west, functions as the regional hub with onward train connections throughout Switzerland. Sion lies 50 kilometres northeast along the Rhône Valley corridor. The resort operates within French-speaking Valais, with mountain culture reflecting both Swiss precision and Latin conviviality.
Road access follows the A9 motorway along the Rhône Valley to Martigny, then Route 21 south through Sembrancher before climbing 10 kilometres via hairpin bends to Le Châble and continuing to Verbier. The Great St Bernard Tunnel provides a 90-minute connection to Aosta, Italy. Driving from Geneva requires two hours in clear conditions, from Zurich 3 hours 20 minutes, and from Chamonix 90 minutes via the Col de la Forclaz.
Geneva International Airport sits 160 kilometres distant with transfers via motorway or rail taking 2 to 2.5 hours. Weekend Verbier Express trains run direct from Geneva Airport to Le Châble on Saturdays and Sundays, requiring one change at Martigny on weekdays. Zürich Airport lies 290 kilometres northeast with four-hour transfers. Sion Airport, 50 kilometres away, handles private aviation and limited scheduled services. The Le Châble-Verbier gondola operates 18 hours daily, eliminating the need for resort driving.
Hotels and lodges near Verbier 4 Vallées, powered by Stay22.

Europe’s ski season is open, technically. After a record-warm summer, glaciers in Austria, Switzerland and Italy are running a few pistes apiece, Sölden, Stubai and Kitzsteinhorn started late, Titlis has pushed back to 24 October, and Zermatt reopens a few lifts on 14 October after more than two months shut. Finland’s Levi and Ruka are skiing on stored snow. Here is what is open, and what you actually get at each.

Zermatt is having another crack at a World Cup downhill, and this time nobody has to cross a border. Around 13 million Swiss francs is going into rebuilding the Gornergrat piste, including a jump fed by a roughly 300-metre in-run across the roof of the Gornergrat Railway gallery, with the Matterhorn lined up behind it for the TV cameras. First men’s race is pencilled in for March 2028, pending FIS homologation.

Lake Tahoe’s highest base elevation is paying off early: Mt. Rose has started making snow for 2026-27 after the first flurries and a cold snap. The Nevada resort is backing it with nearly US$2 million in upgrades, including a replacement snowmaking main line, a new PistenBully groomer and restraint bars on every lift. Opening day is yet to be confirmed, though Heavenly and Northstar are already eyeing 20 November.

Utah is still building flat out. For 2026-27, Powder Mountain opens a steep new Skytrac chair into more than 1,000 acres of advanced terrain, Deer Valley adds 200 acres on Hail Peak, Sundance gets a new quad and Park City adds a gondola from its new parking structure. Snowmaking is expanding almost everywhere, Eagle Point stays closed after the Cottonwood Fire, and the 2034 Games are setting the pace. Here’s what’s new, resort by resort.

Mt Hutt is getting busier, and its base lodge is about to catch up. NZ$12 million goes into a heated sun deck roughly three times the current size (430 m² to 1,300 m²), plus a new toilet block, heated steps down to snow level, extra storage and a new food and beverage outlet. Building starts after the 2026 season, with everything due for winter 2027.

Vermont's season is slow to take shape. Stratton is tentatively targeting 18 November and Sugarbush 21 November, while Pico has Friday 11 December on the calendar. Killington never sets a date and opens when the snowmaking allows, and Vail Resorts has yet to name days for Stowe, Okemo and Mount Snow. The forecasts disagree about snow, and the main El Niño worry for the Green Mountains is warmth.

Less than four months out from the Crans-Montana 2027 World Championships, the man running the organising committee has stepped down. Claude-Alain Schmidhalter resigned as Swiss-Ski vice president and OC president after being indicted over a business dispute unrelated to skiing. He denies the allegations and faces court on October 27. Interim leaders are in place for the February 1-14 event.

