Skiing: Six resorts in six days

By Hugh Graham-Watson 1143AM GMT fifteen March 2010

Previous of Images Next One see at the Matterhorn and you know Zermatt is the genuine thing Photo Alamy The Val d"Anniviers is a�high towering hollow roughly opposite to British skiers Photo Alamy The Zum See grill is dark afar on tip of Zermatt Photo Alamy

Six days, 6 resorts. Or rather, sixteen resorts, since as well as Zermatt, St-Luc, Verbier, Champry, Samoëns and Chamonix there would be side trips to Zinal, Chandolin, Siviez, Avoriaz, Morzine, Chatel, Les Carroz, Flaine, Sixt Fer à Cheval and Argentière. The plea to pack a week"s skiing in to each day prior to pushing to the subsequent resort. I would be sleeping in a opposite bed each night, skiing with a opposite guide each day, and revelling in the possibility to revisit a little old favourites and find a couple of new ones.

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Day 1

Zermatt

Zermatt unequivocally is the aristocrat of resorts. One see at the Matterhorn and you know it"s the genuine thing. Accompanied by my crony James, I arrived on Sunday night, staying at the four-star Hotel Post in the heart of the resort. The Post prides itself on catering to the clients, so there are 4 opposite dining experiences, from Tex-Mex to pizza, and the Portofino for glorious dining (14 points from Gault Millau).

The following sunrise we met the guide, Karin. We proposed on the Sunnegga side and fast worked the approach to a prohibited chocolate at Fluhalp. Crossing to the Gornergrat section, we substituted skis for toboggans. Definitely a mistake. I seemed to leave the lane on each bend. Returning to the skis, we done the approach to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. This is the tip station, where you can go left for Cervinia or right for Zermatt, skiing in the shade of the Matterhorn.

We chose Zermatt and a late lunch at the Zum See restaurant, dark afar on tip of Zermatt. Everybody regularly told me that the towering restaurants in Zermatt were something special and the Zum See didn"t disappoint. Delicious veal beef with matchstick chips followed by myrtille tart.

Then it was off to St-Luc, a 90-minute expostulate away.

Day 2

St-Luc, Val d"Anniviers

Almost opposite to British skiers, the Val d"Anniviers is a high towering hollow that offers skiing up to 3,000m in five resorts Chandolin, St-Luc, Zinal, Grimentz and Vercorin. We were staying at the Grand Hotel Bella Tola, a charming, vital notable relic of a hotel. Feeling sap from the day"s skiing, we opted for a float and shower room in the new wellness centre prior to a tasty cooking and an early night.

In the morning, we were met by the guide, Martin, who referred to a sunrise ski in Zinal, followed by Chandolin St-Luc, to illustrate following the sunshine. Climbing in to Martin"s car, we sped off, that was to be the story of the day. Martin had skied competitively. He took no prisoners, only forked his skis and afar he went. The skiing in Zinal and St-Luc-Chandolin is undiluted autobahn, zero as well challenging, only good skiing and the grins were bigger than a Cheshire cat"s.

To Verbier next, that took us around an hour and a half.

Day 3

Verbier

I have partied in Verbier as well majority times to count, but a Tuesday night in mid-January did not enthuse me; it might additionally have been that the report was commencement to catch up. So we had a tame dusk swim, steam bath, repast at the grill Le Rouge, discerning nightcap at the Pub Mont Fort. Then a acquire night"s nap at the quiet, four-star Hôtel Montpelier.

Just as I"ve partied in Verbier, I"ve skied here, too, but I"ve never skied Mont Gel, so suppose my fad when I listened it was open. Our guide led us on the channel track down to Tortin, severe in tools but with a sum miss of crowds.

Straight on from Tortin to Siviez, skiing both sides of the valley, and afterwards the prolonged stand to the tip of Mont Fort (3,330m), a terrifying perfect noble field. One inapplicable designation and you"d rebound to the bottom.

Having negotiated the moguls, we one after another to Tortin not bad for a prolonged morning. Lunch at the Cabane du Mont Fort and a pacific ski behind to Verbier past the buoyant palace at La Chaux. Practise your backflips and land safely on the hulk air cushion.

