 Poster: A snowHead
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@denfinella, good luck! Snow will be fabulous if you make it! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, we waited for the bus with lots of other people. After half an hour we (all) gave up. Snow has now stopped and the ploughs have had a while to work, so we're driving up (road is currently fine and has been cleared well).
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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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| denfinella wrote: |
There was a thick cloud layer at first, but we could see on the webcam that the two top cable cars were above it. So up we went to ski the wide Youla red in glorious sunshine and half empty cable cars, before other people got the same idea. The cable cars are tiny so could build some serious queues on busy days. By late morning the inversion layer dissipated, with a sunny middle part of the day throughout the ski area before it got a bit hazier later on. |
Is Yula the cable car up towards the top of the resort that's got a real sixties aluminium 'streamliner caravan" type feel about it. The red down from there is a lovely cruiser......
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Thu 17-03-22 18:01; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks all for the various helpful comments @rogg, yes it is, and yes it was!
Tuesday 15 March - La Rosiere / La Thuile
Caution - lots of moaning ahead!
After all the snow / bus problems this morning, we were excited to arrive in La Thuile with about a foot of fresh snow. Boarded our first lift about an hour late and initially everything was closed apart from the bottom gondola, but soon everything opened up and we skied through thick fog to La Rosiere.
The La Rosiere side was overcast but with good visibility, while La Thuile stayed foggy all day, repeating the pattern of the other two days we've spent here. There is generally much more snow on the French side, and all but a couple of pistes (both black) were open. The lift system is also very good - core runs are all served by fast 6 seater chairs.
Now for the bad stuff. First of all, the snow quality was absolutely atrocious - after the snow stopped it immediately became very warm (around 10C mid mountain). All the fresh snow was mixed with orange Saharan dust (I've seen this phenomenon online before, but never experienced it first hand) which was like glue to ski on!
The pistes were also quite busy - especially the blues - and everything chopped up very quickly. So: busy, bumpy, glue-like runs, and murky weather spoiling the views. It was also surprisingly windy and I was worried about the link back to Italy closing. Any fresh snow on the trees had already melted by the time we reached France - that's how warm it was!
Runs in the biggest, middle part of the ski area are a bit bland with similar aspects and gradients. Basically the runs down the fall line are of red steepness and the blues are mostly traverses. We could see the pistes of Sainte-Foy, Villaroger, Arc 2000 and Montchavin in the distance - I wonder what conditions were like over there?
We spent most of the time on the Plan du Repos, Petits Bois and Ecudets chairlifts. Counterintuitively, the least sticky snow seemed to be on the lowest slopes as there was less dust here (more sheltered?). The red down to Ecudets at 1170m has no snowmaking and they've done well to keep it open, though cover was very thin and wet lower down. The black Ecudets piste was probably the best run today - bit sticky, reasonable cover and quiet.
At 2pm I'd had enough porridge so we headed back over the ridge from the Fort chair towards Italy. The fog lay in wait immediately beyond the col and the temperature dropped by 10C or so. Snow was much less sticky on the Italian side higher up, but still very heavy going - not much fun combined with bumpy runs and having to ski from pole to pole as visibility was so bad.
Below the tree line, the snow was sticky again, and we were having to pole on the red traverses which "catch" all the resort runs. There was almost no one left skiing, and we also called it a day at 4pm. Not quite the worst ski day I've ever had, but nearly. The car, my ski goggles and helmet are all coated in orange dust.
Chevreuil (black) off the Plan du Repos chair
Elan (red)
Roches Noires chair
La Rosière
Sevoliere drag & Écureuil (black) - short & steep
Ecudets (black) - nice
Fontaine Froide (red) - it got a lot worse than this!
Les Eucherts
A different climate back in La Thuile - still snow on the trees at the end of the day, under the fog
Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer  but I'm hoping there'll be an overnight refreeze, and that pisteurs can work their magic and bury that dust layer. We will see!
P.S. had some excellent, enormous burgers at Puburger in Aosta yesterday evening (though beware - drinks are overpriced). Tonight we are planning to try Osteria dell'Oca. (Thanks for the recommendation @ElzP - you are more than welcome to join us!)
