Resort height: 1500m
The mountains
Central to Verbier's appeal are two 3000m peaks, Mont Fort and Mont Gelé, both of which are the starting point for many superb off-piste routes. There's plenty of less demanding powder skiing and snowboarding in Verbier too, and if you want to have a crack at it, you'll find lots of ski schools and guides waiting to teach you how. The Warren Smith Ski Academy in particular has made a name for itself helping Brits to develop and improve their ski technique.
By contrast, the pistes in Verbier are a disappointment. There are a plenty of them - 410km in fact in the Four Valleys system, but they don't hang together as well as in the French mega-resorts, and most people congregate on a handful, which leads to chronic overcrowding. Verbier is okay for a weekend holiday, or a short-break, but intermediates will be a lot happier skiing somewhere like Courchevel or Tignes.
Getting there
On a good run you can get to Verbier in under two hours from Geneva airport. The rail service is excellent too.
Rating: 
9/10
Après-ski
Verbier has one of the best scenes in the Alps - not too beery, and not dominated by any one country either. The Farinet is the resort hub, thanks to its choice of bars and clubs, but the Pub Mont Fort is an essential stop too. By contrast, the Verbier restaurant scene is a little underpowered. There are plenty of mid-range restaurants of middling standard on the main street, (the rue de Medran), but only a handful of exceptional places to eat. For years the Rosalp was the place to go, but it's now closed, and Verbier regulars await to see what comes next. Downstairs at the Pub Mont Fort is one of the best places for a more reasonably-priced meal.
Rating: 
4/10
Non-skiers
Despite the ritzy image, Verbier is a single-minded, mountain-fixated place. There are some great masseurs in town (to soothe those aching muscle at the end of a days skiing), and a good pool in the municipal sports-centre. But if you come to Verbier without wanting at least to try the slopes, you'll end up feeling like a second-class citizen.
Rating: 
6/10
Cost of living
Mostly, Verbier is an expensive place to eat, drink and sleep. There is one exception - the Bunker, a disused nuclear fall-out shelter which sleeps 12-36 per room. But for all but the most hard-core bargain-hunter, staying down in Le Chable, a short gondola ride beneath the main village, is the best way to keep a lid on costs.
Rating: 
7/10
Attractiveness of the resort
The village is sprawling and full of big, private chalets, and the one-way traffic scheme creates an endless cycle of cars and minibuses during the day. So it's not the nicest in the Alps. But jump on one of the ski lifts and the atmosphere is instantly transformed. It feels a privilege to be up there.
