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Christmas in Montreux/Valais

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FrankerZ
Posts: 223 - Karma: 1,129
Me and 3 friends of mine are heading to Montreux, Switzerland in late December to January for 9 days to freeride. The area is surrounded by massive mountains and resorts and I'm wondering that which ones should we visit (and which not).

The nearest resorts are Les Portes Du Soleil and Verbier and I've got a prejudice that these are the most expensive places with the biggest tourist crowds so I might not be too interested in these options. However, the lesser known resorts east from Verbier really interest me. I feel like these are more authentic villages with less crowds, the problem is that there is hardly any infromation about them online.

The resorts i mean are for example: Evolène, La Forclaz, Arolla, Saint-Luc, Grimentz/Zinal and maybe Zermatt. Any information of these places would be appreciated.

Also, are there any resorts in Valais that are suitable for treeskiing in case of bad visibility or a storm? after a quick research i found that Verbier for example doesn't allow treeskiing because of the forests are protected. Does this apply to all the surrounding resorts?

Not expecting many ns'ers to be from the area but it's worth a shot

Thanks in advance.
Oct 12 2015 10:23AM
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eligerrit
Posts: 8 - Karma: 90
Hey,

I'm from Verbier and can only recommend not to come around Christmas holidays/ New Year's eve. That's when it gets insanely busy and jerry-packed. But just so you know, school here will start around January 4th, so that time would be best to come explore Verbier's backcountry, once the crowd is gone. It is undeniably one of the best freeride resorts close to Montreux/in Switzerland. It's pricey but definitely worth a visit. Also, there is amazing treeskiing nearby, in Bruson. You can get one pass for both resorts, as they are connected. As of treeskiing, it is technically protected, but a lot of people tree ski. In terms of snow, December/January is tricky. It can be amazing or really dry . Might be better to plan to ski at higher resorts, because it will still be relatively early in the season.

Hope this helps :-)
Oct 12 2015 11:20AM
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FrankerZ
Posts: 223 - Karma: 1,129
eligerritHey,

I'm from Verbier and can only recommend not to come around Christmas holidays/ New Year's eve. That's when it gets insanely busy and jerry-packed. But just so you know, school here will start around January 4th, so that time would be best to come explore Verbier's backcountry, once the crowd is gone. It is undeniably one of the best freeride resorts close to Montreux/in Switzerland. It's pricey but definitely worth a visit. Also, there is amazing treeskiing nearby, in Bruson. You can get one pass for both resorts, as they are connected. As of treeskiing, it is technically protected, but a lot of people tree ski. In terms of snow, December/January is tricky. It can be amazing or really dry . Might be better to plan to ski at higher resorts, because it will still be relatively early in the season.

Hope this helps :-)


thanks man! ill definitely go check out bruson if it gets stormy. I checked the place on google earth and it seemed pretty straightforward, pretty much anywhere on the riders left and right side is skiable?
Oct 12 2015 1:21PM
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flexpattern
Posts: 1090 - Karma: 45
eligerritHey,

I'm from Verbier and can only recommend not to come around Christmas holidays/ New Year's eve. That's when it gets insanely busy and jerry-packed. But just so you know, school here will start around January 4th, so that time would be best to come explore Verbier's backcountry, once the crowd is gone. It is undeniably one of the best freeride resorts close to Montreux/in Switzerland. It's pricey but definitely worth a visit. Also, there is amazing treeskiing nearby, in Bruson. You can get one pass for both resorts, as they are connected. As of treeskiing, it is technically protected, but a lot of people tree ski. In terms of snow, December/January is tricky. It can be amazing or really dry . Might be better to plan to ski at higher resorts, because it will still be relatively early in the season.

Hope this helps :-)


Bruson is awesome on a big snow day! I would recommend checking out there for sure.
Oct 12 2015 1:29PM
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yalice
Posts: 27 - Karma: 381
Hey,
Also from Verbier aha. Bruson is skiable left and right for sure, very nice tree lines on snowy days as eli said. It's a pretty small resort with a few lifts it's very nice and authentic. Verbier is one expensive resort but depending on where you usually ski, the domain is huge for what it costs: a day pass is around 70 swiss francs for all 4 valleys (including Verbier, Thyon, Veysonnaz, Nendaz, la Tzoumaz and Bruson = more then 420km of slopes + some of the best off-piste terrain/freeride in the Alps). Would definitely recommend les Portes du Soleil (Morgins, les Crosets, Avoriaz, Chatel...) as they usually get a lot of snow and all together the domain is really big (Switzerland + France). Grimentz is also very nice if you have the time - it's all north faced and village is super authentic.
Oct 12 2015 3:20PM
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