Reading the Verbier ski map sector by sector
How the 4 Vallées fits together around Verbier, how to read the legend, how to reach Mont-Fort, and which lift pass opens which part of the map.
The Verbier ski map is the map of the 4 Vallées: six linked resorts and 410 km of slopes, the largest ski area entirely located in Switzerland. It reads most easily as four zones: the Verbier side (Médran, Les Ruinettes, La Chaux, Attelas), the sunny Savoleyres and La Tzoumaz side, Bruson across the Val de Bagnes, and, beyond Mont-Fort at 3,330 m, the slopes of Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon. Your lift pass decides how much of that map you can actually use.
This page is a companion to the official piste map published by the resort’s lift company: we do not reproduce the map, we explain it. You will find the sectors with their altitudes and character, the legend decoded, the route up to Mont-Fort, the pass options with their rules, and the mistakes we see guests make when they plan a day from the map alone.
For the resort itself (village life, freeride culture, what to do off the slopes), read our Verbier ski resort guide. For a full week planned day by day, see luxury ski holidays in Verbier.
Verbier 4 Vallées in figures
Checked against official sources, so you can plan with confidence.
Six resorts share one lift network: Verbier, Bruson and La Tzoumaz on the Verbier side, plus Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon. Together they total 410 km of slopes, which the lift company calls the largest ski area wholly inside Switzerland.
Source: verbier4vallees.chThe highest point is the summit of Mont-Fort at 3,330 m, most slopes lie above 2,000 m, and 63% of the area is covered by snowmaking.
Source: Verbier winter press kit 2024-25The area counts 24 blue, 39 red and 10 black runs, plus 11 marked off-piste itineraries described in the map legend as marked, not maintained, not controlled and intended for experienced users.
Source: Verbier winter press kit 2024-25Freeride itineraries are marked with yellow poles and may only be used during the opening hours of the ski lifts.
Source: verbier.chThe Gentianes-Tortin itinerary runs 3,300 m from 2,820 m down to 2,045 m (775 m of vertical) and is described by the lift company as the longest mogul run in Europe, for good skiers only.
Source: verbier4vallees.chThe Mont-Fort viewing platform at 3,330 m, inaugurated in 2022, offers a 360° panorama including the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, the Grand Combin and the Dent d’Hérens.
Source: verbier4vallees.chThe 4 Vallées around Verbier, zone by zone
The 4 Vallées map is drawn as one continuous panorama, which hides how different its parts are. Altitude, exposure and the type of terrain change completely from one sector to the next, and so does the pass you need. This is how the zones break down, from the tourist office’s and lift company’s own descriptions.
| Sector | Altitude | Character | Best suited to | Pass needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verbier: Médran, Les Ruinettes, La Chaux, Attelas | 1,500 to 2,700 m | A wide variety of slopes, from broad descents to technical routes; snowpark, skicross and mini speed track at La Chaux | Intermediates and strong skiers; progressing skiers on the blue runs at La Chaux | Verbier-La Tzoumaz or 4 Vallées |
| Savoleyres and La Tzoumaz | 1,500 to 2,354 m | Sunny, long descents; a funslope and two slalom courses at Savoleyres; La Tzoumaz is ideal for gentle progress | Beginners, families and anyone building confidence | Verbier-La Tzoumaz or 4 Vallées |
| Bruson | 1,080 to 2,200 m | Wooded and sheltered, steady and more intimate slopes away from the crowds, reached from Le Châble | Families, quieter days, poor-visibility days when the open slopes above Verbier are flat light | Bruson, Verbier-La Tzoumaz or 4 Vallées |
| Mont-Fort | Summit 3,330 m | One official black piste from the top, difficult and frequently mogulled; the Gentianes-Tortin itinerary below; a viewing platform | Expert skiers on skis; everyone for the view | 4 Vallées (a pedestrian pass for the platform alone) |
| Nendaz | Beyond Mont-Fort | Known for its broad programme of family activities | Families on a 4 Vallées pass | 4 Vallées |
| Veysonnaz | Beyond Nendaz | Home to the piste de l’Ours, the World Cup course | Confident skiers who like a long, fast run | 4 Vallées |
| Thyon | At the eastern end, towards Sion | The freestyle end of the area, with a very large snowpark | Park riders and teenagers | 4 Vallées |
Altitudes and descriptions from verbier.ch, valais.ch and the lift company. Live openings change daily.
