 Poster: A snowHead
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After a bit (lot) of hunting around I got sorted with 5 days in Courmayer for 1/2 term week. Whats the skiing like there? Should we get a pass just for Courmayer or is it worth doing a some days there and some to La Thuile (been before)?
adrian
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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 went to Courmayeur last March. The snow was awesome and the skiing very good but it's quite a small ski area. They claim 100km but I think it's probably more like half that (I think they include cross country trails and off-piste itineraries in the 100km). It's quite varied though, some high and open on the Chécrouit/Youla side and some through the trees on the Zerotta side and always impeccably groomed (except for the black run Dell'Orso, that is deliberately left ungroomed).
The skiing is best suited to intermediates. There aren't many blue runs for early inters to progress to and most of the terrain is genuinely red. There are four black runs but I only did one of them which was OK in steepness but a bit narrow and icy.
I think the normal Courmayeur pass includes one or two days in another Aosta valley resort. La Thuile is served by bus and Pila by bus to Aosta and then the gondola lift up.
I didn't do either of these as I kept my equipment up on the mountain at Plan Chécrouit for the week because my accommodation was a gondola and bus ride away from the ski area.
However, I'm going to La Thuile properly this season to make up for it.
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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 would just get the pass for courmayeur. You could spend one day skiing the vallee blanche to chamonix to make the holiday more exciting. We went to courmayeur with Inghams and they offered this as a day trip. There are some great runs in courmayeur. Have happy memories of a hoilday there.
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Never mind the skiing, just load up on Bambardino's MMMMmmmmmmm! 
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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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agt, we've just had a lovely day there, in between trees and through untracked powder.
I'd think for 5 days you'd be fine. Lots to do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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The off piste itineraries from the Youla/Arp are really great. You need a guide though - they're not particularly difficult but some of them come down into terrain traps where you would not want to be in bad conditions. You could prob do 3 or 4 laps in a day. Highly recommended, as is the free apres buffet at Bar Roma!
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I'm affraid the off piste is beyond my ability for now. I've too many bad habits to iron out before I can enjoy it; steep and icy is another matter though and there's a couple of blacks at LaThuile that I've got a score to settle with! There's also a couple of mountain restaurants I'd like to re-visit there as well.
adrian
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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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Swirly, I was talking about the pisted terrain only. I've never been off piste.
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There are a couple of great long bump runs in Courmayeur too. Plenty to do for a week, particularly if you do a day in Pila or La Thuile.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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queen bodecia, in which case why say it's best for intermediates? I'd say it's pretty good for intermediates, good for beginners as everywhere is when it comes down to it (I've even met someone who learnt to ski at La Grave) and brilliant for experts.
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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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Swirly, I would have said the pisted terrain was a lot better for intermediates than beginners. One of my ski buddies is more of a blue run skier and there wasn't really much for her, many of the red runs were too steep. There are also only four black runs so any advanced skiers that don't go off-piste might prefer elsewhere.
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Swirly, it's not good for beginners at the end of the season, believe me! The blue runs are the first to close, so it's nursery slope to red, or stay on the one nursery slope all week...
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You know it makes sense.
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Agree it's a bad choice for beginners or even timid intermediates if the conditions are bad. To really get anything out of the place you need to be a confident red run skier or better otherwise your runs are extremely limited IMHO. The town is quite charming and a couple of the bars on the main drag used to lay on HUGE apres ski buffets when I was there.
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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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Well it all worked out to be a good week after a shakey start. Got to Milan at 10pm to find my driving licence had fallen out of my bag (found this morning in the back of my car) so Avis wouldn't let me have the hire car. Great Italian hotel staff near the airport got us out of the s**t and onto 4 trains and on the slopes by 1pm Monday.
2 1/2 days was enough to do Courmayeur to death and move on to LaThuile. Great day there and clocked up all the blacks and most of the reds. Going back and re-skiing black runs that had you beat 2 years ago and strieght lining reds that you only just got down, is good for the confidence. Then managed a full day back in Courmayeur yesterday, including first tracks in powder thanks to an early start, before 3 trians and a bus back to Milan.
Can't recommend the Hotel Vallee Blanche enough; They went way beyond what I'd have expected to help us. The Italian railways deserve praise as well; despite looking a bit run down in places, everything ran on time and cost less than 20euro each way for a 200k ish trip.
adrian
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Poster: A snowHead
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agt, glad you enjoyed your trip despite your drama!!! 
I am heading out to Courmayeur for 3 nights on the 3rd with 3 friends. We expect to ski in resort for one and a half days, if the weather is good we shall take in the vallee blanche on another day and then we have one day left which we are contemplating La Thuille for the day. How was the snow on and off piste? and how lively/quiet were the bars in town of an evening after skiing?
Cheers
Greg
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you get chance it's worth going to Aosta for an evening, absolutely gorgeous city.
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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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The snow was good. First day was nice groomed pistes plus a couple of marked un-pisted runs. That night it started snowing and put down a few inches. Nice but was getting a bit cut up late in the day with moguls forming in busy spots and the visability wasn't great. Wed' was more of the same. Thu' in LaThuile was was similar but with icy patches on the steepest parts particularly on the north facing slopes. Sun came out though. Fri' it was dumping all day. Early morning runs were great but cutting up later.
Off piste looked good but beyond that I couldn't comment. The cable car to the top, and access to the off piste itinaries, had quite a que most mornings but was quiet late in the day.
Not really into apres bars (prefer a quiet beer) and we were staying out of town so can't really comment there either.
adrian
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Any updates on the current situation snow wise? Thanks..... 
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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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northantsred, Only just caught up with this as I have been to Courmayeur for half term. (Got back 21st)
The snow is fine. There is cover all the way down to the town and I skied the run down to the Dolonne with no difficulty. Everything is open and there is good well-groomed snow on all pistes. The off-piste I cannot comment on!
I would say that Courmayeur is a small resort. You can pretty much ski the whole resort in a day. Pila is a nice day out, but again, you can see it all in a day.
The place was very busy as it was Carnivale week.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just seen your question re bars. The best bar is probably the Bar Roma. 2 big and 1 small beer (pixie size) €13 but they do free food of a very decent standard. You can help yourself from about 4.30 and there is plenty. Not crowded in Carnivale week. We also liked the American bar which also has free snacks.
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ta matey....
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Chris Bish, "There is cover all the way down to the town and I skied the run down to the Dolonne with no difficulty."
I loved that run. The top, narrow bit, with hairpin bends was great fun to try and get through just following the fall line. We did it over and over, when the piste was quiet during lunch time.
adrian
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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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Gabba was our favourite. In the shade most of the day so nobody there. Real good open high-speed hooning country.
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"Gabbagabbagabbagabbagabba". It was only open for one day Christmas week - due to the avalanche risk up above  .
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I liked Gabba best too. In fact the run from Youla, then joining on to Gabba then joining the lower section of Internazionale down to Zerotta was so good I did it every day. 
I didn't do the run down to Dolonne. It looked a bit icey and narrow from above.
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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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Internazionale - no anchovies, extra bacon.
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