Courmayeur

Courmayeur is a mountaineering village in Italy that has managed to maintain much of its ancient character and charm despite the influence of modern resort considerations.  It boasts a car-free centre with excellent shops and bars, all under the stunning shadow of Mont Blanc.

It has a great deal of off-piste and heli-skiing, as well as access to the notable Vallée Blanche run, and some memorable mountain restaurants.

Being small, Courmayeur does not have a great expanse of slopes (around 50 miles or so) and much of them are geared towards intermediate and expert skiers without being too challenging.

The resort gets crowded at busy times, and all pistes lead to Dolonee, when you need to catch a bus back to the resort centre.

The village has a central core of cobbled streets that are kept car-free and preserved old buildings that make you feel as if you have stepped back through time.  The central Via Roma area sets the scene for partying once the lifts have closed with its numerous bars and restaurants.  You’ll also find places to shop for clothes and equipment, and there’s even a museum.  The accommodation is mixed, from dull apartment blocks to more pleasant options dotted amongst the trees.

The heart of the slopes is at Plan Checrouit, and there is a huge cable car at the edge of the village to take you there (and back again).

As stated above, the runs all take you to nearly Dolonne, and buses from here back to Courmayeur can be annoying infrequent.  Buses will also take you to La Palud for the Monte Bianco cable car that takes you to Punta Helbronner and the Vallée Blanche run to Chamonix.

The valley is speckled with many excellent restaurants, all easily reachable via taxi.

Skiing in Courmayeur means skiing underneath the stunning Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps and of Europe.  The slopes themselves in Courmayeur are not that high (between five and half and six thousand feet).  Those north facing keep their snow but the Plan Checrouit side is subjected to too much sun in the late season to maintain its comfort.  There are runs to suit most standards of skier.

Courmayeur has an excellent ski school which is especially tailored to the young and those who prefer snowboarding.  You can also find and hire a guide if you are considering going off-piste.  There are few facilities for children though – a playground at Dolonne and a nursery at Plan Checrouit for children under the age of eleven.

A ski-holiday to Courmayeur is for those who want to experience a ski-holiday in the manner that ski-holidays used to be before they achieved the level of popularity they enjoy today.  Book a ski-holiday to Courmayeur for that old-fashioned quaintness and the spectacular views afforded by your proximity to Mont Blanc.