champoluc as an early intermediate

Hi,
My daughter and I have been to Italy before and ski the blue runs in Pila without problem. Since then we have been on an improvers course at Chill Factore and are both fine skiing confidentely down the main slopes and do reasonable parallel turns. I have booked a holiday in Champoluc ( staying at the Champoluc hotel) and I am a bit concerned at what I have read about the area being mostly hard reds, and whether we will be good enough to cope. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Cheers. Phil

I've been eyeing up Champlouc for a couple of years now, looks fantastic for confident intermediates as theres a lot of hard runs and off piste. However theres plenty of blues and reds that you ought to be fine with. Its a largish area with slow long lift connections from what I can make out, but I am sure you'll enjoy it. Make sure you comeback and write us a report!

I've been twice and like you the first time was as an early intermediate. The area is challenging but very manageable as an early intermediate.

My first trip there was as an early intermediate, the snow cover was poor and very icy but managed fine just took my time down difficult parts.

The better skiing for me is over the Gressoney side, though you will look at a piste map and see it linked coming back by a black. Don't be fooled, apart from one fairly steep but short section, perfectly manageable and nothing wosre than a red in my opinion, probably black because of a narrow link but still don't see why it is a black.

Also the black that takes you all the way over to Alagna is very manageable, but ensure you head straight over there at the begining of the day, else you will be stuck there if you time things wrong and it is a 2 1/2 hr taxi ride back to Champoluc so you would end up staying there really (or so we were told anyway, didn't bother trying to find out went there straight away from first lift Champoluc side about 8:45am and lunching back in Gressoney by 1:30pm).

You can save time now anyway by getting a bus to a new funicular to the Frechey side, which will save about 45 mins to 1 hour skiing time, but the run down from the top of the Champoluc side is great, but easier than it used to be as there was a real tight "s" bend situation which was just chaos in the mornings, so they have blown away the rock and opened it all up.

Also a few nice runs at Antagnod, but not linked so 5 min bus ride and probably worth an afternoon there. It was a useful area to have as well as the lifts can be closed due to high winds from time to time, but you can ski up there usually so at least you are doing something.

Stayed in the Hotel de Champoluc on the 2nd trip, really easy for the first lift as you come out of a door at the bottom of the hotel where the boot room is and walk across to the first lift so I would say 100mtrs.

Coming down at the end of the day is mad because there is only 1 route down to the village and a tricky section that gets mogully by the end of the day, but once you have negotiated that it is a cruise all the way literally to the door of your hotel.

All the bars are really friendly and most of them lay on food to go with you hard earned tipple. Pachamamma's is the liveliest place for apres

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=43946898073

Don't think you will regret going I been twice and would go again without question.

Tony_H wrote:I've been eyeing up Champlouc for a couple of years now, looks fantastic for confident intermediates as theres a lot of hard runs and off piste. However theres plenty of blues and reds that you ought to be fine with. Its a largish area with slow long lift connections from what I can make out, but I am sure you'll enjoy it. Make sure you comeback and write us a report!

Tony, from what I have read of your posts you are a competent skiier, then you would enjoy Champoluc without question, but as long as the snow is plantiful as that is when the area really comes alive as there is pleanty of off piste too.

The group I have been there with has a high "%" of boarders and they love it when the snow is good, though boring for them if not but the height and the snow record is pretty good, we were just very unlucky on the first trip there 4 years ago, I think, where it didn't snow anywhere for over a month but all the runs were open but icy and they managed to keep the whole area really well and skiiable.

Snow Secrets is your best bet for reasonable priced accommodation and as I mentioned in a previous post you can fill up on Pizza and all sorts at Pachamma's and not need buy any food in the evenings which I know a few guys that did that, as they just had a bed and breakfast deal.

Fed and in bed early ready for the first lift in the morning.

Thanks Tony H and TC.

That makes me feel a lot better! Going there at beginning of Jan and really looking forward to it. I suppose if the worst came to the worst I could slide down on my bottom lol.

Cheers. Phil

pandrm wrote: if the worst came to the worst I could slide down on my bottom lol.

Cheers. Phil

Been there, done that, bought the new reinforced pants :thumbup:
Hope your trip goes great for you.
Look forward to hearing how you get on.....

Mmmmm it's on my Agenda