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Thu 24-03-22 1:02; edited 2 times in total
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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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@denfinella, d'you know what, we'd love to, be interesting to meet new people and whinge about the snow! Will message you my number!
We managed 2 runs in Pila this afternoon before giving up, that feeling of the sticky dusty snow plus poor vis was a no from us.  Other threads on here indicate it was similar all over the Alps!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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hopefully for you small price to pay to have to better conditions tmr if the pisteurs can make something of the new snow.
it doesnt always snow overnight and stay bright and cold in the day!!
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| t44tomo wrote: |
| it doesnt always snow overnight and stay bright and cold in the day!! |
If only! New snow followed by a 3200m freezing level and Saharan dust is never going to improve things, but hey, can't control the weather.
Wednesday 16 March - La Rosiere & La Thuile (again)
After a lovely dinner and drinks with @ElzP and partner last night, it was a bit of a struggle getting up early this morning, but we did manage to make first lift at La Thuile. Hot with very hazy sunshine, and the best news was that (at the fourth time of asking) La Thuile wasn't foggy!
14 Terres Noires (blue) under the Chalet Express chair
10 Gran Testa (red) from Chaz Dura
Carabiniers (blue) & the Bellecombe II drag
We soon headed back across to La Rosiere to try the remaining runs, mostly off the Fort chair (fun reds with big rollers), Mont Valaisan (narrow runs but the best snow if you timed it right, i.e. around lunchtime) and the Eucherts chair (easy blues to help our legs recover from slushy bumps).
Crowds on Bouquetin (red) heading towards Italy, while we were France-bound via the Chardonnet chair
Moulins chair - bottom of the newish Mont Valaisan sector
Moulins chair
Combe (red) from the Moulins chair
Combe (red) with Villaroger in the distance
Mont Valaisan sector from the Plan du Repos chair
Eucherts chair from Gelinotte (blue), with Villaroger across the valley
Fort sector from Roc Noir
The expected ice - nice - slush - mush cycle was very much in evidence (temperatures in double figures), but overall the snow was much better than yesterday, as the piste bashers had distributed all the sand more evenly through the snowpack. Still a little sticky on the most orange parts, but more than skiable. It was also reasonably quiet - I think everyone had gone to La Thuile (big queues going in the other direction as we crossed to La Rosiere in the morning). Packed lunch on the lifts again and returned to the "back" part of La Thuile for the second half of the afternoon. The runs off the Fourclaz and San Bernardo chairs are north facing so were a little bit less slushy.
Choppy 22 Longet (red) back in Italy
Fourclaz Express chair
25 Belvédère (black) to the Fourclaz Express chair
18 Ponteilles (red) - our fave!
Run highlights: Blaireau & Traversette off the Fort chair, the top to bottom red on Mont Valaisan (beware - could be tricky if icy or busy). In La Thuile: 23 Belvedere (quite good snow and deserted) on the back side; 18+6 from top to bottom on the front side (we've done this several times now and it's definitely my favourite run in the whole ski area).
Perhaps a greasy kebab tonight, then off to Monterosa Ski tomorrow. Not sure which I'm looking forward to more!
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Thu 24-03-22 1:30; edited 3 times in total
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Not always great time to visit the pair when you have snow with dust on the Italian side and Foehn on the French .
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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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@denfinella, was so great to meet the face behind the always marvellous trip reports!  If you're heading for King Kebab, report back please...
Glad you had a decent day - it was slushy in Pila by 10.30, spring has sprung...
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@denfinella, hope the sun shines for you at Monte Rosa!
If you're starting from Champoluc, the funicular at Frachey has plenty of parking and gets you over to Stafal/Gressoney quickly. If the weather's good and you're hoping to get to Alagna, it's further than you think (no1 son & I didn't get that far), so maybe try doing that first and then explore the areas above Gressoney & Champoluc on the way back depending on time. The black from Gabiet down to Stafal isn't particularly steep, just narrow.
There are some good lunch spots in Gressoney area, Adlers Nest is a bit wacky with strange wood carvings, but had nice food IIRC.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Rob Mackley, you're right, the timing hasn't been ideal 
@ElzP, likewise! We got a takeaway from Take Away Kebab (a bit further east on the main street just beyond the Roman gate) nearer our apartment. Small menu but thought the food was decent (though kebabs are never as good as when we lived in Glasgow!).
