 Poster: A snowHead
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I really enjoyed the '07-08 school year we spent in Bourg St. Maurice and was wondering what everyone considered to be the best year round Italian ski town for someone looking for:
good primary school and grocery shopping in a walkable town
easy access to a wide variety of advanced (not necessarily extreme), snow sure, off piste terrain
local indoor pool
a summer school/camp program, local golf & basketball (pick-up or league) would be a plus
Open to other suggestions, but somewhere in the Aosta Valley might be the easiest to sell to the wife as she has good memories of the area from when we drove through one summer. This would also give me a chance to ski over and visit some of my friends in BSM.
My wife and daughter are French citizens, so please advise if you know of any issues in enrolling in Italian public school (other than having to learn the language).
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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Nobody has any opinions of Italian ski resorts?
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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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MEfree30, Sorry, don't know myself - and not sure why you haven't had any response from the more knowledgeable
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Bormio perhaps. Large medieval spa town. Have been a number of times and love it. Wouldn't know about the off piste though.
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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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To answer the question in the title - The best Italian off piste (IMVHO) is in the Gressoney/Alagna area, I'd never choose to live there though, it's *very* quiet.....
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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MEfree30, Courmayeur has some excellent off piste, I believe, and would be an easy place to sell to your wife (or anyone else), as it's a very attractive spot. It's also not far (through the tunnel) from Chamonix, and, in the other direction, from Cervinia and thus Zermatt. I have no idea what the general facilities there are like. It might be a bit small, though, for a year (ski area and town).
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Aosta might also be an option for your base. It has a gondola up to Pila for skiing close to home, plus it's reasonably well located for access to other resorts such as Courmayeur, Cervinia, Champlouc, La Thuile, Gressoney and no doubt others. david@mediacopy was based there this winter so he might be able to advise about the area.
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I second rob@rar, Aosta would be a fantastic base and probably quite a bit cheaper to live in as it is a working town/city as opposed to a dedicated ski resort. If you use the autostrada its pretty quick to move along the valley floor and then just pop off and drive up the access road to the resort you want to ski.
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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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Thanks...an Italian guy had mentioned Aosta to me also, but I haven't gotten much info on the quality of off piste. I like the idea of being able to hit the different areas around Aosta, but work from home and often find it easiest to get out for 2-4 hours, so quick (preferably non-driving) access to some good stuff nearby is key.
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| MEfree30 wrote: |
| Thanks...an Italian guy had mentioned Aosta to me also, but I haven't gotten much info on the quality of off piste. I like the idea of being able to hit the different areas around Aosta, but work from home and often find it easiest to get out for 2-4 hours, so quick (preferably non-driving) access to some good stuff nearby is key. |
Pila is linked to Aosta by gondola in much the same way as Bourg is linked to Les Arcs, although Pila is a much smaller resort than Paradiski. To be honest I think you won't find many, if any, places that will offer the same kind of setup that Bourg offered you.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| rob@rar wrote: |
Pila is linked to Aosta by gondola in much the same way as Bourg is linked to Les Arcs, although Pila is a much smaller resort than Paradiski. To be honest I think you won't find many, if any, places that will offer the same kind of setup that Bourg offered you. |
Yes, I was very sad to leave Bourg, but will have to return as a bacherlor as I have no chance of convincing my wife to return. But she does like Italian food and liked the Aosta Valley when we passed through a number of summers ago...
I liked the size of Les Arcs (unfortunately, the Paradiski link was down last year when we were there), but think I could be happy in a smaller resort as long as there is easy access to a good variety of off piste that doesn't get all tracked up immediately after a storm.
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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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| MEfree30 wrote: |
| but think I could be happy in a smaller resort as long as there is easy access to a good variety of off piste that doesn't get all tracked up immediately after a storm. |
I've only skied Pila for a week, and that was entirely on piste, but I'd guess it would get tracked out less quickly than the easily accessible stuff in Les Arcs. Although as a smaller resort I think there would be fewer off piste opportunities than Les Arcs. So you pays your money, and takes your choice...
