damian 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 I know this is not very interesting for you guys but, some crew here know loads about different places in the world so I thought I would ask (again). I have two glorious weeks of renting a car, based in northern Italy and committed to now particular resort or area. So I am going to explore a different place every day or so, staying in none for any length of time, perhaps just day trips. I have a few regions that I will be visiting, with my base roughly in the centre of the NW to NE arc of Alps that shroud the north Italian boarder country. - Starting in the NW: Resorts in the Torino area, poking our nose into France if necessary. - Moving East: Resorts in the courmayeur area (behind Mont Blanc) - In the centre: Smaller, slightly more 'local' resorts it the Brembana Valley (pre-Alps, 50km south of St Moritz) - Moving progressively to the East: The vast Dolomite region, all the way to Austria, perhaps not reaching as far as Slovenia. Are there any resorts in particular you would recommend? I really want to spend lost of time exploring BC, but do not have the experience to do it alone and do not want to kill my gf in her first season on snow shoes. I have already seen lost of potential and some long skin tracks up peaks and long lines down. Without actually knowing the snow fall and weather history I am not so confident in following these trails up. The flip side is to ride resorts with plenty of off the groomed run access (as is the way in Europe). Hopefully I will encounter a friendly English speaking patrol hut here or there that can give me some pack history or recommend a guide. Any destination suggestions appreciated. Either way, it is going to be an open ended adventure of exploring the Italian Alps. Link to post Share on other sites
Meathelmet 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 Yo. Are you going to italy at the same time as the olympics are? If so, then hell,watch out anything west of torino (sestrier in italy, serre chevalier/alpes d huez/montgenevre FR) they are completely over run then. If not,then you have a lot of possibilities. In the Aosta valley you have few good points: Monte Rosa:(2hrs from milan) Gressoney/Alagna: Unique freeride area.I have spent there 6-8months in the last few years,and it is nice... But.It is really insecure snowise,especially powder,so make sure if you go there what the situation is. There are really,really good lodgin opprotunities,bars and guides there.If you need more info on that place,i´ll give it.. And the skiing there...Well,lets say,spent some 100days in the BC there,and have come a cross about 5 other people in that time... There are some very HC lines in that area,but if you are into a bit more mellow stuff,there is lot of that lift served (even the Retour from Alagna would be considered "haute route" in the states or something) skiing there where you dont really need a guide, and if you need one, the local guides are very,very good (paolo,Longhez etc..) . Of the other places in the Aosta Valley: La Thuile : (3hrs from milan) Nice resort, good possibilites for decent/good offpist not know as ÜberMecca for freeskiing,but you can do nice lines there. Good slopes, easy to pop into france (La Rosiere) etc... Cervinia : (3hrs from milan) Super Autobahn slopes, nice dropping in to Zermat (switzerland) if you want to visit,very wind prone. BUT. You Matterhorn in you view,+ about 20 other 4000m+ peaks there,so by views,that place is stunning. And if you are into romping around, you can ski Breithorn (oriental,central,occidental), Pollux,Castor from the top lifts. Breithorn is about 2-3hrs away.. And if you drop into Zermatt, there are really good lines there. But,let´s put this way,you better know your way around, you will wash out in the valley 3000 years later and be put in a museum... Courmayer: (3 hours from milan) Nice little Fifi (named after a poodle) place.A lot of fur,porches and jetset,for a italian place. Decent skiing with Mt.Blanck south face in view,and the rest of the mont blank range. The are is a bit contortded with the base cabine from the village taking the people up to the slopes.That gets really,really crowded in the mornigns and in the evenings if you cant ski back to the valley. The only place in the valley where you have the "ski town" ambience with the old cobblestone roads and reastaurants. A realtively nice place if you not so much into skiing,but more into smelling and looking good. About the easter italy,there you have the Dolomites,a huge are with about 100000000+ resorts,but with only decent/very good skiing there.But that area isnt a "high alpine" are in the traditional sense. The peaks are steeper,but in a generalization, the place is like a "Arizona with snow"... But the place is perhaps not that hostile with more sunshine, relatively broad slopes (if you are into that weird stuff...),a "Dolomiti Superpass" with 1000 lifts included,etc.. What did you mention about your GF with the snowshoes? You mean she is a snowboarder that uses snowshoes or she likes to stroll around while you are trying to follow the guides? Because that "better half" are the key to make the trip a success or a suck-eggs kind of trip. Or so i have heard... Link to post Share on other sites
