• Here is the incredibly simple official site that tells you under what conditions you can enter Switzerland given your current situation:

  https://travelcheck.admin.ch

• Here is a handy online booking site for COVID tests:

https://www.onedoc.ch/en/covid-testing-center/riddes 

• Switzerland’s Federal Council today made the following announcement, reversing the quarantine requirements brought into force over the last week (see below):

https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/das-bag/aktuell/medienmitteilungen.msg-id-86260.html

Entry into Switzerland: Quarantine rule lifted, stricter testing requirement
With effect from Saturday, 4 December, there will be no countries on the quarantine list.

In order to continue to prevent the new Omicron variant from entering the country as far as possible, a stricter testing regime will now apply for all arrivals into Switzerland. This testing requirement also applies to those who have been vaccinated or have recovered from the disease. In addition to taking a PCR test before travelling, a second test (PCR test or rapid antigen test) must be carried out between the fourth and seventh day after arrival. This test ensures that infected persons who have contracted the virus shortly before or during travel are detected.
Test costs must be borne by the traveller.

Non-vaccinated third-country nationals wishing to enter the Schengen area from countries or regions at risk will be refused entry to Switzerland for short-term stays without gainful employment of up to 90 days within a period of 180 days – apart from certain exceptions (hardship cases). This primarily affects tourism and social visits. The list of high-risk countries and regions is set out in Annex 1 of COVID-19 Ordinance 3. It is updated on an ongoing basis, taking into account the recommendations for the Schengen states issued by the European Commission.

Here is the current list set out in Annex 1 of COVID-19 Ordinance 3, from Page 13 of this document:
https://fedlex.data.admin.ch/filestore/fedlex.data.admin.ch/eli/cc/2020/438/20201008/en/pdf-a/fedlex-data-admin-ch-eli-cc-2020-438-20201008-en-pdf-a.pdf 
List of high-risk countries and regions
All states outside the Schengen area, with the exception of:
– Andorra
– Australia
– Bulgaria
– Canada
– Croatia
– Cyprus
– Georgia
– Holy See
– Ireland
– Japan
– Monaco
– New Zealand
– Romania
– Rwanda
– San Marino
– South Korea
– Thailand
– Tunisia
– Uruguay

Once inside Switzerland, here are the updated measures that are in place:

28/11/21

• A number of countries were recently added to Switzerland’s “List of countries with a variant of concern”. The list can be found here:
  https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/empfehlungen-fuer-reisende/liste.html#858610174
  Anyone entering Switzerland from these countries must present a negative test result and quarantine for 10 days. This also applies to vaccinated and recovered persons. 
  If you are impacted by these new government restrictions and you are no longer able to take up your reservation, please get in touch.  We are very sorry to hear that your holiday plans could be impacted, and our generous cancellation policy allows for a full refund in these circumstances. Should you prefer, we are happy to transfer your balance to a future booking.
• The canton of Valais (which includes La Tzoumaz) has made masks compulsory and restricted the number of non-vaccinated adults who can meet together to 10. This restriction remains in force until December 17 2021:
  “The State Council reintroduces the wearing of masks from the age of 12 in all public events held indoors, markets and public places closed, with a few exceptions. The mask will be compulsory in particular in cinemas, theaters, auditoriums, restaurants, tea-rooms and other similar or similar places, even if the COVID-19 certificate is required there. The mask must also be worn in confined spaces of workplaces, as well as in vehicles when traveling for business. Private meetings that take place indoors are limited to ten people, unless all participants over the age of 16 have a COVID-19 certificate. Children and young people up to the age of 16 are not counted among these ten people. This last measure, applied from November 29, will be in effect until December 17.”
• No change to the federal rules in place across Switzerland (see below)

01/11/21

• Visitors need a Swiss COVID Certificate or an EU COVID Certificate to enter into bars, restaurants etc.  British NHS certificates can be converted into the Swiss COVID app. Any other non-EU certificates can be converted for 30 CHF here:  https://www.covidcertificate-form.admin.ch/foreign . Please note that the process may take 24h or longer.
• Like last year, ski resports in Switzerland are planning to open for business as usual.  A Swiss-validated COVID certificate may not be a requirement, according to the Ski Lift Operators, but the government has suggested that this may change if the COVID statistics  develop > 200 cases per 100,000 people.

CURRENT HYGIENE RULES

• Private gatherings and parties

  The number of people allowed to attend events among friends and family (for example gatherings and parties) that are not held in publicly accessible establishments and businesses is limited. The numbers include ALL children and babies.  

  Rule indoors: A maximum of 30 people is allowed.
  Rule outdoors: A maximum of 50 people is allowed.

OFFICIAL INFORMATION

• Here’s some information in English on the latest situation in Switzerland: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/covid-19_coronavirus–the-situation-in-switzerland/45592192
• Find out the conditions for traveller entry into Switzerland here: Online check: Travelcheck
• You can also follow the latest updates from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (in English) here: https://foph-coronavirus.ch/
• Here’s a summary in English from the Verbier Tourist Office of the latest on the official situation here in the 4 Valleys: https://www.verbier.ch/winter/inside-winter/useful-info/information-about-the-health-situation-covid-19/
• Official information from the canton of Valais is only available in French and German: https://www.vs.ch/web/coronavirus/home

HISTORICAL COVID UPDATES

22/03/21

12/03/21

24/02/21

11/12/20

04/12/20

Is the ski resort open?

Yes! TeleVerbier has been running the ski lifts throughout November as usual, which has given plenty of opportunity to allow them to put in place and perfect their strategies to minimise skier interaction with each other.  The eyes of the Swiss authorities and of the general public across Europe are watching very closely and holding them to account.

• 07/11 Lac des Vaux ski area opened for weekend operation
• 05/12 the telecabin link from La Tzoumaz opened for weekend operation (to reach the open slopes in Verbier) 
• 12/12 the ski area is scheduled to be open daily

TeleVerbier has a detailed and user-friendly FAQ on what to expect in the resort and all the different measures applicable. Scroll down to the bottom of this page: https://www.verbier.ch/winter/information-about-the-health-situation-covid-19/

Measures in place at 4vallees4saisons

– We have a system of screens and social distancing in place at the agency and our staff will be wearing masks. To protect our team and other guests, hand sanitizer is provided for you to use on entry and you are requested not to enter in groups.
– We have implemented an enhanced cleaning protocol during the pandemic, although we cannot guarantee that your property will be virus-free, so you travel at your own risk. The previous clients may only have left the property in the morning of your arrival, and a number of our team members may have entered the property during the day to carry out essential cleaning, inspection and maintenance tasks.
– We ask anyone who has recently tested positive for COVID-19 or suspects that they may test positive, not to travel to our resort or stay in our properties
– We will alert you if anyone has recently entered your property and since tested positive for COVID-19
– Masks are required while queueing for and travelling on ski lifts and all other forms of transport. We will provide your group with 2 free “ski-friendly” fabric face coverings, and you may purchase additional masks on arrival or during your stay. We aim to have sufficient stock of both adult and child sizes available for your stay.

Our cancellation conditions

Cancellation Policy

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Summer coronavirus archives

05/06/2020

Hooray!  The news we’ve all been waiting for!

