 Poster: A snowHead
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Day 1
Disaster. Arrive a bit late at the car hire desk due to a variety of delays to find out that not only have the car hire company let our car go, but they don't have any others left and a quick whizz round the other car hire desks reveals the same picture; indeed none of the desks say they will have a car for a week which despite it being the holiday season seems somewhat extreme. Needless to say panic ensues but the decision is made that the only option is a taxi to the resort. Manage to find a willing taxi driver and after a bit of haggling we set off in the lashing rain. The main concern is that if it is lashing here then what's it doing up the mountain. As we finally get off the autostrada and start ascending to the resort if becomes abundantly clear that although the rain has eased off, it has been falling as snow higher up. The taxi driver makes frequent mentions of the road being bad and I wonder if he's somehow preparing us for an ultimatum that he will take us no further when we get stuck in a queue of traffic just outside Gaby. We assume that it's an accident but after about 30 minutes we get to head of the queue which is being caused by policemen stopping the traffic. We guess that it's a routine check that the cars have adequate chains or winter tyres only to find out that in fact an avalanche has shut the road and we can go no further for the night. Fortunately there is a hotel with a few rooms and we get what appears to be one of the last ones. We bid farewell to the taxi driver and sort ourselves out. Although it's (only) a two star hotel it's a marvelous institution more akin to a museum of alpine living with amazing exhibits around the entire establishment that words would never do justice to. We have a pizza across the road and bed down for the night.
Day 2
Eventually the taxi booked by our eventual destination, the hotel Nordend arrives after apparently being held up by the state of the roads. However despite that he seems intent on making up for lost time by overtaking on blind bends on a road still covered by large amounts of snow. Somehow we finally arrive at our hotel. However it’s now after noon so we decided to have a quick lunch in Klein Finland and to forsake what few hours skiing we could have had and wander round town using the loop road to sus out what shops and restaurants are in the village and where they are. Eat downstairs in Da Giovanni’s where we had a couple of excellent steaks.
Day 3
We decided to ski in the Champoluc valley and although it was a beautiful day it was about -10 and witheasterly slopes being in the sun would make it more pleasurable. We were very surprised to see a vehicle not associated with ski slopes at the top of the Colle Bettaforca. We had a hot chocolate (it was so thick it may well have just been that) in the Atelier Gourmand just below the bottom lift in Champoluc and then spent the rest of the morning skiing all the runs in that valley. Lunch was in the restaurant by the top of Mont Ros which was fair enough but was very busy and we were lucky to grab a table. However by the afternoon the clouds had set in, the wind had got up and the last few runs, especially the one home to Stafal were very cold. We had some apres in the bar below the hotel where we also had our evening meal and even though we stuck to pasta and salad it still seemed huge.
View of the Betta piste from the chair
Unusual sight at top of Colle Bettaforca
Day 4
Even more snow overnight (about 4 inches) ! We decided to ski to Alagna as I remembered having a nice lunch there many years ago. My main concern was whether the wife would be ahppy to ski the black. However when I explained that there was no alternative other than getting the cable car and that she was more than capable ofskiing it she relented, on the condition that I ski behind her in case something happened. Well it was fine. Generally, compared with French resorts the grading in Monterosa and fairly generous. There are a couple of blues at the top of the pass but they were shut and it’s not immediately obvious what lift you would return to the top of the pass on. When we arrived at Alagna it had changed beyond my memory and we couldn't find the place I wanted to visit. There was a massive queue on cable to Salati so skied Mullero three times to letthe queue disperse. Back in the Gressoney valley we had lunch at the Alpenhutte Lys (upstairs) – there was still no zuppa valdostana available so we had some home made excellent ravioli style pasta called fiocchi.
After lunch we skied above Stafal around Punta Jolanda but the lifts got busy so at the end of the day we skied down to Gressoney and had a few drinks in the Dominus pub (which has a good range of Belgian beers on tap) next to the Hotel Dufour whilst we waited for the bus.
