Final revised Monterosa and champoluc review jan 2013

Thanks for great reporting :thumbup:

Thanks Tony - a great report :thumbup:

Thanks enjoyed the trip report - Pleased you had a great holiday.

Another top report. Been so busy 'banging on' about flouro-pink and lime-green braces that I've only just got round to reading this in its entirety -) . It really took me back and made me more determined than ever to return (next year, I hope :-). )

Anyone who follows these threads will know how special I think this place is. The sheer sense of space and wilderness is hard to describe. I think you nailed it when you described the sense of skiing among the peaks rather than under them. The piste map doesn't even begin to do justice to the area.

Your description of the Sarezza piste rang a few bells too. We skied the Champoluc area one day with the Crystal rep and she warned us of the split personality of that particular pitch of the Sarezza. Apparently the wind sometimes scours all the fresh snow off the piste as it is funnelled between the two peaks. The upper part of the piste is unaffected, so it is quite easy charge round that corner with great speed, style and confidence until you find yourself on the ice (or on your ass) on the 'White Wall of Death' as she described it. If it hadn't been affected by the wind then it was one of those corners where, however fast you attacked it you always wanted to do it even faster next time! The other warning she gave us was to 'behave yourselves' on Thursday as that was the day that ski-school would take intermediate groups on there providing the interesting addition of quite a few 'mobile chicanes'.

Interesting to see the area through the eyes of someone based in Champoluc. Being based in Gressoney, our world revolved around Stafal. It was a minor irritation walking from the bottom of the piste across the car-parks to the Champoluc and Alagna gondolas, but that black run down made it worthwhile. Shame you didn't get down to Gressoney at least once. The red run down is terrific and, just like a lot of the others, much longer than it appears on the piste-map. There's also a super little mountain hut at the top of the Punta Jolanda (best bombardinos bar none) where the walls on the route to the toilets are covered in skis and ski paraphenalia through the ages from year dot to the garish colour schemes of the 80's and 90's. The carabinieri, or 'bombardino gestapo' as we called them, chucked us out of there most afternoons at 5:30 but, being Italian, they even managed to do this in a good-natured way :-) ! The old boy there is retired (he looks about 100 years old but he's as fit as a fiddle) and spends the summer carving faces into the stumps of the trees that were felled to accommodate the Punta Jolanda lift. It's just a magical place!

I wonder if you missed a trick by not getting the services of a guide for half a day and checking out the itineraries above the Punta Indren. That still remains the highlight for me, certainly of that holiday and possibly of my entire skiing 'career'! I get the feeling you'll be going back, so plenty of time...

I think you're dead right too, when you predict the tour operators selling this place more and more. Investment in the lift system has been massive and whoever provided the money is going to want to see a return on it. Our mountain guide was telling us of rumours of links to Cervinia, so it may not remain 'Sleepy Hollow' for ever. My advice to anyone thinking of checking this place out is the same as yours. Do it soon: it might not be around in its current form for long.

Some great pictures too :thumbup:

With regard to being booted out of the huts at 5:30pm. I can't see how they can risk letting people do their own thing up on the slopes, especially if they have imbibed.
The 6 Russians who recently drove the skidoo over a cliff at night after drinking is an extreme example of what can happen.

Juddernaut wrote:With regard to being booted out of the huts at 5:30pm. I can't see how they can risk letting people do their own thing up on the slopes, especially if they have imbibed.
The 6 Russians who recently drove the skidoo over a cliff at night after drinking is an extreme example of what can happen.

I agree 100%. I was just pointing out the 'personal skills' of the representatives or the Italian authorities, which I think are a reflection of, and a credit to the Italians in general. I appreciate that they have a job to do and I think they do it well. As beautiful as those mountains are I really wouldn't want to spend a night 'al fresco' in them :) .

"Ey, finish you drink and make a you ski back, is a very dangerous"

Great review will certainly try this place thanks !