snow all year round. There are 200 km of mountain bike piste. Other activities include climbing, paragliding, swimming, golf, badminton, Ice karting, trips aboard the mountain railways in the area, and an annual music festival. Festival Every summer, the Verbier Festival takes place, featuring seventeen days of musical performances at the invitation of founder Martin Engström. Society Verbier is also a popular holiday destination for celebrities and royalty, including The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Sarah, Duchess of York (who is in the process of selling her chalet) and her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, James Blunt, Diana Ross, Lawrence Dallaglio, Richard Branson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark. The Swedish Royal Family and the Belgian Royal Family also come here. It caters to British customers, but also receives many visitors from Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, France, Austria, the United States of America and South Africa. Events Recurring events include: the most prestigious extreme skiing and snowboarding contest, the Xtreme Verbier which is the final of the FWT the XSpeedski, FIS World Championship + Pro Race the Patrouille des Glaciers, ski mountaineering race every second year at the end of the ski season the Verbier Festival, Appraised international music festival the Grand Raid Cristalp, Mountain bike race Verbier - Grimentz the Grand Concours Hippique, a horse show featuring Grand Prix show jumping qualifiers Exercise White Knight, the British Army's RAC & AAC Downhill Championships and race training camp since 1983. Polaris Festival, Electronic Music Festival. Other events Stage 8, 2005 Tour de Suisse - Pablo Lastras Stage 6, 2008 Tour de Suisse - Kim Kirchen Stage 15, 2009 Tour de France - Alberto Contador Stage 8, 2014 Tour de Suisse - Esteban Chaves Notable residents Paddy McNally, Formula One businessman and socialite Richard Branson (born 1950), British business magnate James Blunt (born 1974), English singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer George Downing (born 1963), property magnate Raymond Fellay (1932–1994), Swiss Olympic alpine skier Itamar Biran (born 1998), Israeli Olympic alpine ski racer References External links Verbier's official website Bagnes Ski areas and resorts in Switzerland Villages in Valais