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TRAVEL
279
November14
and fearless who have been skiing
since birth. Of course, we were there
without skis, snowboards or helmets
and wearing our sneakers, not boots.
After nearly two years in Singapore, I had
forgotten the pain of minus 10 degrees,
but the scenery was spectacular.
Another bright spot of our expedition
was discovering a wide, easy run at La
Chaux, near the gondola to Mont Fort. It
was here that we played for the next few
days, before accomplishing the long-held
dream of successfully skiing down a red
(intermediate) slope at a Swiss resort.
Off piste
Unlike many of the other guests who
had jetted in for a long weekend, we had
the luxury of six days at the resort and
did not feel compelled to spend every
moment on skis. This meant we could
pursue one of the other favoured sports
at Verbier: shopping.
As expected, the alpine village offers a
full complement of Swiss watch brands.
But it also has interior design stores such
as Terracotta Sarl and Boutique Sabi,
whom you could engage to re-style your
Singapore condo in Alpine chic or where
you could just pick up a faux-fur key-chain
or wooden tray to remind you of your
moment in the Alps. If you discover you
need some more shimmer or warmth in
your travel wardrobe, the newly opened
Hot Air at Place Blanche has a well
curated range of European brands.
And for equipment and attire for your
sporting time on the slopes, Mountain
Air, also in the Place Blanche complex,
has an excellent range and an extremely
knowledgeable and helpful multilingual
staff. My poor skis had arrived back
in their native home of Switzerland
damaged; working in three languages,
Pierre of Mountain Air gallantly arranged
the delivery of a replacement part, fitted
me with temporary skis and had us all
rapidly back on the slopes.
The jet-set visitors to Verbier demand
entertainment both on and off the slopes
and there is a wide range of bars, but
perhaps the coolest of them operates
during the day. Late every afternoon,
the unfurling of the large pink umbrella
at The W Off Piste Bar signals the
beginning of the migration home for
skiers and boarders. Located at the end
of the main trail into Verbier, it offers a
thumping soundtrack for re-entry into
the village, the promise of champagne
and beer, and an enormous opportunity
to completely humiliate yourself, if you
cannot negotiate the tight slope. It is also
a perfect people-watching spot.
Another unique culinary experience
that owes much to its location is dinner
at Chez Dany. It’s located in a small
chalet on the lower slopes; you arrive
by snowmobile taxi and return home
by toboggan.
Arrival at the popular La Rouge
restaurant and club is also often on
skis, particularly après ski. Tragically,
the atmosphere was a little subdued
on the cold Monday night we visited,
but the Ibérico ham diminished any
disappointment. Strolling from our room
into the Arola restaurant at the W Hotel
seemed a little mundane after our other
adventures, but we ate there twice just
to confirm that the
raviolis au boeuf
and
carpaccio de langoustines
were as
sublime as we’d imagined the first time.
As we took one last ride down the
Swiss Alps – in the safety of a car to the
airport – it was once again time to assess
our inventory from Switzerland. Skis,
snowboard and pridewere intact. Wemay
not havemademuch of an impression on
the slopes, but we now possessed a new
appreciation for Swiss cuisine anddesign.
Oh, and an animal skin rug.
Fact File
While there are no direct flights from Singapore to Geneva, there are plenty
of connection options (e.g., via Frankfurt, Zurich, Doha or London). For Four
Valleys skiing information, visit
www.4vallees.ch. Tobook the W Verbier,
visit
www.wverbier.com.