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LIVING & TRAVEL Verbier, Switzerland: Rich Man, Poor Man by steve mencher

High in the Swiss Alps, they've been dreaming of Winter since July. Summer there is devastatingly beautiful: wildflowers abundant and colorful; warm days and cool, clear nights. But nobody is quite "in the moment." Each night as they sleep, people are visited by flying white blankets of snow. In this corner of Switzerland tucked between Italy and France, the seasons are Winter and not-Winter. Verbier is a town at its best in the extreme -- visit if you have all the money in the world, or none at all. The mountain vistas are free and the air is thin, sharp and sweet for everyone. But if you're stuck in the middle-tourist-class, thinking about the lousy exchange rate and the astronomical prices, better to stay away. Verbier shines for the very rich and the very poor.

Verbier On Nearly No Dollars A Day

Verbier And The Self-Made Millionaire

Verbier Straight Up

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Steve Mencher is a former producer for National Public Radio, and a charter member of the Acme Content Providers of Washington, D.C.

Illustrations by Federico Jordan, a freelance illustrator based in Mexico.

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