FIRE! We've been working hard for months to bring you this little gem... After a few chocolate bars with the Faction team, we decided we absolutely had to get back to basics. A real Freetouring session in Switzerland (with lots of descents 😉 )
FACTION puts its latest AGENT SERIES skis equipped with Rando bindings at your disposal to tour their ancestral land, Verbier, accompanied by Cyril. A hell of a local guide who knows the best lines to ski.
Ready to swallow some snow? Don't be on the balan* and see what we've got for you.
With the Faction team, we couldn't let you traverse its snowy slopes without equipping you. You arrivein the afternoon to collect your equipment from the FACTION shop. The team will show you the latest range of Touring AGENT skis, adjust them especially for you, and check that they're not waxed with Gruyère cheese.
And because sleep and socializing are so important, we've found you a hotel just a 10-minute walk from the lifts, the Bristol. An opportunity to get to know other riders over a beer before tomorrow's big day.
Friday
Tête de la Payanne
Bruson
Sauna
We're not here to count groundhogs
A good night's sleep, a good breakfast, a packed lunch and Cyril arrives at the hotel around around 8:30 am.
On the agenda: we check our equipment and fine-tune our program for the next two days, depending on the weather, over a cup of coffee! Then it's off to the cash desks to collect your ski passes (at your own expense), before a refresher course on off-piste safety and the use of avalanche transceivers, essential in the mountains.
Your super guide takes you to the tête de la Payanne (300 D+ / 1h30) to get some virgin snow. We might have to put on our skins to go back up and look for new slopes with powder. If we can, we'll look for Bruson, the freeride world tour spot. Sounds promising. We'll stay in this area all day to put our AGENT skis through their paces before heading down to the hotel in the evening.
By the way, you have access to the sauna every evening, so you can rest your legs, which have been hard at work all day.
Saturday
Freetouring
Glacier du Grand Désert
The 4 valleys
Puff, that's what we want!
As on the previous day, Cyril picks you up at the hotel at 8.30am to enjoy the Verbier passes all day long.But today we're sanding the other side of the valley. We're using the lifts to climb up to the Col de Mont Fort... and its 3,300m altitude! From there, you descend to the foot of the Grand Desert glacier, awe-inspiring, isn't it? Put on your skins and warm up your thighs (400D+ / 2h30 max) to pick up lines on a magnificent 2,000m descent.
No time for a clopet*, all afternoon Cyril will show you his playground: the 4 valleys ski area!
At the end of the day, it's back to the hotel for dinner!
*Swiss expression: Une sieste
Sunday - Morning
Champ Ferret pass
2742 m
Debrief
And there's more to come...
We hope the thighs are still there, because after these two exceptional days, we're going to put them to the test again.This morning, Cyril and I are going to climb up to the Col de Champ Ferret at an altitude of 2742 m (270D+ / 1h30), so you'll have plenty of time to take your best photos before the return trip. And if you're in good shape, we'll do a second summit on the way down before the picnic! The coaching ends with a debriefing of these two and a half days of Freetouring.
Sunday - Afternoon
Freedom
4 valleys
Back
It's up to you!
The trip ends with a picnic and a return to the resort. It's up toyou: we'll leave you the skis if you want to spend the afternoon riding the 400 km or so of pistes in the 4 vallées area on your own. It's up to you, but if you'd rather grab a beer with your buddies and enjoy the last few moments of your stay, that's just as cool 😉
(This afternoon is free and unguided. You are no longer under Captain Wild's responsibility)
The program is given as an indication only, and may be modified by your guide according to weather conditions. He knows the region like the back of his hand, and will make sure you have the best experience.
Want a moment of pure Freeskiing? We'll take you into the spirit of THE FACTION COLLECTIVE.
Faction isn't just another ski brand, it's a collective dedicated to skiing in all its forms.
So we're going to take all the best there is in skiing, but watch out Aurélien from Faction and his team turn into the real Maïté when they come up with their recipes for crazy freeskiing holidays!
THE WORD THE FACTION COLLECTIVE
At FACTION, we make high-quality skis that are as advanced in their construction as they are in their use in Freeride, Freestyle and All-Mountain skiing.
Many of the world's best athletes use our products. We capture their inspiring stories to evolve our products. We're an independent group of skiers, artists, filmmakers, engineers, partners, dreamers, and more than the sum of our parts.
We're united by our love of the mountains and the best way to get away from it all.