Coronavirus: Switzerland to reopen its borders with all EU/EFTA states on 15 June

WHAT’S OPEN?

• Open 365 days per year – the well-stocked village supermarket
• Already open – Trappeurs Cafe/Restaurant, Auberge La Tzoumaz Restaurant, Le Blanc Cafe/Restaurant, Les Fougeres Hotel/Restaurant, Domus café
• Already open – All the local playgrounds: the summer playground / rope frame / water park in the main square, les Defis de la Riviere by the river, the large playground & climbing crag in Domus, the drive-to playgrounds in Riddes, Saxon and our all-time favourite playgrounds in Saillon and at the Parc des Iles (a fabulous green space with a large lake, playground with miniature steam train, and plenty of other attractions: trampolines with elastic harnesses, a climbing wall, mini golf and even a high-rope park with 160 features, some of which are accessible to children from age 4).
• Already open – the Bains de Saillon thermal baths (www.bainsdesaillon.ch)
• Already open – Barryland (St Bernard Dog Museum and Kennels) (www.fondation-barry.ch)
• Already open – The indoor softplay centre in Martigny (www.monstrofun.ch) 
• Open from 20th June – The Maison de la Foret (tea shop and exhibition rooms)
• Open from 4th July – La Poste Hotel/Restaurant, TShop Bike Shop, TBar, and the La Tzoumaz Telecabin
• Not yet confirmed – the village swimming pool

There are three separate slides, swings, wobbly things, and plenty of space to run around.

FOR HIKERS & TRAIL RUNNERS

We’ve spent hours and hours out on the trails, and here is one of our all-time our favourites – a 2-hour steep hike up to the summit of le Fou:

23/05/2020

Wow.  Spring has fully sprung and watching it unfurl has been such a pleasure!  The mountains have gone from white to brown to vibrant green, there is an explosion of alpine flowers springing up at every turn, and the birds and butterflies are here in abundance.  The village has been quite busy with Second Home owners escaping from the nearby cities, and there is a good influx of Swiss tourists to our rental chalets.  Our 12 chalets with an outdoor jacuzzi are in particularly high demand as people seek to embrace the fresh mountain air and abundant sunshine.

SHOPS – The village shop remains open daily and is always well-stocked.  Down in the valley we noticed that the shops have started getting a bit busier as more and more Swiss residents come to Valais to enjoy the sunshine.  There are occasional queues outside places like the big Lidl in Conthey due to the restrictions on the number of people allowed inside.  Most people are respectful of the 2m social distancing requirements as we all try to get used to the “new normal” and make a habit of leaving room for other people.  A few people are wearing masks and it is more noticeable with the warmer temperatures that some people are still wearing gloves to do their shopping.   

RESTAURANTS & OTHER SERVICES

• Already open – Trappeurs Cafe/Restaurant, Auberge La Tzoumaz Restaurant, Le Blanc Cafe/Restaurant, Les Fougeres Hotel/Restaurant
• Already open – All the fixed village playgrounds, the summer playground in the main square, the large playground in Domus, the playgrounds in Riddes, Saxon and our all-time favourite playgrounds in Saillon and at the Parc des Iles (a fabulous green space with a large lake, playground with miniature steam train, and plenty of other attractions.  There are trampolines with elastic harnesses, a climbing wall, mini golf and a high-rope park with 160 features, some of which are accessible to children from age 4).
• Open from 4th July – La Poste Hotel/Restaurant, TShop Bike Shop, TBar, and hopefully the La Tzoumaz Telecabin (TBC end May)

HIKING & BIKING – As the snowline recedes up the mountain, the hiking routes and trails are opening up for us to enjoy, but a lot of fun can be had following the bisses and trails around and through the village.  There are more and more bikers (easy riders in jeans as well as professionals in Lycra) cycling up and down through the village, and e-Biking is definitely the way to go unless you are a hardcore mountain enthusiast.  We’ve spotted Sebastien Reichenbach (Tour de France pro rider) on his road bike as he hacked his way up the Croix de Coeur, reportedly fighting his way through the remaining snowdrifts, and there is a red tandem in the village that often rides up and down the roads.

FEATURED HIKE – Past the Defis de la Rivere and up to the Newt Pond

This is delightful short hike for children of any age, ideal for a picnic lunch or a lazy day by the water, or perhaps an evening hike to see the setting sun.  You can park at the Maison de la Foret, the Cremerie, or even further up by the Marteau if you don’t have much time.  Take spare shoes and a change of clothes for any little ones who enjoy getting wet but don’t enjoy staying wet!  The Defis de la Riviere is a brand new development for 2020 (scheduled to officially open at the end of June) and targeted at kids of any age, challenging them to use their agility to cross the course and indeed the river without getting wet.  Our toddlers had the most fun throwing sticks in the river and getting tangled up in the cargo net 🙂  Nearby is a swing set and a picnic area with shade and tables.

The sounds of the rushing river and the cacophony of birdsong was so fantastic that I tried to capture it here:

Turn left after the Defis de la Riviere and follow the yellow signpost marked “Le Fou”. This takes you up a short steep hike through an enchanting forest (around 10 minutes, with 100m of vertical gain) and then you arrive at the pond.  It has plenty of baby newts at this time of year. It’ a nice spot for a wild picnic in the grass overlooking La Tzoumaz if there are too many people at the picnic area by the river down below. 

10/05/2020

WEATHER – We’ve had some fabulously warm and sunny days and we even got out the barbecue for a nice lunch in the sun. Midday still remains the best time to have a barbecue here as once the sun goes behind the mountain in the early evening the temperature can drop quite sharply. The snow has gone from the lower pistes so we have stopped ski-touring and started to explore the footpaths further and further afield. The annual explosion of flowers across the mountainside is beginning to take shape, especially in the lower sections of the village. In the valley below the apricots are progressing well.

 

RESTAURANTS & OTHER SERVICES – everyone is getting excited about the first phase of de-confinement that starts tomorrow. As a family the thing we are most excited about is the playgrounds reopening! At a meeting of the local Accommodation Providers Committee we were given the following opening dates:

• Open from 11-15 May – Trappeurs Cafe/Restaurant, Auberge La Tzoumaz Restaurant, Le Blanc Cafe/Restaurant, Les Fougeres Hotel/Restaurant, all the fixed village playgrounds and the seasonal summer playground in the main square
• Open from 23rd May – Domus playground
• Open from end of June – Opening of the new playground “Defi de la Riviere” at the bridge/beach area of the Fare
• Open from 4th July – La Poste Hotel/Restaurant, TShop Bike Shop, TBar, and hopefully the La Tzoumaz Telecabin (TBC end May)

VILLAGE LIFE – Everything continues pretty much as it has over the last 8 weeks. There is a slow and steady increase in the number of people mowing and strimming as the greenery responds to the fine weather. Most of the people in the village are residents and second home owners. Most of the tourists are small Swiss families looking to escape the confines of their city life. We are interested to see how this demographic changes with the schools reopening tomorrow. It’s Mother’s Day today here in Switzerland so I’m off out to enjoy some hiking with the girls in the warm sunshine 🙂

30/04/2020

WEATHER – Like much of the rest of Europe we’re having a few days of rain, which is great to start turning the grass greener, and help start the fruit trees to bloom in the thousands of local orchards down the valley. We’ve had a few inversions when we’ve been either above the clouds, or in the middle of the swirling mist. We also managed to get clear skies earlier in the week to clearly see the amazing sight of the latest batch of StarLink satellites charging across the sky like a bright chain of shiny stars (See here for the next viewing possibilities: https://james.darpinian.com/satellites/?special=starlink). After an overnight flurry there was a clear snowline yesterday morning, sitting prettily over the Tracouet but it should warm up again after the weekend however, so we’re not really very motivated to get the skis back out right now.

