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Champoluc Trip report
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

Resort: Champoluc
Country: Italy
Domain: Monterosa
Author: michael stocking

Date: 28th to 30th January 2010
Our holiday: This was a quiet weekend in a "nice" resort with my wife, leaving the kids at home (not alone).
Website : http://www.monterosa-ski.com/
Basics : We stayed in Champoluc, about 2 hours north of Milan, although transfers from Turin are closer. Never been to the Italian Alps before.
Lift system : There's been a big investment in the lift infrastructure by the look of it. A big funicular in the Frachey sector for all the weekend Milanese, gondolas and small chairs elsewhere. Over three days skiing we queued only once for a lift when high winds shut the link to Gressoney, and all the weekend skiers got stuck on the Champoluc side. Lots of 2 man chairs look like they won't cope, but do.
The terrain : 3 valleys: Champoluc; Gressoney and Alagna in parallel (sort of). Ski up and over into Gressoney and then again to Alagna. The Champoluc area has the most piste skiing, the Arosa sector the most off-piste. Very few blacks in the domain, and those that there were weren't hard. Some really nice consistent gradient reds down into Gressoney and Champoluc.
The snow : It hadn't snowed for a week or more, but the pistes were in great condition, and we got a dusting which helped. Because there were so few people, the pistes stood up well. Plus, I'd guess the pisteurs know their stuff.
Off-piste : I only played about in some next-to-the-piste moguls, but the rest looked pretty tracked out, and no new snow didn't help. Talking to others, the Alagna sector is fairly hard-core.
The resort : Small, a few good hotels, couple of shops, people seem to stay inside.
Food : We only ate up the mountain. Refuge Gugliemina was fun and honest food. Hotel Cre Forne also has great pasta and in a good location. I think I counted 27 restaurants on the piste map, in about 120Kms of domain.
Accommodation : We stayed in Stadel Soussun, a 16th century farmhouse, 500m up from the resort. You can only get there by ringing Sergio, who comes to pick you up in his Snowcat. But at the end of each day, you can duck off the del Lago blue run, through the pines to emerge at the farmhouse. A truly great place. On the last night we stepped outside in brilliant moonlight after a vast dinner and could hear absolutely nothing, but see like day. Thoroughly recommended for a get away from it all weekend: http://www.stadelsoussun.com
Costs: €100/night accommodation H/B, €30/day ski pass, nice lunch €20, ski hire €10/day
Conclusion: A welcome antidote to the French mega-resorts.
ski holidays
ski holidays
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

michael stocking, that stadel place looks great - one for the list of places to go
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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?

michael stocking, thanks for that. Have been twice to the Montarosa and your report is inspiring me to a 3rd.

I agree with the small crowds, great skiing and nothing like France!
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ski holidays
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michael stocking, Good report. We arrived following Wed 3rd Feb. Tracked out off piste on Thurs started snowing in the evening and snowed all day Friday windless and not heavy so powder on piste Fri pm. Saturday morning 12" of powder fantastic Sunday too. Empty Thurs/Friday, much busier wk/nd, 10 minute queue for Alagne cable.

Great skiing for "intermediates", loved the red from top of Gressoney, lots of near piste off piste which gave us the chance to experiment. We skied the whole of the Monterosa area and would recommend it, worth noting a couple of flat pistes which annoyed the boarder in the party (getting to mid point staffel from orsia 2 man and from mid point staffel down).

Stayed in Dufour appt in Gressoney la Trinite recommended. Easy 2hr drive from Milan Melpensa. Recommend Ristorante Morgenrot 200m below bottom of orsia 2 man down the jolanda piste (yes it is there have faith) sun goes off it later in the afternoon, ski school use it for prize giving which was fun and gave it a very local feel, i would imagine quiet in the week.

Overall great success will return sometime but lots of other less well known areas to explore
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snow report



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