Spotlight on Courmayeur, Italy
France might be the most popular destination for British skiers but don’t overlook Italy, which has some fantastic resorts, including Courmayeur, a chocolate-box village with some good hotels, excellent restaurants and an extensive ski area best suited to intermediate skiers.
It’s only a two-hour drive from Geneva and Turin airports, both served by easyJet, so it’s more accessible than many French resorts. For clients who want to drive, it’s only a little further than the popular French resort of Chamonix, which lies just the other side of the Mont Blanc tunnel.
Indeed, the legendary Vallée Blanche off-piste run, which lures advanced skiers to Chamonix, can be skied from Courmayeur, with a guide.
Unlike in Chamonix, the resort is crowd-free, even at weekends. I discovered during a weekend with Ski Club Freshtracks that there’s no mad scramble to be first on the slopes in the morning and during a sunny Sunday in January there were no lift queues.
The slopes suit intermediate skiers who’ll love the wide open pistes; there is also a handful of more challenging runs for expert skis and some good, easily accessible off-piste too.
There is a good choice of mountain restaurants, including the Chateau Branlant, where we tucked into plates of cured meats, local cheeses and a variety of pasta dishes.
In the village, there are lots of places to eat. Try the Pierre Alexis Via Marconi for local dishes such as pasta with duck or wild boar. The Terrazza offers an excellent value three-course lunch for €20.
The village also boasts high-end shopping, including Gant, Hermes and Gucci, and some good quality hotels. We stayed at the friendly Hotel Croux, which offers a daily transfer service to the ski lift.
For those who don’t want to ski – or who want to soothe their aching limbs after a day on the slopes – the extensive Pré-Saint-Didier Spa is only a short drive away and there are private transfers available from many hotels. We spent several hours here, wandering between the various indoor and outdoor hot tubs, the saunas, steam room and floatation tank. Treatments are also available.
Ski Club Freshtracks runs a number of ski holiday options to Courmayeur including 7-night technique development holidays and a 4-night weekender.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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