Expert Skiing in Switzerland

Miles of bucket-list pistes (like the FIS race track from Attelas and the steep, sometimes mogully black on Mont Fort) should merit the attention of any serious skier worth their goggle tan. But that’s not what gives Verb’ its worldwide reputation. The ungroomed itinerary trails and off piste here are the stuff of legend – including a rippling route down ‘the wall’ to Tortin and some testing descents on Mont Gele. To carve your own paths, the Bec Des Rosses (the last stop of the Freeride World Tour) is the most fearsome, and others like Tortin and Mont-Fort are just as exalted in the off-piste community. If tree-skiing’s your thing, catch the bus from below Verbier town to Bruson, where you’ll find the hidden powder stashes between the pines.

‘Matterhorn ski paradise’ sums up the area pretty well: With the iconic triangular peak looming over, the terrain here’s a slice of heaven for experts. There are 36km of groomed black and ungroomed (but avalanche controlled) itinerary slopes for starters, with no end of unmarked powder descents to boot – and it’s some of the most snow sure stuff on the planet. The National black piste from Blauherd is an essential to tick off the list – follow the tracks of ski champions as you follow a steep descent to the treeline and Patrullarve. In the middle of the season, powder hounds will be in their element. This is when the itinerary runs are in peak condition, and you’ll find some cracking descents on the north-facing Stockhorn, where our top pick is the long and mogulled Triftji. The potential for freeriding on either side is just the start of Zermatt’s vast off piste provisions, go for a heli-skiing or backcountry tour to really tap in to what Zermatt has to offer. If you’re looking for airtime over pow-time, the Theodul glacier, up by the crossing point to Cervinia, is home to the Gravity Park, with rails and kickers for anyone from first-time freestylers to X-games medallists.

Davos and Klosters share one of the oldest ski areas in the Alps, totalling 320km of pistes with hefty sections of off piste thrown in for good measure. Our favourite stuff between black poles comes in the form of two runs heading down into Wolfgang and the long (by name and nature) Schlappintobel - the mogul face under the Schawrzeealp chair is well worth a look too. The cream of the freeride crop is the Pischa - there are nearly a dozen unmarked paths from here so a guide could be a good investment. Also in the Klosters area, the tree lines above Gotschnagrat are incredible with fresh snow. Jibbers will want to head for the Jakobshorn, for a pro-standard superpipe and the world-class Jatzpark.

Everyone has to experience a genuine piece of ski history on the black Inferno run here. Nearly 15km long and covering 2000m of vertical, a bunch of Brits made it the world’s first official downhill race course back in the twenties. Nowadays it hosts the biggest amateur ski race on earth, though it’s more pleasant when you’re not sharing the hairpin turns and woodland steeps with 1799 other competitors... (hats off to anyone who gets from top to bottom in less than half an hour). Freestylers will want to head to the Skyline Snowpark, which is fully equipped with a halfpipe and three lines of increasing difficulty. If it’s fresh on the ground, explore around the sides of the chairlifts just above the village, and build up towards something more intimidating: while this quaint resort might look harmless, the back-side of the Schilthorn peak is no teddy bear and a guide will be able to lead you on the powder descent of a lifetime.

This two-town resort is worthy of any seasoned skiers attention, whether you prefer to pass the time in the park, on the piste, or knee-deep in powder. The freestyle area is a whopper - designed by Swiss snowboard guru Pat Burgener it has 10,000m2 of modules and rails, a halfpipe, skicross and a boardercross. If you’d rather keep your skis firmly on the ground there are a number of challenging pistes to tuck into: Plaine Morte (accessed via the Violettes cable car) is a thigh burningly long 10km red that’ll test your stamina, before control and concentration are put to the test on the FIS black Col du pochet from Bellalui. Rather than steep, this descent is super narrow with a hair-raising drop off the edge - best saved for a clear day. FIS championship pistes rule the mountains here, with Mont Lachaux and Piste National adding to the list. Moguls aren’t plentiful, but you’ll find the best of them over at La Toula, which is also home to some cracking off piste. Speaking of which, the glacier has some terrific ungroomed itineraries – just try not to get distracted by the stunning 360-degree views over Valais.