HIKING TRAILS – we’ve been doing some gentle hiking with our baby girls, and some hardcore hiking with the older boys. Around the village level, the Vieux Bisse is lovely, and so is the Bisse de la Chapelle. The Sentier des Fables is mostly passable (you may get wet feet in the remaining snow patches) and there are plenty of marmottes (and the occasional black kite) to see.

The Bisse de Saxon is starting to clear (direction Verbier) but some sections are definitely too risky to enjoy due to large piles of snow still present at some very exposed sections, and the NO PEDESTRIANS barrier is still up at the La Tzoumaz end. We haven’t yet tried this bisse from the Maison de la Foret in the direction of Iserables and the Chalet des Alpes – maybe next week – but we know from experience that the huge snow-piled avalanche gully halfway round is normally complicated to cross until much later in the spring.

The best hiking at the moment is still on the lower path that runs from the Som de Pro bus stop (see SNOW MELT /SPRING below), winds around the mountain and goes through the three tunnels to the Crossette. There are still some “wet feet” sections but these are slowly melting and getting shorter. From La Crosette there are many different options, with plenty of fun to be had lower down (see SAXON below), and the path up to La Vatze being clear (just don’t come back along the Bisse de Saxon for another week or two – instead loop back down a different trail to regain the main footpath).

SAXON – The Trail de la Pierre Avoi has been postponed to August 15th, but we went for an early race-route-recce of the first 1000m climb and it was very pleasant with no wet feet until we reached the home trails near La Tzoumaz. We started in Saxon by the new start line at the Casino, and tried to follow the old race markings. There were a handful of other trailers training in the hills too, and we came across a couple of hikers about once or twice an hour. There were lots of people working in the vineyards and the orchards and most seemed happy to wave and chat. In Saxon village we even said hello to an archetypal tourist, complete with map, hawaiian shirt & shorts and a camera round his neck.

VALLEY FLOOR – If you drive down to Riddes and park by the river or the canal there is a lovely footpath long the river. It’s a great place to go for a long easy run or cycle, but beware the headwind that often blows from the Martigny end as this can massively slow you down on the way back. The footpath is flat enough to take small wheeled vehicles for toddlers (yep – our baby turned into a toddler last week by taking her first steps!) but keep an eye out for the occasional car (they usually slow right down) or cyclist (they sometimes go incredibly fast). You may even catch sight of one of the local Tour de France pros, such as Sebastien Reichenbach who does a lot of his training rides around here.

CHALETS – There is a steady trickle of (mostly Swiss) bookings coming in for the summer, and a steady trickle of (mostly overseas) booking cancellation. We’re still looking after a trickle of clients who are coming up to stay in our rental chalets. Many are choosing to extend their stay once they settle in and realise what a pleasure it is to be confined up here in the mountains. We are progressing with a lot of minor chalet maintenance, and seasonal tasks such as climbing on the roofs to clear the meleze needles from the guttering.

19/04/2020

HOLIDAYS – five weeks have now passed since the ski resort shut down and (nearly) all of the remaining winter clients cancelled their bookings. Easter came and went, much like any other day… but with a little more chocolate 🙂 It was sunny and warm and there were a lot more second homes occupied than there had been the week before – there were small groups of people sitting on quite a number of chalet terraces and patio spaces enjoying a meal together in the sunshine. We also had a few clients in the resort over Easter – it’s only a governmental recommendation to stay at home, not a requirement, so some couples and small families came to celebrate a calm and quiet Easter.

The Swiss Federal government has proposed a 3-phase relaxing of the lockdown rules, starting with a few businesses able to re-open on April 27th, and then (most concerning for our boys ) perhaps the re-opening of schools on May 11th, followed by lifting of further restrictions on June 8th.

We are starting to see a gentle increase in enquiries and bookings for next winter, as people start to believe in a brighter outlook for the future, with talk of different countries taking steps to return to normal. Summer bookings are also trickling in. We are still offering generous cancellation conditions to anyone who wants to book (see details here)

SHOPS – The village shop remains open daily (mornings only) and remains well-stocked, including freshly-baked baguettes every morning. The Monnet Sports “Tshop” is hoping to be allowed to rent out bicycles this summer, with the bikes expected to arrive sometime in mid-May. We’ll keep you posted on how to obtain your 4v4s discount.

VILLAGE CENTRE – The ice rink has been dismantled for the year, but the fixed playground is closed and the summer playground has obviously not yet been installed. Playgrounds are also closed in Domus, Saxon, Saillon, Nendaz and Parc des Iles. We’re hoping that the ban on playgrounds will be lifted with the opening of schools on May 11th. That doesn’t mean we can’t have fun in the big open square in the village centre though – we normally take scooters and other ride-on toys for the girls to enjoy as this is one of the biggest flat spaces in the whole of La Tzoumaz 🙂

PUBLIC TRANSPORT – The Post Bus runs between Iserables telecabin and La Tzoumaz Telecabin as usual. We hiked around the Route de la Foret Verte to test it out. This wide, flattish forest road is now driveable again since the snowploughs ran through it a week ago. We admired the stunning views of La Tzoumaz from the other side as always, and took the opportunity to see what the snow line looked like. Arriving in Iserables, the locals we spotted were mostly at home in their gardens or driving around, and seemed happy enough to wave at us. Any benches or play areas were cordoned off, and we saw one rainbow banner thanking the people on the front line of the battle against COVID-19, in both French and German. It’s difficult not to feel like intruders when you are a large group of two adults, two pre-teens and two babies, but the bus driver seemed pleased to have such a full minibus after so many empty journeys. The front rows of seats are cordoned off to protect the driver, and no payment is allowed on the bus. We had to plan carefully as there are only a handful of buses a day and you need to buy your ticket online in advance (instructions here or on the bus door).

SNOW MELT / SPRING – We’ve been eagerly waiting for the snow to melt on our favourite hiking paths so that we can enjoy them properly. In the early evenings wen La Tzoumaz is in the shade we like to explore the Rhone Valley side of town and enjoy the late sunshine. The flat road that leads away from the “Som de Pro” bus-stop near Villy is one of our favourites due to its steep-sided plunging views over the Rhone Valley and its adventure and surprises along the way – As you round each corner of this vertiginous route as it winds round the mountainside, you could be greeted by one of the last few heaps of snow slowly melting, a pile of rocks that have crumbled and slid onto the path, little streams that cross the footpath, tunnels carved into the rocks with curtains of water raining down, or even piles of rabbit/chevreuil droppings (much to the delight of toddler Katie). Here it is clear that the trees are blossoming and that spring is in the air. Little clusters of white or purple flowers (sylvie?) are starting to line the footpaths and the trees are covered in fresh green shoots and catkins.

