One mountain, two moods

Our vantage point is The Lodge, Virgin Limited Edition’s nine-bedroom Alpine hideaway, tucked into the pines just 250 metres from the Médran lift and backing onto one of the returning pistes. We’ve spent many happy seasons studying this mountain closely, so consider this our field notes.

How to get to Verbier: (spoiler: it ends with a gondola)

Verbier sits on a sunny, south-facing balcony above the Val de Bagnes in the canton of Valais, south-west Switzerland. Geneva is the nearest major airport. By rail, hop on the train at Geneva Airport, glide along the shores of Lake Geneva, change once, then board a smaller train up to Le Châble. From there a gondola carries you the final stretch into Verbier, which is about as glamorous as a commute gets. Few journeys end with a view of the Grand Combin; this one does.

Staying at The Lodge? Leave the logistics to us. We arrange transfers, and a private driver is on call 24 hours a day within the resort, so the only route you need to plan is the one down the mountain.

Home comforts at 1,500 metres: why stay at The Lodge

A mountain holiday is only as good as the place you come home to, and we’ve given this a great deal of thought. The Lodge has nine bedrooms and suites for up to 18 guests, a 9 m indoor pool, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, a steam room, a gym and a full-time spa therapist for the muscles you forgot you had. Meals come from Michelin-trained chefs, and everything from afternoon tea to the champagne is included, so the bill holds no surprises. Book the whole Lodge for your crew or take a room during our selected hotel weeks.

Winter in Verbier

Choose your snow season: the best time to ski in Verbier

The Verbier area opens on 5 December 2026 and runs until 25 April 2027, with the wider 4 Vallées joining the party from 12 December. Snow has the final say, so check conditions before you travel. Every month brings its own mood:

• December: Fresh snow, quieter slopes and a village warming up for a very festive Christmas
• January: Crisp and cold. Powder days here are worth an early alarm, and that’s saying something
• February: Busy, buzzing and beautiful, with a soundtrack of happy chatter in the lift queues
• March: Longer days, deep snow and the Xtreme Verbier freeride finale. Our pick for most skiers, and not just because the terrace lunches start getting serious
• April: Soft spring snow, sunshine and lunches that drift gently into the afternoon. Nobody is in a hurry

At The Lodge, individual rooms are available during our Winter 2027 Hotel Weeks. The rest of the winter, The Lodge is yours and yours alone.

Big, bold, occasionally humbling: skiing in Verbier

The 4 Vallées links Verbier with La Tzoumaz, Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon, so one lift pass unlocks five resorts across four valleys, with around 410 km of pistes and freeride itineraries served by 72 lifts. That’s a lot of mountain. Here’s how to tackle it, whatever your level of bravado.

Snowplough to swagger: Verbier for beginners

Start on the nursery slopes, then graduate to the friendly blues around Savoleyres and La Tzoumaz, where the runs are wide, sunny and refreshingly free of people overtaking you at speed. Our team books lessons with European Snowsport instructors for every level, and back at The Lodge you can relive your progress (and your more creative falls) in a video analysis session. By day three, expect a noticeable swagger.

Cruise control: Verbier for intermediates

Confident cruisers, the 4 Vallées is your playground. Spend a day touring across to Nendaz and Veysonnaz and you’ll rack up the kilometres without repeating a run. Just keep something in the tank for the final glide home, because The Lodge backs onto a returning piste and that last run deserves a little style.

Here be legends: Verbier for experts and freeriders

This is the Verbier the stories are written about. Mont Fort, at 3,330m, crowns the ski area with a glacier, views stretching from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn, and descents that will have a quiet word with your thighs. Off the groomed runs, marked but unpatrolled itineraries such as Mont Gelé, Vallon d’Arbi and Chassoure to Tortin offer a taste of Verbier’s legendary off-piste, and heli-skiing is on the menu too. One golden rule: always head off-piste with a qualified mountain guide. The mountain is magnificent, but it doesn’t care how good you were last season.

