How did you end up in Verbier?
After my ski exams I wanted to get straight into teaching, I had been to Verbier once before and loved the town and the huge ski area it has to offer, so it was a no brainer for me to come back, and that I do, year after year for the past 12 years now.

Weapon of choice?
Piste: Head I Speed World Cup Rebels
Off Piste: Salomon Q-Lab

Best thing you’ve ever done?
Get a job with Performance obviously! Apart from that, travel. Travelling has allowed me to see and experience sights like the barrier reef in Australia, wild dolphins in the Mediterranean seas, penguins at Doubtful Sounds in New Zealand, the list is endless!

 

Your top teaching tip?
Move – skiing is a sport whether its fast paced or a slow chilled cruise, we need to move constantly allowing us to make efficient movements using the design of the ski and staying on them, meaning less sore muscles at the end of the day and a lot more fun!

Absolute favourite slope in the 4 valleys is?
Vallon Darby

Favourite restaurant?
Dahu, best pizzas on the mountain, along with a lot more yummy delights!

Best place for drinks in Verbier?
The Loft Bar will always be my favourite, awesome people behind the bar with a chilled atmosphere, I also love a cocktail every now and then, so Farinet Lounge is my favourite place for one (or two) of these.

If you’re clients need to see or do only one thing while they are in Verbier what would it be according to you?
Go up to Mont Fort, even if your skiing abilities are not quite up for the ski down, (you can take the lift back down), the views from here are amazing. In the evening head up to Marmotte restaurant for fondue then sledge back down to Verbier, be sure to eat lots of fondue, it makes your sledge go faster, true fact

 

Thank you Kate, see you on the slopes this winter!

Lets start with how you ended up in Verbier?

I came to Verbier for the BASI Level 3 technical exam while I was still a senior school teacher. I stayed down in the La Ruinette apartments in Le Chable and had a super successful few weeks. I realised then that the area was somewhere I wanted to be in the future. I now live down there year round, just around the corner from where I used to stay, and I love it! In winter, I can ski from my apartment to the gondola up to work – why would you leave?

What are you skiing on at the moment?

Rossignol Hero Elite Long Turn TI and Faction 3.0s.

What is your top teaching tip?

Be brave and confident – as I often say to clients ‘skiing is skiing’ – it doesn’t really matter where you do it. In other words, once we think you’re ready, you are! Go for that red, black, intinerary or couloir! Confidence is key.

 

What is the best thing you’ve ever done?

Wow, what a question! Probably diving with Whale Sharks in Thailand – but there are quite a few best moments!

What is your favourite slope in the 4 Valleys?

Combatzeline red, lapping the Novelli chair! I have helped clients make huge changes on this run, and it was central in my training to full-cert. Slightly away from busier areas and with a perfect turn-around time (and long chair home to rest afterwards), this run is perfect!

Favourite restaurant?

Easy – Cabane Mont-Fort for the chicken and chips in a basket!

Where do you go for drinks?

The Loft – the coolest bar staff in town, and decent music too.

If people visiting Verbier need to see or do only one thing while they are here, what would it be according to you?

Go on a ski tour! There is so much amazing touring in the area, but if I had to pick one, it would be a two-dayer up Mont Rogneux, for the terrain, and views back to Verbier. Day 1 to Cabane Brunet for a delicious meal and bottle of wine, Day 2 to the summit and to ski fresh snow all the way back down to Lourtier – incredible!

Thank you Ben for all the great answers, have a great season!

 

 

First of all we need to say thanks to our special correspondent and photographer Nessa, who took the pictures and supplied all the info. She is a legend as always.

Ian is also a legend, as the last two pictures are his. (He’s in the pub right now so sure he won’t mind – thanks mate, put one on my tab…).

But today saw Verbier open for summer skiing for the first tim in 25 years. At least, so I’m told – the Performance team has been here for a while but not quite that long…

It was a cracking day all round – there was a huge uptake leading to a pretty hefty queue forming pretty quickly at the Mont Fort lift, but when you’re standing in a sunny queue with views like these, frankly who cares?

It genuinely was old-school bikini skiing weather, with scorching sunshine probably leading to some even-more-scorching sunburn later. (In fact Verbier was briefly transformed into one of those eighties post cards that still seem to circulate in ski resorts everywhere. As a sophisticated bunch, we have shunned that sort of cheap titillation. Have a look on Facebook though).

Televerbier did a cracking job and even had a barbecue  going. As Nessa observed, “The BBQ wasn’t free of course, but still good to enjoy a beer and bbq’d steak post ski”. True that.

The snow was “grippy to start, slushy & sticky at the bottom” which is pretty standard issue for glacier skiing although the mini drag lift broke below the start of the main Mont Fort lift, which leaves you with a rather hefty walk when you’re at a smidgeon under 3000m. I’m sure the thought a of a beer and a steak waiting at the top might have hurried a few along.

So here are the snaps and let’s hope this kind of spontaneous opening is something we’ll see an awful lot more of…

 

The clouds are starting to break and winter is back in resort. It’s freezing today.

And last night we had a few inches of fresh on the pistes so conditions are nicely topped up. Ok it’s Baltic. But it should be in January – that’s part of the fun.

So we’re tucked up in Dahu waiting for just a bit more sun before we head up mont fort. Which should be, as we say in Verbier, EPIC.

This is not a blog post that needs much in the top half. So suffice to say it’s snowed loads, it’s snowing again today. Loads. And tomorrow. Loads. And last weekend you could ski Col de Mouche because the Chassoure bubble was open. OK the actual Chassoure-Tortin itinerary isn’t officially open yet, but does Verbier get better than a powder day with nobody around and Col de Mouche to yourself?

Probably, but right now I can’t think of anything.

 

 

As always, if youtube clips don’t play straight away then just click here go to our channel…

Yes, Kent’s long threatened day skiing with the Grinning Swede arrives today and we’ve just been skiing epic spring snow over on Mash. If you want to know where exactly you’ll just have to book Kent fit the day as he’s sworn us to secrecy.

(I however am open to bribes…).