With a fairly hefty dump of snow last week The Powers That Be at Televerbier decided that this weekend would be the opening weekend of the season, and true to their word they opened up Lac des Vaux this morning.

So, because we knew that you’d want to know, we went up for a slide around and got some pretty epic photos. Not that the photography itself was epic, but the subject matter certainly was.

In a change to seasons gone by they opened both of the Lac des Vaux lifts and as there weren’t really any crowds, there wasn’t a queue at all. That said I imagine there were hefty queues of people scrambling to buy lift passes this morning.

The base is pretty good and although in places it’s a little agricultural it’s a great start – and to be fair, the ricks are almost entirely on the Ruinette side which isn’t open yet, and judging by the holes in the base of my skis it’s not a trip I’d repeat before the next snowfall (which should be this week, since you’re asking…).

But enough waffle, here are a load of photos. And a video of nothing in particular. Enjoy.

You’ll be delighted to hear that we had a rather encouraging storm pass over yesterday and the result is that Verbier is covered in a blanket of snow. So here are a selection of photos from the webcams showing it off in all it’s glory. Suddenly opening Lac des Vaux soon doesn’t seem so crazy…

 

PS if you – like Katie – are wondering what the funny white circles are, don’t panic – we’re not being invaded by UFOs, it’s the live links on the webcams that take you to other webcams in the network. To see what it’s like up there click here and go to our webcam page.

Finally. Yes, the first proper autumn snow fell last night and it settled all the way to just-above-Ruinettes. Which is plenty low enough for this time of year. On the webcams Lac Des Vaux looked all the better for a dusting – and that’s good news as we could be skiing up there in about 26 days. So keep your fingers crossed and someone remind Televerbier to switch the snow cannons on.

So it was a nice morning to stroll around Verbier and after a summer that didn’t know where to stop, it really feels like winter is coming… And because we’re very excited, you get some nice big photos. There’s even a dab of artistic lens flare. Don’t say we don’t look after you.

It’s been bumpy ride for the four constituent parts of the 4 Valleys, but after discovering this summer that the whole network had fallen apart we have just heard it’s all back together again and everyone is friends…

So, the summary is this:

TeleVeysonnaz and TeleVerbier argued about how revenue was distributed from the sale of 4 Valleys lift passes. The result was that in the summer the area was – for a while at least – resigned to history and we saw the end of the largest ski area in Switzerland.

Sad times.

Verbier said it would go it alone, Nendaz and Veysonnaz formed an alliance, and they said a few rather aggressive things in press releases – no doubt it was even worse behind closed doors.

But, according to Swiss newspaper La Nouvellist the whole thing has been resolved after a local politician, Jaques Melly, intervened and offered to mediate.

Well, I don’t know what he said, but it worked.

Here’s the translation of the article:

An agreement was signed by all the partner companies to extend the ski area of ​​4 Valleys.

A statement from the canton of Valais, the ski area of ​​4 Valleys is renewed. An agreement was signed to this effect by all partner companies. They also agree to strengthen their cooperation.

Mediation conducted by State Councilor Jacques Melly to find an agreement between the partner companies has resulted in the signing of an agreement between all societies.

Aware of the importance of finding a solution for the operation of the 4 Valleys destination at the dawn of the next winter season, the four partners Téléverbier, Télé-Nendaz, Téléveysonnaz and Télé-Thyon companies decided to extend the validity of the current agreement for a period of 18 years.

The partners have also committed by agreement to strengthen collaboration. Discussions will continue in the coming months for this purpose.

 

>> Speak french? Well have a look here…
 

What next?

Well, we’re waiting for more news and confirmations but the Nouvellist is pretty reliable and if it’s confirmed as true and for 18 years, we can all take a big sigh of relief and start planning for winter…

For more information you should have a look at…

The initial break up story

– from June

The responses and new lift areas

– from July
 

An update (about an hour after posting our article)

 
The story has just been updated on the Nouvellist website and they say there has been “financial compensation” to the CEO of TeleVeysonnaz for “pre-emptive rights not respected” and something about making “objections” to work on the L’Ours cable car.

