Some ski days are about perfectly groomed pistes and long, boozy lunches. This was not one of those days. This was a day of deep snow, sketchy visibility, and the kind of adventure that left us soaked, starving, and grinning like idiots. The Armadillo Ski Tour wasn’t about taking it easy; it was about pushing deep into one of the best ski resorts in Switzerland, Verbier’s backcountry—steep chutes, hidden valleys, and untouched powder fields—where every turn felt like a calculated risk, and every descent delivered an adrenaline-fueled reward.
Antoine – Local legend, born and raised in Verbier. If you want to get lost in the mountains and live to tell the tale, he’s the guy you call.
Matt – Founder of Ski Armadillo, always up for a challenge, preferably one with a cold beer at the end.
James – MD, just as comfortable navigating a steep descent as he is running the show.
Loic & Ben – Our trusty drivers, ensuring that no matter where we ended up, we had a ride home.
Ali – Sales rep by title, powder-chaser by nature.
We started with Atlas couloir, a ‘warm-up’ that was anything but. The narrow chute demanded quick, committed turns before spitting us into a steep, powder-loaded bowl, where the snow was so deep it swallowed skis whole. Antoine gave us the nod—we’d passed the test.
Next stop: Lac de Vaux, one of the most scenic spots for off-piste skiing in Verbier. We took Lac 2, Verbiers most vintage 3 Man. Here we dropped underneath the lift into an open expanse of soft, rolling terrain. Then it was time to switch to touring mode and start the climb toward Rock Garden—a snow-drenched ridgeline peppered with jagged boulders, ice-crusted cliffs, and pockets of bottomless powder.
Cue: heavy, relentless snow. The kind that swallows sound and sight alike, leaving nothing but the rhythm of your breath and the crunch of snow beneath your skis. Visibility was near zero, forcing us to rely on instinct and feel alone. We reached the summit, and with Antoine leading the way, we edged left, choosing a more sheltered line beneath a rock band where the snow lay deep and undisturbed—his instincts honed by years of navigating Verbier’s backcountry. Next stop: Hidden Valley.
At this point, the day had become something else entirely—more than just a ski tour, it was an odyssey. We pushed upward, the climb steady and relentless, each turn revealing more of the untouched terrain ahead. Then came the final stretch. With skis slung over our shoulders, we bootpacked over exposed rocks, every step a calculated move in the deepening snow. At the summit, we caught our breath, staring down at the entrance to Hidden Valley, a jewel of off-piste skiing in Verbier, untouched and waiting.
It was surreal. A river carved through the landscape, winding between towering rock formations and natural chutes that funneled us into narrow passageways. Every turn had to be precise—veer too far left, and you’d find yourself in a gaping hole, with the sound of rushing water below reminding us of the stakes. The descent demanded focus, balance, and just the right amount of reckless abandon.
Then, the moment we’d all been waiting for: party laps.
With the hardest technical sections behind us, it was time to let loose. We tore down the valley, bouncing off natural kickers, carving through bottomless powder, and sending up walls of snow with every turn. The terrain was playful, dynamic—every ridge, every drop, an open invitation to push harder.
Then came the final challenge: crossing the river.
With no bridge in sight, we resorted to more... unorthodox methods. A few well-placed tree branches, some precarious scrambling, and a lot of questionable decision-making got us across. From there, we linked up with a fire road—long, winding, lined with fallen trees and pockets of sticky snow that threatened to grab your skis and send you tumbling.
Eventually, we popped out onto a deserted mountain road on the La Tzoumaz side. No lifts, no crowds—just miles of untouched wilderness and the high of knowing we’d just skied one of the best lines of the season.
A local taxi picked us up, and 20 minutes later, we were sitting in a tiny, wood-clad restaurant in La Tzoumaz, reflecting on what had been an unforgettable day of powder skiing in Verbier., soaked to the bone, exhausted, and deliriously happy. Beers were ordered immediately. The kind that taste ten times better when your gloves are still wet and your legs feel like lead.
Refueled and recharged, we had just enough left in the tank for one last full-send run down the front of Savoleyres. A fast, loose, powder-fueled blur, carving fresh tracks through rolling meadows before finally calling it. Legs: destroyed. Spirits: sky-high.
The Armadillo Ski Tour? A masterclass in Type 2 fun, an adventure-packed ski trip in Switzerland that will be hard to top. The kind of day that makes you question your sanity in the moment but leaves you desperate to do it all over again.
Same time next season?
