PLANETSKI ROAD TRIP HEADS TO NAX

15th January 2018 | James Cove, Nax, Switzerland

Last modified on October 21st, 2021

There are two things I hate in life.

Well, three actually, but the third has no place on a skiing web site.

The first is leaving a ski resort when I have barely scratched the surface of what is on offer.

The second is getting up early.

My bus left Chandolin left at 06.37 as I began my journey round to Nax and I had a fabulous day yesterday.

One of those really special days:

• The PlanetSKI road trip accelerates. 

I was not happy as I left the hotel 06.25.

Leaving Chandolin. Image © PlanetSKI

The fact there was a serious amount of snow on the bus stop made it even worse.

Chandolin, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

Leaving Chandolin. Image © PlanetSKI

I’d like to tell you that the beautiful mountain scenery invigorated my early start and made me glad to be alive.

It didn’t.

I fell straight to sleep and woke up with a stiff neck at 08.42 as the bus we pulled into Sierre railway station down in the valley.

It was a 10-minute rail journey to Sion.

My first pleasure of the day was seeing the train pull out of Sion station on the way to Geneva airport.

But I wasn’t going that way – I was going skiing.

Sion station, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

It was a 20-minute road journey up the mountain.

Breakfast awaited.

Breakfast at last. Image © PlanetSKI

Now I have been trying to stay in hotels that offer something out of the norm.

The Maya boutique hotel certainly did that.  It has won various environmental awards and is certainly a hotel with a difference.

Nax, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

But more of the hotel later.

And so it was up the mountain.

Most resorts have a cable car or gondola as the main lift.

Perhaps a high-speed chairlift.

Nax has an ancient 2-person chairlift and the people getting on ahead of me hadn’t even bothered with skis.

The piste map hardly inspires.

And yet:

And as I hit the other parts of the resort my video has, if anything, under-sold the terrain.

The pistes were long, hard and fast.

The 8km run from top to bottom perhaps the highlight.

Nax, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

Yet the aspect that staggered me was the freeride terrain.

I consider I have some knowledge of ski resorts as I spend my time meandering round them – 100 days or so each winter as I clock up 50+ resorts.

Yet I had never heard of Nax’s terrain. Big mistake.

Nax, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

And this year it has had a serious amount of snow.

Nax, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

Nax, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

The resort does not have any snow canons or artificial snow.

“We prefer to keep it natural here,” the President of the local commune, Bernard Bruttin, said to me.

“We focus on quality and the quality of our snow has been exceptional this year.”

It does though have its downsides as last December at Xmas it was unable to open as there wasn’t enough snow.

This year is a different story.

On Saturday it had its busiest day for 20 years as 2,000+ locals in the know flooded in.

For piste skiing and off-piste skiing.

Nax, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

So, what about the Maya boutique hotel that I am staying in?

Nax, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

And what’s with the gypsy caravan in the photo?

It’s a sauna.

A sauna with a view.

Nax, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

The Maya boutique hotel has won umpteen environmental awards and offers guests the use of an electric car for free (though a donation is requested).

But enough of the words and pictures see my video report from the hotel:

Nax sits at the head of the Val d’Herens.

And is a pretty alpine village.

Nax, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

But if you want some nightlife then go somewhere else.

On the Sunday night I was three restaurants were open and a single bar.

At the far end is the Val d’Herens is Arolla – another resort I have not visited and is on my list.

Maybe next year…

I would love to have stayed in Nax for longer, but this is a road trip.

And it would not be one of my road trip blogs without my new favourite photo game as I gaze across the valley to the resorts I have so far visited.

Nax to Vercorin, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

See here for my Day 1 report from Vercorin.

Nax to Chandolin, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI

See here for my Day Two report from Chandolin/St-Luc

And next on my list?

My favourite place in the entire world – ski resort or otherwise.

If I could only ever ski at one resort for the rest of my days then this would be it.

Zermatt.

If you want to know why I rate it so highly then check back for the next blog on my PlanetSKI Swiss road trip.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Here is more information about the resorts in the Val d’Anniviers and here are the details about the resort of Nax.

For general information about Switzerland and the Swiss Travel Service that James has been using for his road and rail trip then check out the details on the Official Website of Switzerland Tourism.   www.myswitzerland.com

Flights were with SWISS and the journey was done with a special the 8 day rail ticket – see here for more details.