No, we don’t know that means either, but it’s another bit of intrigue…
 

OK, last time we blogged it was to assess what was happening in the 4 Valleys.

Basically, in case you missed it, Verbier announced it would not be selling 4 Valleys passes and the area didn’t really exist until an agreement could be reached.

So we tried to make sense of Televerbier’s announcement, look at the new lift pass called “Verbier Grand Ski”, and crucially whether or not this really was the end of Switzerland’s biggest connected ski area.

We expected something to come back across from the other partners, and it finally has in the shape of a rival ski area…

But we thought before – and we still believe – that there is a lot of time for brinkmanship and manoeuvring between now and the normal opening of the 4 Valleys, which is usually mid-December. So nothing is dead and buried until then.

So there’s news, and it’s not great.

We now have an update as things have changed. The Nouvellist has announced that Nendaz and Veysonnaz have joined forces to create a new area called “Espace Mont Fort” where you would be able to ski between Veysonnaz and Nendaz and go up Mont Fort (which belongs to Telenendaz but is jointly run with Verbier).

So, what does it mean?

Well, hard it’s to say. But it does make it seem as if the negotiating parties have packed parachutes and want to let the fellow members of the area-formely-known-as-the-4-Valleys that they can operate without them. In this case it would seem Telenendaz and TeleVeysonnaz want Verbier to know they can also survive if the biggest ski area in Switzerland dissolves.

Both Nendaz and Veysonnaz have released details of this new area, with Nendaz saying there has been an “excellent cooperation between Nendaz and Veysonnaz” and adding “the possibilities… of extending to other sectors will be confirmed if no agreement is reached by the beginning of the winter”.

They price the new area at 60chf for a day pass, so about ten chf less than the Verbier Grand Ski.

The same question again: should we be worried?

Well, our knee-jerk reaction is yes. We should worry. (But that is the knee-jerk response).

Because this isn’t the behaviour of people negotiating a settlement – it’s the behaviour of kids in the playground finishing an argument by taking their ball home…

But the knee-jerk-free thought is that it is not even August yet.

And that means we’re not even at the half way point between last winter ending and next winter starting. So there is time. Plenty of it. And as someone from the lift company pointed out, these arguments are typical when the agreements need renewing, it’s just this time social media and newspaper stories leaking the news and websites having to make announcements have shone a light on the negotiating and arguing – and the potential fall-out.

In the old days nobody would have known until they turned up on holiday, and when it was agreed before the winter we would never have known at all…

The original Nouvellist article in French:

Les 4 Vallées ne sont toujours pas prêtes de renaître de leurs cendres cet hiver. Après Verbier qui a lancé son produit “Verbier Grand Ski” à 71 francs la journée, Nendaz et Veysonnaz rétorquent avec “Espace Mt-Fort”, qui réunit les deux domaines skiables pour 60 francs le forfait.

Les deux parties, Nendaz et Veysonnaz d’un côté, Thyon et Verbier de l’autre, ont accepté une médiation dans le conflit qui mine les 4 Vallées. Pour autant, Verbier, avec son produit “Verbier Grand Ski” à 71 francs la journée, avait, il y a tout juste un mois, de fait, mis un terme au plus grand domaine skiable suisse.

Ce jeudi, TéléNendaz et Téléveysonnaz répliquent en lançant à leur tour “Espace Mt-Fort”, un forfait qui donne accès à l’ensemble des domaines skiables des deux stations et ce, pour 60 francs la journée. Les deux sociétés justifient cette action par le blocage actuel du dossier des 4 Vallées. “De nouveaux accord doient intervenir entre les partenaires”, peut-on lire dans un communiqué, “les discussions n’ont pas abouti à ce jour, et nous ne pouvons dans l’état actuel garantir le maintien des tarifs dans leur configuration passée.”