Watch the pros, keep your knees: Xtreme Verbier

Xtreme Verbier is the grand finale of the Freeride World Tour, held at the end of March on the Bec des Rosses, a steep, rocky face rising to 3,223 m with slopes of around 43 degrees. The world’s best freeriders drop in, the crowd gasps, and everyone else quietly decides their red run that morning was quite brave enough. It’s one of winter sport’s great spectacles, best enjoyed with a hot chocolate and your feet firmly on flat ground.

Not skiing? Not a problem: winter activities in Verbier

Seven straight days of skiing isn’t for everyone, and Verbier has plenty up its sleeve:

• Snowshoeing through hushed, snow-heavy forests above the village
• Cross-country skiing on marked trails, for those who like their scenery at a gentler pace
• Tandem paragliding, with Mont Blanc on the horizon and your stomach somewhere just behind you
• Sledging, officially the most fun you can have sat down
• The Mont 4 Zipline, launching from beside Mont Fort at over 3,300 m and covering 1.4 km at up to 130 km/h. Billed as Europe’s highest zipline, it’s also a reliable way to discover your inner opera singer.
• Boutique shopping in the village, for when your ski jacket starts to feel a touch last season

Après, perfected: a winter day at The Lodge

Breakfast is à la carte and unhurried. Your boots are warm, your lift pass is waiting, and a driver drops you at the lift. Ski until your legs file a formal complaint, then return for afternoon tea, a spa treatment and a long soak in the outdoor hot tub as the peaks turn pink. Canapés and cocktails at seven, three courses with paired wines around the long table, and a spirited debate about who fell first. Sleep. Repeat.

Head for the heights: The Lodge x Cabane Tortin

Fancy something truly off the map? Our April 2027 itinerary pairs The Lodge with Cabane Tortin, a high-alpine retreat at 3,000 metres. It runs as one continuous week for private parties of 8 to 10 guests. Consider it the mountain’s VIP area, with considerably better views.

Verbier in winter: frequently asked questions

Is Verbier good for beginners?
Yes. Verbier is famous for expert terrain, but beginners have nursery slopes and gentle blue runs, particularly around Savoleyres and La Tzoumaz. Lessons with qualified instructors are easy to arrange, and The Lodge team books them for guests.

How big is the Verbier ski area?
Verbier is part of the 4 Vallées, which offers around 410 km of pistes and freeride itineraries served by 72 lifts, linking Verbier with La Tzoumaz, Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon.

When does the Verbier ski season start and end?
For winter 2026/27, the Verbier area opens on 5 December 2026 and closes on 25 April 2027. The full 4 Vallées area is expected to open on 12 December 2026. Dates depend on snow conditions.

What is the highest point in Verbier?
Mont Fort, at 3,330 metres, is the highest point of the 4 Vallées ski area.

How far is The Lodge from the ski lifts?
The Lodge is 250 metres from the Médran lift station and backs onto one of Verbier’s returning pistes. Guests are also driven to the lifts by The Lodge’s private driver.

Can I book a single room at The Lodge in winter?
Yes, during Winter 2027 Hotel Weeks, check here for dates. At other times in winter, The Lodge is booked exclusively for groups of up to 18 guests.

Summer in Verbier

Snow melts, fun doesn’t: Verbier in Summer

Ask a Verbier regular for their favourite season and there’s a good chance they’ll lean in and whisper ‘summer’. When the snow retreats, the pistes turn into meadows of wildflowers, the lifts reopen for bikers and hikers, and the village fills with music. Summer lifts in the Verbier area typically run from late June to late October, which gives you a lot longer to play than you might expect.

Gravity Is optional: mountain biking in Verbier

Verbier is one of the Alps’ great biking destinations, with more than 700 km of marked trails for mountain bikes, e-bikes, enduro and road riding. Gravity fans make a beeline for the Verbier Bikepark, with nine downhill tracks totalling 19 km, dropping from Les Fontanets at 2,475m towards the village. Prefer a little help on the climbs? E-bikes put the high cabanes within reach of mere mortals, and the 29 km round trip to Cabane Chanrion makes a glorious half day, complete with a charging point at the top for you and your bike. The Lodge team can arrange bike hire and point you towards routes that match your nerve.

