Dave sent a text at 7am to say he wasn’t going out today so there would be a spare bus ticket going for Courmayeur.
I was a bit undecided, I thought it was all pisted skiing and I wanted off piste adventure, and visibility in Chamonix wasn’t great, and it probably wouldn’t be great over there either. But after I’d done a bit of research I realised Courmayeur is the place to go when visibility in general is poor, and it’s actually likely to have better weather than Chamonix, oh, and it’s great for fantastic off piste powder.
Well, enough said, I was going, so that meant everyone else had to go as well. I joined Jon on the bus, and Pete and Richard joined Rebecca and Mathias in their car.
We started on some beautifully groomed pistes to warm our legs up, and then soon ventured into un-groomed territory, between the pistes, to get our powder legs going.
The weather was better than in Chamonix and the powder was good, so Pete, Jon and I decided to up the adventure and take the off-piste route around the mountain, arranging to meet the others at the bottom of the Zerotta chair lift.
It was fantastic. Gliding through super deep untouched powder that went on for miles.
Eventually we joined a track which gradually (with the aid of much poling) took us to the bottom of Zerotta where the others were already waiting.
We had lunch and got back on the piste, but it was so cold we soon had to stop for hot chocolate to warm up. Now, the Italians really know how to make hot chocolate. None of this instant powdery watery rubbish… this is pure chocolate in melted form. Heaven.
Suitably warmed we were able get back on the snow for a few more runs.
Courmayeur was a fantastic venue. Lots of sun, beautifully groomed pistes, amazing off piste adventure, and of course the best hot chocolate in the world.
Series - Chamonix '13
- Burfday Powder
- Courmayeur – better weather, awesome powder,
and the best hot chocolate in the world - Vallee Blanche Powder
- Burfday pressies & Cake,
roll-on Rock Climbing season…
That looks really cool!
Laetitia, how long have you lived in Chamonix ❓
And you mean to say you have only just realized that Courmayeur is the bad weather default option 😯
Every time :star: :star: :star:
Well, I did know the weather is usually better on that other side, but as it means a little organisation to get through the tunnel we haven’t usually bothered. The main thing I didn’t realise was the amazing off-piste action.
And the considerable cost of the Mont Blanc tunnel tolls – did you know it costs €51 for a return these days?! Luckily we got a return ticket for €26 thanks to our Chamonix lift passes. Which wasn’t bad split between the four of us in the car…
Yes, I was through it the other week 😥
That was one of the best days skiing I have ever had! The highlight of a great week of fun and good company.