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Champoluc - Cervinia link

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I have been wondering for years why they have not linked these towns. It should not be too difficult given the landscape and imagine how it would be to ski from Zermatt to Alagna with only the use of lifts. Anyone who have heard any rumours regarding this subject?
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Woosh, Am I right in thinking that both Monterosa and Cervinia/Zermatt are already very large ski areas?

I would imagine the problem is to do with regional boundaries and local authorities. Already there is a ludicrous situation with lift passes in Cervinia, if you buy the international pass that allows you to cross the border into Switzerland you do not have access to other Vallée d'Aosta resorts that you would normally get with a Cervinia/Valtournenche lift pass. Bizarre!
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Woosh, Heard they were doing it years ago!! Like the Samoens/PdS link! It will not happen! Sad
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I think there was some discussion on German forum recently:

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&prev=hp&rurl=translate.google.co.uk&sl=de&tl=en&u=http://www.1815.ch/wallis/aktuell/avanti-zermatt-70051.html&usg=ALkJrhjSDtahscZD_emTXwqpR2N9bE4Irw

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alpinforum.com%2Fforum%2Fviewtopic.php%3Ff%3D12%26t%3D248%26start%3D2900%26sid%3D5969dc2d72aca632acab15428640fc66
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As an engineering project it would be huge, and I wonder whether the small number of beds in Champoluc can justify it really. There are more beds in Gressony, but were Champoluc connected I'm not sure any increase in resort size would be served by the smallish road. It might work if Switzerland and Italy ever fell out and the Zermatt link closed.
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Woosh, It was discussed many years ago and it would be quite doable with the skiing run back to Champoluc down the Cime Bianche. The Cervinia side infrastructure is and was already in place.

However, one condition was that Cervinia would take management superiority in the joint organisation.

This the local Champoluc head heid yins could not possibly countenance and in a fit of the usual daftness, decided that they'd rather be big fish in a small Monterosa pond than give Champoluc the economic, social and credibility boost that it, errr, doesn't get from the Freeride (every 3rd year in a blue moon) not-quite-Paradise links over to Alagna.

Trebles all round!!!!

It's now way too late to do anything about it from a fiscal, regulatory or environmental point of view.

But hey, you've got to love small-town-big-mountain politics, don't you?
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This would make a brilliant area.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10153996899420776&substory_index=0&id=173336390775
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As mentioned by others...Its just been announced that it will be linked .!!!! . Eventually .. see monterosa face book page, links into Frachey ..sorry for copy posting it again but i like the idea .. as long as it does not get busy in champoluc .. 😊😊


https://www.facebook.com/MonterosaSki/photos/a.195093360775.137599.173336390775/10153996899420776/?type=3&theater
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Update since my last post.

There is a serious move on the Zermatt side to make this happen. An expensive study has been done with positive results. The locals have been polled and voted for. Aoste has apparently approved funding.

There is an opposition group arguing for a different path, which to my mind actually makes better sense.

The new Ayas mayor has it as his #1 priority after his #1#1 priority of reopening the cinema.

It may yet happen...
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I've not done any off pisting in the area so have no idea, but is it not already possible to ski from Cime Bianche down to st. jacques ? a friend said she's walked to the refuge near the Bianche from both cervnia and from Champoluc and says its not that far !!!
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@yorkshirelad, yes, it is - I've not done it myself but the wife did regularly as a nipper. What's being discussed is a lift back up again.

It arguably could become an attraction in its own right like the Vallee Blanche.

Just the shot in the arm the area needs.

I got this article on Sat morning http://www.lastampa.it/2016/12/17/edizioni/aosta/da-cervinia-a-gressoney-con-gli-sci-diventeremo-il-comprensorio-pi-grande-al-mondo-CAuYszDMCxpVlBugx96dKI/pagina.html

So it does seem to being taken seriously...
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Under a new name...
Are you living in resort at the moment ?
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I always assumed that the town wanted to stay as it is rather than turn into a big resort.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Idcxty, no, we have an apartment there and happened to have a couple of weekends booked.