View from top of Salati lift back down to Staffal
Start of the black run down to Alagna
One way of skinning up the pistes
Cute Christmas decoration in an ugly kind of way
Day 5
I had an abortive attempt to do the intineraire from Punta Indren. I got all the way to the Punta Indren lift to find out I'd left my phone at the hotel and as I was supposed to phone my wife in order to arrange to meet up I thought I'd better not. However halfway back down I heard my phone ringing in my rucsac so it had been there all the time. So we met up anyway at the top of the Stafal Gabiet lift, skied Salati a couple of times then skied all the runs above Orsia / Gressoney which were nice although the Punta Jolanda lift queue was huge. That got us back up above Stafal where we skied down the black Moos into Stafal. Mrs DS took a bit of persuading, especially as the sign said expert skiers only but actually it was fine. I guess they put that there to deter beginners and I could see one or two places where it could perhaps get quite icy; anyway she was quite chuffed to get down with no issues. We had lunch at the Walsertal at the bottom of the run - still no zuppa valdostana which was off the menu today. However it was still good food and service. The afternoon was spent skiing on the other side of the valley above Champoluc as it was in sun although the last run of the day to Stafal was again very cold – it must be some kind of cold sink. We had our evening meal in the restaurant La Grange which is associated with the Hotel Chalet du Lys. It was an interesting experience as the waiter only spoke a little English and I forgot my phrase book so we ended up ordering completely blind off the menu. The food however was really good as was the service. We were given free aperitifs and also despite the fact that we declined desert, the amounts of petit fours that arrived with the coffee more than compensated). Therefore I thought it very good value at € 90 including a €30 bottle of wine. My only criticism is that the restaurant ambience is a bit stuffy and there were only two other tables dining.
The Rifugio Gabiet
The run down to the Punta Jolanda lift
The Walsertal bar
My kind of ski service
Day 6
Another beautiful day - not a cloud in the sky - but cold again. We opted to ski in Champoluc. The snow was in excellent condition although the off-piste was getting a bit crusty and the runs and lifts were a bit quieter generally too.
We skied down to Champoluc and like Day 3 we had hot chocolate in the Atelier Gourmand.
Afterwards we skied the Champoluc valley area and decided to have lunch in the Tana del Lupo just below Alpe Ostafa. My wife had a never-ending spag boll and I finally had the zuppa valdostana. We ate outside admiring the excellent views and it was great to have a nice quiet lunch with good service where the food was really tasty and good value. On a nice weather day the restaurant is a real sun trap.
We spent the afternoon repeating most of the runs in the Champoluc / Frachey area which were bathed in sunlight. There was a bit of a bun fight at the Alpe Mandia lift again which was the only lift that seemed to be busy andwe returned back to Stafal with only the last run home being in the shade and now rather chill temperatures. For New Year’s Eve we managed to get into the Hotel Dufour (which is the sister hotel to the Nordend). The meal was fantastic with no end of courses (over 7) and what appeared to be unlimited wine. The staff were so good that they even offered to give us a lift home if we had needed one and we got to bed about 2 am.
Dawn, and why it's called Monte Rosa
Even the wife got in on the moguls
Great view from Tana del Lupo
Finally, zuppa valdostana
Day 7
I got up early whilst my wife had a lie in and hit the very first lift from Staffal at 08:45, going through the lift system and managing to get on the first Punta Indren lift with about a dozen hardy other souls. When we arrived at Punta Indren, 5 went down the Alagna side, two others shot down towards Gressoney, 4 others started skinning up the hill leaving me and one other person. I traversed across relatively good snow considering it was well skied and now 3 days old, went down the Aquila couloir, and past the refuge. Afterwards the snow deteriorated and was fairly crusty. I eventually re-joined the piste at the top of bottom of the Salati lift and skied down the black into Staffal and met up with my wife and we spent the rest of the morning skiing above Staffal using the Punta Jolanda lift and the one down to Gressoney. We had a coffee in the bar Bedemie (which has a load of old sk gear in some sort of display outside) and finished the holiday off by going all the way up to the Salati pass and down the red and continuing down the black into Staffal finishing by the Walsertal bar
First lift on New Years day
Great view over the Lombardy plains
Entry to the Aquila couloir
Ornaments in the Bedemie mountain restaurant
A summary...
