Where to ski when landing in Milan in February

I went to Monterosa the winter before last, and it was quite nice. I stayed in Champoluc, which is a neat little town. From Milan, it might be easier to get to Alagna or Gressoney, but both of those should be nice as well, though Alagna might be too sleepy for some.

The area is pretty good for intermediates. There aren't too many blues, but there are loads of reds which are generally quiet during the week, so plenty of cruising with no waits for the lifts. Also, it's a good area for trying a bit of powder skiing. There is a lot of space between the pistes to hop off and back on: no need for backcountry treks or commitment to long off-piste routes.

Don't be fooled by the piste map. The scale of the drawings and the small number of pistes make it look like a small area. But, if you take a look at the altitude listings at various spots, it gives you a better idea of the size. There aren't many pistes, but they are really long. On the Alagna side, you can get nearly 2000 m of vertical now that the new lift to Punta Indren is open.

Monterosa ski is for sure a good place to go, more or less 150 km from Milan to Champoluc.

Beware, when skiing there, don't be late and miss the "last run to go back to your village". The resort develops on a line across three valleys (Champoluc is is Ayas valley, then there's the Gressonye Valley, then the Alagna one). There are no roads linking the three palces until you go down to the main plains. To go back to your Hotel in Champoluc from Alagna, as an example, by taxi (there is no public transport directly linking the places) it is a 200 km journey.

Aother places in Valle d'Aosta which might be interesting are La Thuile, Courmayeur, if you like to stay near or in a "big" town, Pila is directly accessible from Aosta town by cable car...

In Lombardy, Passo Tonale which pass will give you access to Aprica and/or the Madonna di Campiglio resort (via Marilleva, but the Marilleva-Passo Tonale is not skis on foot), Madesimo (if you look for something "big", Madesimo ain't at all, even if I deem it a small gem)

Bormio, Santa caterina (again, very small amd might not be what you are looking for).

Ultimately what will the two of you be principally looking for? Nightlife? Company? Scenery? In all resorts you'll find quite a bunch of intermediate runs, distances to travel?

You might also check with WTFH, he's been in Champoluc last february as well.

http://www.epicski.com/forum/thread/90671/tr-champoluc-8th-15th-january-2010

Here's the TR from WTFH. Pretty much the same as my trip in March 2009.

Might want to consider Bormio. Old medieval town with beautiful cobblestone streets, hot springs, and a great mountain for intermediates. Really lovely ride up past Lago Como. When the pass is open, you can day trip to St. Moritz too. Wonderful drink called a Bombardino. Great bar downtown run by one of the ski schools.

Lisamarie and I had a fabulous week there a few years ago.

Milan has 3 airports - which one will you be landing in ?

The closest to Monterosa is Milan Malpensa and like others have said, its about 2 hours easy drive - motorway most of the way.  I went there a couple of years ago and we stayed in Gressoney St. Jean.  Its a very small and quiet place and dead at night.  Gressoney La Trinite is bigger (but still not huge) and it seemed to be a more happening place when the lifts closed.  

The skiing is fantastic for intermediates and the lifts are good too.  As others have said, there are off piste opportunities if you want them too.  There are lots of videos on youtube covering the area (including one of mine!).

Pila is the most accessible hands down (unless perhaps you're landing in Bergamo).

If you're intermediate skiers, you should consider Cervinia, which is possibly the best intermediate ski area in Europe, all things considered. And it has great snow.

Here's the Where to Ski and Snowboard link to Cervinia: http://www.wheretoskiandsnowboard.com/resorts/Cervinia/

If you don't have a copy of this book, you should get one, though I don't think Italy is as well represented as it might be.

One other thing to keep in mind is that Milan is as close to a number of Swiss resorts (Andermatt, St Moritz, Davos, et al) as it is to many resorts in Italy, so unless you have your heart set on skiing in Italy, you can widen your search a bit. Andermatt, for example, is about as easy to get to by road as anything here in Italy (a straight two-hour shot entirely on well-maintained highways).

I still say Cervinia for you, though.

Madesimo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PowHog 

Madesimo.

 

Hey!

Have you been there? Do you plan to come this winter?

If you do, drop us a PM, maybe we can work it out and meet for turns!!!

Seasons' greetings.