How to read the Verbier ski piste map
Most mistakes made with the Verbier ski piste map come from reading it like a road map. It is a perspective drawing: distances are distorted, and a link that looks short can mean two lifts and half an hour. Read it in this order.
- Start with the three run colours
The legend has three levels: easy (blue), intermediate (red) and difficult (black). There is no green. With 39 red runs against 24 blue ones, the map shows at a glance why Verbier suits confident skiers, and why beginners need to know where the blue runs and the free beginner areas are before setting off.
- Separate pistes from itineraries
Ski routes (itineraries) are drawn differently from pistes, and the legend is explicit: marked, not maintained, not controlled, intended for experienced users. On the ground they are marked with yellow poles. Mont-Gelé, Col des Mines, Vallon d’Arbi, Chassoure-Tortin and Gentianes-Tortin are itineraries, not pistes, and they are closed outside lift opening hours.
- Use the lift numbers, not just the names
Each lift carries a number on the map (for example 2 Mont-Fort, 3 Jumbo, 200 Verbier-Savoleyres, 201 Tzoumaz-Savoleyres). The same numbers appear on the lift company’s live information page, so you can check at breakfast which lifts in your plan are running.
- Spot the small symbols
The legend also marks snowmaking pistes, link runs, narrow passages and crossings with a ski tow, plus warning signs: danger of death, closed piste, no skiing in the forest and piste machines at work. A narrow passage on a red run is where a nervous skier will want company.
- Check the live status before you leave
The printed map shows everything that exists, not what is open today. Wind can close the high lifts, and itineraries show an open or closed status. Check the live information page each morning, and check it again at lunch if your plan depends on a high lift for the return.
- Read the clock as well as the map
Last lifts, not distance, decide whether a plan works. The high lifts towards Mont-Fort close earlier than the village gondolas, so check the timetables on the day and work backwards from the last lift you need to get home.
Mont-Fort: getting there, and what is up there
On the map, Mont-Fort sits just behind La Chaux and looks a short hop away. In practice it takes several lifts. From Verbier, take the gondola from Médran to Les Ruinettes, then the La Chaux Express to La Chaux. From there the Jumbo climbs to the Col des Gentianes at 2,950 m, where it meets the Mont-Fort cable car, which carries you to the top. Mont-Fort is only covered by the 4 Vallées pass.
At the summit, a staircase leads to the viewing platform at 3,330 m, opened in 2022. The lift company recommends the early morning, when the light on the Combins is at its best. Non-skiers can make the same trip with a pedestrian pass, which makes Mont-Fort one of the few places where a mixed party can share the highest point of the ski area.
The ski descent is another matter. The single official black piste from the top is, in the lift company’s own words, difficult and frequently mogulled, and it starts near the summit at 3,330 m. Below the Col des Gentianes, the Gentianes-Tortin itinerary is marked for good skiers only. Confident intermediates have a gentler way down: from the Col des Gentianes, a long red run leads back to La Chaux.
- Choose the clearest morning of the week: the panorama is the point, and wind can close the top lifts.
- Skiers who are not experts can still ride up for the platform and come back down by cable car to the Col des Gentianes.
- If you plan to ski the itineraries below Mont-Fort, go with a mountain guide and carry avalanche equipment, as the tourist office strongly recommends.
- If you are riding down rather than skiing, check the time of the last lift descent before you settle in at the top.
Which Verbier 4 Vallées pass opens which part of the map
Lift passes are sold by sector, and the sector you pay for draws a line across the map. This is the 2026-27 structure published by the lift company. Fares are on its website, or on request when we arrange passes for you.
- Multi-day passes must be used on consecutive days, and they are personal: non-transferable and non-refundable.
- Without the optional insurance offered at purchase, no refund is possible, even for a day lost to illness.
- Buying online at least 10 days before arrival gives access to a discount; half-day tickets are only sold at the cash desk.
