 Poster: A snowHead
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So I know that Turin is super convenient for Gressoney, but the flight times offered by BA, Easyjet and Ryanair aren't the greatest. I'm looking at Milan Malpensa. This doesn't look too much further than Turin on the map - can anyone let me know how long it is likely to take to do that drive? I'm relatively calm in the face of Italian driving BTW.
Would it be a lot longer from Milan Linate or Geneva (going through the Mt Blanc tunnel)?
Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Arno, It will only take you about 45 mins Italian speed driving longer. Howver if you could get a flight to Malpensa that would be much easier as it is West of Milan as opposed to Linate - I wouldn't bother with GVA as it is a bit further and the roads aren't as good as I recall (??) - I should have added that getting around the Milan ringroads has always been proved too much for me without making at least one mistake 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Arno, Malpensa not much (30-45 mins) longer although you have a short cross country section until the new motorway opens. You need to follow signs to Novarra and get on the Aosta motorway that way. Can be tricky late at night.
Linate about an additional 30 mins on top of that. NB direction around Milan ring road seems relatively immaterial, as we've gone both ways round and it hasn't made much difference.
Once the new motorway opens, there will be little in it between turin vs malpensa.
Geneva, about 3 hours, depending on tunnel. We've done that on occasion but Turin definitely best. Road from Geneva absoultely fine apart from the section from the tunnel to Courmayeur, which isn't motorway.
That said, returning hire cars to Turin is totally confusing with all the signs pointing in the wrong direction. Went round the car parks 4 times last year before finding the right way. By that point running late for the flight I complained to get a typical Italian admin response, "yes, everyone says that".
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks everyone. Malpensa didn't look much worse, but it's good to have that confirmed
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David Murdoch, Glad I'm not the only one who hated Turin - ended up going into a one way on the 2nd time around thinking I must have missed it, and had to reverse with annoyed parking lot attendents ahead and people coming into the airport behind 
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agavin, quite.
Turin is fairly far down my list of airports I like. Amsterdam (Schiphol) is probably at the top.
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Arno,
Where are you staying..?
I have some names of guides who organise everything from the Dufour in La trinite..!!
Am I the only one that thinks the link fromthe tunnel all the way done to the Gressoney turnoff..can't remember the name...is not so great despite it being a new road...!! The long drive up to the village is intereseting....all the flood damge etc....!!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Arno,
Where are you staying..?
I have some names of guides who organise everything from the Dufour in La trinite..!!
Am I the only one that thinks the link fromthe tunnel all the way done to the Gressoney turnoff..can't remember the name...is not so great despite it being a new road...!! The long drive up to the village is intereseting....all the flood damge etc....!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Arno,
I used the local website to do ad hoc trips and have had joy at the old quaint Busca Thedy in La Trinite. That is a short walk to the lifts, 5 mins max. If you have to stay in St Jean it is quite a drive up the valley to get to any meaniful lifts. You could always try the refuge that devides the Gressony and Alagna valleys....you will probably spend most of your time getting up there anyway.
Do you know the valley..??
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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shh. please don't talk about Gressoney in an open forum, let's keep it quiet 
I've stayed at the DuFour and also the sport hotel opposite, v handy for lifts and guides, seeing as the head guides wife runs DuFour!
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JT, I'll pass that recommendation on to the organiser! I went with the same group last season and we stayed in the Stadel. I actually don't mind a bit of a drive first thing - ski in ski out is a bit of a myth except in nonsense places like la plagne
My knee was a bit nacked when I went last season so I didn't ski as much as I would have liked. However, as you say, we always headed out from Staffal (?sp). We had lunch at that refuge on the first day - lovely rabbit pasta but it's nice to get back into the valley for the night (unless you're on a proper hut based tour, obviously). Did a few runs from the Polvere Rosa book but plenty left to do. Those ones off Punta Vittoria look tempting...
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You know it makes sense.
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Arno,
It sounds like you have it covered then if you don't mind the drive. The walk to the lifts in La Trinity will only be a blast down to Staffal for the lifts upto the ridge so nothing really gained. They say that St Jean is a bit livlier but the skiing kanckers us so that sort of thing doesn't count in Monterosa as far as we are concerned.
Have never got upto Vittoria and Malfatta was cancelled on us. But as you say there is plenty to do and the rides are quite reasonable.