The hotels we stayed in (Nordend in Staffal and Mologna in Gaby) were great and the proprietors exceptionally helpful. Even though I usually like large ski areas, there was enough here to keep me interested although the fresh snow helped. The food is great, both on and off the mountain and I can't wait to come back.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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dsoutar, pleased you had a great time, terrific pictures and a good report!
Next time, ... There's a wider couloir off P.I. That you might like and if you didn't ski between the cliffs down to La Trinite that's quite fun.
You should lunch at Rascard Frantze just above Champoluc, or La Baita just below the Pianalunga cable car.
Lots more to do 
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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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Great report. Monterosa a great place to ski and superb value
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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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^+1. Top report; top place. Love this area as much as the Dolomites. Although they are so dissimilar they don't feel as though they are in the same country. Trying to get something sorted for Monterosa in Feb. this has really whetted my appetite. 
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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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This is the second time I've been here (the first was 10 years ago) and I've always been with first time the whole family and second occasion my wife so time off-piste has been very limited but as my wife's had a few rowing trips in the last year or so I've now got a pass to go and have a full off-piste / touring trip (or at least a 4 day weekend) so hopefully will be back here next year
I just drool every time I dig out the old Polvere Rosa book although I specifically didn't bring it this year as it would have been just too frustrating !
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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dsoutar, it sounds a great trip, after a very difficult start! You mention big lift queues rather too frequently for my liking - did you have no choice about the timing? I've just googled zuppa valdostana - sounds delicious. 
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wonderful report dsoutar, next time I'm there I'm going to seek out the food in Gabiet, heard v good things about it. Queues in mid Jan peaked at about 1 minute, but hey Xmas / NY skiing has its own attractions.
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dsoutar, great report. I'll be sure to give a bowl of zuppa valdostana a hit on my trip to the Dolomites in March.
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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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pam w, Liam, zuppa valdostana is not always lovely... first time I had it it was revolting.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Mon 6-01-14 10:05; edited 1 time in total
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pam w, DoubleBombardino,
My wife works for Surrey education and has to have teachers holidays, unfortunately.
With regard to queues, I think there are essentially three pinch points in the Monterosa ski area:
The Alagna to Salati cable car
The lift at Alpe Mandia
The Punta Jolanda lift
However remember this was probably the busiest time of the entire year so I wouldn't read too much into it. Most of the other lifts we just turned up at and got on.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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dsoutar, I'd submit that:
The Alagna to Salati cabine/cable car and the Punta Jolanda lift are just busy, as main access points.
However, the Alpe Mandria chairlift is a real bottleneck as you need to use it not only to exploit the pistes below it but also it's required passage for traffic in both directions between Champoluc and Gressoney. I think we discuss how they could improve things once replacing the antique Belvedere lift to remove that pressure every time we sit on the Belvedere chair. (i.e. allowing transit directly to the Col chair from the top of the Belvedere if travelling from Champoluc and vice versa. Only requires one new lift from Col chair to top of Alpe Mandria and extending the Belvedere lift to the same place. ...simples...  )
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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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We've been 3 times in Feb half term & never really run into any major queues. Even for Feb half term you can find cheap flights to Milan
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dsoutar, Great "ski diary", and prolly the best snow in the alps. Lucky you!!! Thanks.
I'm out at Champoluc Sunday to Thursday, (couldn't get a room at the Racard Frantze so staying at Hotellerie de Mascognaz) so will give a TR on return. Most likely nowhere as informative as dsoutar, . Hopefully though resorts much quieter.
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You know it makes sense.
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skimastaaah,
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Hopefully though resorts much quieter
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other than the weekend it should be very, very quiet indeed!
A review of Mascognaz would be interesting too.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Onnem, if I wanted to read TA...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@UANN - how about zoover then 
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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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Great report. I've been out there a couple of times and love the place.