- Age bands follow year of birth: in 2026-27, adults are born between 1950 and 2001, young adults between 2002 and 2011, children between 2012 and 2019, kids in 2020 or later, and seniors in 1949 or before.
- In the 2026-27 price list, the Verbier-La Tzoumaz pass season runs from 5 December 2026 to 25 April 2027, the 4 Vallées pass season from 12 December 2026 to 18 April 2027, and Bruson from 12 December 2026 to 4 April 2027.
| Pass | What it covers | Lengths offered | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbier-La Tzoumaz | Verbier, La Tzoumaz and Bruson, without Mont-Fort | 1 to 6 days; half-day from 12.30pm at the cash desk | Beginners, families and intermediates who will stay on the Verbier and Savoleyres sides |
| 4 Vallées | Verbier, La Tzoumaz and Bruson plus Mont-Fort and the entire 4 Vallées | 1 to 15 days; half-day from 12.30pm at the cash desk | Strong skiers, anyone aiming for Mont-Fort or the traverse to Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon |
| Bruson | The Bruson sector only | 1 to 7 days; half-day from 12.30pm at the cash desk | A quiet family day or a beginner who will not leave Bruson |
| Pedestrian pass | Lift access for walkers, including the trip to the Mont-Fort platform | See the lift company’s website | Non-skiers joining the group for the view or for lunch |
| Annual 4 Vallées pass | The whole area, valid from November 2026 to October 2027 | Season | Owners and those who come back several times a winter |
Lift pass fares are on the official website or available on request.
Which sectors of the 4 Vallées suit which level
The point of the map is to send each person to the right place. Here is what to look for on it, level by level, and where a mixed group can meet at lunchtime without anyone skiing above their comfort zone.
- First days on skis: find the beginner areas on the map: Verbier has two free magic carpets, at Les Esserts and at Les Moulins, and La Tzoumaz has a third. The La Tzoumaz side is the one the tourist office singles out for families and beginners.
- Progressing skiers: the tourist office points to Les Esserts, Les Moulins and Le Rouge, then to blue runs higher up such as those at La Chaux. A Verbier-La Tzoumaz pass covers all of it.
- Confident intermediates: the reds of the Verbier side and Savoleyres, Bruson for a calm wooded day, and the long red from the Col des Gentianes to La Chaux once the legs are warm. Consider the 4 Vallées pass only for the days you cross to Nendaz or Veysonnaz.
- Advanced skiers: the Mont-Fort black, the Veysonnaz World Cup course, and the full 4 Vallées on a single pass.
- Freeriders: the yellow-pole itineraries (Mont-Gelé, Col des Mines, Vallon d’Arbi, the two Tortin routes), with a mountain guide. Beyond the itineraries lies uncontrolled off-piste terrain, and heli-skiing is permitted on Rosablanche and Petit Combin through the guides.
- Park riders: the snowpark and skicross at La Chaux, the funslope at Savoleyres, and the large snowpark at Thyon on a 4 Vallées day.
Crossing the 4 Vallées and getting back to Verbier
Skiing from Verbier towards Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon is the great day out of the area, and the one most often spoiled by the return. The map makes the outward run look natural; it says nothing about wind holds at the top or the last connecting lifts home. Plan it like this.
- Check the high lifts the evening before
The traverse depends on the lifts around Mont-Fort and the Col des Gentianes. If the forecast is windy, keep the traverse for another day and ski the Verbier side instead.
- Start with the first lifts
Be at Médran when the gondola opens. The earlier you are over the top, the more margin you keep for the return, and the quieter the long runs on the far side.
- Fix a turn-back time
Before lunch, note on the map the last lifts you need to get home and set a time at which the group turns back, whatever the snow is like.
- Keep a road fallback
If someone tires or a lift closes, the return can be made by road. With a chalet chauffeur, a call is enough to collect the group at the foot of another resort: all of our luxury chalets in Verbier come with one.
Our chalets on the Verbier side of the map
Staffed chalets in Verbier, each a few minutes from the Médran or Savoleyres lifts, with lift passes or a chauffeur that make the map easier to use.
