First look: Inside the world’s most exclusive new ski chalet

Staying at the world’s most remarkable ski chalet goes something like this: after watching the sun set behind Mont Blanc and crunching through virgin snow to watch the moon rise over Mont Fort, I showered in heated glacier water before enjoying a gourmet feast of local Swiss produce. I was also perched 3,000m (9,843ft) above sea level – that’s less than one Nelson’s Column away from the altitude at which aeroplanes provide passengers with supplementary oxygen.

In a world where accommodation in extreme locations typically requires a compromise on comfort, Cabane Tortin – which officially opened on December 16 – offers unparalleled access to the raw heart of the Alps and first ski tracks down Verbier’s notorious Mont Fort. It’s a blend of luxury and virgin ski descents typically reserved for North American heliski lodges, yet the energy-self-sufficient Cabane Tortin adopts a more purist approach, urging guests to eschew helicopters and snowmobiles in favour of ski touring to reach its door.

The Cabane’s Swiss owner envisages that guests will ride up the Mont Fort cable car from Verbier, spotting its angular lines from above, before descending the ungroomed front face of the peak and ski touring a short way up to the hut from the side of the trail. (Luggage is transported for guests by the Cabane team, who ensure your belongings are in your room on arrival.)

As Cabane Tortin’s first official overnight guest, I learnt that skinning at 3,000m altitude is no mean feat (if you’d rather not tackle the ungroomed Mont Fort itinerary, it’s a 30-minute ski up from Col des Gentianes), particularly if you’re not yet accustomed to the altitude.

But the lung-busting effort reaps rich rewards. The Cabane’s striking design showcases the cutting-edge architecture of Norway’s Snorre Stinneson, known for creating bold properties with lines that reflect their wild settings. Matching the footprint of the original mountain refuge, which previously stood on the site and was first opened in 1981 by the Ski Club of Nendaz, Stinneson’s creation is hewn from stone and powder-coated steel, with a 33ft-long sloping panoramic window lining the cantilevered ground floor.

The minimalist theme continues inside, where blonde wood, black-coated steel and brushed concrete are complemented by furniture from famed designers including Fredrik A Kayser and Le Corbusier. After taking three years to finish construction, it’s rumoured to have cost several million Swiss francs to create the exclusive address.

Beautiful, functional and sustainable design is apparent throughout. The entrance hall is lined entirely in wood, with more than 100 movable timber hooks enabling guests to curate their preferred storage solutions. Moving into the main living area in Haflinger slippers ordered for and gifted to each guest, a wall of glass reveals the mountains in technicolour glory, with views reflected in a long mirror above the kitchen. The master suite is separated from this area by a glass-encased fire, with a secret sliding door offering privacy. A further two bedrooms and a shared bathroom are located to the rear of the Cabane, as well as a sauna.

“We advise you not to spend longer than 10 minutes in the sauna,” I was warned by Kim, one of the Cabane’s guardians (the traditional term used for staff who live in Alpine refuges). It was one of several rules she and her partner, Dan, shared shortly after I arrived. Spending a night at this altitude is a serious endeavour, even when ensconced in designer comfort with a private chef and wine cellar at your disposal.

Rules number one and two were critical – don’t miss the 3.30pm Jumbo cable car from La Chaux to Gentianes (you won’t be sleeping at the Cabane if you do), and tell a guardian if you’re venturing outside, particularly after dark. Also, drink lots of water and minimal alcohol to offset the dehydrating effects of the altitude, and take short showers (the water used at the Cabane is harvested from a local spring and stored in two vast tanks in the cellar).

The Cabane’s high-alpine setting, and the potential complications of hosting guests here, is why exclusive use of the retreat includes the company of at least one fully qualified mountain guide from the Bureau des Guides de Verbier, as well as Verbier 4 Valleys lift passes and ski touring kit hire, including avalanche safety equipment.

Considering the value of those inclusions, plus world-class cuisine cooked by an expert chef, the Cabane’s £52,890 price tag inches towards “good value”; in as far as £5,875 for two adults per night, based on six guests taking exclusive use, can be classed as such. To give some context, one night’s B&B in a top suite at the W Verbier down in the valley costs from £10,570, while a three-day heliskiing trip based in a three-star hotel in Verbier costs from £8,735 for two skiers with Elemental Heliskiing.

These prices are a clear reflection of Verbier’s inexorable rise into the rarefied world of ultra-luxury. On my first night in Verbier, while chatting with Yamira Boubegtiten, the membership manager at the exclusive 67 Pall Mall club, I’d mentioned my forthcoming visit to Cabane Tortin. “They keep saying they’ll get me up there to have a look,” she lamented. “But the weather and my schedule haven’t coincided to get me up there with the helicopter yet.” She added with a wry grin: “Everybody in Verbier has chopper problems these days.”

Verbier locals lament the “Courchevelisation” of their town, with some railing against a former mountain hut being developed into a luxury pad. And whether guests really will toil uphill on skis to reach the Cabane rather than hail a chopper remains to be seen. However, Cabane Tortin’s extreme nature will undoubtedly limit its appeal to wealthy, committed skiers seeking a unique mountain adventure. If that’s you, I should mention that I didn’t get much sleep…

…Partly because of my valiant efforts to remain hydrated but mostly because I kept waking to gaze at the stars studding the inky sky and the snow-blanketed peaks bathed in the light of the waning full “cold moon”. It was the best sleepless night of my life.

Essentials

Stay at Cabane Tortin from CHF60,000 (£53,300) for exclusive use for six guests, including full-board, three days of private guiding and ski equipment hire and a three-day Verbier 4 Valleys lift pass. You can fly to Geneva with Swiss from £100 return. Gabriella was a guest of Cabane Tortin and Switzerland Tourism.