@luigi, thanks for the tips. Frachey parking was very convenient - hardly anyone else there and we were about 10 metres from the funicular!
Thursday 17 March - Monterosa Ski
Piste map here.
Out of all the resorts in the Aosta Valley, this is the one I'd been most looking forward to visiting. So I have to admit my heart sank when the weather in Aosta dawned dull and murky with low cloud AGAIN. There are two ways to drive to the lift bases at Champoluc / Frachey - either right down the valley to Verres (easier but a little longer at 90mins ish to Frachey, avoiding the Autostrada) or over the very twisty Colle di Joux pass (only a small time saving - there is an abandoned ski resort here). We used the pass on the way (still foggy even at the 1650m summit), and as I write we are currently on the easy route back.
Miraculously, a hole appeared in the cloud just as we arrived in the car park at Frachey, and for most of the day we were above the fog - though it was extremely hazy due to the Saharan dust still in the air. It was another warm day, but not as bad as yesterday - we're talking single figures above zero rather than double figures! There had been a decent overnight refreeze (pleasant surprise) and the inevitable slush was mostly delayed until after lunch. Strangely, there was none of the orange dust in the snowpack in the Champoluc valley - helping with snow quality - though the further towards Alagna you were, the more the orange returned.
Monterosa Ski is laid out like the Three Valleys in France, but the skiing is more exciting - I would go as far as to say epic - despite a much smaller number of runs. The heads of the three valleys (Champoluc / Frachey, Gressoney / Stafal, Alagna) are surrounded by 4000m+ peaks covered in glaciers - fortunately the haze was just thin enough to make these out. There are some very long runs (and lifts) with spectacular scenery, and skiable vertical approaching 2000m. Off piste would be superb in good snow conditions. The lift system is impressive too - several gondolas, a few cable cars, fast chairs with and without bubbles, and even a funicular railway. A bit faffy for masks and taking skis on and off.
Lift passes are sold through a variable pricing system. Our 2-day passes were €83 each, bought a fortnight ago. Clearly this requires taking a risk re. weather.
There is even less natural snow cover here than the other resorts we've been to this week - south facing slopes are bare below 2500m and patchy even above 3000m. But all the runs seemed to have snowmaking and about 95% were open - a bit stony on some of the higher pistes.
Starting in Frachey, we worked our way across to Alagna, skiing all the east facing pistes in the morning. Then in the afternoon, we worked our way back on the west facing slopes - ideal. The lower runs in the "offshoot" areas above Gressoney and Champoluc are on the list for tomorrow.
On the Alagna side, the top to bottom V3-V1 run goes down as an all time favourite (fairly easy black, then genuine red), even though it ends with a walk back to the gondola. Superb. The Bocchetta delle Pisse chair was so quiet that we were skiing slushy untouched cordoruy early in the afternoon. The blues on this side had excellent snow.
In the middle valley above Stafal, reds B1 / B2 were excellent early in the morning and there was a great boardercross in between them. On the west facing side, reds G7 / G8 were a little busier with big groups of Dutch skiers in costumes! Black G6 below was very beautiful and mostly easy, but ends with a long walk across a car park (leave enough time for this plus the following cable car if you are rushing back to Champoluc / Frachey). There is a very confusing gondola interchange at Gabiet, with lifts and pistes arriving and departing from three different storeys - weird.
In the first valley above Frachey, red C14+C15 is an easy cruise and we were amazed how quiet it was.
Generally speaking, pistes are on the easy side of their grading above the mid stations, but the runs into Alagna and from Sant'Anna to Stafal are steeper. Almost everything faces east or west so timing is really important in warm weather.
Looking at Monterosa Ski objectively (and ignoring the sub-par weather / snow), I would put it up there with Les 7 Laux as my favourite mid-sized ski area so far.