How is Olen now that they have bulldozed it and what plans for the old old cable car....I had heard they weren't going to replace it but would lose so much height if they didn't..so hoave little choice but the to keep the car running. Not been back for a couple of years, might have to go again this year. So thats 3 trips in the plan stage. Titlis, La Grave/ADH and maybe Monterosa...sounds like we will see you in one or the other...!!
gregh,
Who is the head guide..?? I can remember Carlos and Alex from the Dufor and Roberto from Alanga.... all very impressive.
Sergio doesn't seem to get out much...probably the first celeb guide....and I don't mean that disrespectively as I have never skied with him...but his fame has spead...!!!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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JT, first I heard they were replacing the cable car, then i heard they were going to do away with it altogether. either solution would be a bit of a shame in my view, although the latter much worse. i'm quite a fan of outdated lifts in off-piste meccas - rubbish uplift = fewer people tracking the place out! no uplift at all = me using my skins a bit more than I would like
Seems like you and I have quite similar tastes in skiing (Titlis/Engleberg being on my to do list) so I wouldn't be surprised if our paths cross at some point 
(i'm always too nackered after a full day off-piste to be bothered with much nightlife so i haven't sampled the delights of the St Jean apres scene!)
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Poster: A snowHead
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Arno,
Me too, as regards the lift...! But it can't go on much longer and I doubt Alagne can afford to replace it. They had to do the others with Eu money and they just don't get the traffic to pay for it. Also the the funds has to go through Aosta and Piedmont so it makes it more difficult. Watch this space but bulldozing Olen is criminal but that will be the econmics of the valley, more people needed to pay for the lifts so it may be changing forever...!!!
I may check within you nearer the time to see whether we will be in the same place. I will defo' be in Titlis this year, I just need consensus on the other trips....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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JT, yes - the first time I saw that lift I was almost overwhelmed by its similarity to a rusty sardine tin!
If Olen's where I think it is (good at directions, bad at names...), it had been bulldozed by the time I went there for the first time so I haven't had the chance to compare 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Arno,
But very high...!!!
Olen is the run down from the hut into the Alagne valley. It may now be red/black.
Balma is the old lift that you walk through a derelict building and have to run and jump on to get out of the Stolen bowl, I think its called.
That is the bowl that is served by the old cable. If you don't take the Balma run and jump basket lift you ski all the way down to the Village. Only do this in very good snow as the routes goes through a right rat run through the trees...Boarders hate it...!!!
In fact quite a few runs end with a rat run through the trees.....!!
Still, Alagne is very quaint and worth a beer as it will be along ride upto the ridge and back to Gressoney..!!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Hi gregh,
The guide looks familiar but may have shorter hair in the pic than I remember. I really liiked Roberto who we met in Alagne a few years ago and he couldn't take us skiing because he got sick. A couple of years after that we meet him again when he got assigned to us for a trip over the Monterosa - a last minute thing and we came across from La Trinite - and it was such a nice surprise. He didn't exactly remember us but he remembered his sickness, such a nice man, really enjoyed our time with him.
I have been to the area 4 times now and I have never had great conditions, certainly not the conditions you would love to get there. It is strange because the wind comes predominatly from the south so it doesn't have the same snow bias as say, France. This was explained to me by a guide called Alex from down the valley...very sorted, as they all seem to be... and he said the weather was a great problem. That and the lift issue. They may well be the the main factors hindering the area and because we have never had the conditions we haven't been back for two years now. I can imagine what a place it would be after a dump but the high winds are an issue. It was the reason they put in the Olen lift, at least you can get out of the Alagne valley because is it not so exposed.
We have moved on to Engelberg which is our current favourite and we have one or two other places we may want to explore.
I have a lot on Vid of both areas but not sure if I can post it
What plans do you have this year...? Any gems?
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gregh,
The pic looks like it was taken in the bar at the bottom of the steep black into Stafeel, The one that all the guides meet up in to say goodbye to their clients after a day out. Don't they have a very poorly sighted dog there..?? Or maybe I just need to go there again.
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Hi JT,
I don't think we took a piste to get there, so no idea if it's at the bottom of a steep black, it's at the top of the valley, where you can take the bubble up above a black then ski back down to Gressoney, or the "tram" up the other side and over into Champoluc.
regards,
greg
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Arno,
I assume you wil hire a car because public transport is very few and far between from Milan. I think a friend did Linate and it took him best part of a day and we had to pick him up down the valley as well. At least Gressoney is better than Alagne is this respect.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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JT, definitely hiring a car 
Olen is the place I thought it was. It's quite a fun fast black run, but I can see that that valley must have been great when it was totally unpisted
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FAQ
) on the trip so we should get to some good places.