VILLY – Another lovely place to enjoy in the early evening due to the late sunset and the stunning Rhone Valley views, Villy very much has a village feel. Thanks to the year-round sunshine, many of the chalets are occupied year round, and due to the acoustics you can hear laughter and chatter coming from distant gardens and balconies. Not enough to make out the words, but enough to really feel that this is a warm and friendly community. We stop and chat to quite a few residents, who seem pleased by the variety of our presence, and most take delight in the antics of our little babies. The central farm is still hard at work and there are a number of vegetables growing in the occasional vegetable patch between chalets. A number of the second-home chalets have ski-touring skins hanging up to dry next to their cars with their out-of-town Vaud plates.

02/04/2020

HOLIDAYS – We are now in our 3rd week since the ski resort shut down and (nearly) all of the winter clients cancelled their bookings. We have very few clients in the resort at the moment but we are getting a steady trickle of people booking Easter holidays up here – they are already situated within the Swiss borders so they are allowed to travel to the mountains. It’s only a governmental recommendation to stay at home, not a requirement, so families are looking for somewhere relatively remote and isolated to celebrate Easter. We are offering generous cancellation conditions to anyone who wants to book (see details here)

SHOPS – The village shop remains open daily (mornings only) and remains well-stocked. There are normally only around 4 or 5 other people inside at the same time and they are offering deliveries to anyone confined to their home. The only thing we are having difficulty to find is yeast (either in cubes or in sachets) and despite scouring all the shops down the valley we have still had no luck. I guess we’re not the only ones thinking now would be a good time to try some home baking! Coop, Migros, Lidl and Aldi are all well stocked (apart from yeast). Lidl in Conthey now has a big sign up saying “One person per trolley” and “No families” so we are going to have to stop shopping there – normally one of us goes out with the two girls as the activity for that day and now we are running out of ideas where to take them. Our toddler loves pushing her own mini-trolley round and our nearly-toddler really enjoys sitting in the big trolley. Most shops are struggling to enable people to keep their distances as people frequently cross each other in the aisles instead of walking around or waiting, so we try to minimise the number of shopping trips that we make, despite shopping for an extended family.

WEATHER – The sky is blue and the outlook is for at least a week of glorious sunshine! Sadly the local public playgrounds are now closed, and the village ice rink has been dismantled. At least this means there is now a flat space in the village centre where we can take the girls to enjoy their summer locomotion toys as they transition from sliding on snow to rolling on tarmac.

SNOW – Down at the lower resort level, below the main street, most of the snow has already melted but in the top of the resort it has barely started to disappear from the fields. The snow on the pistes is definitely spring-like now, crispy in the mornings and soft by lunchtime so small moguls are starting to appear near the bottom. Around the resort it is easy to sink into the soft wet snowdrifts up to mid-calf in the afternoons, but in the forest or up towards the croix-de-coeur we are using running spikes to get a good grip on the frozen snow. The pistes are criss-crossed with footprints, paw-prints, ski and snowshoe tracks and the occasional skidoo track (left behind by the owner of our favourite isolated restaurant). Of course standing on the Croix-de-Coeur there is no snow at all on the Verbier side because it basks in the sunshine, unlike our protected side where the sun only gently grazes the pistes.

PEOPLE – Out hiking in the snow with the girls it is almost deserted – we only come across another person about once per hour or so, maybe skiing past us after skinning up the piste, or coming back from a snowshoe hike to the top, or out sledging with a child. We are allowed to be in groups of up to 5 if we respect the 2m-distance rule, so we stop and chat to anyone we see, not quite shouting. I’ve been outside tramping round the back gardens quite a bit on my own, taking new external photographs of some of our chalets, and I find that quite a few (usually older) ladies seem to be tucked away in nearby chalets on their own and they leap out onto the terrace or into the garden and have a pleasant chat with me. I guess we are all reaching out for some reassuring human contact in these strange times.

Skinning up the deserted piste by starlight, with nothing but the sound of an owl hooting in the distance, is pure mountain pleasure. Reaching the top and peeling the skins off our skis as we catch our breath we reflect on just how unique this whole situation is. Skiing down is exhilarating and the lights of the villages twinkle in the distance. With 57 years of skiing between the two of us and during that time only one visit to hospital for a skiing injury we feel the risk is very low, but still we ski down very gently and with bright head-torches to minimise the risks.

23/03/2020

It’s now been a week since the ski-lifts closed, and the village is settling into a quiet version of the inter-season. A number of second-home owners came up for the weekend to close down their chalets after winter, and there were lots of windows thrown open and vacuuming sounds echoing across the valley before they all retreated back to wherever they live. Now the majority of the cars in the village have the local VS numberplates.

Out on the footpaths we crossed a few people, fathers out sledging with their daughters, older couples out for a walk. One gentleman with a group of four others that was walking up to the Maison de la Foret hastily pulled his mask over his face when we got within 10m. It’s the first person I’ve seen up here wearing a mask and I wish him good health.

The playgrounds are deserted, up here and down in Saillon. The La Tzoumaz playground is covered in snow but the Domus area is lovely and sunny in the afternoons. The donkeys there are almost as chatty as the climbers slowly making their way up the rock crag. The rabbits look a bit grumpy but the Japanese bantams are happily pecking at the ground unaware of how much the world around them has changed.

The footpaths and pistes are in excellent condition, considering they have been closed for a week. The snow is solid and crispy underfoot, which makes it a very pleasant surface to walk on, even when carrying a wriggling backpack full of toddler. The sledge run has only about 4cm depth of snow as it winds up through the trees, so we need to make the most of it before a few days of warm weather spoil our fun. There are many footprints and a few snowshoe marks, some sledge tracks and of course the skidoo tracks of our favourite local mountain restaurant owner.

Skinning up to ski down by starlight was a wonderful experience, with the head-torches just picking out the few small moguls that are starting to form in the otherwise hard and slippery surface. We didn’t see any wildlife but that may have been because we were chattering too loudly to each other…

There’s an inversion today so we are just in the cloud-line, with the view below obscured in thick fog. We resort to the webcams when we need a fix of sunshine:

http://www.verbier.ch/en/webcams/webcam-croix-de-coeur.htm http://www.verbier.ch/en/webcams/webcam-savoleyres.htm

19/03/2020

We have completed the set up of our remote office facilities and the resort team is busy fixing outstanding defects in the chalets and completing the standard post-season check and close of all the chalets. There are a couple of chalets still occupied by rental clients and owners. Our agency remains closed to visitors but we are still working, as are the local tradespeople (carpenters, plumbers, dishwasher repair etc).

The village is very sunny and fairly quiet. All bars and restaurants are closed. The tourist office is closed. The supermarket is open daily in the mornings. Some people are out walking with their children, others are running or cycling. People are greeting each other but keeping their distance from one another by crossing the road etc. A few people are enjoying the ski pistes by using skis de randonnee to climb up and ski down. We might try it later by torchlight when our toddlers are in bed so we can see what’s happening to the snow quality 🙂

17/03/2020

The Federal Council has annulled the decree issued by the Valais Cantonal Council and therefore we no longer have to close all hotels and holiday homes from midnight tonight.