Bettaforca chair (1st valley)
View back down the Bettaforca chair
Distant glaciers from B2 Betta 1 (red)
Sant'Anna - Colle Betta chair (2nd valley)
Boardercross under the Colle Betta chair
Gabiet - Passo dei Salati gondola & red piste
Gabiet - Passo dei Salati gondola & red piste
V3 Olen (black) (3rd valley)
Bocchetta delle Pisse sector from V3 Olen (black)
V1 Alagna home run (red)
C15 Dei Larici (red) back above Frachey (1st valley)
C10 Del Lago (blue)
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Sat 12-11-22 2:06; edited 8 times in total
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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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@denfinella, interesting stuff, especially your overall opinion and enjoyment of Monterosa. I will put it on the (ever growing) list!
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@denfinella, glad you had a good day and got over to Alagna. There was a big queue at the Gabiet interchange on the day we were there, so we decided to head over into the Punta Jolanda area above Gressoney and then did the sheletered bowls above Champoluc in the late afternoon sun. I liked these areas, more intimate and wooded compared to the breezy high passes and long runs linking the valleys. So hope you enjoy tomorrow!
Did you notice the lift up to Estoul ski area at Brusson and the ski area of Antagnod on the way up? Both look nice, albeit small. There are a number of smaller areas dotted across Aosta Valley that would merit exploration. I need to go back!!
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You know it makes sense.
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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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@ElzP, should have said that the driving time is avoiding the toll motorway. We'll be on the 8.45am funicular from Frachey. Yesterday there was only one other skier on it!
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Poster: A snowHead
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@toyah807, you definitely should. We've loved it.
@luigi, they were in the fog whenever we drove past but I did get a glimpse of Antagnod's slopes from above Champoluc this afternoon. However it is currently 100% shut which I assume is due to lack of snow (same for Brusson and Gressoney-St-Jean). What a shame for mid March. I would have liked to visit some of the smaller domains in the Aosta valley, but conditions at all of them are really poor at the moment - Crevacol, Cogne, Chamois, Torgnon & Champorcher are all desperately short of snow.
Friday 18 March - Monterosa Ski again
Hosteria del Calvino for dinner yesterday. We both splashed out on the Menu Valdosta, basically to "tick off" all the local food. Possibly a bit touristy - and quite a lot of variations on melted cheese, ham and carb - but decent value at €25 for 4 courses and very filling.
Course 1 of 4...
On to today - back to what has become one of my favourite ski areas. Reasonable weather by this week's standards - a blanket fog layer between 1900m and 2500m, but it moved upwards as the day progressed. Very hazy sunshine above that in the morning, then very light snow / ice pellets for the last few hours. Negligible wind (again). Freezing level was about mid mountain, so there was a further improvement in the ice to slush transition.
For the first couple of hours we revisited the very highest runs from the ridges of Colle Bettaforca and Passo Salati. Partly above the fog, then dropping back into the cloud in their lower parts.
V4 Cimalegna (blue) at Passo Salati
By late morning the fog base had risen, so we explored Gressoney below the fog - trying to move higher in step with the cloud bottom. Steeper here (fully deserving the red / black gradings), and trees making a nice contrast to the higher pistes elsewhere. Some really fun, interesting runs. Rickety long, slow lifts though.
Long, slow & steep Punta Jolanda chair out of Gressoney
Punta Jolanda chair
Bedemie-Seehorn chair & G13 Seehorn (red)
Start of the reds north from Seehorn
G13 Seehorn (red)
G6 Moos (black) back to Stafal
Steep reds from Sant'Anna to Stafal from G6 Moos (black)
For lunch we returned to the funicular top station above Frachey. Lasagne (€8 ) / sausage stew & polenta (€12) at the self service restaurant. Food was pretty good for a self service place, and the first time I have actually enjoyed polenta, but there was live music which was ridiculously loud. All the diners were sitting as far away from the stage as possible!
Frachey top station
After lunch we skied the Champoluc / Frachey area which was similar to Gressoney except bigger and a bit gentler. It's a sizeable area which I reckon some visitors miss as it's not on the main Frachey - Stafal - Alagna route. More than 1,000m vertical (back in the fog at the top) with two gondolas, one fast chair and a few slow ones. Spotted some interesting wildlife - a ring ouzel and a jay - to add to a stoat we saw at La Thuile.
