Monterosa Ski Resort intermediate

Monterosa / Intermediate

Confident skiers who are phased only by truly black runs can relax here: the whole domain is open to you on piste.

Only Balma, which you won’t reach by accident, might cause trouble, while the grooming and snow-making mean exceptional skiing conditions even during a trademark sun-kissed snow-drought (though they're too frequent for comfort, they're usually accompanied by very low temperatures, allowing snow-making and the preservation of whatever snow has already fallen). If that sounds dull, consider the view, and the sense of journey. There isn’t out and out mileage here (other than off piste) but it’s very varied, and covers an area that elsewhere would be heavily criss-crossed with lifts and pistes. Your starting point obviously determines your options: from Champoluc, once you’ve skied the immediate area, you can head east for Alagna via Gressoney (or the reverse from Alagna). To make a big tour starting from Gressoney, ride the lift to Punta Jolanda out of Gressoney La Trinite, then head east to Alagna before crossing back over the Gressoney valley 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 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 shadow - soft conditions can crisp up unpleasantly making the last run home a trial.

In Champoluc it’s hard to single out one run. Riding two consecutive chairs from Crest to Col Sarezza (2717m) gives a magnificent return to town, with several options along the way, mainly broad, reasonably steep and with good views, ending through the wooded lower slopes for the finale. Through the gap and over to Contenery is also excellent while the northern end towards Bettaforca is a mix of wooded, twisty but generally broad runs, and open, rolling terrain above.
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 to use for lunch.

Alagna has very few pistes. The new lift opens up the gargantuan Val d’Olen with a piste tucked to one side, though this remains a valley that’s best skied off piste. Below it, the long run back to town is frequently closed due to lack of snow.
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 piste and with some tantalising goals to aspire to. The epic heli-trip to the high pass over to Switzerland, from where you ski down into Zermatt and return by lift towards Cervinia and then off piste back to Champoluc, is within reach of most competent skiers with stamina – even if you have only limited off piste experience - but it’s the kind of mountain trip that many accomplished skiers with years under their belts never experience.