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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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Onnem, Just go to www.hostelleriedemascognaz.com and you'll see it's not a "typical" hotel. And honestly, Trip Advisor......................... why????? Mascognaz itself is an old Walser hamlet, accessable only by snowmobile/cat-track in winter, with various properties/chalets/farm buildings converted to form the "hostellerie". I doubt the location, nor ambience is anywhere near "typical". But I'll let you know.
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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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skimastaaah, I'm just curious as to your experience of it in winter. It's a lovely hamlet, the building has been done to a great standard and it's a very pleasant walk in summer, but the only way in and out in winter is with something with tracks.
Making popping down to the Galion for a swift half, errr, interesting.
I'm mildly surprised they had space as my perception was that they were as booked in advance as the Frantze is (deservedly) but clearly not. Mind you, the Frantze is ski in/out and I think a little cheaper?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi all,
Can you let me know what the current snow conditions are like on and off piste and if any areas are being avoided due to avalanche risks?
Thanks.
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Zermattandchips, Snow conditions on piste were excellent as of last Thursday. Aosta issued strong avalanche warnings last night/this morning after a big fall over the weekend. Risk 3-4.
07/01/14 - For the next few days: all exposures are can be critical and the stability conditions change greatly from one slope to another, so off-piste requires a good experience in local hazard assessment.
Let's see in detail the main problems:
1 - presence of surface slabs triggerable by the passage of a hiker/skier. Those slabs are very thick and big at high altitude. Pay attention not only to the slopes you cross, but also to the accumulations above the slope, because there can still occur natural release of slabs of medium size.
2 - in some N and E slopes there is still possible to stress the deepest layers and trigger
old slabs which lie on a bottom layer of snow like "salt". Situation unlikely, but dangerous because it would mean an avalanche involving all the snowpack.
3 - The rise in temperatures causes surface wet snow avalanches from steep sunny slopes (south and west). Detachments that can be either natural (for example from the slopes over the roads) or triggered by the passage of a skier.
Ice climbers should pay particular attention to the choice of routes, particularly taking into account two parameters: the wind accumulations in the canyons above the falls and the increasing temperatures.
The avalanche hazard is 3 -considerable in the whole region.
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under a new name,
Much appreciated.
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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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under a new name, I just could not get any availability at the Rascard Frantze, reportedly booked for the next two seasons!! After some considerable time matching what little availability at Mascognaz with good/well-timed flights to Turin, and with Mrs Skimastaaah drooling at the furry-rugs/indoor-pool/etc I was able to cobble a 5 day ski trip. Gladly missing out on skiing on a weekend. As regards ski-in ski-out I've had to sacrifice that for a snowmobile dash to the lifts and back, and I would think that service adds to the alpine ambience. Well it should............ after 'arf a pint of Limoncello! 
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skimastaaah, I'd heard that too. If you haven't lunched at the Frantze before, definitely do so! I think it will work out very well. Friends had part of their (summer) honeymoon in Mascognaz a few years back and loved it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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dsoutar, Great pics! I skied Monterosa 8/9 years ago and the temperature fluctuated between -20 and -30. Needless to say unlike the Austrians we discovered the Italians do not add anti freeze to the diesel (lesson never take diesel hire car unless you really have to)as we found out the first morning, so then had to rely on public transport and taxis to get around. But what a great place- I might have to book a trip there for 2015!
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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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Spinout, diesel freezes well above -20! Italy is a funny old place, full of it's own little surprises.
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Bringing this thread back up, what are the recommended airport transfers to Gressoney or Champoluc when doing DIY?
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You know it makes sense.
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@HeidiAmsterdam, no particular specialists as you'd find to Northern French Alps.
Try (?) findatransfer.com
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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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@HeidiAmsterdam, I'd strongly recommend Transfer Vallee. They use shared minibuses or minivans, so work out much cheaper than private transfers. We paid €80/head return from Turin to Champoluc. They drop off and pick you up from your hotel. The 2 of us shared the minivan with just 2 others for the outgoing journey and had it to ourselves on the way back. The only downside is there are set departure times from the airport, but I think they correlate well with landing times of the main airlines. We didn't have to wait at all on either leg of the journey.
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FAQ