Pour autant, comme du côté de Téléverbier, on garde ici la porte ouverte à une éventuelle réconciliation dans les mois à venir. “Les possibilités et les modalités d’extension aux autres secteurs devront être définies ultérieurement si aucun accord n’intervient d’ici le début de la saison d’hiver.”

The 4 Valleys on hold after failed negotiations

For the last 24 hours Verbier and the internet have been awash with the news that the 4 Valleys ski area – one of the biggest in Europe and the biggest in Switzerland – has been dissolved.

Is it true? Well, yes. But only for the moment…

Why are we in this situation?

Well, like most good arguments it’s about money. The four ski areas can’t agree on distribution of the money from lift passes sold across the area – Verbier blames Veysonnaz, and Veysonnaz has hit back by calling Verbier “irresponsible”. We understand Veysonnaz pulled out of the old deal 18 months ago and this is the result.

The details of how it works, how it might work and where the sides are disagreeing are vague, but in simple terms four people are sitting at the table, and they can’t agree.

Who is actually at fault is, of course, impossible to say, but without a unanimous solution the 4 Valleys as we know it cannot exist.

So is this it?

Does this mean no more Backside of Mont Fort and no more skiing past the dam to Siviez? No more day trips to Thyon? No more Mash?

Well, don’t write anything off just yet.

This news has hit the headlines as Verbier announced next season’s lift prices yesterday and as a result of the conflict they aren’t offering 4 Valleys passes – which has shone a light on the stalemate between the ski areas.

Right now, however, you can still by summer 4 Valleys passes and hike and bike your way all over the network. Perhaps not next winter though…

Verbier Grand Ski.

In place of the traditional 4 Valleys pass for next winter is a new pass: Verbier Grand Ski.

Now cynics have pointed out it’s simply a Verbier pass. But upon closer inspection it goes a bit further.

As you’d expect the Verbier, La Tzoumaz, Savoleyres and Bruson pistes and lifts are all there. (Bruson of course the home of a shiny, new, high-speed bubble lift and a lot of skiing terrain most Verbier regulars have never visited.)

But the new pass also includes the Mont Fort Sector (which is under the jurisdiction of Nendaz, but run jointly with Verbier) and also the Siviez chair lift (part of Nendaz) according to reports from PlanetSKI.eu.

That means you will be able to ski just beyond the normal Verbier area and crucially ski the famous Backside of Mont Fort.

How this is possible is not clear – perhaps Nendaz and Verbier are on the same side? That would be pure speculation but if you can’t speculate it’s no fun.

What next?

Well, our-man-in-the-know had a meeting with Televerbier today and they claim to be in constant contact with all parties and that negotiations are on-going.

Significantly the price of the new Grand Ski Verbier pass is almost identical to the price of a 4 Valleys pass, leaving the door open to changing the pre-ordered passes into 4 Valleys passes should the solution be agreed.

It’s also not impossible a new network will emerge, we speculated about a tie-up with Nendaz but why not? Perhaps the 4 Valleys will become the 2 Valleys?

It is clear that the publicity over the situation is not ideal, but the pass system as it stands is hardly a bad option – after all, if we all put our hands on our hearts how many of us ski the 4 Valleys? Yes, that Greppon Blanc drag lift puts everybody off…

Honestly though, many believe this is just a story about hard bargaining and the timing of announcing lift passes – it could well all be resolved well before the snow starts to fall here. We certainly hope so.

And remember, the 4 Valleys links wouldn’t normally open for another six months, and that’s lot of time to negotiate…

More on the story:

PlanetSKI.eu
Le Nouvelliste (in French)
Le Matin (in French)

 

The tourist office also released this earlier…

Which roughly translates as…

We wish to pass on the information that we have feared for some time already: the end of the 4 Valleys agreements. Click here to find the message to us from Televerbier. [Link not available]

Despite this separation, and as pointed out MM. Morand and Burrus, we have an area of ​​great quality, a quality team and a modern way that will allow us to continue to attract many tourists and fans to GRAND SKI. Remain confident and above all welcome our guests in the best possible conditions.

Best regards.

Joel Sciboz