Verbier: Swiss Pow!!

Tuesday morning brought overcast skies and some light flurries.  Kevin’s group decided that Bruson was the way to go.  They were rewarded with empty slopes and great grooming which meant some more speed.  After lunch the sun came out and it was over to the main side for some late day runs down Attelas.  The last run pit stop was the 1936 “Yurt”, where they were greeted by the PowderPuffs. 

The Attelas area.

Skiing below Mont Gele.

The PowderPuffs had started their day by doing a quick warm-up on the James Blunt chair.  From there it was several laps on the Fontanet powder bowl.  The snow was great and the viz was still good.  After each run the plan was to head over to Bruson, but the skiing was so good another run had to be done.  With so many lines and aspects, the choices were endless and each lap brought out a different adventure.  Finally after coaxing the group with chocolate, it was one more run to lunch at Chez Danny.  With the sun coming out it was back up the lift to find some more powder stashes off the Attelas run under the Mont Gele.  The day ended at the 1936 Yurt with a well earned reward.

Silvija in Fontanet powder bowl.

The P.E.I. PowderPuff.

Kim surfing through the powder.

Bob’s group was skiing with Powder Extreme guide Anders.  After a turbulent start, the day settled down with a great run down the Vallon d’Arbi.  Some good snow was found and the gang enjoyed every flake.  Lunch was at Le Carrefour and then it was off to the Jumbo.  After skiing under the shadow of the Bec des Rosses, a short hike/traverse brought them to the powder bowl facing the Cabane de Mont Fort.  From there instead of hiking out of the bowl back to the lifts, the guide decided to ski the group down to Le Chable.  The upper slopes of the journey were lovely but as the group got lower down it became more of a hard slog.  Through rocks and dirt, over bridges with no snow and crossing roads and poling across the flats, the adventure quickly turned to an un-planned work out.  With the light fading from the sky, the guide pointed them to the lift back up before bidding adieu.  The very weary group finally made it back to the hotel around 18:30.

Checking out the possibilities. 

Penny about to tackle the Verbier back country.

The road to Le Chable.

Almost there……

Dinner for the evening was at L’Ecurie and the food did not disappoint.  A beautiful meal followed by a delicious dessert and then it was off to the hotel for a nightcap before retiring for the night.  A day off Wednesday to rest and recharge.