Verbier has been crowned the best ski resort in the world in 2022 at the latest World Ski Awards. Resorts in the Swiss mountains won a number of accolades on the night, with the alpine nation winning five out of 15 global titles.
For the second time in a row, Verbier beat out 24 other ski resorts from around the world to be named the best in 2022 at the World Ski Awards. It also won the award for best ski resort in Switzerland for the fourth time in five years.
The World Ski Awards describe themselves as "the only global initiative to recognise, reward and celebrate excellence in ski tourism." To decide the winner, members of the public and industry professionals vote on which resort they like the best.
In a statement, the World Ski Awards said that Verbier “has carefully maintained its charm as an alpine village”, and has done more than enough to reclaim the title of the best ski resort in the world. “This is the gateway to the four Vallées ski area - with nearly 100 lifts and more than 400 kilometres of ski runs for all levels of expertise - but also a freeride paradise, and a must for skiers from all over the world,” they said.
They added that the resort “offers a rich variety of sport and other events and festivals”, not to mention its après-ski facilities, which they described as a “real institution” with “unforgettable nightlife”. The Polaris Festival and Xtreme Vebier events were noted as particular highlights on Verbier’s calendar, along with the regular club nights and smaller-scale parties.
“We would like to thank all the destination's partners who make Verbier live and shine internationally and without whom this award would not have been given to us. This victory is that of the entire destination, of the shopkeepers, hoteliers and other professionals of Verbier and the Val de Bagnes,” noted the director of Verbier Tourism, Simon Wiget.
At the event, The W Hotel, also in Verbier, won the “World’s Best Ski Hotel” award for 2022. The judges said that the hotel was very stylish and had a number of great restaurants and facilities to suit any taste. "Whatever / Whenever service, [the] W Verbier team is available to make it happen 24 / 7," they noted.
Elsewhere, Laax in Canton Graubünden beat out nine different resorts to be named the “World’s Best Freestyle Resort” for 2022. For the second time in a row, the rocksresort in Laax was named the world’s best "green" ski hotel and the Chalet Zermatt Peak was chosen as the world's best ski chalet.
In terms of Switzerland-specific awards, the best in each category were:
For more information, check out the World Ski Awards website.