Verbier is full of drama – from spectacular scenery to banjaxed knees
Two years ago Catherine Murphy had to be airlifted off a Swiss mountain after suffering a bad knee injury while skiing. She recently returned, determined to ski again
For more than 30 years, skiing has been my passion. Both the sport and mountain lifestyle have become so important to me that, if it’s not too corny to say, they have changed the course of my life. I have skied as often as possible and in as many places as possible, often throwing caution to the financial wind to feed my need.
But recently, because of injury and lockdown, my feelings for snow have been seriously tested. In February 2020, I partly tore the anterior cruciate ligament in my right knee while skiing a high altitude itinerary in the Swiss resort of Verbier, a route that had been blasted to make it avalanche safe but left un-groomed to provide an off-piste experience.
That injury – my first in almost 20 years –led to one of the most spectacular experiences of my skiing life as I was airlifted off the Mont Gelé route by helicopter. I dangled from a cable at 3,000m as the pilot flew to flatter terrain and a safe spot to ‘load me’ into the chopper.
Thankfully, the number of skiers and snowboarders who get injured in the Alps each season is low but some experts fear an increase this winter as holidaymakers return to the slopes after a two-year gap.
There are many ways to protect ourselves from injury as we return to skiing – from strengthening exercises to body alignment techniques and cardio fitness, there’s a mountain of information and advice available, often provided free of charge online by reputable experts like Verbier coach Warren Smith.
Last December, I returned to the scene of my injury to try to rekindle my love of off-piste skiing. I planned to find a new comfort level on easy slopes to test my knee and work to switch my ‘ski legs’ and brain back on. As I checked into Hôtel de Verbier, I thought about ditching my skis and relaxing in its cocoon-like cosiness. Decked out in Scandi-Alpine style with natural textures and curated details, its reception area has sheepskin armchairs and an eye-catching collection of images by the ‘godfather of ski photography’ Mark Shapiro.
The snow won out. But first up was a yoga class at the hotel. Yoga is a great way to improve flexibility for skiing as it stretches muscles and improves balance and core strength. My teacher was ex-freeride snowboarding champion Emilien Badoux who, as well as being a world class snowboarder and yogini, is a surf instructor and paragliding pilot who flies home after a day on the slopes.
He guided me through the session in a way that protected my knee, holding back on movements that might be literally a stretch too far. It was clear that getting into a regular yoga routine should be a part of my ‘get back to skiing’ plan.
Afterwards, I met the hotel’s Swedish owners Ebba and Eld whose young children can already confidently ski Verbier’s slopes. I wondered, only half joking, if the children might throw a few ski technique tips my way before I ventured onto the mountain.
But there was no escaping it – despite feeling nervous I had to get back on the skis. And what a place I had chosen to do it in.
Verbier is one of six resorts in the Four Valleys and the headline act in Switzerland’s largest ski area with 410km of pistes stretching through Bruson, Nendaz, Veysonnaz, Thyon and La Tzoumaz. The area offers some of the best and most scenic skiing in the world with spectacular views of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn from the top of the Mont Fort cable car.
Top of my priorities was to regain the feeling of exhilaration and freedom that skiing gives me. That meant staying in my new comfort zone, as well as not skiing too early in the morning when slopes are icy and can antagonise an injury, but waiting until the sun has softened the snow.
Helping me on my mission was instructor Jan Uygur from Adrenaline ski school who let me take things at my own pace and kept an eye on my technique.
A water sports fan, he recommended that I try stand-up paddle boarding as a cross-over summer activity, as SUP strengthens leg muscles which will in turn protect the knees. His other advice was to clock up more hours on the slopes – the only way to get truly ski fit.
After a confidence-building morning on the slopes of Les Attelas and La Chaux, it felt good to be back.
Jan skied with me to The Black Tap, a New York style luncheonette serving up craft burgers and beers at 3,000m, at Col de Gentianes. All effort demands reward – mine was the real deal, an All American burger with cheesy fries and a ‘crazy shake’.
But lurking in the background was the really big challenge of my trip – finding the confidence to ski un-groomed terrain again. For this, I had enlisted ski coach Warren Smith. Former head coach on TV series The Jump, Warren is part of the Völkl Freeride team, and has owned the WSSA ski academy in Verbier for more than 20 years. He’s half Irish and runs ski instructor courses based on the IASI (Irish Association of Snowsports Instructors) qualification.
He has just completed a ‘tactics and technique’ video series, which can be viewed for free on Facebook and YouTube but I was in the lucky position of having his expertise for the day.
Still, I dreaded the prospect of skiing away from groomed pistes, a horrible feeling after years of loving the freedom of off-piste terrain. The fear of getting injured again was real, my confidence at a low ebb.
Warren taught me a number of drills to improve my technique and protect my knees when skiing, including angulating with the hips rather than the knees as I had previously learned to do. He also encouraged me down Vallon d’Arbi, a beautiful long run with pockets of powder snow that I had skied pre-injury. It was nerve-racking, and I skiied badly, which was disheartening but Warren helped me realise that this was the beginning of the way back.
“I know from my own experience that getting back to skiing after an injury is a longer process than you might think,” he said. “Be positive, get the practice in and let yourself be guided through the process by a qualified instructor.”
Vallon d’Arbi took us down to the tranquil village of La Tzoumaz. With 55km of slopes, it’s a perfect bolthole for families who don’t need the pulse of Verbier’s off-piste terrain and après-ski scene.
A tasty lunch there at the Auberge restaurant soothed my stress away and, back in Verbier, I was ready to celebrate with a wine-tasting session at new private members wine club, 67 Pall Mall. Described as a home from home, the club matches the resort’s cosmopolitan vibe and has 3,000 wines on offer (a third of them Swiss; 500 available by the glass). I quaffed a delicious Chasselas, chosen by head sommelier Lucy Meza Ortega and breathed a sigh of relief.
My knee had held up to two days of Verbier’s slopes. I had managed a return to the scene of the ACL crime and dipped my ski boot back into un-groomed territory.
I was on my way back to my skiing life.
Getting there
Swiss Air flies from Dublin and Cork to Geneva, one way fares from €69. swiss.com
Verbier is a two-hour journey from Geneva by train to Le Châble then bus or cable car to the resort. The Swiss Transfer Ticket costs €154 for a second-class round trip, €248 first class. sbb.ch
A six-day lift pass for the whole Four Valleys area is €364.
Hôtel de Verbier B&B rates are from €218 per room per night. hoteldeverbier.com
The Warren Smith Ski Academy (www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com) runs ski courses across all levels from intermediate to instructor and masters courses.