slow 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 I'm so glad you call her not "a good friend" but "girlfriend" finally. Why did it take so long? Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Author Share Posted December 20, 2005 Cheeky Slow Good Friend. Same letters. It so happens that I at the very last moment today received notification of a possible cancellation at a private chalet that I have been trying to book for the week from Dec 24 to 29th. It is a stunner, classic Swiss, in the heart of Zermatt and happy for me to take my dog. The cancellation may or may not happen so I may not get it. But is I do... xmas with the db gang in Zermatt! (enough to make Rach jealous, I am sure). If this one falls through I may have found another in Cortina. If we manage to get he chalet in Zermatt the we will hire aguide for a few days. No proper off-piste without one, not in an area like that. Anyway, the reason for that info is that I may now be staying in the same spot for one week of the two, which means half as much roaming time for general exploration. But when I do roam in teh second week I will most certainly do the Aosta Valley area. Awesome info there Meathelmet - thanks for that!! Monte Rosa sound perfect, especially the guide set up. I am based in Milano for my holidays (and incidentally, for every weekend this season) and so need a few regular haunts. I'll take you up on the offer for more info if you are still willing. I have driven to Aosta from Milan before and it took a little under 3 hours, but that was in very good traffic conditions. Also been up the tiny but isolated Brembana Valley. Not been west to the Dolomites yet, but your description was pretty interesting. I will be in Italy during the Olympics but not riding in the Torino area. I bought GF some snow shoes and hiking poles a few weeks ago to get her into BC snowboarding. Just a really slow gentle introduction. We hiked up a really quiet side of an Italian resort two weeks ago (along with our dog). It was just a lazy short day out, almost no riding. The idea was to get her accustomed to carrying her board on the pack along with all the BC kit. Plus also the technique of shoeing. She did very well and I was proud of her, although the dog beat her down both on runs we did. ON the home run, we did a very short line between a few trees in 1 foot powder and the dog was following in her board track rather than ploughing his own way in the powder, it was classic. We also did some beacon practice and ate a nice pannini. That Monte Rossa info really was on the nail. Cool. And it is only 170km from our apartment! Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 I clicked on this thinking I'd get to read something cool about an Italian Explorer What a let down Quote: Originally posted by _spud: We hiked up a really quiet side of an Italian resort two weeks ago (along with our dog). Along with OUR dog???? And she isn't you girlfriend That's like having children Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Author Share Posted December 20, 2005 No it isn't. If I want to go riding I can leave my dog locked in the freezing cold car all day, or locked in my house for the weekend with a massive pile of food, some bones to chew on and the radio to listen to. Try doing that with a kid. I changed the thread name. Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 But is it your dog? Or is it your "good friend" and your dog together? Link to post Share on other sites
Meathelmet 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 Yo, spud. You might want to skip Monter rosa at the moment... The place has about least snow in the whole alps,bout 15-25cm of snow.Fc*k.. Starting my 2-3week Tour De Alpes romp from there within 2 days,so... If you want good snow now, head to upper dolomites, closer to the austrian border. That area is LOADED now, especially austria. Nasfeld (AU) rocked a week ago.Tigh deep pow, no people. And last weekend they got more.. Or if you manage to score that Zermat apartment, the Leysin area and G3000 are over the brim at the moment.200cm+ of snow there,so no point of comming to italian side. Good skiing there,mang. We even might bump into eachother in the coming days... Link to post Share on other sites
Goemon 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 I would like to see some photos of joint custody dog romping down the slopes. (btw, you said, "teh"; hee hee!) Link to post Share on other sites
