We are three guys from Sweden. We live ordinary lives with work and routines as everyone else back home in Stockholm. But one day, the three of us decided that we wanted to do something different for a while. All of us have a great passion for skiing and snowboarding, so we decided to do a season in the Alps. As we started to discuss where we should go, Italy and Monterosa soon became the obvious place for our visit. Some of our criteria’s while researching where to go was:

• Awesome on – and especially off-pist
• Good value for money
• A calm and a genuine valley
• Great food

We finally settled on Champoluc in the Monterosa Ski system. We packed our bags and jumped on the first plane to Milan.

Two months have now gone by and we have loved our stay in Champoluc. This post will summarize our trip with a couple of events, favourite places and tips.

Punta Indren

If you are interested in off-pist skiing, Punta Indren is probably the best places in the Monterosa system to visit. Located at 3260 m and with only off-piste routes going down the possibilities from this place are endless.   

Lunch at Unione, Alagna 

A perfect daytrip if you live in Champoluc. Start your day heading to Passo Salati (2971m) and from there you can take the longest pistrun in the entire system all the way down to Alagna with a decent of 1759 meters. In Alagna we recommend lunch at Unione. Great food in a beautiful setting and a very genuine feeling. 

Refugios

All over the Monterosa Ski system, there are small refugios or huts that you can hike to with skins on your skies, split board or snow shoes. We went to one called Rifugio Città di Mantova and it is located in Indren and stayed the night there. The hike in the beautiful weather was incredible, and when we got there, we took a well deserved beer before dinner. Another refugio that stayed at once is called Orestes Hütte and that one is also located in Indren, very easy accessible. Try to go to at least one of them!

L’Aroula

One of Monterosas finest and best valued restaurants is L´Aroula. A small and genuine little place next to the slopes. Great lunch and even better dinner. They offer a fantastic and generous meal with both raclette and fondey for a small amount. And the best part is that you have to take the lift and a short scooter-trip in the dark to get there for dinner.

Picnic

Some of the best lunches we had this trip we bought at the Deli. With a large selection of charcuteries and cheese, some fresh baguettes and a couple of beers we made our own restaurant with the best possible view just next to the slopes.

Easy access off-pist

The Monterosa system offers a wide range of easy accessible off-piste. On snowy days when the visibility is bad there are great off-piste in the woods. The woods of Mandria is one of our favourites. Another good and long off-pist run is Bettaforca. Super easy accessiblity from Colle Bettaforca also known as 2727 (which also has great lunch).

Quick tips:

• Polvere Rosa is a book that lists all the off-pist runs in the Monterosa system. Everything from easy, accessible runs to the most advanced climbing and hiking daytrips. Every run is described in detail with great information on how to get there and how to get down. 
• Santé, one of the best bars in Champoluc. Great service combined with an intimate feeling and the snacks you get along with your beer are so good and generous that there is almost no need for dinner afterwards.
• The Deli next to the church in the village main square is in our minds the best place to buy your Italian cold cuts, meat and other delicacies. Don’t miss out on the Lardo!

Now, sadly, our season in this fantastic place is coming to an end, and we are going back home. We can honestly say that this time has exceeded our expectations time after time, and we couldn't be more satisfied with our stay. We are definitely  coming back! 

Karim, Ludvig and Theo