C9 Contenery (red) on the way from Frachey to Champoluc
C4 Ostafa 1 (red) to the gondola mid station above Champoluc
C6 Sarezza-Contenery on the way back towards Frachey
One of the best things about Monterosa is that all the pistes seem to have been designed to be genuinely interesting, and not just to increase the km for marketing purposes. Often there is only a single run down each valley or slope, which means they all have a unique character. Some favourites from today: red G7/8 from Passo Salati to Gabiet; blue C10 above Frachey; reds C5 & C6 from the top of the Champoluc sector.
Driving back to Aosta as I'm writing this, the sun is doing its best to break through and the dusty haze seems to be thinner than the last few days.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 23-03-22 17:48; edited 2 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@denfinella, we kept an eye out for you Frachey side but didn't spot the jacket!
Would fully echo everything you say about the Champoluc and Frachey side, even with low vis in spots we had a great afternoon on all the reds and blues. Nice!
We shall ski together ine day! In the meantime, safe journey back - looking forward to your photos.
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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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@denfinella, lovely reports again.
I fire onto MXP this evening and I’ve just eaten in Samarcanda. It’s as good as ever and great value, pint, Pizza , glass of really nice red and a fantastic panne cotta €22.
I’ve decided to go to the Dolomites for the week, Canazei here I come.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@ElzP, we were looking out for you too. We weren't really skiing around Frachey / Champoluc until around 2pm, after lunch. It was a bit foggier by then so we might have passed each other in the gloom!
@geoffknight, thanks, hope you have a wonderful time in Canazei. Weather forecast looks great for sunny skiing! We'll be at Malpensa tonight.
Saturday 19 March - Skyway Monte Bianco
This morning we had to drive back up the valley to La Thuile to return our hire skis by 10am (originally our flight home had been this afternoon). To make the most out of the extra travel, today was the obvious day to do the Skyway Monte Bianco from neighbouring Courmayeur.
We had gambled on good weather by booking cheaper tickets in advance (€39pp) and - for once this week - that gamble paid off. Sunny at altitude with just a few clouds lower down, and the sandy haze has come down another notch.
The car park at the cable car base station has a charge, but as seems to be strangely common in Italy, there was a free car park a few minutes' walk away. The ticket office area was an exciting weekend bustle of off piste groups and tourists from all around the world (American, Indian and Asian accents immediately around us in the queue). The staff were doing a great job of handling the crowds along with a language barrier, green pass, ticket QR codes and assigning everyone to different departures while maintaining reduced capacities due to Covid. We were booked on the 10.15 ascent, but were pushed forward by half an hour. All very impressive - transfer companies could learn a thing or two! 
For those who aren't familiar with the Skyway - it was the world's most expensive to build and opened in the 2010's replacing an older one. Rotating cabins rise in two stages to 3500m on the shoulder of Mont Blanc. The Vallee Blanche can be accessed from here, and there are also routes (all off piste obviously) back towards Courmayeur when snow is better. In summer there is a third cable car stage which connects with a similar chain of lifts up from Chamonix - so you could do a (very expensive) "Alpine crossing" similar to what is being constructed in Zermatt / Cervinia.
-9C at the top station which I think is about normal for the time of year, and no wind. Aside from the fantastic views, there's a restaurant, bookshop, crystal exhibition, and an easily missed underground walkway to the Rifugio Torino, with views of the top station from below.
The mid station has a museum about the old and new cable cars (including the old cabins and winding gear), a wine cellar, cinema and snowy walking trails with more great views.
Top station from Rifugio Torino
Top station
Courmayeur
Mont Blanc
Start of the Vallée Blanche
Col du Géant variant (?)
Dent du Géant
We are now on our way back towards Malpensa, passing through Aosta where it is 14°C. All the peaks are now clear so the local skiing should be better than it has been recently.