Ironically, having thought (in a sort of Brexit/Trump way) that (despite it being one of the nicest - possibly the only - recently modernised flats in the village) there was "no way" it would get booked out, it's now fully until booked until season end. We have a few days in January but that's it.

If it carries on like this though the renovation payback will be way shorter than expected Happy - so none of us are complaining.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I've skied back to Champoluc from Cervinia. It was blue run standard ungroomed, but a piste had developed.

We set off about 10am and went to the bottom of the chair at Bettaforca in the Champoluc system.
A helicopter landed and took us to more than 4,000m on Monte Rosa near Castor and Pollux area.
We skied all the way from there down the glacier past the awe-inspiring Liskamm and the Breithorn to Zermatt.
Took the lift system all the way to the top of Kleine Matterhorn, picked up the T bar to the link piste to Cervinia.
Had an amazing lunch at the Testa Grigia. Skied to the piste turnoff left at Cime Bianche to and skied all the way to Saint Jaques stopping at a lovely rustic inn for a beer.
It was a bit grassy and wet at the St Jaques end, then a lift home through Fraichey a mile or two home to Champoluc.
I can see why the Champoluc people wouldn't want to invest in a big long lift system just to deliver their customers to Cervinia.
On the other hand Cervinians would be able to have a day away in Champoluc and try to trek over to Gressonney/Alagna on a long spring day.
I'd suggest that the "undiscovered" quality that Champoluc still retains would fade, and that crowding would increase.
There would be a big risk for both sides of getting stuck on the wrong side and not making it home.
On the other hand, just look at the map to see the colossal area that would be opened up. Gressonney and Alagna might have to look to their laurels.


Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Mon 19-08-19 10:48; edited 2 times in total
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Quote:

I'd suggest that the "undiscovered" quality that Champoluc still retains would fade, and that crowding would increase.


quite possibly

Quote:
There would be a big risk for both sides of getting stuck on the wrong side and not making it home.


no worse than getting stuck in Alagna if you're staying in any other valley. Or in Champery if you are staying in Morzine, f'rinstance.
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[quote="under a new name"]
Quote:


Quote:
There would be a big risk for both sides of getting stuck on the wrong side and not making it home.


no worse than getting stuck in Alagna if you're staying in any other valley. Or in Champery if you are staying in Morzine, f'rinstance.


Well if they try to sell Gressonney/Alagna to the Cervinians, that's two mountain passes. Cime Bianche as well as Bettaforca.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@SkiPresto, ?? confused?
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@under a new name
Sorry for any confusion. I may have to consult map 🙂
Here is the explanation.
There have been proposals to link Champoluc/St Jacques back to Cervinia.
I'm saying that this is a long way if people continue over to Alagna, with three passes to return over. Difficult in bad weather.

From Champoluc you can go over the Bettaforca to Gressonney.
Then, you can continue over the Passo Salati to Alagna.

So that's three major passes to return over to get back to Cervinia if there is a new lift from St Jacques.

Certainly, the Bettaforca can go off suddenly because of the wind.
A group needs to be pretty strong to get from Champoluc over to Alagna and back in a day in bad weather.
Let alone back over any proposed Champoluc to Cervinia system.

I can't imagine that these customers will be able to hang around long enough to spend much on lunch.
Therefore there may not be much of a benefit to the balance-sheet to connecting Cervinia with the route to Alagna.

Opening up a completely new area above St. Jacques, though is quite an attractive idea commercially, I would suspect.

http://www.monterosa-ski.com/wp-content/uploads/SKIRAMA-MONTEROSA-SKI.pdf
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@SkiPresto, oh you are quite correct, yes, it would be a pita to get stuck wrong side, but already these problems exist... Laughing
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Quote:

it would be a pita to get stuck wrong side


always carry a head torch, skins and a map Toofy Grin

Alternatively, make sure BernardC is in your group Laughing
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Oh, MG: I think I'm beginning to see the "funny" side of Snowheadz.