The original alpine winter holiday resort, St Moritz has grown old with class - earning its place on every skier’s bucket list. Hardened skiers looking for a challenge can take their pick of the blacks that ripple across the mountain range. The fearsome Hahnensee in Corvatsch is a regional classic for its enviable combination of steep gradients and perfect glacier snow. Or race in the tracks of Olympic heroes on the Olympia downhill course in Corviglia, where you’re guaranteed to rack up some serious speeds. St Moritz really comes into its own when you turn to the off piste. The best of it can be found in the Val Arlas in the Diavolezza area or on the face of the 3000m+ Piz Nair. The freestyle scene here’s strong too, and the place to find it is the Corviglia Park where there’s a huge range of features including a halfpipe, and a dedicated freestyle school to help you master your newest tricks.

Make this quiet, central village your base and you can ski far and wide on the 4 Valleys’ network of steep blacks, fast-paced reds and pristine powder trails. Among the best pistes are the Etherolla above Thyon and the Greppon Blanc which leads down to Siviez – but the king is the Mt. Fort from the 3300m glacial peak. Our favourite itinerary routes in the 4 Valleys (if not the world) include the Tortin, Mont Gele and Chassoure, and a guide will be able to show you some awesome powder descents from the Dent de Nendaz and Mont Gond if you’re prepared to hike. From the top of the Jean Pierre red, freestylers shouldn’t miss their chance to hit the Eco-park. This jib area mixes things up with an array of wood-crafted features to play on, so you can throw your tricks the way mother earth intended.

Whether you’re sticking in sunny Villars or venturing over to snow sure Les Diabrelets (linked with the lift pass), there’s some terrific terrain between the two. On the Villars side, take the route above Gyron where La Croix flows into Ruvines - a satisfyingly long black-run ski that moves from dizzyingly steep to rolling, tree-lined fast-lanes. Another must-ski starts above the treeline from the Roc D’Orsay peak: the fearsome Bouquetins black piste. This expert slope drops over 700m from the high alpine plateau in a series of steeps and swerves to put anyone’s knees to the test. Pistes are no less exciting over on the Diablerets glacier, where the Olden run winds its way down from Oldenhorn peak with tight race-style turns (the powder stashes between its banks are nothing short of cloud-like). Speak to New Generation about their ProXplore Adventures to find the best untouched ribbons to glide through here – there’s a fabulous route from Dôme Peak to Les D village. The glacier’s also home to the Glacier 3000 snow park, where you can perfect old tricks and learn new ones on a range of rails and kickers.

Arosa’s a bit like a buffet of advanced ski terrain – a selection of offerings in each category, which together to form a wonderfully varied experience. It won’t take long to gobble up 27km of black pistes (linked with 87km of reds), but when it comes to descents like the black-red Hornli, we often find ourselves going back for seconds. If you’re craving powder, tuck into the itinerary runs and freeride lines on the Hornli, Plattenhorn and Weisshorn. Have a hearty appetite for freestyle? Fill up on jibs and a helping of half-pipe at the Arosa Park (then move onto Lenzerheide’s park for seconds). A little something to get the mouth watering – rumour has it ski-god Russ Henshaw, who has a decade of medals in his cabinet, calls this area of Switzerland one of his all-time favourites.

Over the SIX mountains it shares with Davos, Klosters’ blueprint covers 320km - and with 80% of the ski area reaching above 2000m, there are some super stashes of powder. Take the Gotschna cable car up to Weissfluhjoch on Parsenn for a whopping 12km run that drops through 2000 vertical metres back to base. Rinerhorn’s the mountain if you like the slopes to yourself, where a brilliantly long, wide black leads from Nullisch Grat into Narnia-like forests. If you’ve come for the proper pow (and the avalanche bulletin permits), hire a guide and ski the infamous Wang: A daring descent passing rocks, trees and oodles of glorious white.