Kelly Canyon had a rough 2025-26, and the Idaho resort has spent the summer making sure it doesn’t repeat. Snowmaking now reaches the top of Goldrush, the terrain park is doubling in size with a stereo system, lights and a snack shack, and the car park is getting bigger. Grooming is stepping up too. Target opening is December 4, conditions permitting.
Verbier 4 Vallées's 2026 - 2027 season typically runs from November 14 through April 25. That window is roughly 162 calendar days, though daily operations depend on snow cover, weather, and lift maintenance.
Resorts in Switzerland, Europe often announce firm dates closer to winter; check the live snow report before you travel if you are planning around opening weekend or spring closure.
Verbier 4 Vallées lists about 412 km of piste of marked terrain spread across 94 named runs. That footprint is what most riders experience on a lift-served day. Side-country or hike-to terrain may sit outside these published numbers.
Use the trail map to see how the mountain is laid out and where the longest fall-line runs connect back to base.
Trail grading at Verbier 4 Vallées breaks down roughly as 26% beginner, 49% intermediate, 15% advanced, 10% expert. The mix is balanced enough for mixed-ability groups, so learners can stay on marked green/blue (Blue/Red) terrain while stronger skiers peel off to steeper pitches.
Percentages describe the resort's published piste mix, not vertical metres. A mountain with modest "expert" stats can still feel demanding if the steep terrain is long or exposed. Read the trail map alongside these numbers when planning your route.
Verbier 4 Vallées operates 68 lifts across 8 lift types. The fleet includes 30 t-bars, 16 gondolas, 7 quad chairs, 5 6-person chairs, 4 aerial trams, 3 double chairs, 2 surface lifts, and 1 triple chair.
Lift mix affects how quickly you can lap your favourite zones. Gondolas and trams move big crowds to mid-mountain, while shorter chairs and surface lifts often serve learning areas or local pods. Check the live snow report on ski days for real-time open/closed status.
Base elevation at Verbier 4 Vallées is about 1,350 m (4,429 ft), with the summit around 3,300 m (10,827 ft), giving roughly 1,950 m (6,398 ft) of vertical from base to top.
Higher start heights usually mean colder, drier snow holding longer into spring, but also thinner air and faster weather changes. Pack layers if you are riding from village level to summit lifts in one day.
Verbier 4 Vallées averages about 450 cm (177 inches) of natural snowfall per season. That is a long-term climate figure. Any single winter can run well above or below it depending on storm track and temperature.
For trip planning, pair this baseline with the live snow report and webcams: fresh cycles show up in overnight totals and summit cameras long before season averages tell you much about today's surface.
Verbier 4 Vallées is affiliated with the Epic Pass. Pass holders should confirm current season benefits, blackout dates, and reservation rules on the pass issuer's site. Policies change year to year and can differ between international and domestic products.
If you are not on Epic Pass, day tickets and multi-day bundles are still available; see the lift tickets page for published rates and purchase links.
SnowStash pulls together 9 live mountain webcams, an interactive live trail map and a downloadable piste map, and the daily snow report for Verbier 4 Vallées so you can plan from home. Webcams refresh on a short interval and are the fastest way to judge visibility, wind exposure, and whether storm snow is still falling.
The snow report adds structured totals, base depth where available, and lift/trail status when the resort publishes it. Use both together: cameras show what it looks like right now, and the report summarises numbers your group can compare day to day.
Yes. A live interactive map embeds current lift and run status when the provider supplies it, which is useful on-morning for seeing what is actually spinning. The downloadable PDF/image map is better for offline planning, marking meeting points, and understanding the full mountain layout at a glance.
Both versions are on the trail map page for Verbier 4 Vallées. If you are navigating with kids or meeting friends across separate lifts, screenshot or print the static map and keep the live map open on your phone for operational updates.
Verbier 4 Vallées sits in Switzerland, Europe. That regional context matters for travel planning: airport transfers, snow tyres, and typical storm patterns all follow geography as much as resort marketing.
Browse nearby accommodation from the resort page if you are comparing village-base vs valley-base stays; where you sleep changes your first lift of the day more than most trail stats do.