 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
Having come back from a great trip to Chamonix earlier this month, I'm obviously starting to get itchy feet. Looking ahead to next year, we had a good experience with friendly lifties and reasonable prices when we spent a day in Courmayeur. This has prompted a debate about doing a trip to Italy. A couple of us are keen on going to the Dolomites at some point so was just after some advice really, such as:
How do lift prices/accommodation/food etc compare with the French Alps?
Is driving from the UK feasible, or is it just too far? Would fly and hire be a better bet?
We're pretty keen on accessible off piste (others in the group don't want to hike), any resorts spring to mind?
We'd be a group of anywhere from 4 to 10 - yet to be decided!!!! And we'd be going around Christmas/New Year/early Jan.
Any advice on the area would be much appreciated, and if you have any tip offs on resorts I'll look them up in the Trip Reports thread. Knowing where to start looking is quite daunting!
Thanks,
Carwyn
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I drove to Val Gardena last year: 19 1/2 hours straight ( had a Top gear Challenge with the others in the group: I won by 40 minutes) so driving is possible.
Not sure on the off piste but we like Italy over France- cheaper, friendlier and food is better...
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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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We love Italy over France, lift pass reasonable, food good, wine good and not expensive, friendly people, we've driven to Italy - aosta valley twice and did it door-to-door (we live in Essex) in 12 hours, it was dead easy .... We've skied France, Austria, Andorra, France and Canada, and it's Italy every time for us!
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cdavies92, Bloody hope so I'm off to Sauze d'Oulx tomorrow 
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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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Italy a good idea. I have skied in six countries and Italy our fave.
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Went to Italy last time we skied and loved it. We went to the Dolomites, got flight to Venice and the chalet we stayed in organised the transfer. The food was fantastic both in chalet and on the mountain. People were friendly and the Sella Ronda was amazing to ski.
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cdavies92, look at the Monta Rosa area - champoluc, gressoney, alagna - great off piste, great mountain food, cheap - once you ski Italy you'll never return to France!!
Dolomites are also great and plenty of easy off piste too - beautiful mountains, great food etc etc!
Can't recommend Italy enough!!
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cdavies92,
Italy is great and the Dolomites oustanding (IMHO). It depends on what else you're looking for. On the Sella Ronda circuit, Selva is the biggest 'resort' and probably the liveliest place to stay, and it almost merges with St Christina. Ortisei is a a small town and is busy during the day but I've never been at night. Colfosco pretty but quiet, Corvara is good base: it's little more expensive than the other resorts here but is nice place with lively tea time apres. Never been to Canazai so can't comment, and Arraba gives quick access to the glacier and probably has most demanding local stuff, but quiet at night. If you want to spend a little more dosh there's always Cortina or Madonna di Campiglio.
Everone has their personal opinion, mine is that Italy is much friendlier and cheaper than France, the food is better and the hotels are better star for star. 
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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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Sorry forgot to say that when we do it we fly to Venice and hire a car. Once did it from Munich but probably wouldn't again - I've never driven but would if I had another driver.
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+1 for Madonna di Campiglio.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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cdavies92, If you like Courmayeur you may just find some of the resorts in the Aosta Valley to your liking as well. Try Champoluc, Gressoney, Monte Rosa...... Nice interlinked system, decent piste mileage (180 kms), very well prepared pistes, accessable OP, not expensive on mountain costs. I skied there last week, great snow, no queues apart from 12 people infront of me on one lift! Although the villages are villages, and nothing as varied as Courmayeur's shopping, bars, and night life, there is the potential for a very pleasant ski holiday away from the hoardes! BUT be aware,.......... that on the weekends it can get quite busy.
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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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Lots of people are mentioning the accessible off-piste, but personally I'd completely written off Italy despite reports of it being so beautiful because I've read frequently that going off-piste is illegal (without a guide? or in general?) and the authorities can and do fine people. Have I misunderstood?
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Pyremaniac, monte rosa is one of the best off piste areas in the alps by popular opinion - of course for serious itineraries you'd want a guide - you can heli ski too at relatively reasonable cost - and alagna has a lift that only accesses off piste and for which you must be wearing a transceiver before they let you on (google punta indren) - so off piste is definately allowed - that said the rules in Italy are suitably italian! - there was a recent thread on off piste rules Italy - worth a look to get the low down.
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You know it makes sense.
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lib-banana, Punta Idren was looking great middle of last week, though I did not ski it. Very few tracks into/from the access point. Quite a few tracks but not tracked out from Passo dei Salati back into Gressoney, plenty OP forays into the trees, from the mid section, and half decent snow (though not really "powder" it was fresh and 20+cms Tuesday/Wednesday). 
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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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lib-banana, thanks! Found it: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2448406 . Not sure if it's changed my mind much, although surely in the places where lifts don't serve any pistes you couldn't get into much trouble (legally speaking) if carrying the right equipment.
I'm from just down the road from you, btw. Beautiful part of the world; I just wish Dartmoor were 2000m higher!
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Poster: A snowHead
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+2 for Italy in general and Madonna di Campiglio in particular. Not sure about off-piste but in every other way I preferred it to France.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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skimastaaah, good news! I'm
Out there from 1st Feb!
Pyremaniac, hello fellow Devonian! Yes share the sentiment - did get to ski local hills a few years back when it was very snowy!
I think the OP thing in Italy is generally ok if you're sensible but I suspect varies from resort to resort - we did just - OP a lot on Selva last year and we certainly weren't alone - with no problems - and Alagna in particular trades on OP a bit like La Grave does and no one stops you going on Punta Idren without a guide
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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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Italy in the Winter. France in the Summer.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I would have Italy over france any day. Found prices a bit more reasonable,. Apres ski a bit more fun, and well food always better than French food.
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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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cdavies92, Give it a go.
I skied a few places in Western Italy and climbed a lot in the Dolomites. I used to ride down to the Dolomites on my motorbike during the summer and it would take a couple of days, 4 years ago we drove down and IIRC it was a 22 hour drive back from Venice, so it is definitely drivable.
The skiing is different in Italy than France. The pistes are bashed much more and in general people ski much faster. However, last time I was there (last year) I missed the friendliness of France. But I still plan to go there for another weekend later in the season.
chrisdavis, For me its the otherway aroud - France for the winter and the dolomites for the summer.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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biddpyat, always better than French food? You clearly can't pick your restaurants
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One of the best runs I think is the Ventina run in Cervinia, one of the longest pistes in Europe with a vertical drop of 1800m. With Cervinia you can then ski to Zermatt.
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