Our teams are up and running and all services are functioning as normal, with the exception that we will not receive clients in the agency. If you are a chalet or apartment owner you may rest assured that we plan to maintain our Property Services as usual and continue to take good care of your property.

16/03/2020

Valais has decreed an Extraordinary Situation for the entire canton until further notice. From Tuesday 17th March 2020 at midnight, they have mandated the closure of all hotels and holiday homes, including those managed by people such as 4v4s, who use online booking sites like airbnb. As such we will close as a Holiday Rentals Agency from Tuesday at midnight. We will be directly contacting all affected holidaymakers as soon as we can.

If you are a chalet or apartment owner you may rest assured that we plan to maintain our Property Services as usual and continue to take good care of your property.

Here is the full text of the official communication (in French):

15/03/2020

Switzerland has mandated the closure of all ski domains and so TeleVerbier has closed all of the lifts in the 4 Valleys until the end of the season. At this time we do not know if they will open for the summer season in mid-June. The supermarket remains open every morning and is currently well-stocked. All other commerces (bars, restaurants, hotels) are closed, including the Tourist Office.

You can follow the latest updates from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (in English) here: https://foph-coronavirus.ch/

If you have a 2019/20 winter booking with us

We are in the process of contacting all of our confirmed clients to discuss cancellation and refunds with all clients who have booked holidays and skipasses with us. We consider that the early closure of the ski domain represents a change in the product we have offered our clients versus what was booked, and so based on Swiss law we are offering every direct client a 100% reimbursement if the cancellation is not covered by travel insurance. Please contact us at holidays@4v4s.com if you have not yet heard from us.

Some of our clients are choosing to retain their booking if they are still able to travel to the resort, eg Swiss residents. It is a very quiet village now that the ski season has ended so it is perhaps easier here to manage social distancing and self-isolation. The mountain views are still beautiful, and the footpaths remain open for snowshoe hiking and walking.

If you would like to make a new booking

We are offering “free cancellation until 30 days before, and 90% refund at any time” for any new bookings made from now for travel dates before 30th September 2020.

If you have a 2020 spring/summer booking with us

We have updated our cancellation conditions and all existing bookings up to 30th September are now eligible for “free cancellation until 30 days before, and 90% refund at any time”

Feel free to contact us at holidays@4v4s.com if you already wish to cancel under the standard conditions. Your travel insurance may be able to cover any cancellation fees for you. Otherwise, we recommend that you take a decision as close to your departure date as possible.

If you wish to stay in Autumn or Winter 2020/21

For any cancellations made before September 30th 2020, a full refund is available for any Autumn or Winter 20/2021 bookings.

Also for any non weather-related closure of the entire ski domain for a prolonged period during winter 2020/21 we will offer a full refund. This also applies if the ski resort is open, but either your own government or the Swiss government blocks international travel to/from Switzerland.

Our standard cancellation conditions still apply in the following circumstances: Bookings for Winter 2020/21 that are cancelled after 30th September 2020 in the event that the ski domain is operating normally, and international travel is possible. As a reminder, these are our standard conditions: “For cancellation up to 2 months before arrival (or upon resale) the fee is 15%. Up to 1 month / 80%, thereafter / 90%.”

12/03/2020

There is a lot of uncertainty right now in lots of different parts of the globe, and there are starting to be impacts to many people’s daily lives and to their holiday plans. Here’s where we are today:

Swiss governmental advice

We expect a significant update on decisions affecting Switzerland after an emergency meeting of the Federal Council that will take place on Friday 13th March. Here is the link to watch the press conference live at 15h30 (Swiss time): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFI7vQU-YnY&feature=youtu.be

There is no current travel restriction on travel to/from Switzerland issued by the Swiss Government.  People travelling on routes from or through Italy will, however, face restrictions.  The general advice from the Swiss government is to avoid greeting people by shaking hands or kissing and to practice good personal hygiene, avoid touching your face and wash hands frequently. Recently they have also advised people to keep their distance from each other.

You can follow the latest updates from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (in English) here: https://foph-coronavirus.ch/

Your governmental travel advice

The dynamics of this situation are such that we are unable to monitor advice from every country.  Please consult your own government website for information on travel advice.

Current situation in La Tzoumaz/Verbier

At the moment there are no special precautions in place in our resort as there are no confirmed cases, and people (including me) are skiing, socialising, and working or attending school/kindergarten as normal. Except for hand sanitizer and masks, shops are well-stocked and no-one here seems to be panicking.

Standard cancellation conditions

Just as a reminder, here are our standard cancellation conditions:

“For cancellation up to 2 months before arrival (or upon resale) the fee is 15%. Up to 1 month / 80%, thereafter / 90%.”

“Advance-purchase skipasses are non-refundable once issued.”

Travel insurance

We recommend that you check the cancellation terms and conditions in your travel insurance for accommodation and skipasses, and also for any transfers or flights etc that you have booked.  There may be a difference if you choose to cancel based on government travel advice against travel to/from Switzerland or your home country, versus if you cancel based on your own risk assessment.

New bookings

For any new bookings made between now and September 2020 we will offer free cancellation of those bookings if you cancel before September 2020

Stay safe and protect your communities by washing your hands, coughing into your elbow, not touching your face, and staying home if you are unwell.

Wishing you and your family good health over the next critical months.

From Anna, Percy & the whole team here at 4v4s

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INSIGHT #1 – Even if you’ve never been on a two-family holiday, consider asking a family of like-minded friends to join you.  If the kids get on together and you enjoy the adult company then this can be a great mix.

I got my first lesson in the complexity of the self-catered multi-family holiday before we left home.  As we ran around hastily shoving the last few items in the food box, with no idea if we had the makings of at least one meal for eight or not, I started to understand why so many groups plan a long time in advance.  I’ve often been bemused by clients contacting me up six weeks in advance to ask what dimensions of baking trays would be available in their chalet or whether there was a soup-mixer.  Now I realised that this is simply the sign of an organised, experienced holidaymaker and that I was hopelessly outclassed.

INSIGHT #2 – Plan at least the first few meals in advance, and make sure you have the relevant spices, herbs and oils.  You can expect the previous clients to have left behind some salt, pepper and random condiments, but if you really need Piri-Piri sauce or extra virgin olive oil, then take it with you.  Don’t forget the basics like butter, milk and coffee/tea, along with paper towels, dishwasher tablets, a few bin bags, sandwich bags and hand soap as these are not normally provided.

Given the late time that we were scheduled to arrive, I had cleverly pre-cooked the dinner for our arrival.  As such, I found myself sitting in the passenger seat of our overstuffed car with a big cooking pot of chilli between my feet and a bag of raincoats on my lap while the children bounced all over the back seats in excitement.

Our next good idea for the trip was to meet the other family at the village playground when we arrived.  The trampoline, table tennis, swings and slides acted like a huge sponge as the boys kept feeding them more and more energy.  When the others arrived, we got to have a quick hug and catch up whilst the kids all tried to show off their latest gymnastic and judo moves to us and to each other.

