Marta's Monterosa Blog

I am passionate about the Alps. They are my heart's home and the place where I would like to spend the last day of my life. I have been a tourist in the village of Champoluc in the Italian Monterosa for all my life and worked as a tourist operator in this area since more than 15 years.

I believe in respect for the special environment of this place that you can find only here. We all gain by enjoying its beauty, while trying to make a minimum impact at the same time. Leave it for our children in the future!

I believe in respect for people who live here with their traditions and culture, language, and work, their genuine products and delicious wines. They open their homes for us, tourists and meet us as their guests, if we are able to open our hearts for them. I have a friend who is a hotel owner and he says that when stressed people from the city come to his place, he tells them to sit down and take a drink before they even begin to worry if they have a room. Perhaps, we can bring a little of their kindness and calmness with us on our way back to the city.

My philosophy is to give back a little of what the mountains and the people from this place have given to me and to my family through my work, to communicate my philosophy and my passion to those who follow me on the blog, and in my trips as a tour operator.

If you would like to visit Champoluc, Gressoney, Alagna or other villages in the Aosta Valley, trek or ski in the Monterosa, discover Sardinia or other places we offer, contact us.

Indren, seasoners and a headache.

Posted: Apr 13, 2012
Categories: Blog
Comments: 0
Ok, I was exaggerating about how nice it was to just lay down and feel the warmth of spring sipping into my bones for a week ago….
The weather in Monterosa this winter has been gorgeous regarding to the sun hours and the plus degrees. We had a hot January, with an end of 20 minus for a couple of weeks, but then again, at the end of February we were thinking probably we should pack and go home earlier. Flowers, 15 plus in the village and at least 20 in the sun. Aosta had higher temperature tham Palermo, in Sicily….
 

And then yesterday snow and today powder.
Again.
And sun and blue skies.
The Alps.
Monte Rosa in the background and I woke up with a feeling that season is not ended yet. Take your skis and get off to the mountain.
I am a mature woman in my best 50 plus, and all the others here are 20 and kids. The seasoners, who work for a penny and ski as hell when they are free. In Champoluc we have some 20 Swedish kids who make the season this year. Nice crowd, all very fond of each other and kind. None is left alone or behind, not the last come either. Some return year after year, some stay to live here at the end.
 

But I cant just go ski with them, you know ”hi guys, what’s up. Where you heading today” it’s just not right for my age and my position as their ”boss”.
But it happens I meet the kid of a man I know through the job on my way to the slopes. And it sometimes we go the same way. I say goodbye a few times, but we go the same way, still.
At the end we meet Mattias, from Alagna ski rent place on the cable to Punta Indren, and he tells us we should go with him to la Balma.
Ok, what should I do? I had a bad headache this morning, thinking that probably best thing is to go and sit somewhere in the sun. But why not, Oreste’s Hütte on Indren then? Great terrace and sun there! Ok, also possible to ski down this amazing Indren from 3300 off pist to 2000 of Gabiet above Gressoney. Well….
Not really what I was thinking I should do to make a Balma, but it happened to be.
Hard very hard, long walks and some heavy snow, but then all at a sudden a wall on the north face and we flow down in white flour to the chest. Incredible wall.
Thanks to the kids!
Malfatta, Piramide Vincent, Capanna Margherita just above us.
The east side of Monterosa, with its himalayan shape is impressing.
The old station of the cable of Indren still there as a monument to the times when there was no pist going back to Gressoney from Alagna, and only the ones who knew the mountain could make it. The old cable from Balma to Bocchetta delle Pisse is still there with the big poles, but no lift takes you back from the bowl of La Balma no more. You must walk on the traverse and it is pretty exausting, with your legs burning after a long run like this.
 

But I wanted to eat on Oreste’s Hütte’s terrace once more, and you never know if it will be doable again this season. So here we are, up again to Indren and down under the poles, to the beloved terrace and the heat of the afternoon.

This evening I go to bed at 9!
Marta
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