Where to Ski And Snowboard - Dispute breaks up 4 Vallées ski area

Dispute breaks up 4 Vallées ski area

23rd June 2014, by Abi Butcher

Verbier has been forced to create its own ski area following a long dispute

The 4 Vallées ski area in Switzerland — Verbier, Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon — will cease to exist from next week.

Téléverbier, the lift company that covers the Verbier area, has today announced a new domain called “Verbier Grand Ski”, after finding no resolution following a four-year dispute between Veysonnaz and Thyon. As a result the 4-Vallées agreement, that has been in force since 2006, will cease to exist from 30 June 2014.

The agreement was denounced by Téléveysonnaz (the lift company covering Veysonnaz) in December 2012, following a dispute over funding with the Thyon area that ended up in court five years ago, according to Swiss paper Le Matin.

The areas have been trying to reach an agreement for years, but under pressure from the approaching ski season, Téléverbier said today it has been forced to go it alone, and create its own domain. They have until 30 June to officially reach an agreement.

A statement released by Téléverbier today read: “Discussions have been held for months in an attempt to break the impasse created by the termination and establish a new basis for the 4-Vallées (...). They have unfortunately yielded no result so far because of the intransigence of Téléveysonnaz.”

Téléverbier has established a new tariff covering only its own domain, but Where to Ski and Snowboard is awaiting more details on what that ski area will include, and how it will be possible to ski between the four from next season.