INSIGHT #3 – Plan somewhere to meet so you can all arrive at the chalet together, either a playground or a handy café.  The first family to arrive can visit the agency to check in and get the keys, along with a host of local and tourist information.

We had chosen the fabulous Chalet Chaupine for our holiday and as we drove up the winding road everyone was peering out of the car windows in anticipation to try and get the first glimpse of where we were going call home for the duration of our trip.

“Wow!” came the first call, as a large black, three-storey chalet came into sight.  It was raised up from the side of the road into a prominent position and set in a wonderful, varied-level garden area.  Before I had time to cut the engine, the kids had bolted out of the car to run around exploring.  “Coo-eee!” came a small voice from the upstairs balcony.  “Coooooool! I found a tree-house!” came another from the wild meadow area up level with the top floor.  I breathed a sigh of relief, safe in the knowledge that happy, excited children were virtually all that we needed for an excellent holiday, and this place seemed to ooze adventure and discovery.

INSIGHT #4 – Make the most of the outdoors.  The change of environment makes it very easy to set the expectation that there will be no screens or computer games during the holiday, and children will enjoy the freedom and creativity that comes with unstructured time outside.

As the heavy wooden door swung open we were hit by the wondrous smell of larch wood.  “Shoes off right now please!” I wailed helplessly after the children as they ran through the entrance area like a charging herd of buffalo.  It was a well thought-out space, with plenty of hooks and shelf space with a long bench running the whole length through.  There was even a second row of hooks at child height, which was sadly ignored by the boys as they threw their jackets on the floor and sprinted into the chalet.

I soon learned that there are three phases to moving into a chalet.  The first part is one of Exploration and Decisions.  We had already had a pre-discussion on who would be sleeping where and why. Paying no attention to such boring logic, the kids ran straight into the room with four bunk beds and decided to make camp.  The adults went more methodically through each floor, looking into all the rooms and figuring out which room they wanted to negotiate for.  Thankfully, they were all great options with plenty of storage space and access to good-sized bathrooms.  The downstairs rooms had wooden beams running across the ceiling, access to the lower level garden and either a fabulous view across the valley or a promise of morning sunrise over the distant mountain peaks.  The two upstairs had a charm of their own as they were set into the exposed rafters.  Although we all secretly understood that we were not actually intending to use it, we were all excited at the prospect of there being a sauna in the chalet.

The second phase of moving in is the Grand Unpacking.  The kitchen was large, modern and well-stocked.  We pulled open cupboard after cupboard to discover pots, pans, raclette machines, fondue sets, mixing and baking kit, more glasses, bowls and mugs than we could hope to use and even a champagne bucket.  I loved the huge double fridge with its multitude of large vegetable drawers and its ice-machine. The fact that the kitchen was so well-stocked presented the first challenge.  Each family had brought supplies.  Where was there an empty cupboard tall enough to store enough breakfast cereal for a horde of eight hungry holidaymakers?  The next challenge was trying to get the hob to work, before realising that my precious pan of homemade chilli was not actually compatible with the induction hob.

The final phase is setting up the Moment of Calm.  Once the children had been fed, bathed, storied and put to bed with promises of a holiday jam-packed with adventure, the chalet took on a calm, serene feel.  Within minutes, the fire was lit, the wine was poured and the adults collectively took a deep sigh of relaxation. Snuggled up on the deep, comfy sofas, with music drifting from the stereo dock we let go of all the daily stresses and strains and allowed ourselves to be enveloped by the magic of the mountains.

INSIGHT #5 – Don’t forget that you are on holiday as well as the children!  If you keep the days full of adventure and activity, then there won’t be any complaints about being sent to bed at a reasonable time to allow you some adult time.

Daytimes were filled with an array of adventures and activities. A small amount of research had allowed us to sign up for the Trail de la Pierre Avoi, a heavyweight trail running race that climbs a dizzying 2000m from the valley floor to the top of the highest rocky outcrop and back through La Tzoumaz to return to the host village of Saxon, a punishing 36km later.  Thankfully there was a 1km children’s race so we didn’t have to sign up for the Trail itself.  All participants were awarded a commemorative trophy and a barbecue ticket so that took care of lunch as we applauded each muddy, exhausted and exhilarated finisher as they sprinted or limped home after five or six or more hours of racing.

A short drive from La Tzoumaz is the Parc des Iles, a fabulous green space with a large lake, playground with miniature steam train, and plenty of other attractions.  There are trampolines with elastic harnesses, a climbing wall, mini golf and a high-rope park with 160 features, some of which are accessible to children from age 4.  When we were there, there was a paddle-boarding open day on the lake with have-a-go lessons and wacky races. There was also a life-sized model dinosaur exhibition amongst the trees with a quiz for the children.

INSIGHT #6 – Look online before you travel to see what events are organised in the area.  Often there are more things scheduled over the weekend, which can leave you a bit stuck for ideas on a weekday.  If you arrive on a Friday or Saturday list a few options for the first day or two, and save the lazy days in and around the chalet for the quieter weekdays.

A visit to Saillon took in this historic walled town perched on an island of rocks near the valley floor, with its steep and curving streets and tower perched on top.  There is a Museum of Counterfeit Money and an easy walk up to the castle tower, which is open for climbing up the spiral staircase to admire the incredible views from the top.  From here you can clearly see up and down the length of the wide and glaciated Rhone Valley, with the tiny cars crawling along the bottom, and the rocks of the Pierre Avoi towering overhead. It was a rainy morning for us so we were privileged by a host of large snails clinging halfway up the grass stalks, and small fluffs of clouds clinging halfway up the huge mountainsides.  On another day, we planned to visit the thermal baths at Bains de Saillon with their indoor and outdoor pools, hot swimming stream and range of saunas and plunge pools.

There are hiking trails criss-crossing the mountainside, labelled with a liberal sprinkling of the ubiquitous yellow signposts that are almost a trademark of Switzerland.  Many lead steeply up to fantastic peaks marked with crosses or cairns, or to beautiful cols where the mountain range spans away from you on all sides.  The celebrated footpaths that follow the “bisses” make perfect family hiking routes as they follow the ancient streams that were channelled in a gentle incline around the mountains.  With very little encouragement, the children discovered a veritable treasure trail of fascinating birds, insects, plants and creepy crawlies.

INSIGHT #7 – There’s hours of fun to be had out on the mountain footpaths and trails.  Pick up a map from the local tourist office and ask them if they have a Treasure Hunt or quiz or themed trail with animal sculptures.  Then put a picnic in your backpack and get out there, keeping an eye out for interesting flora and fauna to keep excitement levels up.

