The Val d’Anniviers in the Swiss Valais is one of skiing's best kept secrets and offers huge potential for the adventurous skier. The area is characterised by high alpine terrain, deep valleys and charming villages. This area is a fantastic antidote to the more heavily developed areas of the western Alps.

The skiing is about as exciting and varied as it comes. 1500m powder descents abound and there are many vast bowls where fresh tracks can be found even weeks after the last snowfall! The area features a high and comprehensive lift system and multiple slope aspects which ensure good conditions through out the season. A quality of the area which people find particularly appealing is that there is no mass tourism, no high-rise buildings, and few skiers off piste; the area is aesthetic and traditional, with only tentative signs of new development.

A single lift pass covers 4 areas: Zinal, Grimentz, St Luc and Vercoran. The sheer volume of terrain on offer ensures that it’s unlikely we ski the same run twice.

The week includes 5 full days of off-piste skiing, touring & instruction. There is also 1 'free skiing' day when no instruction is provided.

Day 1
Travel to Zinal and a welcome by Eric and Penny at the Auberge. A visit to Zinal Sports where equipment can be hired for those that need it. In the evening you will meet your guides who will give a briefing on the plans for the week.
Day 2
The first morning starts off with a warm up in the local domain at Zinal. We use the Sorebois cable car to access the extensive north facing slopes. In the afternoon we again take the Sorebois lift to the highest point and from there we start the classic journey to the Moiry Dam. This 1500m descent is well off the beaten track and the scenery is simply breathtaking. This is a truly memorable ski day to start the week off.
Day 3 
A 20 minute road journey takes us to the sunny village of St Luc. A funicular railway takes us quickly into the heart of the domain and then 2 drag lifts take us to the highest point, the summit of the Bella Tolla. From here we descend east ‘over the back’ down an impressive series of powder bowls and from the low point an hours touring back to the domain.
The St Luc area seems to only attract piste skiers, leaving immense areas of untracked snow... perfect! The area also offers a wide choice of steep but relatively safe couloirs.
Day 4
Today we head to Grimentz which is the largest and most well known area. There is plenty of great off-piste in the domain itself, but the best powder is found in the north facing slopes. The Orzival area offers a series of enormous north facing powder bowls and most of the terrain can be accessed without skinning. There is a good choice of routes all with approximately 1500m of vertical.
Day 5 and 6
We depart on a 2 day tour with a night in a high mountain refuge. On day 5 we ascend by cable car to the Corne de Sorebois (2900) the highest point of the Zinal domain. We then make the 1500m descent of the vast, north facing Chamois bowl ending up at the bottom of the Grimentz system. We take the lifts to the highest point and embark on an hour’s skin to the Bec du Bosson refuge above Grimentz. The refuge is positioned at almost 3000m and has a panorama of over twenty 4000m peaks. The afternoon is spent touring on the slopes to the north of the refuge.
After a night in the refuge, we embark on one of the most beautiful tours of the Valais: The Basset de Loma. This involves a two hour skin amidst stunning, remote terrain and a long descent back to the Moirey dam.
Day 7
There will be no guiding today. The minibuses will be on hand to take you to Zinal or Grimentz for a day of lift assisted free-skiing.
Day 8
Breakfast at the Auberge followed by outward travel.

Prices
The price includes 6 nights chalet-board accommodation (twin-rooms), 1 night in a high mountain refuge and 5 days guide fees & expenses.
The price does not include travel to/from Zinal, airport transfers, local transport & uplift, personal insurance, equipment hire, lunches & drinks

Single room occupancy is limited and where available will incur additional charges. Ask us for details.

 Accommodation
Our base is the Auberge Edelweiss in the hamlet of Mottec, 2kms from Zinal. The Auberge has been fully restored in 2008 and offers very comfortable accommodation. One night is also spent in the Bec du Bossons refuge.

Getting to Zinal
The best way to get to Zinal is to fly to Geneva or Zurich and use public transport.
From the airport take the train to Sierre (Geneva 2 hrs, Zurich 2.5hrs). At the station catch a yellow Post Bus going to Zinal - you may need to change in Vissoie (the bus will be marked to one of these places). Ask the driver for Mottec (it's a request stop). The bus stops right outside the Auberge - the large balconied house with grey walled ground floor and timber above, fronting the road. The entrance is around the back of the building.
For train and bus times look at www.sbb.ch/en

Equipment
Ski touring skis, boots, bindings and skins are essential for this week.
Our recommended kit list will be sent to you at the time of booking.
Everyone is expected to ski at all times with the three essential items of avalanche safety equipment: transceiver, shovel and probe. If you ski off-piste regularly we recommend you purchase your own set and we have a special offer on BCA’s excellent DTS Tracker. Alternatively the guides will have a limited number of sets for hire. These need to be booked in advance and paid for in resort direct to the guides.

Insurance
It is a condition of booking that you are insured for ski touring covering personal accident, rescue and third party risks. You are strongly advised also to take out cover against cancellation and curtailment.
If you are looking to purchase insurance for your trip we recommend SNOWCARD. They specialise in travel insurance for adventure sports particularly skiing and snowboarding. Their rates for both single trip and annual policies are very competitive.

For details on their policies and to get a quote CLICK HERE or contact our office for further details.