Morning Ski – Tour Mont Fort

OK, so you drop the kids off at Ski School in Siviez at 9.00 am, and you have to be back at 12.15 – snow is great, where can we go and get back in 3 hours?! What a brilliant problem to have. Quickly get onto the Tortin lift before the schools leave before the queues, takes you to the inter station at 2050m. Pop inside the restaurant for a take away coffee @ 2 chf in paper cup and whilst one of you carries the coffees the other carries skis.

Get to the top of Col des Gentienes, off the cable car quickly and onto Col Mont Fort for the first run down – best to get down the stairs or stop for a chocolate and enjoy the stunning views from 3200m.

Down Mont Fort, one of the steepest and best runs, either stick far left or far right to avoid the bumps and find the powder. Exhilarating steep breathtaking slope followed by 2 km steep fast speed down to the tow bar.

Back up the short tow bar for a quick stop at Iglo. It’s 10.30, the descent down into Verbier and La Chaux takes about 30 minutes, steep at the top and can be crowded / icy followed by a long run past Cabane Mont Fort (good lunch stop if you have time). Its a gentle track and slope down to the La Chaux to catch the 5 man chair up to Fontanet above Verbier. This enables you to ski down to the “James Blunt” 6 man high speed chair (the run down is icy and crowded, be careful).

Into Lac de Vaux  and then the slow two man to the top of Chassoure. The Chassoure run down, is marked off piste and won of the world’s best. Early this year snow conditions were not great but even so the powder to the right hand side was really good. Just beware of avalanche risk but the right hand side is the best way to go by traversing across about 200m

To the bottom and the Tortin lift means a quick run back down to Siviez and a coffee, should be about 12.00 now – 5 of the best runs in the world, about 1000m descent and 10km ski! Not bad for a morning