The Verbier chalets side by side
Size, wellness and highlights at a glance.
| Residence | Guests | Bedrooms | Bathrooms | Living area | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chalet OrizonVerbier | 16 | 8 | 9 | 1,000 m² | Indoor Pool, Cinema Room, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room |
| Chalet AmbreVerbier | 10 | 6 | 7 | 700 m² | Cinema Room, Wine Cellar, Sauna, Massage Room, Jacuzzi |
| Chalet AstralVerbier | 20 | 10 | 11 | 1,500 m² | Indoor Pool, Cinema Room, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Sauna |
| Chalet AuronVerbier | 14 | 7 | 8 | 1,150 m² | Indoor Pool, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room |
Rates are on request and depend on dates and services. Your advisor confirms availability and the final details of every residence.
The map, handled for you
What we take care of so the ski area works for every member of your party.
The right pass for each guest
We ask each guest’s level and plans and suggest which sector pass makes sense, rather than buying the full 4 Vallées pass for everyone by default.
Passes waiting at the chalet
At Chalet Ambre, Chalet Astral and Chalet Auron, lift passes are delivered to the house, so the first morning starts on the snow, not at the cash desk.
A driver for the far side
Chalet Orizon has a driver available around the clock; Chalet Astral and Chalet Auron have a chauffeur from 8am until 1am; Chalet Ambre from morning until 10pm. That is the traverse fallback sorted.
Guides when the map runs out
Private guides can be arranged on request at Orizon, Astral and Auron, and heli-skiing at Orizon and Auron, for the terrain no piste map shows.
Verbier ski map and 4 Vallées questions
Anything else? Our team in Paris answers personally, usually within the day.
Ask our teamWhere to ski in Verbier?
It depends on your level. Beginners start at the free magic carpets of Les Esserts and Les Moulins, then move to La Tzoumaz and Savoleyres. Intermediates enjoy the reds of the Verbier side and the wooded runs of Bruson. Experts head for Mont-Fort, the 4 Vallées traverse and, with a guide, the marked freeride itineraries such as Mont-Gelé or Vallon d’Arbi.
What is the biggest ski resort in Switzerland?
The 4 Vallées, which Verbier belongs to, is described by its lift company as the largest ski area entirely located in Switzerland, with 410 km of slopes. It links six resorts: Verbier, Bruson, La Tzoumaz, Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon. Its highest point is the summit of Mont-Fort at 3,330 m, reached with the 4 Vallées pass.
Can you ski back to Verbier?
From Nendaz, Veysonnaz or Thyon, yes, over the lifts around Mont-Fort and the Col des Gentianes, as long as they are open. The constraint is time and wind: check the last connecting lifts on the live information page and set a turn-back time. If a lift closes, the return is made by road, which is where a chalet chauffeur makes all the difference.
How much is a ski pass in Verbier?
Fares are published on the lift company’s website and vary with the sector, the number of days, the age band and how early you buy online. The main choice is between the Verbier-La Tzoumaz pass (Verbier, La Tzoumaz and Bruson) and the 4 Vallées pass, which adds Mont-Fort and the rest of the area. For our guests, we quote passes on request.
How high is Verbier ski resort?
The village of Verbier sits at 1,500 m. The Verbier sector’s slopes rise to about 2,700 m at Attelas, and the ski area tops out at 3,330 m on Mont-Fort, the highest point of the 4 Vallées. Most of the slopes lie above 2,000 m, and 63% of the area is equipped with snowmaking.
Can you ski in Verbier in April?
Yes. According to the lift company, the ski season stretches from November until late April. In its 2026-27 price list, the Verbier-La Tzoumaz pass season runs until 25 April 2027 and the 4 Vallées pass season until 18 April 2027. Late in the season, the higher sectors around La Chaux and Mont-Fort usually hold the best snow; check live openings before you go.
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Plan the 4 Vallées with us
Tell Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad who is skiing, at what level and on which dates: we will suggest the chalet, the passes and the days for Mont-Fort. WhatsApp +33 7 80 98 05 43 or contact@lutetia-group.com; we usually reply within the day.