Simon 0 Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Quote: Originally posted by Meathelmet: If you want good snow now, head to upper dolomites, closer to the austrian border. That area is LOADED now, especially austria. Nasfeld (AU) rocked a week ago.Tigh deep pow, no people. And last weekend they got more... Exactly. Conditions are not that good in Valle D'Aosta and Valais right now: there has been a huuuge dump a couple of weeks ago, but since then cold and no snow is everything we've got. And forecasts are not that good for the next 10 days... Eastern alps would make a much wiser choice, for the moment. (Meathelmet, excellent description there ) Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 Meathelmet - Yeah, I was up studying Monterosa last night, not a good amount of snow. Too bad. Hope it gets better for you, although I though you were in Japan already (judging from your hakuba accommodation post). A buddy was in Austria over the weekend and claimed huge pillows of powder. Mate, we will be roaming all over the place in the next two weeks: look for an Australian, a dog and a Japanese girl. Given current conditions, we will likely be spending more time in the NE towards Austria. I don't think I will be able to get the Zermatt chalet either. Got too excited too early, as usual. Got that deflated let down vibe now. Simon - that was a big dump in the Valaise area a few weeks ago, it caught us totally unprepared. That is when the below shot was taken. Goemon - teh is the curse of my typed life. Here is a pic from another thread, taken a few weeks ago in Italy. Dog getting first tracks and face shots: Monterosa sounds great though. Check out the quote from the resort, from the resort's freeride page, no less! You wont see that type of attitude anytime soon in Japan. Pity it only gets a millifraction of Japan's powder and is generally inconsistent (from what I have read last night) Link to post Share on other sites
Goemon 0 Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Cheers for the pic! Nose deep powder! Have a great time exploring. Link to post Share on other sites
Meathelmet 0 Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Yoo,spud. Enjoy the riding there! You´re gonna have a blast. We propably will come to that corner of the alps within a week or so. Look out for a tall snowboarding brit and a skiing scandi. I´ll be the scandi one. Cheers! Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 I'll be doing a truck load of driving with heaps of one day trips from Milan, and a few overnighters thrown in. I really hope it snows in the Aosta as it seems to offer instant access to guided BC and culture. If it dumps, I'll be in monterosa just after xmas. Scandi hey? Why have the Swedes made 7 so damned hard to pronounce???!! Link to post Share on other sites
Simon 0 Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 If you're going to do the one-day trip thing, remember to avoid sundays: driving back to Milano from Val D'Aosta on sunday night could transform you into a serial killer (one time it took us almost six hours to do Aosta-Milan). The resorts Meathelmet has listed are on spot: if the conditions are good, Pila is pretty nice too. Other places you might want to try on your day trips: Madesimo (Lombardia). 150km from Milan. Some years ago driving there was crazy, since the last part of the road is quite narrow. And long. And parking was a nightmare. But now you can leave the car at Campodolcino (a really small village) and take the gondola there, avoiding the last, tedious, section of the road. This, of course, has transformed the resort in an even more popular place for milanese and it can get really crowded. But on weekdays, it's good. Chiesa di Valmalenco (Lombardia). Again, 150 km from Milan. Andermatt (Switzerland). 180km. It's an excellent spot and the drive can be really fast (mostly highway). The drawback is that you have to buy the permit to drive on swiss highways (valid for one year) and it's 27 euro. San Domenico (Piemonte). 150km. Local spot. It's a really small place near the Simplon pass, but it can be great. It's never crowded and the bc is good (slopes are not that steep, but for one day is ok). What the hell, they even have a webiste now! In english!!! http://www.sandomenico-ciamporino.it/in_en.htm Montecampione (Lombardia). 120km. This one is as fast as it gets from Milan. Not a lot of bc, but I've seen worst places. And if you don't know where to eat while in Milan, try Dongiò. Via Corio 3 (a five minutes walk from Porta Romana subway station) Tel. 02/55.11.372 (it's better to reserve your table, since it's quite popular) Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 This truly is Christmas. You guys are awesome, thankyou! So much Alps info from a Japanese site. (A European equivalent would be great. I read the local snowheads site a bit and that seems to have a lot of very helpful resort discussions as well, plus people talking about actually riding BC). I'm stoked. This will be the best boarding holiday I have ever had (I really like exploring). As for the food tip: you'll never upset me with them! We are near to Piazza Maggio which is a really short tram ride from to Porta Romana. ps - Simon, you would have to be one of the longest serving dudes on this forum? Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Author Share Posted December 22, 2005 I change venues faster than I change underpants: xmas eve to new years eve I will be staying square in the middle of Argentière, Chamonix. Hello again to Les Grand Montets! From there we will swing around under the tunnel if it gets good in the Aosta, or down the valley into Suisse if things get good there. Second week I really want top get out towards Austria. Can't fluffing wait! Link to post Share on other sites
