Mark Nicholls heads to the Monterosa Ski Area and discovers a little corner of the Himalayas.
As you near the top of the Alpe Mandria chairlift, the colourful pennants fluttering in the breeze catch your eye. Nearer still, they take on the familiar pattern of Nepali prayer flags.
Multi-coloured and flapping in the light wind with the snow-covered mountains behind, you could for a moment be forgiven for thinking you had been transported to the Himalayas aboard a magical chairlift.
The staff of Campo Base.
This, however, is still Europe – the soaring peaks are those of the Italian Alps in the Monterosa Ski Area above Champoluc in the Aosta Valley and the flags fly proudly over the atmospheric Campo Base restaurant.
As you enter, the aroma of Himalayan food hangs heavy in the air. Stop by for lunch midweek and you’ll be offered the Thali Tuesday special.
On the day I arrive it is a Tibetan beef curry served as a thali (a traditional Indian-style meal on a large platter) with beef and vegetables in separate pots, rice, chapati, with chai tea rich with the flavours of cardamon, and served by staff in traditional Nepali and Tibetan attire. How much more Himalayan can you get?
Corinne Favre runs the establishment with her brother Yanick and enthusiastically explains the Himalayan connection and how it evolved from her father Adriano’s love of the mountains across Asia.
“He climbed in the Himalayas and fell in love with the mountains,” she tells me. “They have such a special atmosphere and the people are always so friendly and helpful and we wanted to offer something similar here.
“With Campo Base we aim to bring that feeling of Nepal to Italy, and also with the flavours and the food.”
Mark Nicholls enjoying Tuesday Thali at Campo Base.
While you can expect a Thali on a Tuesday, or something similar, the restaurant also offers a blend of flavours from Thai cuisine to traditional Italian mountain food and some specialities of the Aosta Valley, to the sort of dishes skiers expect – anything from burgers to wholesome plates of pasta.
You’ll also be offered a selection of Italian wines, plus Campo Base-branded Genepi.
The family-based ethos of Campo Base is reflected in many of the hotels and mountain huts in the Monterosa ski region; eateries and residences that are cosy, have character, and a friendliness of service.
The ski area in the Aosta Valley region is dominated the Monte Rosa massif, which at 4,634m above sea level is the second highest peak in the Alps.
It embraces the four valleys of Ayas, Gressoney and Champorcher plus the Alagna Valsesia in Piedmont, with 120km of piste and a season that runs from early December to late April.
This covers historic Champoluc-Frachey and Gressoney-La-Trinité up to Alagna Valsesia, with an altitude range of 1,500m-3,250m and a ski landscape offering 68 red runs, 29 blue runs, 10 blacks and an abundance of freeride terrain.
Accessing the slopes via the funicular at Frachey with my guide Patrick Chasseur, we skied the vivid red spine of the piste map over a long morning, taking in some magnificent reds to Staffal, up to Punta Indren towards the Freeride Paradise, navigated long blacks across to Pianalunga and back to Campo Base for a delicious lunch.
Patrick, who spends much of his time guiding off-piste skiers and ski tourers, said: “The big appeal of the three main valleys is that you always feel as though you are moving forward; every lift takes you to a new place and a new ski area. It makes you feel as though you are ‘travelling’ on skis and there is a really good mix of reds and blacks and the freeride areas.”
With the piste map predominantly red, he acknowledges that it is not so much a beginners’ resort.
However, there are a number of satellite resorts in the broader ski area and the slopes of these smaller village areas – Antagnod and Brusson in the Ayas Valley, Gressoney-Saint-Jean, Alpe di Mera and Champorcher – are ideal for families, children and beginners.
Indren at 3,275m is the highest point on the slopes and the gateway to a massive free ride area, so expect to see helicopters swoop down at the top of the Alpe Madria to pick up heli-skiers.
There is good winter hiking and snoe-shoeing too, off-piste skiing and ski touring and even specific green-marked ski-touring trails for ski tourers to ascend the mountain safely away from the main piste.
The Aosta Valley, the smallest Italian region and surrounded by some of the highest mountains in Europe, has been an important crossroads in the Western Alps for centuries. With a strong French influence, it is linked to France by the Mont-Blanc tunnel and the pass du Petit Saint-Bernard and to Switzerland via the Grand-Saint Bernard pass and tunnel.
In total, the region has 19 ski resorts with more than 800km of slopes that include Breuil-Cervinia, Courmayeur and Pila.
In addition to skiing and tourism, it is renowned for dairy products, cheeses and wines, and while there are interesting culinary options such as at Campo Base, traditional cuisine is never far away.
Eating out is not only delicious, but great value too. Try the fabulous Le Petit Coq in Champoluc which offers innovative Aostan dishes such as raclette (€20) and Pierrade (€25), where you can cook beef, sausage, chicken, mixed vegetables, fontina cheese and rennet apples directly at your table on a heated stone.
Equally, if it’s a classic pizza you’re seeking, look no further than Restaurant Luppolo e Grano where the De Bosses of ham, cheese and tomato pizza is €16. Here, you’ll pay €6 for a glass of wine, €8 for a pint of beer, a Aperol Spritz is €6, and desserts such as tiramisu or profiteroles are €8. It’s best to book as it’s always busy.
Taking a break from skiing, I joined hiking guide Anna Ravizza to follow a route from the La Maison Braconnier restaurant at Barmasc through a snowy woodland along the medieval Ru Courtaud waterway.
The walking route, on a raised bank, actually runs for about 30km but you can walk as little or as much of it as you want. We eventually headed back to the restaurant for lunch where the dish of the day was a delicious tartiflette for €14.
Anna explained that there are many walking routes of different degrees of difficulty right across the region ranging from a morning or a few hours to six-seven days and staying in various rifugios along the way, passing through villages such as Gressoney Saint-Jacques that have hardly changed in centuries, and navigating ancient mountain pathways.
The resort of Champoluc oozes quaint ambience with lovely restaurants and accommodation, though don’t expect boisterous apres-ski. There is a mix of traditional family-run establishments, plus more modern accommodation such as the five-star Hotel Aethos Monterosa just above the main village of Champoluc where I stayed.
With a spa, 25m pool and therapy rooms, it has 30 suites spread over three wings and indoor and outdoor climbing walls. The recently renovated hotel places the emphasis on space, style and food.
The Summit restaurant offers Alpine cuisine such as veal with a tuna sauce, mixed pasta, and ribs; breakfast is a lovely buffet with eggs and coffee to order (try the Eggs Monterosa with spinach and hollandaise sauce), scrambled eggs or delicious focaccia with green humus and rocket and Aostan Fromadzo cheese); while the 1569 Steak House is where you’ll find succulent meat prepared with a Japanese influence.
But whatever your tastes, it seems culinary surprises are never far away in this fabulous Italian ski resort.
Aethos Monterosa.
TRAVEL FACTS
Getting there: Mark Nicholls flew from London Heathrow to Turin with British Airways with a 90-minute transfer to Champoluc.
Accommodation: Five-star Hotel Aethos Monterosa, where low season rates starts at €300 a night.
Dining: Restaurant Le Petit Coq, Restaurant Luppolo e Grano, and Campo Base.
Ski pass: With a dynamic pricing system for ski passes, a day pass in March covering the three main valleys and satellite slopes and bought online is typically €45-50 and a six-day pass in the €225-250 price range.
Monterosa ski area: visitmonterosa.com
Aosta Valley: aosta-valley.co.uk
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Categories: Italy, Resort News & Reports