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As always the most important part of my report is the weather. After the awful weather of last weekend, which saw heavy rain and snow on the higher slopes, the fantastic weather returned. Sunshine and clear skies allowed us to get back into the mountains to play, although temperatures are now more comfortable when doing sport, in the direct sun it is still very warm and comfortable.
With less than a week to go before the end of the Verbier Music Festival www.verbierfestival.com it looks as if this last weekend will be an exciting time to be in the mountains of Switzerland as Kermasse, the Swiss national day will be held on the following Monday and over the preceding weekend.
Fantastic weather continues to grace Verbier with clear blue skies and beaming sunshine. The temperatures have dropped recently but it still remains warm in the sun; this last weekend there were lots of walkers in their shorts and t-shirts enjoying the incredible mountain views.
It has started to finally feel like summer over the last couple of weeks although the persistent brisk and chilly wind can be quite uncomfortable at times, especially in the shade. After the awful spring rain, snow, mist and cold wind Verbier seemed deserted as the locals quit town or hunkered down. As we slipped into June the lifts began to open for the weekends, although the opening was delayed the first weekend of June by heavy snowfalls which fell all the way down to town.
Just before the weekend we'd seen that the team at Verbier Tzoumaz Bike Park had finished off some new north shore and two new sections of red trails. Thankfully most of the snow that delayed the bike park opening this year has gone, so we headed up to check out how it's all looking.
It looks as if more changeable weather is on the way, continuing the trend over the last couple of months. When the sun has been out it has been glorious in Verbier with high temperatures drying up the earth really quickly.
With the end of the Verbier Music Festival and the Swiss National Day celebrations behind us calm has returned to Verbier and so has the summer weather.
News has just come in that the first slopes will be opening this weekend in Verbier. The Lac des Vaux will be open from the 26th of Novemeber onwards and will be open from 9.15 to 16.15.
Although the weather has remained mixed over this summer the last month of August did take a good turn with temperatures often as high as 35 degrees and plenty of sunshine to give us a real taste of summer. Those highs do appear to be behind us now as we drift into September and towards Autumn at an alarming speed.
The weather continues to be amazing at the moment, although over the last few days there has been some pretty heavy rainfall.
After a rough weekend, which saw rain, clouds and cold temperatures push into Verbier, Monday was stunningly beautiful. The skies were clear and the warmth of the sun quickly dried out the area. Above Ruinettes the temperatures up the mountain were so cold over the weekend that the rain landed as a thin veil of snow which soon disappeared with the arrival of the sun. Temperatures did remain comfortably chilly with a stiff breeze from time to time.
Last Saturday I was lucky enough to meet up with the language instructors at VLS, Verbier Language School, to join them for an afternoon on the pistes.
Mixed weather has provided an unsure start to the winter; a few weeks ago it was as if the ski season was just around the corner with heavy snow and cold temperatures. Recently, warmer temperatures have displaced the cold snap and forced the tenuous snow line to retreat back up the mountain.
The summer rolls by at an increasing speed with winter now a mere three months away. The weather which had over the last couple weeks been mixed and stormy did give way in the end to some beautiful sunny days.
With the weekend over, the full time opening of the lift is also now over until next weekend. The good news is that it still runs four times a week during week days. The lift from Verbier to Ruinettes will be open at 07:00, 10:30, 13:30 and 16:45 hrs.
Over last week Verbier received a significant amount of snow over 24 hours but the torrential rain that followed melted all but the highest pockets of snow.
Great weather arrived in Verbier to see out the end of July as the summer whizzes by at an alarming speed. The end of the Verbier festival has come and the next international event in Verbier is the Grands Concours Hippique, an international horse jumping competition.
La Cordee spa is a hidden gem nestled inside the 4 star Luxury hotel of the same name. With peaceful, modern and classy-rustic decor, the spa is a haven for both relaxing and replenishing times.