Simon 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 Quote: Originally posted by _spud: We are near to Piazza Maggio which is a really short tram ride from to Porta Romana. D'oh. My weekdays apt. is 500m from your week-end apt! I'm gonna throw in a couple more suggestions for restaurants. Giulio Pane e Ojo. Excellent roman cuisine. Again, 5 minutes walk from Porta Romana. http://www.giuliopaneojo.com/ Pizzeria Da Willy. If you are in XXIV Maggio, you probably have already tried this one. It's at Piazza XXIV Maggio 7. It doesn't look that much from the outside, but pizzas there are amazing. And at those prices, it can't be beaten. And, if you feel adventurous, Strippoli. Via Palmanova 127 (nearest subway station: Cimiano, on the green line). Cuisine from Puglia. Go for the 'burrata' for appetizer (a kind of mozzarella made in southern Italy) and the 'orecchiette' for pasta (beware: I'm 101% sure noone speaks english there). [ok, enough for the off-topic stuff. If you need more infos, of any kind, send me an e-mail whenever you want] I sure wish an european version of SJ existed. Most of the euro sites are focused on local scenes and it can be quite difficult to get comprehensive infos on different resorts. One of the problems is that the average user of the forums on these sites is very young, possibly under 18, whereas a lot of people on SJ has moved to Japan for work reasons (and being the average age higher it's easier to get helpful answers and lose less time skipping the "OMG!!11 I'VE JUST DL'ED THE LAST MFM DVD AND ITS THE SH*T!!!11" threads). Another reason is that a lot of city people has a small flat/studio somewhere in the Alps. And once you have a base, all your stuff there, a season pass there... You don't wanna try different places. Or, you wanna try different places, but you're just too lazy to do it. Link to post Share on other sites
Kraut_in_HongKong 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 Important: when you rent the car, ask for snow chains! They are REQUIRED by law on many pass roads and you will get fined if don't put them on when you see the sign. It will be far cheaper to get them from the rental company then buying, or renting them outside. And train to put them on and off once on a dry road. Otherwise, there are plenty of ski areas. I suggest you get a ski guide book. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted December 23, 2005 Author Share Posted December 23, 2005 Simon I owe you big for the food, cheers! You can count on me dropping a line at some stage soon. I would also never have considered Andermatt as I didn't know the freeway was there. It has good BC and is easy to reach. I'll be going. I have looked at a few UK snowboard only websites and they are mostly not my style. Lots of stuff I am not interested in. Plus reviews on indoor slopes in the UK, can you believe it? I also do not see the point in forums that are 'snowboard only' (or ski only). They perpetuate silly attitudes and make it harder to gather good beta from people who are serious sliders. Kraut in HK Yes, we rent chains from the car company but will be buying some as they are €25 per rental. So if you take a car each weekend this really starts to add up. Link to post Share on other sites
SerreChe 2 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Try renting a car with front wheel drive or AWD + 4 snow tyres so that you do not have to carry thoses chains with you every w/e (kind of heavy)... If you get stuck in the snow with either set-up then chains will not add anything. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted December 23, 2005 Author Share Posted December 23, 2005 Yeah,agreed, but the range of available cars is quite limited as half the equation cant drive a real car (manual). And small cars which automatics are understandably not very popular in the Europe.... so we pretty much take what we can get (at the lowest cost). Looks like it is warming up terribly here, and no meaningful forecast. Hopefully next week with turn around. Link to post Share on other sites
SerreChe 2 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 IC, yeah a bit tricky then. It is really cold here at mom. Hope it stays that way. Link to post Share on other sites
Kraut_in_HongKong 0 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Quote: Originally posted by SerreChe: Try renting a car with front wheel drive or AWD + 4 snow tyres so that you do not have to carry thoses chains with you every w/e (kind of heavy)... Be carefull, that error can cost you lots of EURO. When there is a "Snow Chains Required" sign, it means exactly that. You have to put them on - even if you have a 4WD. You must put a pair on! Don't get confused by the blue color - it's mandatory! And don't get confused by cars driving without them, often that are 'locals' which have chain exclusions. Here how the sign looks: I suggest NOT to buy chains, because they are limited to a narrow range of tire sizes. You will then get stuck with a few car types. I remember that the big companies (AVIS/HERTZ etc.) give them out for a low cost - and they will fit the car. Link to post Share on other sites
Meathelmet 0 Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 weird coincidence... spud, you didnt happen to be in andermatt 3-4days ago, with a japanese girl, fluffy looking dog,and wearing a black arcteryx sidewinder jacket...?? if you did, i think i saw you there... Link to post Share on other sites
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