Alagna off-piste?

A snowHead

Heading to the Monte Rosa ski area for a week at the end of the month. I'd love to explore more of the off-piste opportunities there, having done a guided day a couple of years ago, but money is tight and can't really afford to hire a guide this time. Are there any routes people have done there which don't require a guide, and which are pretty safe from a crevasse and avalanche point of view? I'm wondering about routes down from Punta Indren, for example. I imagine that stuff like shovel, probes, transceiver, etc., can be hired for the day if they're necessary, can they not?

A snowHead

If you haven't been back for a couple of years then you won't have been up on the new lift that takes you up to just below Punta Indren on the Western side. This gives you the option to ski off-piste and off Glacier back down towards Gressoney on routes such as Canale Aquila and Eagle Couloir. These head down towards Alpe Endre. Stay high or add a little uphill and you can drop into the Salza Valley. Heading East and with a little skinning you'll get up and over the "old" Punta Indren lift and from there you're on Classics like the Malfetta...but I would not recommend any of that side without a guide or a group of competent off-piste skiers. Your best bet is to get to the resort and buy "Polvere Rosa #2" by Andrea Gallo. It is for sale in most of the ski shops and bars (c. €25) and is a Freeride guide in Italian and English. Its a little dated now but clear enough to identify the routes you can take. As to hiring safety gear, The Italians are pretty picky! Normally you will only be allowed to "Hire" gear in the presence of a Guide. You can buy it, but if you're only doing it for a couple of days you may be better off hiring in UK and taking it with you.

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Thanks, useful info. The lift was actually there last time but I didn't actually take it because the conditions weren't great. I'll definitely hunt out the 'Polvere Rosa #2' when I'm there. Maybe you could fill me in a little more, please, on the characteristics of the routes you mention? Are there any which are pretty straightforward skiing (i.e., not 50°/60° couloirs), which don't require skinning and where the route is marked, or at least pretty clear? This site gives some brief descriptions - http://www.freeride.co.uk/ski-resorts/alagna/off-piste/849/ - but I'm not sure how up to date it is, vis a vis the new lift, and I'd just like to get a little more detail. Is the Balma run clear enough, for example?

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The descriptions on the link are not bad. Anything off the top of the lift is no more than 40% and then only for short bits if you stay on the Western Side. The Canale route has single pole markers for low vis. The Val Salza is easy to pick out and gives a great run down to Gressoney. I use it as an introduction to Touring with a skin up from Gabiet. Perduta has a little more exposure as you cross the ridge higher up, but the Skiing is pretty steady. Balma is easy to do but you will need to skin or boot up to get in and out. The Balma Piste culminates near the old mining huts and there is a climb of about 100m to rejoin the lift system. You've probably done Col D'Olen from the Guigalemina refugio instead of via the piste and a very short walk takes you up to the ridge where you can ski off the otherside towards Gabiet. To be honest, the others on the map are probably not what you're looking for, but the book has lots of really simple rides that start and finish on the piste or are served by the lifts. I think it will definately suit your aspirations and if you want to go for the big ones like the Marinelli, then that's in there too!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Very helpful, thanks! Balma sounds good - I don't mind a bit of uphill trudging. I've probably done some bits of these runs before on the guided day I had, but we were whisked along at a fair pace and I didn't really make a note of where we were going, I was just following the guides. We did one run which involved a high and rather teeth-chattering traverse (the snow was hard-packed, wind-blown) under a ridge, followed by a drop down to the left to meet a piste, which I suspect was probably the Olen black, if that makes sense. We also did another run which eventually came out on to the right hand side of a black run leading down to Staffal. I thought that this was the black from the Bettaforca side but looking at the map, this is clearly nonsense, so it must have been the one (66?) coming down from Gabiet. I think we probably had lunch at the (now sadly departed) Rifugio Guglielmina. Funny how little you remember of routes if you're just following someone, particularly if you've no time to stop and look around.

One last question...Is it actually stupid and/or irresponsible to do these runs without a guide? I want to get some great runs in but I don't want to do anything daft. One possibility is that we could club together with a few other like-minded individuals and hire a guide for 6-8 of us, instead of just the 2 of us, which would make things much more viable economically. That depends on finding such a group of others, though.

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Shame you are going at the end of the month as we are thinking of going to Gressoney/Alagna from 10th -13th and looking to do some guided off piste. Like you, don't want to pay for a guide for just 2 of us and will need to hire the kit. Last year we stayed close to the pistes but still found some great sking. Not sure how good the snow is at the moment?