Boots on, Views up: hiking in Verbier

With more than 500 km of marked paths, you could hike all summer and still find a new view around the corner. Three of our favourites:

• Lac des Vaux: Ride the cable car from La Tzoumaz to Savoleyres, then hike around 6 km (about 1 hour 45 minutes) to a glacial lake so blue it looks like someone has turned up the saturation
• The bisses: These historic irrigation channels were carved into the mountainsides centuries ago, and their gentle, level paths are perfect for families and for anyone who likes a view without a climb. The Bisse du Levron is a local favourite
• Mont Fort: Experienced hikers can take on the roped route up Mont Fort, a roughly 3.5-hour ascent including a glacier crossing, then ride the gondola down feeling extremely pleased with themselves. Rightly so.

For the truly ambitious, the Grand Tour des Combins is a nine-day trek around the Grand Combin massif. We’ll have dinner waiting when you get back.

Hike by day, Rachmaninoff by night: The Verbier Festival

Every July, Verbier swaps cowbells for concertos and becomes one of the world’s great classical music stages. The Verbier Festival runs from 15 July to 1 August 2027, with more than 60 concerts and 100 masterclasses across 18 days, bringing celebrated international soloists and rising stars to the mountains. A summit in the morning and a symphony in the evening: a thoroughly civilised way to spend a summer.

Tee time to Treetops: summer adventures in Verbier

• Golf: Verbier’s 18-hole Les Esserts course sits high above the valley, and the season runs from May to November. Mountain air won’t fix your slice, but the views will help you forget it.
• Via ferrata and rock climbing, for those who prefer their views properly earned.
• Paragliding over the Val de Bagnes, with the whole valley spread out below your feet.
• Horse riding through alpine pastures at a pleasingly unhurried pace.
• The Mont 4 Zipline, open in summer too, because screaming is not seasonal.
• Day trips to local vineyards, nearby villages and an underground lake you explore by boat.

Say cheese: summer events in Verbier

Beyond the Verbier Festival, the summer calendar usually includes trail running races, a bike festival, a show-jumping competition (the Grand Concours Hippique) and the Le Châble cheese festival. The Val de Bagnes is the home of raclette, so attending at least one cheese-related event is, we believe, a civic duty. Check the Verbier events calendar for exact dates each year.

Sun, swim, supper: A summer day at The Lodge

Breakfast on the terrace with the Grand Combin for company. A morning on the trails, a picnic or light lunch, then back for a swim in the indoor pool and a little attention from our spa therapist. Evenings begin with cocktails and end with three courses and paired wines, with perhaps a festival concert squeezed in between. In summer you can book a single room during selected weeks, so there’s no need to round up 17 friends (though we’d never stop you).

Verbier in summer: frequently asked questions

What is there to do in Verbier in summer?
Mountain biking (700+ km of trails and a 19 km bike park), hiking (500+ km of marked paths), the Verbier Festival in July, golf, via ferrata, paragliding, horse riding and Europe’s highest zipline.

When do the lifts open in Verbier in summer?
Summer lifts in the Verbier area typically run from late June to late October, with the bike park open at weekends from early June.

When is the Verbier Festival?
The 2027 Verbier Festival runs from 15 July to 1 August, with more than 60 concerts and 100 masterclasses.

Can I book a single room at The Lodge in summer?
Yes, during selected summer weeks - check here for dates. At other times, The Lodge is booked exclusively for groups of up to 18 guests.

Your mountain, your season: plan your Verbier escape

Whether you’re chasing powder in March or symphonies in July, The Lodge is your base for both halves of the Verbier year. Explore The Lodge in winter, discover The Lodge in summer, or drop our reservations team a line at thelodgereservations@virginlimitededition.com or book online here.