Published on: September 12, 2022
GETTING READY FOR WINTER: THE VERBIER LIFT OPENING AND CLOSING DATES
We have just been in touch with the very nice people at Televerbier and we were talking about the dates for next season.
But – after a little Googling – we noticed that it isn’t always very clear what the plan is if you are searching online.
So we have put the key information we know about here…
CLICK HERE FOR 2023 – 2024 SEASON DATES
OPENING DATE VERBIER AREA 3rd December 2022
OPENING DATE MONT FORT SECTOR & SAVOLEYRES 10th December 2022
CLOSING DATE VERBIER 23rd APRIL 2023
OTHER KEY DATES AND FACTORS:
Of course you need to consider a few things.
Not least of all that these dates are subject to change depending on the snow fall.
We also don’t yet a have a formal opening date for Bruson (which will have a swanky new chair lift and new restaurant at Le Passay).
Plus the 4 Valleys connections will close (as always) before the Verbier sector closes.
So will the Savoleyres and Bruson areas.
We will update you when we get these dates (or provisional dates) confirmed.
WEEKEND OPENING…
Most seasons we see the lifts start rolling at Lac des Vaux from the first weekend in November.
This depends on two factors – the general weather conditions leading up to November (snow fall and temperatures).
And also the amount of artificial snow the lift company make – see below.
So if we are expecting a normal season then you would expect opening at weekends to start 5th November or 12th November 2022.
ARTIFICIAL SNOW AND POWER
With a looming energy crisis predicted, it is impossible to predict how Switzerland will be effected.
The energy prices could play a big role, because snow making can use about as much electricity as running the lifts, if not more.
Let that sink in – it’s a huge amount of energy and a lot of money…
So there is no guarantee Televerbier will make as much new snow as they have done in years gone by.
But equally they have extensive new and more efficient systems installed, so that might offset some financial increases.
Plus Verbier has a huge amount of terrain up high – so we’re not as reliant on artificial snow as some smaller and lower resorts.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE SEASON?
If there are snow manufacture issues, they probably hit early opening in November hardest followed by any low areas of resort during the season if there’s an unusually mild winter or low snowfall.
But there is a huge amount of terrain that is well protected from fluctuations in the weather patterns and doesn’t traditionally need much artificial snow to keep us skiing all season.
Meanwhile, when it comes to early season snow, you can be sure that you will see the latest news on snowfalls on our social media pages – so follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news.
Right now the mornings are getting a lot colder and we had snow on the high peaks last week, with more snow forecast on Mont Fort next Thursday and Friday…
