The Unknown Swiss Valley
Val d’Anniviers... Where? Well, let me tell you. Val d’Anniviers is a bit of a freeride secret.
This gnarly valley of rugged high peaks and wide alpine slopes is off most people’s radar. Those in the know will ride here from the nearby and world famous valleys of Verbier and Zermatt.
Val d’Anniviers incorporates the three main resorts of Grimentz, Zinal and St-Luc, plus some satellite villages with lifts. Grimentz and Zinal are linked, where a cable car and a gondola meet in Grimentz Village, at 1570m. St-Luc, with mainly sunny south facing slopes, is a 25 min drive, from either Grimentz or Zinal.
There's a free ski bus connecting all the villages, and whilst feeling less rugged and more family focused St-Luc does have some steep itinerary routes, tree runs and family-friendly off piste zones. Without doubt it's a cool place to hit with the family, as long as you don’t mind T-bars and drag lifts.
In many alpine resorts the half-term week will see the locals dive for cover as the lift queues expand and slopes are thick with holiday skiers. However fortunately for me and my family, open slopes and fresh lines were order of the day - as the road up and into the Val d’Anniviers is tight enough to put off all but a few specialised holiday companies.
The gorgeously traditional village doesn’t have the beds for mass tourism. As my wife said, when we walked back through Grimentz village after a dinner of yet more melted cheese, “I feel like I’m walking through a Swiss cuckoo clock.”
At a glance of the piste map, it might seem limited for a week’s worth of adventure. But in fact, each lift opens up a series of options; even if pisted trails appear a little similar, it’s the off-piste options and the marked itinerary routes (itinerary routes are similar to the North American hike to zones, as in they’re not bashed and are basically freeride zones), which offer up an whole host of chutes, couloirs, and wide open powder faces. Amazingly, these don’t get tracked anywhere near as fast as the neighbouring valleys.
For those seeking a little more solitude, the excellent mountain hut Cabane des Becs de Bosson 2985m, offers tourers a gateway to the higher and more remote areas of the valley. It also offers a half board deal that won’t break the bank, with an overnight stay at CHF30, plus CHF2 tax, and breakfast and dinner a very good value CHF43 - a total of CHF75/night £60 or USD80. You have to tour/hike up to the hut, around 10km/5 hours (I didn’t attempt this with the kids).
On its website there are many routes both to and from the hut. Plus, there’s a suggested circular route that takes in mainly mellow slopes. You can find this on Fatmap (again I didn’t do this so don’t attempt without research or a guide).
Highlights of the week for the kids was ragging it down a forested red run in St Luc, then having to bushwhack our way back to the lifts / riding under the La Forêt chair on half grass half pow / and, on the final day in Grimentz talking on a short, wide but steep couloir under the new 6 person Col du Pouce chair. We rode it one at a time wearing transceivers, as I feel it’s imperative to teach the next generation best practice when off-piste.
All in all, the Val d’Anniviers is a Swiss chocolate box resort with some serious bite.
