The Aosta Valley

The Aosta Valley: A Paradise for Cross-Country Ski Fans

Italy’s Aosta Valley is location to immoderate of the world’s astir celebrated skis resorts, but it’s besides the determination of galore little well-known upland villages, each offering a genuinely authentic wintertime vacation experience.

Shared betwixt these big-name resorts and little-known villages are not conscionable hundreds of kilometres of downhill skis slopes, but besides an extended web of cross-country tracks dispersed passim the Aosta Valley. 

Whether you’ve ne'er tried cross-country skiing earlier oregon are a seasoned pro connected the light, bladed skis doesn’t truly matter. Beginners tin prosecute instrumentality and instrumentality method classes with diligent instructors, portion much experienced cross-country skiers tin caput retired connected 1 of the Aosta Valley’s much challenging routes. You tin of people besides premix downhill and cross-country skiing during your Aosta Valley holiday.

Cross-country skiing, successful peaceful locations usually distant from the skis lifts and astir different signs of modern life, is simply a large mode to link with quality portion taking successful the caller upland aerial and beauteous alpine landscapes astatine a leisurely pace, cross-country tracks for antithetic abilities tally among the woods oregon on the vale floors of the Aosta Valley, immoderate pursuing the people of streams oregon astir the lakes. 

There are ever snow-covered tracks that are perfectly prepared, some for the classical method and for skating. You tin find them astatine much than 20 antithetic Aosta Valley locations, each with its ain character, a unsocial past and breathtakingly stunning views. 

Here are immoderate of the best-known:  

The astir celebrated cross-country skis resorts are Cogne, Aosta Valley’s queen of cross-country trails, with its 80 km of slopes that upwind astir nether the peaks of Grivola and Gran Paradiso, Brusson which hosts planetary skis and biathlon competitions, arsenic good arsenic Courmayeur with its magnificent Val Ferret, 1 of the 2 ample valleys that travel the thread of the Mont Blanc chain.

The Marciagranparadiso itinerary successful Cogne is wherever it each began successful the Aosta Valley. Considered 1 of the astir spectacular and method of each the Italian Cross-country skiing locations, its 45 km of tracks upwind around, for the astir part, wrong the Gran Paradiso National Park. Each wintertime there’s a genuinely unsocial contention here, immersed successful the soundlessness and majesty of the peaks of Aosta Valley which, implicit the years, person seen galore of the world’s champion athletes compete. 

Another celebrated spot is the colony of Saint-Barthelemy, location of Federico Pellegrino, victor of a sprint satellite cupful and an Olympic metallic medal. This beauteous determination boasts 30 km of slopes, astir seeing plentifulness of sunshine, and is besides known for the modern Astronomical Observatory which carries retired technological and acquisition activities.

Also fashionable amongst cross-country skiers are Torgnon, with its enchanting views, Gressoney-Saint-Jean, Gressoney-La-Trinité, the country of the precocious vale of the Gran San Bernardo that extends into the territory of Etroubles, Saint-Oyen and Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses.

There’s besides Arpy, a quiescent municipality successful the municipality of Morgex, which has peculiar facilities for children and  Rhêmes-Notre-Dame with tracks winding done woods and villages connected some sides of the vale and  Valsavarenche with snow-sure high-altitude tracks up astatine 2000 meters successful the bosom of the Gran Paradiso National Park.

Bionaz has a way equipped with a shooting scope for practising the breathtaking athletics of biathlon, which sees athletes contention connected cross-country skis with a firearm connected their backs, past halt with their pulses racing and effort to clasp the weapon consecutive capable to deed tiny targets connected the range.

Other well-known cross-country skis centres successful the Aosta Valley see Champorcher successful the Mont Avic Park and Saint-Nicolas which benefits from an illuminated trail, offering the anticipation of cross-country skiing astatine nighttime connected definite days of the week.

Alongside the astir celebrated centres, determination are besides different locations successful Aosta Valley with beauteous cross-country skiing trails that person ever been fashionable with enthusiasts, these see Fontainemore, Valgrisenche, Antey-Saint- André, Verrayes, La Thuile, Ayas, Valtournenche and Ollomont.

We person a regular Podcast called The White Out wherever we reappraisal the latest gear, speech astir the latest snowfall forecast and updates connected wherever is champion to skis now, arsenic good interviews with implicit skis legends AND we spotlight a edifice each week and truthful overmuch more.  You tin cheque retired our regular podcast present Apple | Spotify | Podcasts oregon hunt The White Out connected your chosen podcast directory.