I’ll cut straight to the chase. Vercorin is heavily touted as a ‘paradise for families’, and whilst we found that there were plenty of families there, in a country replete with amazing ski areas, we don’t consider it that great for them. The reasons are many and varied, but essentially it boils down to a whole lot of lift entries/exits, pistes & other infrastructure being inappropriate for ‘families’. It just doesn’t stack up when compared to other ‘family friendly’ ski destinations in Switzerland. But I’ll get to that later.
Firstly, what’s good about Vercorin? Well its on Magic Pass so I skied there for free, which in hindsight I’m thankful for because I would have been annoyed paying specifically for the privilege. The north-aspect ‘gondola-side’ groomers provide 1,000m vertical of super on-piste fun. There is a lovely off-piste line or two off the top of the gondola as well (requires a walk around the back of the restaurant to enter it), plus a few other bits of alpine freeride & tree skiing. There are some quirky, interesting places to eat on the hill. The views across the valleys to Crans Montana, Anzere, St Luc Chandolin and beyond are stupendous. After hours is very quiet, and the best bar isn’t really a bar at all, it is a tiny café called White Shop, but it serves craft beers & wine in a convivial environment.
So why doesn’t Vercorin stack up as a family ski destination? The top of the gondola is case in point. With a seething mass of screaming children and parents (i.e. families) on a busy Saturday morning, coupled with people exiting the Crêt surface tow, there is no substantial flat ground at the exit for anyone to comfortably put ski gear on and get organised. The result is bedlam before one even has put skis on. I walked away from there, putting my skis on further down and off to the side. If lucky enough to get your skis on, the exit slope similarly a hectic, dangerous affair that is just too steep for many of the younger ‘family’ members. And so it goes…..
The ski lifts, aside from the gondola & the new(ish) Tracui chairlift, are all surface tows, which is fine except for the fact that most are not quite appropriate for ‘families’. The entry to the load point for the Crêt tow is impossibly placed with a steep slope above it and a long line spreading back up the hill in single file. The adjacent Mont Major tow is only marginally better. The Cabanon tow is fine, serving a few short intermediate runs, but to get out of the sector involves a journey on the Tracui chairlift which can only be reached via the heavily bumped Tracuit black run. Not exactly family friendly.
For any ‘family’ members just beginning their skiing journey, the novice area (at Lavioz) is out of sight, out of mind in a dark, cold location near the base of the ski area, but disjointed from it! Whilst it possible to ski to it from the top of the gondola, it is not possible to ski back to the gondola base from there. Oh well…. Walk or take the bus (if its running!). On the mountain proper, children will enjoy the snow park & fun slope served by the short Chardons tow.
The village is broad and has a beautiful old sector that is definitely worth a wander, but is probably overhyped by the local tourist board. It has a fine bakery, but relatively few nice restaurants. The best of them being La Brentaz (try and speak French or you may get the cold-shoulder). Otherwise eat at the way more friendly Ristorante Pizzeria La Bella Vista. I happened to stay overnight there as well. Nice room for a reasonable price.
On-mountain restaurants include the beautifully situated Gite des Arolles (near the Tracui chairlift base) which serves well-priced, tasty local cuisine. You can also stay here overnight - an option that might make a few days in Vercorin a little more attractive. The other option worth a look is L’Etable, located near the gondola mid-station. It is very popular for lunch on weekends and serves restaurant quality meals including local steak.
Getting to Vercorin is an interesting journey. The road up from the valley is ‘sporting’, but certainly doable in a rental car. Public buses all the way up to the village are relatively few (unusual for Switzerland), but there is a cable car option from the valley village of Chalais as well. Only problem is that it is quite small and whether you get on or not is very much dependent on how big your ‘family’ is. Sad to say, but if you are in a group with luggage, it is best to drive or get a private taxi/shuttle/transfer from Sierre/Siders.
Several small shuttle buses make the rounds of the disparate parts of the village, bringing skiers to and from the gondola base for free. And whilst the service is quite regular on weekends, and a few weeks of ‘high season’, for much of the season during the week, the shuttles run so rarely that they are nearly useless. So if here on a Monday to Thursday, pay careful attention to the timetables or take your family and walk to the gondola. Good luck with that as footpaths are few, and those that there are, are icy as hell.
Vercorin does have a bit of nice tree-skiing terrain (under the chairlift) & a smidgeon of open off-piste to keep any powderhound happy, but the joy is brief, and the excitement quickly muted. The skiable verticals are too short, the terrain is easily tracked out, sustained fall line is lacking and anything that is fall line is heavily traversed. The elevation of the ski area means snow down low into the village can be quite icy and sparse to non-existent in the off-piste amongst the trees.
Now interestingly, whilst I have slagged Vercorin off as far as its ‘family friendly’ moniker goes, the ‘families’ at the ski area that I spoke to absolutely adore the place. Go figure. Maybe they have just never skied anywhere better, or maybe I’m just wrong. What would I know anyway …..
For a real Swiss family ski resort that has reliable snow, go to Aletsch Arena, Anzère, Arosa, Belalp, Klosters (Madrisa), Brigels, Thyon (4 Vallees), Savognin, Scuol …… Get the picture? If you do come here, avoid the busy weekends. Mid-week at Vercorin, if it snows, could well be paradise but I guess we will never know.
For more thoughts on the pros & cons of this ski resort, see our Vercorin overview page.
