Bond

Nat and Noa @ 2,500 meters.

After Mont Fort, we bike a winding trail down from the snow capped mountain-peak through alpine terrain to lush grass valley fed by glacial streams; cows wander with large clanging bells. Just like Disney only here it is.

The Alps different, BTW, then the mesa or Sneffels Wilderness : the gradients steeper and the vistas cover multiple spiky ranges. From Verbier, the trails (or gondolas) take the hiker or biker to the top , no hesitation. Of course this is a ski resort : 35 lifts to 33 runs, two snowparks, one "Jardin de Neige" (a relatively flat area that is used for small children learning to ski), four cross-country pistes and two walking areas. But Verbier perhaps best known for its "off piste" trails which open the mountain in an entirely different way. Heli-skiing also an option.