Grimentz

Grimentz and neighbouring Zinal, St Luc and Chandolin are easily reached from Geneva in 2 hours either by train or road. These resorts lie as the crow flies between Verbier and Zermatt deep in the Swiss Alps and remain very much undiscovered gems. Grimentz is a TOTALLY charming, picture postcard Swiss mountain village largely made up of with traditional mazots, century old chalets and a few small two and three star hotels. It is true that the nightlife is on the quiet side (although there is a nightclub that opens during high season weeks) but if all you really look for are a few beers in a local bar after a hard day's skiing then you'll be absolutely fine.

Valaisan mountain food is delicious (think raclette and fondues) with plenty of choice among the 10 resort restaurants and 4 on-mountain eateries. Chez Florioz is at the bottom of the piste and is perfect for the après ski atmosphere at the end of the day. The village is also blessed with a variety of shops from traditional patisserie to supermarkets. There are also sports shops catering for skiers and snow boarders with all the latest ski and snow boarding equipment.

There is an excellent local catering and property management company, Valet d'Anniviers, which has a delicious selection of home cooked meals that can be delivered directly to your chalet or apartment. This English company is passionate about their food so using their catering packages gives you many of the benefits of a fully catered chalet while still giving you extra flexibility you enjoy when you are self-catered. Valet d'Anniviers also provide a full range of concierge services along with providing babysitting / childcare, delivery of a weekly shop and organising your ski passes.

The skiing, especially if you are into your off-piste, is epic. With the top station at just under 3,000 metres and over 1,400 metres of vertical there is plenty of everything, and the North and East facing slopes keep their snow in good condition. What's more the back-country terrain hardly ever gets tracked out so you can repeat descents all day long with fresh tracks each time - oh joy.

Thanks to the high-altitude lake above the village Grimentz has an unlimited and high pressure water supply. This means the village has been able to install fantastic snow making facilities that keep the lower slopes in great condition throughout the season. The amount of pisted terrain in each resort is perhaps a little limiting. However, the link established between Grimentz and Zinal means together the two resorts can boast 120km of piste (Grimentz: 50km and Zinal: 70km). With the skiing at St Luc adding a further 75km of pistes and another smaller ski area above Vercorin the whole area is best for beginners and intermediates, and experts who will enjoy the huge amounts of lift accessed high altitude off-piste terrain.

Photos courtesy of ©Sierre-Anniviers Marketing.