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Yes, shame about the timing there. Of course, any off-piste plans are entirely dependent on there being good snow there, but the forecast is good at the moment. Two years ago there was a big dump of snow overnight one night which continued through the next day, and I had a brilliant day's skiing in the Gressoney area. We'll be staying in Gressoney this time, having stayed in Champoluc the last couple of times, which will make things easier/quicker to get to any good snow in the Alagna area. Hope you have a good time!

After all it is free

J2R. I am a qualified Mountain guide and Ski Instructor who was lucky enough to live in the Pre-Alpinini for the last 3 seasons. My advice would be to stick to the Western side of Punta Indren, i.e the routes that head down towards Gressoney. Provided you're reasonable skiers and the weather and snow conditions are good then you should have no problems as long as you follow the marked routes. They are patrolled. If you go East (Balma, Malfetta etc) then 1) You're entering serious terrain. 2) You should have all the neecessary gear and know how to use it! 3) It's a long way from help if it goes wrong! Gressoney is a good base and if you head up towards Champoluc there are a whole series of chutes under the Pylons of the chair lift that brings you back up, which will provide you with plenty of thrills, (Again they are in the book). Most of the Monte Rosa guides will take groups up daily and many are happy to take mixed groups, so even if you cannot get enough together in your own party they may combine one or two. Bottom line...If you're not 100% happy with what you're doing then you probably shouldn't be doing it.

On the Gressoney side of the ridge you'll be in the Aosta valley, so off piste kit (probe, shovel, transceiver) is mandatory by law when skiing off piste.

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panaga52, that is once again most useful info. I will stay to the western side. Interesting, I've never noticed the chutes under the chair that you mention, so I must take a closer look. I assume from your knowledge and from what you say about yourself that you're actually Italian, but I would never have guessed this from your perfect English. If you know the area REALLY well, maybe you know about the ski shops in Gressoney? If I book in advance through SnowRental, I'll be hiring skis from Laurent Noleggi in Staffal, but I don't know whether they will have the all-mountain skis I'll be wanting (previous years in Champoluc the ski shop has been excellent). Do you know anything about them, or is there somewhere I should be going in preference?

AndAnotherThing, I'll make sure I have probe, shovel and transceiver with me.

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BertieG - I'm in gressoney/alagna from 7th - 14th with one other person. We will be looking to share guiding costs with other like minded people. We are boarders but don't mind heading off piste with skiers (they are vey useful for breaking trail!).

If there are any other snowheads out there that are interested in guiding on these dates make yourselves known!

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sah, My understanding is that it's not all of Italy, but it's possible it extends to other areas. Can't comment about enforcement but should the worse happen you would be on the wrong side of the Italian legal system.

You know it makes sense.

I know Laurent's it is standard Ski Set fare so you'll be fine but usually the advance booking packages don't much beyond a 'standard' all-mountain ski and if the snow keeps up you might want powder skis for a day or two. There is another shop at the bottom of the Moos Run but I've forgotten the name. It has a yellow livery and caters for the more extreme. Worth a look if you don't book in advance and a good Apres Spot by Gressoney standards. Bought some slippers there once when the tour took longer than expected and we missed the lift back over to Alagna! As to the legal piece, connect my earlier comment about only being able to hire safety packs with a guide. That is one method of enforcement. If you take the new Punta Indren lift the operators occasionally spot check those going up and will refuse your ride if you haven't got it. Finally the coolest policemen on the mountain can stop and check you if they think you're breaking the rules and its bye bye lift pass. Ultimately though, screw up and your insurance goes out the window when they rescue you. I am English by the way but my Italian is pretty good! Ciao Ciao.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Hi J2R. How did you organise off piste guiding when you stayed in Champoluc? I'll be there for February mid-term with the family but hope to sneak off for some off piste now and again. Did you have to go over to Gressonny for guiding or is there anything that can be arranged in Champoluc ? Guide Monterosa in Gressonny seem pretty good based on their website but I'm worried about getting over there in time for the daily guided groups. How did you get on ?

A snowHead

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Snow_Dog, don't know anything about their timings, but i can highly recommend Alberto Silvestri from the Monterosa Guides - climbed with him on some icefalls a few years back - he is a super nice guy and pretty handy on skis if mutual friends are to be believed.

http://www.silvermountain.it/

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Last tip then. I can highly recommend these guys. Although based in Algana they'll meet where you want. Good price too if there are a couple of you. Nice map which has been updated to reflect the new lift. Italian not too difficult to read!!

http://www.alagna.it/home.php?l=en&id_cat=fuoripista&sid=&o1=&o2=

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Thanks Guys. I'm staying at the Hotel Champoluc, by the lifts, so will ask them about the group off-piste day and see what the ski school can offer. The Gressoney and Alagna guides look seriously good.

Help!!

Alagna off-piste?

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