I'll post again when I get back with some general comments about Aosta and our week overall.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Wed 23-03-22 14:40; edited 4 times in total
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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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| denfinella wrote: |
| Spotted some interesting wildlife - a ring ouzel and a jay - to add to a stoat we saw at La Thuile. |
Surprised they didn't end all up in the Valdostan stew on a bed of polenta!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| denfinella wrote: |
@luigi, they were in the fog whenever we drove past but I did get a glimpse of Antagnod's slopes from above Champoluc this afternoon. However it is currently 100% shut which I assume is due to lack of snow (same for Brusson and Gressoney-St-Jean). What a shame for mid March. I would have liked to visit some of the smaller domains in the Aosta valley, but conditions at all of them are really poor at the moment - Crevacol, Cogne, Chamois, Torgnon & Champorcher are all desperately short of snow.
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Oh shame! With the fog, scirocco sand, warm weather and general lack of snow, it sounds like you made the best of the resulting sub-optimal conditions
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| luigi wrote: |
| Surprised they didn't end all up in the Valdostan stew on a bed of polenta!! |
Back to the UK
Nice sunny drive back to Malpensa. We had plenty of time so took a few backroads, avoiding the autostrada entirely. The highlight was meeting a herd of wild goats near Nomaglio...
...the low point was spotting the sad strips of snow on the horizon which comprised Bielmonte ski area above Biella. Looked a bit like skiing in a desert (squint and you'll see it!).
We stayed overnight at the Idea Hotel near Malpensa airport. Similar to a Travelodge, which was fine for the €49 price, paid a couple of weeks before. The hotel is in a bit of a weird village next to the airport perimeter, within walking distance of the free intra-terminal shuttle bus. It has an old church and a rural feel (we were woken by cockerels crowing), but also a scattering of military zones, derelict land and multi-storey hotels. There is a good restaurant (recommended by @geoffknight - thanks) which I forgot to book in advance. They were full, but offered takeaway, with a big pizza and excellent burger / side coming to €20. Probably some of the best food of the entire trip! Hoping to be reimbursed by easyJet for the hotel and food costs for this extra night, but we'll see.
View from the hotel
Our flight back to Edinburgh was late Sunday morning. Malpensa airport was excitingly enormous (I don't often experience big airports except for Geneva, which is never particularly pleasant in ski season) and our flight took off roughly on time. By contrast, there was a massive queue for border control at Edinburgh - the first time we've seen this at any Scottish airport.
Summary
Starting with the ski areas: the Aosta valley ski resorts are brilliant. Taken together they offer fantastic variety, and the lift pass options (whole valley passes or local passes with permitted "away days") give lots of flexibility. The actual skiing reminded me of a hybrid of France and the Dolomites. Reasonable altitudes and generally comprehensive snowmaking makes this a reliable destination snow-wise - I think this has been the region's driest season for a few decades, yet on-piste coverage was mostly not a major issue (contrary to my expectations).
Here's what I thought of the individual ski areas:
La Thuile / La Rosiere (4 days): By far the biggest area we visited, but probably the one we liked the least. Not as much variety as you might expect from a big area, and a relatively small number of interesting runs. Relatively busy pistes on the La Rosiere side. Fast lift system, but some of the most interesting pistes can't easily be lapped. Best run: red 18+6 above La Thuile.
Courmayeur (1 day): Fabulous views, with the best skiing on the back (Val Veny) side of the mountain. Practically everything of red gradient, so not recommended for blue run skiers. Small. Best run: red 18 Internazionale before it gets too busy / chopped up.
Pila (1 day): Small but perfectly formed with something for everyone. Lots of variety between open / wooded, steep / gentle. Recommended for a day or two. Slick gondola access from Aosta, but the lifts at the top of the area need improvement. Best run: red 2 off the Chamolé chair.
Monterosa (2 days): A special place with spectacular scenery, exceptionally long and consistently interesting runs, and brilliant sense of travel. Not sure I've been anywhere else like it. Steep valley runs with easier stuff higher up, so again perhaps not ideal for blue run skiers. Areas off the main inter-valley lift chain are underused, with some really quiet pistes. Put it on the bucket list! Best run: red V3 + black V1, top to bottom on the Alagna side.
Skyway Monte Bianco (1 day:) Worth it for the views, even if you don't ski the off piste routes.