Confused
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Just back from trekking around Champoluc. The new link is under construction - saw the base station being build and helicopters whoozing around with what looked like construction materials. Would be surprised if it would be ready for the coming season though.
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@mooney058, which new link? I didn’t think it was signed off yet and certainly not as far as detailed planning Puzzled
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under a new name wrote:
@mooney058, which new link? I didn’t think it was signed off yet and certainly not as far as detailed planning Puzzled

There is a new gondola up to Crest from the village of Champoluc.
I think this is perhaps what @mooney058 is describing. Except, it is up and running, and @mooney058 was describing a lift under construction.
http://www.thealps.com/news/the-new-gondola-from-champoluc-is-up-and-running
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@SkiPresto, it is up and running, has been for some time, and is really rather excellent Happy
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@SkiPresto, @under a new name, I was using the new Crest gondola this past January!
I am referring to a new link to Cervinia. At the end of Frachey it looked like a new bottom station was being build (although it might be a different building altogether). Maybe it was just my wishful thinking to see the gondola station rather than something else. And helicopters possibly transporting supplies to rifugios?
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@mooney058, haven’t seen any news since Aoste launched a new study project in April, and none of the locals were discussing it in March... so I’d be amazed if that’s what was going on ...
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
looks like a good route on google but its a long way, over four and half miles so it would require at least 3 lifts. It also faces south and looks fairly rocky so it would require some bulldozing and snow making and may struggle to open early in the season.
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@Peter S, i think the main proposal is only one or max two lifts. From Frachey/St Jacques. There’s a more alternative and less environmentally damaging option that goes up directly above Cervinia or Zermatt, but it would be more expensive.

Last update as of April was a working committee had been established by Aosta...
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 Poster: A snowHead
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If they can make it future proof perhaps as part of the Cervinia to Zermatt ‘alpine ridge’ project which may attract the south East Asian market, then they may Find it easier to raise the money needed ?
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@Peter S, oh the valley(s) definitely see it as contributing to Aosta being an all season destination.
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last year (2018) whilst having a coffee up at St. Jacques quite a few people skied to the restaurant , not sure where they came from but itiailly thought it was cervinia !!!!!!!!! as i don;t know any other route to get there from
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@Idcxty, bus from Frachey?
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@Idcxty, Just from looking at google maps, if you hiked/toured North West from the top of the Bettaforca chair it would bring you to a col with a moderately steep North facing pitch leading down from it which you could imagine being a lot of fun. This would eventually loop round back to St Jacques and would probably be a less serious undertaking than coming all the way from Cervina
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@Idcxty, heliski?

http://guidechampoluc.com/en/leattivita/heliski-en/

Quote:

One of the highest heliski tours in Europe; with an incredible view of the Monte Rosa massif. Departure from Champoluc to Bettaforca, where the helicopter will take you to Colle di Verra. Descent along a spectacular and immense glacier, which ends with a narrow and interesting passage between the rocks and an ice creek. Continue along the ski tracks to Furi; from here by the lifts, you will reach the Kleine Matterhorn. Then you will descend the Cime Bianche Valley to return to Champoluc.
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Idcxty wrote:
last year (2018) whilst having a coffee up at St. Jacques quite a few people skied to the restaurant , not sure where they came from but itiailly thought it was cervinia !!!!!!!!! as i don;t know any other route to get there from


I have skied down to there. From the top of the Klein Matterhorn lift you ski/skin across the plateau on the south side of the Breithorn. Then drop down into the long valley that leads to St Jacques. We then got a taxi back round to Breuil-Cervinia to get the lifts back up to the border. Even when there is a decent group of you the taxi is not cheap! Cheaper than heliskiing I guess. Certainly is a lovely run.
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Been blogging about this for my client Matterhorn Chalets:
https://www.matterhornchalets.com/2019/07/31/the-alplinks-project-zermatt-cervinia-monterosa-ski-combined/
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@iainm, I didn’t think Alplinks were still involved. Pleased to see it’s being talked about.
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I'll definitely be following it. It's interesting to see the conflict between local business and environmentalists. It seems to me to be one of those 'grands projets' like the link between ADH and Les 2 Alpes, Cluses and Flaine or Megeve and Espace Diamante that will never happen
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