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LIVING & TRAVEL
Verbier Straight Up
by steve mencher
The Berkeley Guide to Switzerland: brought to you by Tripod. Active Lifestyle's guide to Verbier Ski Guide to Verbier Climbnet's Verbier (See? We weren't kidding about "sportif.") The Pierre Gianadda Foundation: Through November 11, 1996, be sure to visit the Manet exhibition. Hotels in Verbier The Verbier Homepage
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Verbier is in the canton, or state, of Valais, in the commune (county) of Bagnes. Bagnes is the largest commune in Switzerland, and includes 150 square kilometers of protected mountain area. The area immediately around Verbier is called the Val de Bagnes. SPORTIF: There's no English translation for the word "sportif." It's the Verbier state of mind. "Sporty" has all the wrong connotations, and "athletic" is sweaty and earnest in a way that sportif is not. Verbier takes sportif to the extreme. If you're going to Verbier, you'll want to hike, ski, snowboard, parapente, golf, play tennis, mountain bike. All the equipment is available there if you don't bring your own. Along the mountain trails, cabanes are available to shelter hikers in the summer and skiiers in the winter. For a little under twenty dollars a night you can have a hearty breakfast, a sliver of a bunk and a pair of warm slippers. The Cabane du Mont-Fort is easily reachable from Verbier. In the summer, you're likely to be run over by men and women walking, biking and running through town most weekends. CLAIM TO FAME: Besides sports, Verbier is known for its "Herrens" cows. They're specially bred to eat grass in high mountain pastures. But they also keep a very strict pecking order and get into tremendous fights to prove who's in charge. The farmers hold contests and festivals where the cows show their stuff. Doping and sabotage is not unheard of. GETTING THERE: Geneva is the closest airport, and the train station at Geneva is next to the airport. You'll change at Martigny for the St. Bernard Express to Le Chable, then up a cable car to Verbier. STAYING THERE: Look for Patrick or one of his friends. Don't wear out your welcome. Or rent a villa in James Peterson's neighborhood. Whatever works. CHEAP EATS If you need a good meal in Verbier, try the "Off-Shore" which features large rations of good food for not too much money. For some reason, the cuisine is pizza and Mexican food, especially fajitas. And the decor should warm the hearts of surfers, who can find out what time it is in Maui or Malibu by reading the restaurant's half-dozen clocks. |
Verbier, Switzerland: |
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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.
© 1996 Tripod, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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