Good luck with finding the right base for your season.
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MEfree30, Courmayeur is beautiful and may tick your complete list. I don't know what the school situation is though. I skied off piste there this January off the main runs and have been through before, skiing off piste on the Toula Glacier via the Monte Bianco Funivia. The off piste is as easy or as demanding as anywhere in the Alps. You won't be bored. I think it's a great base.
Alagna in Monterosa is also very nice with more extensive piste skiing and some of the best off piste in the world but it is pretty quiet around there. It is my family's favorite resort in Europe though because it's friendly, unspoiled, has tremendous off piste and is in a beautiful setting.
Cervinia is fun for going to Zermatt but the mainly intermediate skiing and limited off piste would make it less desirable... for skiing anyway.
Aosta has a nice pedestrian zone and some limited Roman ruins but you might want to check it out for feel. It does have some unattractive sprawl and has more of a working feel to it. There is that lift to Pila though.
One thing not mentioned before is that out of the Aosta Valley, over the St. Bernard Pass, a day trip can be done to Verbier. The off piste skiing off the Super St. Bernhard lift at top of the pass is outstanding. You'd want a guide though because the skiing takes you down into remote Italian towns. All in all, the Aosta Valley should offer you huge possibilities.
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You know it makes sense.
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I'd pick the town first and then worry about the skiing. Once you get settled you'll pick up some local people who know the area and that should turn any area into a haven if you are with someone who knows...
I have always wanted to explore around thr Rutor glacier which would mean La Thuile...but that may be too small..
Or pick a valley town like Chantillon for Cervinia and Gressoney ..
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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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Cervinia.
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Poster: A snowHead
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MEfree30, I second basing yourself in Aosta. It is a big town so doesn't feel like living in a ski resort in anyway. For quick accessible skiing Pila is fantastic. There are always numerous other resorts within an hour os drive, including Cervinia / Zermatt, and some great off piste in Courmayeur.
I wouldn't base yourself in Courmayeur itself the ski area is very small and the other resorts less accessible (except for Cham, although that is an expensive tunnel drive away).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Aosta gives you access to areas with amazing off piste skiing. Some of it is a bit of a drive (Gressoney, La Thuile) , but you can coordinate your travel with the conditions to make sure you hit it right. All of the above areas are within easy reach. The Super St. Bernard area has fantastic off piste. Only downside is that Aosta doesn't feel like a resort town, but it would be a fantastic base and the gondola access to Pila make it very convenient to go grab a few runs..
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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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Aosta sounds like it is a strong possibility. Don't mind if it is not a resort town as long as it has year round ammenities like a good local primary school for my (almost) 6 year old, grocery shopping, a few good restaurants and an indoor pool. Indoor basketball court would also be a plus. I really liked the walking access we had in Bourg St. Maurice with the school, health food shop and a handful of restaurants within 100 meters, the funicular only about a 7 minute walk and the pool & bigger super markets about 1 km.
Does anyone know about the layout of Aosta? I looked at google maps and imagine that everything is pretty central, but am not 100% sure. What is the center of town like? Is there a nice area to live within a 10 minute walk to the cable car, primary school and food shopping? How is the air quality in Aosta? I thought it was ok most of the time in Bourg, but it did seem like there was some blow in from the Chambery direction, especially if it hadn't snowed or rained in a while.
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MEfree30, I think you'd need to go and take a look. The centre of Aosta is lovely, with all the amenities you could possibly need. The outskirts are pretty ugly urban sprawl, and parts are quite industrial. On the whole I think the air quality is quite good, but you wouldn't want to live too close to the motorway or some of the factories. The slopes that head up the north side of Aosta look like a nice place to live, maybe 10 - 15 mins from the centre of town, but probably 30 mins walk (or 5 - 10 mins) drive to the gondola.
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