 Poster: A snowHead
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Anyone been to the Monterosa region? I have been reading quite a lot and it sounds interesting. I skied the Sella Ronda last year and got a taste for Italian skiing, and fancy trying this area. Any thoughts or tips most welcome.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What kind of skiing do you enjoy? I've skied there, but mostly off piste (which is excellent), but I couldn't comment on the piste skiing....
There is little/nothing to do in the evenings in Gressoney, which suits me, but may not suit others.
Cheers,
greg
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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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I worked a season in Gressoney about 10 years ago. The village of Gressoney La Trinite, where I was based, is tiny. It has 6 or 7 hotels and a few apartments; 3 bars and a sanwhich shop (It may have changed but I havn't noticed when looking at its website) But it has direct links to the Monterosa ski area. If I were to recommend a hotel I might upset a few people (presuming Italian hoteliers read this). But the hotel Du Four is fantastic. Good value, great food and 30m from the chair lift. Carlo is the son of the owner and also the main guide out of Gressoney if you want to go off piste (but make sure you ask for Poldo who's the most fun)
The village of Gressoney St Jean is larger but is not linked to the main monterosa ski area - you need the bus to access it.
Gressoney Stafal is the best place to be if you only want to ski as it has the best access to both Champoluc and Alagna. However it's dead at night.
Champoluc is bigger and livlier but reletively expensive. It has many bars, a couple of night clubs and the best italian restaurant I've ever eaten in (You want me to tell you the name but I've forgotten - sorry. It has the best piste skiing of the 3 resorts by far, (Alagna is essentially an off piste gem) The restaurant - I've remembered, it's at the bottom of the Frachey Chair lift, half a mile above Champoluc. You can't miss it. there's only one!
Alagna? I don't know the village but the ski area is superb if you like to ski off piste. It goes up to over 3200m, has some immense itineraries but also some that can be skied by good intermediates. Hope this is useful. If you have more specific questions i'll be happy to answer them.
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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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I had a week in Champoluc last season and really liked it. We chose the Monterosa area because we'd heard the off piste was excellent. Went the second week in March and although there was a lot of snow, it was very warm so we had freeze/thaw conditions all week which wasn't ideal. That said, it was easy to see that it would be brilliant in the right conditions, and to be fair it was very pleaseant sat ouside a restaurant in a t-shirt at 2500m with a nice cold beer!
The town was very quiet and not really many places to eat but the mountain restaurants were superb. The skiing is mostly intermediate with mainly reds and some blacks, and the lift pass covers all three resorts (inc Gressone and Alagna) which makes a pretty big ski area. I'd definitely go back but prob a bit earlier in the season. We stayed at Hotel Champoluc, which is ski in ski out and it was excellent.
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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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nickr, I've never been there in March, was the off piste not good for spring snow then??
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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kitenski, The main reason it has to be ideal conditions is tht Alagna is mainly south facing but both Gressoney and Champoluc's pistes are west facing. So late season offers up problems.
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headlong, echoing the question, what are you looking for?
I know the area reasonably well as one side of my better half's family descend from, and we have a house, there. The restaurant that jzbun refers to is the Grange. It's good but if you find yourself in Champoluc the best restaurant (in our opinion) is Le Sapin. It's on my list as one of the best restaurants in the Alps. The mountain food is OK, and relatively cheap, but not as varied as, say, the Portes du Soleil.
The off piste is amazing when there's good snow. Sadly, that isn't that often. It's a nice area though, depends what you like. I can offer some hotel recommendations if you like?
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We have been twice - once on the Gressony side, once on the Champaluc side. But the two areas are very well joined so it makes little difference. There is very little to do in the evenings on either side but a couple of nice piano type bars in Champoluc make it the better bet. The skiing is great for cruising as well as the off piste that lots of folk go there for. The short transfer from Turin makes it an ideal place for a short break.
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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, That's the name!! I remember now. "Le Grange" Well 10 years ago it was easily the best Italian resaurant I'd eaten in; maybe the chef has changed. (I've lived, worked and entertained clients in the best Italian restaurants in London , but this was real Italian cooking) Maybe I should eat in more Italian places in Italy!
Anyway I bow to your knowledge. When I eventually go back I'll try Le Sapin. Thanks.
Joss
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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jzBun, the chef and management have indeed changed. 10 years ago it was the one restaurant that that side of the family would ALWAYS go to. Now we ALWAYS go to Le Sapin. Everyone else likes the Tagliata, I tend towards the filetto al pepe verde. The smoked swordfish is excellent but the salad du chef is to die for and I don't like salad (smoked chicken, apple, walnuts and mustard/lemon dressing - yum).
oooh. tartufo ravioli and wild boar. I like the sound of that. Sounds like an EXCELLENT lunch.
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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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under a new name, Yes it was. But unfortunately it sounds like those days have gone. But like most people I will hang on to the past , memories are our joy, even though it's 10 years ago it remains yesterday for me. But let's live in the present; Le Sapin is the place to go.
Anyway this is a thread about Gressoney/Champoluc. I couldn't recommend it more!
under a new name, let's share a filetto al pepe verde at some time in champoluc soon (as long as there's wild boar as a main)
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This is becoming an area I must visit when I've developed my off piste skills.
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You know it makes sense.
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headlong, I have taken the family there twice, staying in Champoluc. Great scenery, long long pistes - nothing too scary but no long greens either. The resort is chocolate box, the scnery surrounded by 4000m mountains. Its easy to drive to from Turin or Milan. The costs are way cheaper than France, mountain restaurants sympatico but limited in their fare apart from Le Grange as you have heard. 2 weeks and we felt we knew the pistes. I enjoyed the off piste but the rest of my family wanted somewhere different, so we haven't been back for 5 years. I would go like a shot to try some more off piste, perhaps from Alagna next time. Ski-2.com have some good deals and run a very customer orientated organisation, with one of the owners living in resort with his family.
Go for it
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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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Hi Kitenski. It was very icy in the morning, and had a grainy crust, if that makes sense, which caused your ski's to break through if you put too much pressure on the snow. Was fine on gentle slopes but on the steeper stuff was quite unpredicable and not that enjoyable. There were some better runs over in Alagna which softened up nicely but all in all not great.
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