Ski, Aosta Valley, Italy. (Feb 22)
Undeterred by our aborted Ski trip to Austria (on account of Covid entry rules for youths) Natty and I decided to travel by car to Italy where the entry rules are a lot less restrictive.
Our accommodation was quirky to say the least, an old medieval castle, nestled between the vineyards in the hills just above Aosta. Its was in the heart of the region and such an amazing place to have as a base. The owners were just lovely and tried their best to help us pile on a few pounds in weight!
Over seven days we managed to fit in five very different resorts, skiing as many runs as was humanly possible – and all on the same ski pass!
PILA (the local one), LA THUILE (which is linked to La Rosière in France), BREUIL – CERVINA which has the most breathtaking views of the Matterhorn and amazing high altitude runs and was our favourite resort. It is also linked at the top to ZERMATT so a huge area overall. We hit every run in COURMAYEUR, which sits under the imposing Mont Blanc range, and finally MONTEROSA where we started at CHAMPOLUC doing a great circuit to ALAGNA via GRESSONEY LA TRINITE, this turned out to be our second favourite location, mainly because the quality of the snow given the high altitude of many of the runs.
If you like “ski in ski out” chalet experience then this type of holiday will not be for you, but if you love exploring different valleys, chasing powder and not repeating the same run twice – then it’s something to be considered. The other great thing about this type of holiday is that you can leave choosing your ski resort until the last minute, based on what the sun, clouds, wind or snow are doing… There were a few days where this strategy paid off.
Natty was on skis for all all bar two days when he switched to a snowboard. I was thankful for those two days as I simply cant keep up with him anymore when he’s on skis (just don’t tell him that)!
So, a wonderful holiday, with some breathtaking scenery and what felt like endless runs. My knees are shot! I’m not getting any younger!
Blue skies every day except one (Tuesday) when the whole region was targeted for snowfall, but at least that deposited several inches of fresh powder for some great off piste skiing for two days! I have now fallen in love this region – definitely coming back with Emma next time (who bailed out this year) 🇮🇹❤️🇨🇭💕🚠⛷.
Roll on next year, when the fourteen of us who had planned the aborted Austria trip for this year have already rebooked. Can’t wait.
