La Tzoumaz

The name La Tzoumaz derives from the old Valais word "tzoumer" meaning "to take a break" and what a place to do so! La Tzoumaz is a small, quiet village nestled on a plateau at 1500m above the town of Riddes in the Rhone Valley.

The village sits on the North face of the Savoleyres mountain with views out over the Rhone Valley while on the other side of the mountain is Verbier, which is easily accessible by driving up and over the col in summer or by taking the lift and skiing down in winter.

There are a handful of small hotels, shops and restaurants, most of which are to be found on the Rue Centrale near the main lift. The chalets and apartments are both above the main street (alongside the piste and on the mountain pass over to Verbier) and below it in a more secluded, private setting. The village has a small ski lift for children, a natural ice rink and a heated indoor pool and is a great base for families. It does not have a buzzing nightlife so best to buy a chalet and invite friends and family. 

La Tzoumaz is a hugely underrated sector within the 4 Vallees. In the immediate vicinity of the resort there is a good range of blue and red runs, which are wooded, shady and refreshingly crowd-free. On the whole these slopes are well suited to beginners and intermediate skiers, but with Verbier sitting just 5km south, advanced skiers have plenty of options for local skiing too.

There is also the famous La Tzoumaz toboggan run to contend with. This 10km descent is the longest in Western Switzerland and considered a must for visitors to the area. Toboggans can be rented from Savoleyres from around 10 CHF for half a day.

Of all the 4 Valleys resorts, La Tzoumaz has the best and easiest connection to Verbier. The La Tzoumaz gondola will take you up to Savoleyres in around 8 minutes. From there the Planards - Carrefour takes you around the Verbier bowl to the foot of the Mayentzet lift where you can access all the pistes from Verbier up to Mont Fort. 

The return journey is a free shuttle bus from the Medran or from Carrefour back to the Savoyeyres lift and then a choice of red or blue runs back to the centre of the resort. For those on foot it is possible to get from La Tzoumaz to Verbier using the two gondolas in around 30 minutes. There is also the Vallon d'Arbi itinéraire down from Attelas sector which is superb home run for the more confident skier. 

La Tzoumaz has a good mix of apartments and chalets for sale which, when compared with Verbier (just the other side of the Savoleyres), are incredibly well-priced.

In particular, if you are looking for a chalet then La Tzoumaz has some good options and the good news is that prices are around 10k sfrs per m2 compared to 25k or more per m2 in Verbier.