At Verbier, the new winter brings to completion one of the most anticipated internal mobility projects in the Valais ski area. Scheduled to open in December 2026 is the lower Les Esserts-Les Planards section, the missing piece that completes the new connection all the way to the ridge of Savoleyres after the upper section between Les Planards and Savoleyres entered service in December 2025. With the full line up and running—and the old four-person Savoleyres gondola and Sud surface lift (operating since 1970) permanently retired—the way skiers move from the heart of Verbier to the slopes overlooking La Tzoumaz changes forever.
Until now, even though the main slopes below Les Ruinettes and the Savoleyres sector belonged to the same ski area, moving from one side to the other forced skiers to interrupt their day on the snow and ride a ski bus through town. The new installation solves this gap at its root thanks to a new connecting trail laid out between Le Carrefour and the base terminal at Les Esserts: skiers descending from Verbier’s main face will be able to glide on their skis right to the boarding area of the new gondola and ride straight up to Savoleyres, naturally working the long runs toward La Tzoumaz into the same morning’s itinerary.
A Télémixte installation and a ski tunnel beneath the beginner slope
From a technical standpoint, the entire axis was designed as a Télémixte (combination lift), but with a clear distinction between its two sections. On the new lower section between Les Esserts and Les Planards (covering roughly 220 meters of vertical rise in six and a half minutes, with a capacity of 1,675 passengers per hour), only ten-person gondola cabins will travel along the line, whereas on the upper section toward Savoleyres (just over five minutes of ride time and 2,650 passengers per hour), the ten-person cabins alternate on the same haul rope with six-person chairs. Traffic is managed at the Les Planards mid-station, equipped with a switching system that keeps the chairs looping exclusively on the upper section while allowing the cabins to travel the entire length of the line, using a total fleet of 59 cabins and 30 chairs.
Running only cabins on the lower section meets a dual need. On one hand, it guarantees level access and station elevators for pedestrians, guests with reduced mobility, and—in the warmer months—hikers and mountain bikers; on the other, it provides convenient access to the new beginner area planned in the development master plan right at the Les Planards mid-station.
The connecting trail descending from Le Carrefour also required careful engineering to avoid interfering with the busy learning slope served by the Le Rouge surface lift. To prevent level crossings between skiers coming down from the upper mountain and beginners taking lessons, the new run crosses the surface lift line by passing first through a tunnel, continues along a partially covered section, and finally opens out through the trees down to the Les Esserts departure terminal—a solution that starting in December 2026 will finally unite the two skiing faces of Verbier into a single seamless circuit.
No comments yet