How to buy your Verbier ski pass winter 2018/19

The layout of the website is very simple, and gives you the various options for either local area or full area lift passes, along with the amount of days you would like to ski for. Navigating the website is simple and stress free thanks to its clean and interactive design. Here you can easily choose between a full 4 Vallees, Verbier area, or Bruson lift pass, as well as the number of days you would like to ski for. A 4 Vallees pass will cover the full 410km of well-groomed pistes which link Verbier to Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon. This is a great option if you like to really explore the mountain and rack up the ski miles. As an alternative, the Verbier lift pass still offers over 200km of pistes, a huge area by any standards and a good choice for the beginner skier who might take a little more time to cover the terrain.

There are four categories for each lift pass depending on your age:

• Child: 2004 - 2011
• Youth: 1994 - 2003
• Adult: 1955 - 1993
• Senior: 1942 - 1954

A family discount of -10% will be automatically applied if you have at least three people, with at least one adult or senior. For example, one adult, one child, and one youth. If you can, buy your pass online at least 10 days in advance of your first day of skiing to receive an extra 5% discount. What’s great about ordering your passes online is that you can have them delivered to your home address, perfect for those wanting to hit the slopes straight away without the need to queue and organise their passes in resort. Delivery fees are 20.-CHF to foreign countries and there is a seven-day delivery delay for addresses in Switzerland and 10 days to other countries. Alternatively you can opt to pick them up in resort from the lift pass office.

If you are staying in Verbier and planning on buying your ski pass in resort, the lift pass office is located at the Medran station. It is open seven days a week from 08:30 to 16:30, although there are also lift pass machines which continue after office hours. Bear in mind that queues on transfer days or the morning after can be long, so if you’re wanting to arrive in resort and quickly get onto the slopes, ordering them online could be your best option. There are also lift pass offices in La Tzoumaz and Le Chable. The lift pass office in La Tzoumaz is located at the bottom of the main lift, and is open from 08:30 to 16:30. The lift pass office in Le Chable is located in the centre of town, and is also open form 08:30 to 16:30. For larger parties of 15 or more, a 15% discount can be organised if you buy your passes in resort.

You might be visiting Verbier just to soak up the alpine charm and scenery, or perhaps you’re not much of a skier but love to hike and explore the mountains nonetheless. Luckily you wont have to pay for a full price lift pass if you’re wanting to head up the mountain without skis, as pedestrian passes are also available. Additionally, if you’re taking advantage of the amazing sledging run over in Savoleyres, there’s also a cheaper pass for a toboggan only day.

For the small fee of an extra 5.-CHF a day you can add “Snow Assist” to your lift pass. This will be offered whether you buy your pass online or in resort. It’s a comprehensive insurance covering ski pass reimbursement, ski lessons, ski equipment hire, costs for emergency transport by ambulance and helicopter, as well as medical expenses and repatriation up to the value of 10,000.-CHF per season. It should not replace your regular winter sports travel insurance, but is good to have nonetheless.

Follow more from Barnaby on Instagram or YouTube.