The traditional “Inalpe” at Balavaud took us right into the local culture.  After twenty minutes’ drive up an impossibly narrow and winding forest road we arrived at the fabulous Chalet des Alpes restaurant, set in a tiny hamlet with a backdrop of traditional wooden chalets on stilts and an operational chairlift.  We had turned up too late to see the moment the huge and muscular black Herens cows were released as they arrived for the first time in the pastureland.  Each year they naturally go through a fighting process to define the hierarchy for the herd, with each pair locking horns and pushing until one gives way to cede her place in the hierarchy.  The local villagers have long made a festival out of this occasion, and we were delighted to find a marquee complete with hot cheese raclette being scraped onto plates with special miniature potatoes and paired with cornichons and silverskin onions.  This was being washed down with plenty of local Fendant wine as the delightful notes of an alphorn trio drifted through the air.  A handful of delighted tourists mingled with the assorted locals and weather-beaten farmers who spoke in thick Valaisan accents.  Everyone was in high spirits and looking forward to the late afternoon finals, where the cows would again be brought out for the final stages of the tournament that lead up to the final knockout round to identify which one will be crowned Queen. Each cow wore a number and a handy brochure told us the stage name of each cow so that we could pick our favourites.

The area is famous for much more than fighting cows, and every available inch of land seems to be cultivated for wine-growing or fruit production.  The landscape is smothered with row upon row of neatly-arranged vines and blooming apricot trees.  Strawberries and asparagus were in season so we called into one of the many local farm-shops to savour the freshness of the produce and left with our arms laden with goodies. Along with enough fruit and vegetable to feed the hungry hordes, we also picked up some locally-brewed beers and loads of real fruit juice, along with some Iserables cheese and a perfectly-spiced dried sausage for aperitif.

INSIGHT #8 – There are plenty of handwritten signs at the side of the road showing you where you can pick up fresh fruit and veg, just follow one and see what’s in season.  It may be asparagus season or apricot time when you visit, but you’re guaranteed that freshly-picked flavour and freshness.

Early evenings back at the chalet were filled with lazy barbecues, which had to compete with tree-house adventures, swing-ball tournaments and table-tennis matches, or the children quite simply running around the surrounding pastureland with sticks and butterflies, alpine flowers and the imagination of five-to-nine-year-old group-think.  Randomly clad in socks and shorts, shoes and raincoats, sunhats or t-shirts, it didn’t seem to matter to them.  The blissful freedom and wonder of life in the mountains is such an easy place for the young to step out of their day-to-day world of homework or electronic devices and re-discover creative free-play.  My only regret was forgetting to pack paper towels, as the children were quickly plastered from head-to-toe in chicken marinade.  A beginner’s error.

INSIGHT #9 – Garden games can provide hours of fun for children.  Some chalets have table tennis or boules.  We provide Swingball sets in many of our chalets as it is hilariously good fun and can be adapted to suit all ages – try asking Dad to play on one leg to make it fair for the younger ones!

Late evenings were filled with that gorgeous peacefulness of parents enjoying the well-earned knowledge that the children are sleeping deeply once again.  Conversations moved easily from subject to subject as the evenings moved easily from the long dining table under its impressive two-level stag-antler chandelier to the soft cushions and animal-skin rug of the lounge area.  The open mezzanine area upstairs that served both as a den and a boardgame battleground during the day was transformed into a quiet haven for reading, or sometimes a chilled zone to watch the match without disturbing the rest of the group.  Even the dishwasher seemed to be an ultra-quiet version that didn’t intrude on the evening calm as the lights across the valley slowly winked out, one by one.  There is no light pollution here, so the stars are an amazing sight to behold from the balcony.

INSIGHT #10 – If you have gone for the highly-recommended screen-free holiday option check if there are books, board games, toys or even a deck of cards in the chalet, if not it would be wise to bring a couple to ensure you get that downtime after dark.

It was a shame to leave at the end of our stay, but nobody seemed too sad as everyone was still buzzing from our adventures.  We had spent a lot of quality time together and the two families had smoothly merged into one.  When the family bonds are this tight, it seems that all is right with the world and I smiled contentedly to myself as I drove them back to the real world, already planning our next summer holidays here in the mountains.

Do you have any insights to share?  We’d love to hear them in the comments section below.

Further reading

• Check out our extensive range of chalets in La Tzoumaz to see which one would suit you and your tribe.
• Can’t decide when to visit?  Here’s our month-by-month guide on when to visit.
• Links galore on the family resort of La Tzoumaz and the surrounding area here on our links page.

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Designing the hike

1) Go up!  I don’t know if it’s due to short stride length, inefficiency of motion or reduced body weight, but compared to adults, children seem much better at hiking upwards than hiking along the flat.  We unintentionally proved this one day by selecting a route with 8km of flat followed by 800m of climb.  The 8km of flat took us four hours, the 800m hike upwards took less than two hours.  Lesson for the future: save walking along the flat for the grand-parents.

2) Hike in woods.  When the boys were young, they would walk much better on a woodland path than on an open footpath.  I don’t know why, but perhaps it’s because a path lined with trees demands to be followed?

3) Do a one-way walk.  A great route is to take the route de foret vert from La Tzoumaz around the mountain to Iserables, then take the bus back to La Tzoumaz.  Be warned, the bus only runs every two hours.   www.cff.ch.  Another favourite is hiking from the station in Grenolier through the woods to St Cergue.  The hike would take 2 to 3 hours, and we’d finish with lunch in a cafe before taking the train back down the hill to the car.  

4) Hike to a trampoline, or a bouncy castle.  The croix-de-coeur restaurant between Verbier and La Tzoumaz has a magic trampoline and a bouncy castle outside until the end of October.  We know the trampoline is magic:  we had dragged our five year old on a four hour hike, and every step he told us how tired his legs were.  Within seconds of seeing his brother on the trampoline, the tiredness seemed to magically evaporate!
http://www.buvette-alpage.ch/croix-de-coeur

Having fun on the hike

5) Find some snow in Summer!  Need I say more?  If there are two children of different ages/speeds, the child in front can use a stick to write messages or draw pictures in the snow for the child coming behind.

6) Look for mountain flowers.  Every swiss child has heard of the mysterious edelweiss.  The locals here know where to find them.  If you search for our edelweiss blog you will know too!

7) Dam a stream, or cross it on stepping stones.

8) Listen for birdsong, and look for animals. Cuckoos are fabulous as you can have a conversation with them by imitating their familiar sound, and there is usually at least one to be found somewhere in the forests around La Tzoumaz. Mischievous marmots can often be heard on sunny slopes, always sitting just out of range of whatever photography equipment you’ve bought with you.

Motivating the little ones

9) Start from different places, or at different times, and do a race.  Every time the children walk faster or further the new pace seems to stick, so even just doing this occasionally makes a big difference to the other walks.  And they really enjoy winning.

10) Climb to the top of something and promise to take a silly picture at the top.  It works to motivate adults as well!

And some bonus tips…

1) In Switzerland, the hiking routes are marked differently from mountain trails, which are significantly more dangerous.  The enclosed site gives a good description
http://www.wanderland.ch/en/hiking-trail-network-and-signalization.html

2) Take warm and waterproof clothing, and don’t forget the sunscreen, and a spare pair of socks if you’re going anywhere near water

3) Take non-sugar based snacks, and plenty of water.

4) Remember that being tired is necessary in order to get stronger.  The average time to the first “I’m tired” is normally less than 15 seconds, as is the time to subsequent repetitions.  Short of finding a magic trampoline, I don’t know of a way to stop this.  Patience, tolerance or earplugs are recommended.