Moving onto Aosta as a base. We found Aosta a wonderful town (or city?) - touristy yet unpretentious, bustling yet with convenient parking, loads of places to eat / shop / visit. Fascinating Roman ruins, ancient walls & towers. Our Airbnb was superb value for money and with an unbeatable location right on the main shopping street and overlooking the Roman theatre, yet with free overnight parking 2 minutes away. Most ski areas around 45-60 mins away on straightforward roads - Monterosa Ski a bit further. Free parking available everywhere which was nice.
Unfortunately the weather and snow quality were the worst we've ever had on a skiing holiday. Our timing couldn't have been worse: we arrived at the end of an extended spell of perfect sunshine, which was replaced by thick fog for our first three days of skiing. A respite on day 4 for Courmayeur with clear skies and a little new snow. Then early on day 5, a moderate snowfall, but accompanied by Saharan sand which turned the snow to glue for a day or two. For the last few days, very high temperatures and thick dust haze, leading to slushy pistes and more restricted views. Typically, the haze cleared the morning after our last day skiing and it's now back to lovely sunshine again! On the plus side: no days were lost due to high winds, we didn't get any rain, and we had good views for the Skyway. All-in-all - you can't control the weather and it could have been worse.
Photos and cost breakdown to follow in the next couple of days.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Wed 23-03-22 17:52; edited 5 times in total
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Brilliant wrap up - as you say, could have been worse. I reckon a trip back when the little arwas are open and snowy is in order.
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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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In Courmayer this week and have found your posts really useful. Thank you very much for making the effort @denfinella.
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@denfinella, your posts are just fab. Thank you so much!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@brovert, My favourite run is off Gabba lift turn right at the top, and food wise Chez Olier for fab pizzas, under the Pra Neyron chair in the main bowl, and Pre Pascal for local dishes and 1970’s interior decor, near the top of the Val Veny gondola.
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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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Photos now added to each day's post.
@ElzP, @brovert, @Hurtle, thanks for the kind comments. It would be nice to revisit, but there are so many other places I'd like to visit too!
Cost breakdown
Total is for 2 adults, 10 days excluding "unplanned" 11th day. Not included: food costs, insurance, £41 "Covid" surcharge of extra night at airport... etc. The transport part was particularly cheap (flights, car hire), but the skiing part was the most expensive of all our trips so far (ski passes, ski hire). Any questions - feel free to ask!
Flights (EasyJet EDI-MPX, incl. 1 hold bag) £99
Car hire (Interrent with snow chains, + fuel / tolls) £83+116
Accommodation (4-person apartment in Aosta, 9 nights) £230
Lift passes (6 day La Thuile pass including 2 away days, 2 day Monterosa Ski pass early booking, 1 day Skyway Monte Bianco pass early booking) £579
Ski & boot hire (9 days) £151
Total: £1258
Cost comparison with previous tripsitalics = divided by no. of days skiing = cost per day skiing, for 2. France Italy Austria
Links to previous TRs are in the first post on this thread. Prices are in total for 2 ppl, for flights (incl. baggage) + transfer (incl. petrol, tolls, snow chains etc. if hiring a car) + accommodation + lift passes + ski & boot hire. Food is excluded. Trips have all been DIY except 2014 (Crystal) & 2017 (Sunweb for accommodation and passes only).
Feb 2014: Soll £1125 /6 = £188
Jan 2015: Alpe d'Huez £1098 /6 = £183
Jan 2016: Les Carroz £1036 /7 = £148
Mar 2017: Belle Plagne £1148 /7 = £164
Jan 2018: Notre Dame de Bellecombe 1150 £1094 /7 = £156
Mar 2018: Ponte di Legno £1043 /7 = £149
Jan 2019: St Gervais £1116 /8 = £140
Mar 2019: Varena £1087 /7 = £155
Jan 2020: Abondance £1074 /8 = £134
Mar 2020 without Covid-19: Embrun £909 /6 = £152)
Mar 2020 with Covid-19: Embrun £860 /3 = £287
Jan 2022: Vizille £1350 /9 = £150
Mar 2022: Aosta £1258 /9 = £140
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@denfinella, you always find something positive even in the direst weather/conditions! Enjoying reading your posts! Thank you, lots of tips. Also, can you provide details of your airbnb host? Don't think I can find one with such views or near that price!
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FAQ