Then it was on to Champry, an hour and fifteen minutes" expostulate away.

Day 4

Champry

The flattering encampment of Champry has a laid-back feel and the gentle and accessible hotel, the three-star Beau Sjour, was no different. We had tapas in the molecular cuisine, Michelin-starred grill C21, together with mouthfuls of tuna with white chocolate and Bircher muesli de foie de canard à l"hibiscus.

The following morning, in splendid fever nonetheless again, we met Steve from the traveller bureau and his co-worker Nathalie. Just as we were dynamic to ski copiousness of the Portes du Soleil, the guides were similarly penetrating to show us the majority appropriate of this immeasurable ski area. It"s not pleasing skiing but it"s big and with copiousness of hurdles moguls, motorways, gullies, tree-lined skiing, fun parks, off piste, championship slopes it has everything. If you wish to feel you"ve trafficked on your skis, this is the place to be.

We headed true for the barbarous Swiss Wall, really high and challenging. For impassioned skier Dominique Perret, it"s twenty seconds tip to bottom but for small mortals it takes somewhat longer. Then onto Avoriaz, Morzine, behind to Avoriaz, on to Chatel afterwards to Les Crosets around Les Lindarets and lunch.

We skied all day but still longed for out Les Gets, majority of the skiing of Morzine, La Chapelle d"Abondance, Morgins and a lot more, that gives you an thought of the border of the Portes du Soleil.

We headed to Samoëns around Morzine next, that took dual hours.

Day 5

Samoens

"I goal you don"t mind, but I have taken the autocracy of together with you in the fondue evening," pronounced M Deffaugh at the Neige et Roc hotel. Not utterly what I was formulation after a day"s skiing, a insane pour out to Geneva airfield to collect up my daughter and afterwards a sleet white expostulate back. What could I contend but "that would be lovely, how kind of you." A tasty fondue was followed by an sparkling arrangement of synchronised dancing, an wake up I had last seen achieved at my daughter"s ninth birthday party.

The following sunrise we met Adrien, the guide from the ski propagandize Zig Zag. The sunrise was outlayed covering the slopes of Samoëns, Morillon and Les Carroz, with lunch at La Luge à Teran.

We afterwards done the approach opposite to Flaine and took the Grand Platières gondola for a extensive doctrine in avalanche poke and rescue. This was no longer "fun on skis"; it was "serious skiing". Adrien chose a track in between Les Gers and Les Cascades. It was utterly pacific solely for the 3 of us creation prolonged S curves, one set veteran and dual sets amateur, but no less pleasing for that. We stopped to catch the breath and seeking up saw the often-invisible lagopède (white grouse). Magic. Continuing, we rejoined the track and a little 9 miles from the tip arrived at Sixt Fer à Cheval and held the train behind to Samoëns. It took around an hour to reach the subsequent and last resort, Chamonix.

Day 6

Chamonix and Argentiere

By the time we reached Chamonix, we were exhausted. We were staying at the Hôtel Eden in Les Praz and the expectations were not high for the two-star establishment. But we were in for a surprise. A large, comfortable, two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit with Wi-Fi and a tip grill where we had the €29 (�25) menu scallops, lamb, chocolate mousse ideally presented, not fussy, only delicious. The following night we changed to Val d"Arve, oppulance self-catering apartments managed by Collineige, the Chamonix specialist, additionally excellent.

For the last day"s skiing, we were met by Camille, who was to guide us around the slopes of Chamonix and Argentière. We finished a fast circuit of Brvent and Flegère, afterwards done the approach to Argentière. The on-piste skiing is glorious in the Chamonix valley, but it"s not the reason anybody skis here. It"s for the non-pisted slopes, the powder, the gullies, the couloirs and the behind country. It"s all about anticipating uninformed sleet and sniffing out new routes.

There was only one expostulate left, behind to Geneva airfield only over an hour away.

Yes, the outing was burdensome as well as skiing all day, I outlayed scarcely eight hours on the highway but it was exhilarating. Would I do it again? Definitely.