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Monterosa Intermediate Skiing
Only Balma, which you won’t reach by accident, might cause trouble. Conditions are normally excellent with well groomed pistes and extensive snow making, for those years when the snow doesn’t arrive naturally. Pisted runs are long and varied and the magnificent mountain scenery, wild, natural ambience and quiet slopes make for some exceptional skiing. There isn’t out and out mileage here (other than off piste) but the skiing in Monterosa is very varied, and covers an area that elsewhere would be heavily criss-crossed with lifts and pistes.
In Champoluc, riding two consecutive lifts from Crest to Col Sarezza (2717m) gives a magnificent return to the village. There are several options along the way, mainly reasonably steep, broad and with great views, ending on the pleasant wooded lower slopes. From Col Sarezza, through the gap and over to Contenery is also excellent, whilst the northern end towards Bettaforca is a mix of wooded, twisty but generally wide runs and open, rolling terrain. Having skied the immediate Champoluc area, head east towards Alagna via the Gressoney valley (or the reverse from Alagna). Be sure to check the last suggested return times, which are given at all the lift stations, to avoid being stranded at the end of the day. Travelling by road from one valley to the other is long and expensive!
Both sides of Gressoney are open and wide, seldom steep but with big rollers for enjoyable fast skiing. Directly above Gressoney-La-Trinite is Punta Jolanda and a wonderful region of trees, rock gardens and winding, more intimate pistes that are sensational under fresh snow. The area constitutes a mini-ski domain that families can enjoy without worrying about being separated by miles of piste or dropping into the wrong valley, with a couple of café-restaurants available for lunch. To make a big tour starting from Gressoney, take the lift to Punta Jolanda out of Gressoney La Trinite, and head east to Alagna before crossing back over the Gressoney valley in the late morning to explore Champoluc, bathed in sunshine during the afternoon. It’s on this side that you could get stranded at the end of the day, with a series of connections needed to get back over to Gressoney. It’s no hardship to play it safe as the final quad up to Col Bettaforca serves as a great end-of-day run to lap a couple of times before heading down the other side. Keep in mind that even late in the season the return to Gressoney is in deep shade - soft conditions can crisp up unpleasantly making the last run home a trial.
Alagna itself has few pisted runs, but the links to the neighbouring valleys are modern and high speed. From Passo Salati, the long blue run returns to the middle station of the cable car, and the black, steepish in parts, returns to Pianalunga, at the bottom of the cable car. The pistes to both sides of Bocchetta delle Pisse are panoramic reds, and the return to the village is on another red run, which is steep in sections.
The point at which the Monterosa’s pistes start to underwhelm you is the time not to look elsewhere, but to begin exploring off piste. It’s a relaxed experience here, with abundant opportunities in small bites between the pistes, and some tantalising goals to aspire to.
