Nendaz

Nendaz is not a particularly well-known resort outside of Switzerland but with around 17,000 beds this is a major resort. The town stretches for several kilometres up a NE facing slope on the southern side of the Rhone Valley in between La Tzoumaz and Veysonnaz so at first it can seem quite stretched out.

There is, however, a distinct centre to the resort at around 1400m where the slope flattens out. Here is where you will find the télécabine, a lot of the restaurants and shops and a wide open area with tennis and basketball courts and a marquee which is often used for events such as the end of season party. 

There is a fair amount going on in Nendaz too, with plenty in the way of restaurants (both in the village and on the mountain), an array of bars and other facilities ranging from an ice rink and climbing wall through to a fitness centre and squash courts. It's fair to say that Nendaz doesn't quite have the party atmosphere of Verbier or some of the French resorts, but there is a calm sense of activity and genuinely plenty to do.

There is one lift in Nendaz, a 12 man telecabine, which takes you up to Tracouet at 2200m. Tracouet is a plesant, sunny shelf with a well reviewed beginners park as well as a nice range of local red and blue slopes. From here there are some nice long runs back to Nendaz, both red and blue, which have good views across the Rhone Valley.

In addition to these local slopes, Nendaz is part of the 412km 4 Valleys ski region, however, it must be said that in spite of its geographical centrality, Nendaz might be the most remote from the other resorts in terms of the actual lift and piste connections.

To connect to Verbier and the rest of the huge 4 valleys network you need to go via Siviez through just a couple of red runs and lifts. Getting back, however, involves taking an unpisted itinéraire so less confident skiers take the cable car down from Plan-du-Fou which leaves just a short black run down to Prarion to get a lift back to Tracouet before you can enjoy the easy home runs down to Nendaz. 

From Siviez you can travel huge distances to Les Collons at one end of the system to Verbier and Bruson at the other. So if you are a confident skier, Nendaz gives you arguably the best access to the skiing of the 4 Vallées there is! Beginners can sharpen up their skills on some lovely slopes before tackling the challenges just on the other side of the mountain.

At an altitude of 1400m, Nendaz already has a very solid snow record. However now, thanks to a considerable investment in snow making, the area has both improved and ensured its connections to certain areas and almost guranteed that, throughout the season, you can ski all the way back to the resort.

The ski resort has been built above the original, traditional farming village.  

In the centre of the resort most of the properties for sale are apartments in large chalet-style buildings, some dating back to the 1970’s. There are also some higher quality properties near the lift and the highly acclaimed Hotel Nendaz 4 Vallées & Spa.

Both above and below the resort centre and even on the slopes there is a good range of resale chalets and they are not as expensive as you may think.