This post first appeared as a Guest Blog by Percy Kirkman, on http://www.genevafamilydiaries.net/, a great blog for families in the Geneva area.

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We took our clients on a guided Harley Davidson tour from La Tzoumaz to Sanetsch.  It was a beautiful, sunny day and the scenery was mind-blowing…  the wiggly roads were jam-packed with hairpin bends and long winding corners… just what we were looking for!

See the video here:

Other fantastic routes to try on a motorbike

Here are a few of our other local roads with stunning scenery and nice blacktop:

• From Martigny, Col de La Forclaz, Trient Village and visit the dam at Barrage d’Emosson
• From Sierre ride up to Loèche by the old road and visit the Gemmi or spend the day in the thermal baths there
• From Viège, ride up to Stalden and Moosalp, with super view and super restaurant, perhaps even riding on to Zermatt
• From Gampel, go up towards the Loetschberg and arrive at Goppenstein.  Here take the train (organised for motorbikes, 16 CHF, train leaves every 30 minutes, trip lasts for 15 minutes, see video here: http://bls.ch/e/autoverlad/goppenstein.php) to arrive at Kandersteg.  Visit the Blausee and the Bernese Oberland
• From Brig, head up the Conches Valley to the Rhône Gletscher at the start of the Furka
• From Bex head up to Gryon, Villars et follow the Col de la Croix as far as Les Diablerets

If you’re heading out by bike in the region, give us a call as we’d love to join you on our Fatbob and share our tips and top cafes with you!

With grateful thanks to the Harley Owners Group of Geneva Chapter West Switzerland for showing us so many of the beautiful places to go in the region (and for making our 2013 wedding so memorable!)

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La Tzoumaz, Verbier’s 4-Valleys, Switzerland

16-20 March 2015

Day 1 Blog Entry

My wife and I had ski lessons in our early days, but none in the 21^st century so, we decided to sign up for the inaugural Godille International Ski Week in La Tzoumaz to gain some new experiences.  The price included accommodation, ski pass and a full week of guiding/instruction in the 4 Valleys, Switzerland.  Not knowing what to expect, we were somewhat nervous at the thought of being dragged around unknown mountains by a demonic Swiss ski instructor and we’d even heard rumours of the quantity of wine to be consumed en route.

We arrived in resort in the late afternoon and were immediately whisked off to Vitho’s Bar for tea and cakes with our other Godilleurs and members of the Swiss Ski School.   Whilst eating delicious home-made chocolate cake and drinking hot wine, we heard a babble of questions and answers around us – “Is the Vallon d’Arbi open?”, “Where can I rent an ARVA for the week?”, “What time’s the first lift?”, “What are the moguls like on Mont Fort?”.  We were feeling more and more nervous as we were looking for a less challenging week.  We were saved by Mario, the course coordinator from Ecole Suisse de Ski, who explained that the week was aimed what at the participants (not what the ski school) wanted to do.  We explained that at our age (to give you a clue, we’ve been married for over 40 years!) we preferred to stay on the pistes and to be shown the whole area with some tips on the way to iron out our bad ski habits.  Thankfully, the response was ‘no problem!”.

Next morning, we were up on the first lift to meet our instructor, Jindra, at the restaurant at 09:00.  He gave us a friendly welcome and we immediately hit it off.  His English was excellent and we spent a while agreeing the objectives of our first day.  Having left the ARVA brigade behind, our group felt much more comfortable already.  We donned our skis and set off down a beautifully prepared blue run with Jindra watching behind him to check our level of skiing.  Being mid March, we had the slopes almost to ourselves – superb.

After the initial trepidation, our first day was such a pleasant surprise!  By lunchtime, we’d corrected a few habits already – my feet were no longer locked together so I was more balanced and my wife was looking back to admire her beautifully carved tracks.  On the lifts, our lively conversations with Jindra covered anything from British food and Swiss tennis players to the meaning of the names of the mountains and ski servicing techniques!  Periodically, Jindra would check that we’d been concentrating on his guided tour by asking us in which direction La Tzoumaz lay and quite often we pointed in completely the wrong direction, so thank goodness we didn’t have to find our own way home.

For lunch in Verbier we managed to meet up with an off-piste group led by Harald so we were able to swap stories.  We decided to try some of the local specialities (Rosti Bacombe and Boeuf Tapaki which were excellent) and the story of unlimited wine consumption was immediately dispelled as relatively few of us had a welcomed beer before we set off again.

Jindra picked up the pace in the afternoon as we followed in his tracks consolidating what we had learned in the morning.  He kept emphasizing that he would not make us do anything we didn’t want to do but he still managed to encourage us to go down a boarder-cross course and a timed speed run! In fact, his gentle encouragement to move us a little out of our comfort zone was just what we needed and at the end of our first day we were able to reflect on a worthwhile experience that we hoped would continue as we looked forward to the rest of our week.  In fact, we were delighted at Jindra’s unintended compliment when he told my wife and I that he actually stopped a lot less during the day with us than with his younger clients!  Bring on Day Two!   (KJM)

Day 1 Blog Entry

After organizing avalanche equipment and making our way to the top of the telecabine, we all met for a coffee before the day started.  The views of the mountains were magnificent.  We had a brief discussion with our instructor/ guides on the plans for the day, a quick “renversee” each (the local swiss version of a Café latte), then our group headed off down the slopes following Harald, ski-school style.  My first group lesson for 15 years!  Harald began gently carving his way down the blue.  Carving’s easy right?  So why were we all slower than Harald?  He skied more turns, covered twice the distance, yet still went faster.  After a brief lesson in carving, the slope became steeper, so Harald checked out our short turns.  Individual feedback to each of us followed, before Harald bobbed down the slopes looking incredibly cool, and videod us from the bottom.  Now we have a base point.

Over to Verbier with more carving technique, and we were starting to get the feel of it before we headed up the Col de Chassoure.  Our first lesson in Moguls.  Apparently what we needed was “overcooked spaghetti legs”.  Harald demonstrated this, traversing from side to side, faster and faster, legs pumping like pistons.  After we had bounced over the moguls a few times, we slowly got the feel of them, before learning our next lesson.  Turning when only the centre of the ski is touching the snow, rather than jumping to free the ski.

After the Col de Chassoure we stopped for a beer or a coffee in “The Tepee”, before heading down another unpisted moguled itinery for feel-good rostis in the Carrefour Restaurant.  After more lessons on the Vallon d’Arbi, we returned back to the Etablons Bar for 4pm.

Key thoughts on the day.

• The slopes were amazingly empty
• It felt special to be so surrounded by nature as on the Vallon d’Arbi.  We were never closer than 800m to another group during our entire descent.  The Vallon d’Arbi is avalanche controlled itinery, so you don’t need a guide to ski it provided you are a good skier and you stay within 20m of the yellow poles which run down the centre of the recommended line
• We were so energized by the lessons, that rather than finishing the day at 4pm, we raced up the lift for more moguls.  I’ve never felt so stable on moguls, and it’s just an awesome feeling!  (PJK)

D1 Tortin Demo H

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