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Being the premier resort of the so-called Four Valleys ski area (www.4vallees.ch), Verbier is linked with Savoleyres above Isérables, and Nendaz in the next valley over the mountains (2:4), with cableways swinging up to Mont Gelé (3023m) and the glaciers of Mont Fort (3328m); and with the huge ‘Le Jumbo’ cable car transporting up to 150 people at a time via Col des Gentianes. But while skiing takes pride of place in and around Verbier, the resort also caters for other adventure sports. The mountain guides office is situated at the Maison du Sport, with climbing, high-level mountain walking and canyoning included in their prospectus (www.maisondusport.com), while the Ecole d’Alpinisme La Fantastique also runs mountaineering courses (www.lafantastique.com).

Cabane du Mont Fort

To the east of the resort Cabane du Mont Fort is perched on a bluff at 2457m under the Monts de Sion. Property of the Jaman section of the SAC, the hut was refurbished in 2002, and its 66 places are now divided between conventional dormitories and 2, 4 and 6-bedded rooms (www.cabanemontfort.ch). Staffed in winter (December to mid-May) and from late June to mid-September, it’s reached by a 3hr walk from Verbier, or 1¼hrs from the Ruinettes gondola. Although there are cableways nearby, the outlook from the hut is magical, with the Mont Blanc range concentrating one’s attention.