Courmayeur, Italy

Resort Overview for Courmayeur:

The historic mountain town of Courmayeur sits on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, western Europe's highest mountain. The mountain scenery around Courmayeur is spectacular, with 14 4,000m plus mountain peaks above. The resort is one of several internationally famous centres in the Aosta Valley which runs up Italy's north west border with France and Switzerland.

Unlike Chamonix, Courmayeur is a very atmospheric resort where ancient buildings huddle around cobbled streets so that the whole place oozes traditional charm. Planners have allowed a few ugly concrete blocks to appear (some of them four star hotels!) but these are on the outskirts of the town and don't detract from the ambience of the whole.

Courmayeur can boast three centuries of tourism, far exceeding its long history as a winter sports destination, with visitors originally coming to experience the benefits of local mineral springs. The clientele has always included the great and the good, including the Italian Queen Margaret of Savoy who was such a valued customer that the owner of the Royal Hotel in the village built a special annex for her visit in 1880, named The Queen's Pavillion.

There are other well known resorts in the area, such as Cervinia, lift-linked to Zermatt in Switerland, Pila and La Thuile (also lift-linked over a border, this time to La Rosière in France), all sharing an Aosta Valley joint lift ticket (your own transport a big advantage in making use of it).

The Skiing in Courmayeur:

Courmayeur can offer skiing for all standards, including famous runs such as the resort's World Cup Downhill and the International, a 6km (4 miles) run which drops 1000m (aprox 3500 feet) as it descends. Many runs are covered by snowmaking and the resort has a very good snow record.

There are two main ski areas. The largest, Chécrouit - Val Veny, directly above the resort, is largely suited to beginners and intermediates although there are some testing off-piste descents from top to bottom which may be undertaken with the assistance of a guide.

Serious skiers are likely to head for the more limited lift network of Mont Blanc, which serves steeper, more spectacular trail and links over to Chamonix which, along with Argentière further up the Chamonix Valley, is included on the Courmayeur lift pass.

Beginners have wide open slopes to gain confidence on, with tuition from the Mont Blanc Ski School, founded in 1936 and one of Italy's oldest and most prestigious. Intermediates are the most spoilt having both the wide open spaces and testing routes above Courmayeur and the ability to tackle the incredible runs that are unique to Mont Blanc.

There are several excellent skiing excursions on offer for skiers of intermediate standard and up, aged 10 or over, offered by the Alpine Guides Society of Courmayeur. The Guide Society was established in 1850 as a free association of Alpine professionals. The most famous run is the 20km (13 mile) descent of the Vallée Blanche down to Chamonix from Helbronner Point (3369m), reached in half an hour from the La Palud cable car station. The descent takes around 4 - 5 hours allowing for breaks for food, drink and photographs. Once in Chamonix participants traditionally enjoy a "gigantic beer" before returning to Courmayeur by bus through the Mont Blanc Tunnel.

For more experienced skiers there is a 2000 metre vertical descent down to La Palud which begins at Helbronner Point and continues over the Toula Glacier, after which it is named. Other popular runs are the Col d'Arp, l'Arp Veille and the Couloir of Dolonne.

Finally The guides offer heliskiing excursions to the best runs around the Aosta Valley, which offers some of the most extensive off-piste skiing in Europe. Finally, cross country skiers are also spoilt for choice with up to 35km (22 miles) of trails to enjoy around this part of the Aosta Valley.

Après Ski in Courmayeur:

The resort's main street is a joy for après skiers with numerous bars and cafes dotted around the pedestrianised centre. After the lifts close the Roma is a popular meeting point, whilst many just like to parade around window shopping for a while before getting ready for dinner. The buzz increases dramatically when well-dressed weekenders arrive from Turin and Milan on Friday through to Sunday to fill the resort.

There are many famous and popular bars including Bar Roma, American Bar, Ice Bar, Caffé della Posta, Caffé del Centro, Cadron Solaire and the Red Lion. There are a couple of nightclubs. Other possibilities include a trip to the casino in St. Vincent.

Accommodation in Courmayeur:

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