Courmayeur Ski Resort ski area

Courmayeur / Ski area

Ski days in Courmayeur are divided into two halves: the morning rays of Checrouit and the afternoon sun of Val Veny, with a copious lunch in between.

The main ski area is situated directly across the valley floor from the town of Courmayeur and can be roughly divided into two areas, conveniently illuminated by the path of the sun. The first area is that of Checrouit, blessed by the morning rays and accessed by the main cable car coming out of the town centre. Although there is a blue path back to the village, most people come down by cable car and there are facilities to leave your skis and boots at the top (definitely worth doing if you only plan to ski in this area).

Checrouit
The Checrouit bubble takes you onwards to the top of the Col Checrouit (7,401 feet/2,256m), from where you can either continue your journey up the small antique cable car to Cresta Youla (8,609 feet/2,624 m). Like Russian dolls, there is an even smaller cable car running to the top of the Cresta d'Arp (9,039 feet/2,755m) which accesses a couple of off-piste itineraries and a splendid view. The Cresta Youla is only worth queuing for the views and the off-piste as the one run down is a steep yet unremarkable red.

The reds around Checrouit are very pleasant, wide and moderately pitched; the new fast Aretu chair might only achieve 1,246 feet (380 m) of vertical but eases the pressure on the main lift and is good for a few quick runs. Remember you're skiing in Italy, so by now you have done more than enough to earn the right to your first mid-morning pit-stop. Fanning right from Checrouit there are a few nice runs on the Checrouit side of Monte Chetif (7,687 feet/2,343m).

Val Veny
In the afternoon, the sun, and the crowds, move around to the Val Veny flank where there are some very pretty runs down through the trees both on and off the piste. The views from all over the main ski area are very dramatic: across the floor of the Val Veny rises the inspiring mass of the Mont Blanc range, stretching from Mont Blanc to the Grands Jorasses, the two giants of the range. Between these two points is a mass of off-piste terrain.

Courmayeur

Base	4,016 ft (1,224 m)
Summit	9,039 ft (2,755 m)
Elevation	5,023 ft (1,531 m)
Snowmaking
Ski area	376 a (152 ha)
Beginner	34 %
Intermediate	54 %
Advanced	12 %
Number of trails	24
Longest trail	12 mi (20 km)
Snowfall	423 inch (166 cm)
Season start	mid Dec
Season end	late Apr