Monterosa Ski Resort Italy
Monterosa Ski area has a rightful reputation for deep powder, huge off-piste freeride and great adventures. Monterosa Ski in Italy is set across three valleys south of the ever-present Monte Rosa massif - the heavily glaciated second highest peak in western Europe.
Powderhounds rates Monterosa highly in both best overall & best powder ski resorts in Italy. It has been previously rated #1 in Italy for best overall ski resort & best for powder hounds but has since dropped down the ratings a little due to fickle snow seasons recently. However, the general mix of great snow, terrain, relatively low cost & lack of people create a PPEPP - Perfect Place for European Powder Pleasure!
Pros & Cons for Monterosa Ski Resort
Pros
- Highly rated over many seasons (Top 1 or 2 Best Overall & Best for Powderhounds 2018 to 2020)
- Mammoth skiable vertical of over 2,000m
- Reliable upper alpine snowpack.
- Uncrowded.
- Good value lift ticket price.
- Superb, unfettered off-piste terrain including tree skiing.
- Excellent length & variety of intermediate piste trails.
- Fresh tracks available days after last snowfall.
- Huge freeride and backcountry terrain to explore.
Cons
- Aging lift infrastructure.
- Limited advanced on-piste trails.
- Despite the statistics, Monterosa is poor for novices & beginners with not much at the three main interlinked areas (but there are smaller ski areas nearby with plenty).
- Compared to other ski resorts, not the easiest place to get to in Europe.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Spread across an awfully long distance without a major single base area.
- Relatively quiet nightlife.
- Needlessly complex lift pass types & ambiguous pricing (dynamic pricing is a suckers game!)
- Limited amount of high-end accommodation (although that is changing - CampZero).
- For the majority of visitors, the backcountry requires a guide.
- IKON Pass is now valid conditionally valid in Monterosa (& adjacent Aosta ski areas).
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
Monterosa Ski is a lift pass interlinked area comprising eight ski areas. The huge ski lift interconnected area of most interest to Powderhounds comprises the three ski resorts of Champoluc - Frachey, Gressoney la Trinite - Stafal, & Alagna Valsesia. These are also known as the Monterosa Ski 3 Valleys. This sector comprises 20 main ski lifts, 135km of piste trails and with a little uphill effort, nearly endless off-piste & backcountry options. The other five ski areas are smaller & not lift interconnected. they comprise of Alpe-de-mera, Champorcher, Brusson, Gressoney St Jean & Antagnod. Worth knowing that the notion of 'smaller' is relative. Champorcher has a skiable vertical of 1,050m and 7 lifts but is also nowhere near the other resorts!
Check out the ski trail map for Monterosa below.
The main interlinked Monterosa Ski 3 Valleys area spreads west to east from the mountain village of Champoluc, east to Gressoney la Trinite and Alagna - a distance of nearly 20km as the crow flies. From the lowest elevation of the resort at Alagna (1,212m), the ski area rises to a lofty 3,275m on Indren where the view goes to nearby Cervino (Matterhorn) & the distant Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc). Long, perfect groomers access all areas at Monterosa except Indren which is strictly off-piste only. The mountain's on-piste terrain is heavily weighted toward intermediates, with 66% rated red. Advanced riders here will find all their joy off the piste, whilst novices and beginners should go elsewhere!
For Powderhounds, several skiing & snowboarding highlights include the 1,000m vertical of epic freeride terrain from Indren, or the north facing slopes of Passo Salati, down to Gabiet; the 1,700m vertical from Passo Salati to Alagna; and the various permutations for tree skiing above Gressoney la Trinite and Orsia. And that is just within the resort boundary.
The Monterosa backcountry & named freeride routes extend in all directions and into all the valleys. By far the majority begin or end above Alagna, known as Freeride Paradise for good reason. Ski descents of a staggering 3,000m vertical are possible. The classic La Balma descent (and its variants) is a 2,000m vertical back into the valley near Alagna.
The lifts of the Monterosa ski area range from the old & slow (e.g. the double chairs near Gressoney) to the modern (various hooded chairs, gondolas and the Frachey funicular), but in general the infrastructure could best be described as aging.
Lift Pass
A single Monterosa Ski pass covers all eight ski areas, or one can purchase cheaper local ski passes to ski the 5 smaller resorts. Lift tickets are now dynamically priced online & are generally cheapest on weekdays. Access to the Indren cable car and its associated freeride terrain used to cost an additional €2 at the time of ticket purchase, although it is now ambiguous as to how much extra it costs.
Worth noting for international guests is that the IKON Pass now includes free days at Monterosa & other Aosta valley ski areas including Cervinia (and Zermatt!).
For detailed information on ski lifts, terrain & lift passes, see our Monterosa Skiing & Snowboarding page.
Monte Rosa Snow & Weather
The Monte Rosa massif is blessed with a prime location amongst the highest peaks of western Europe. An annual snow fall of over 10m in the elevated areas makes it a powder haven with a long season running to early May in good years. The lower parts of the resort are a different story though and are increasingly 'climate challenged'.
Local weather is heavily influenced by the bulk of the mountains to the north. On bad weather days the upper resort including Indren, Passo Salati & Colle Bettaforca can be a windy, whiteout hell - just the way we like it! Luckily, ski terrain above Gressoney & Champoluc is in the trees providing vision on the bad days.
Where is Monterosa Italy?
The Monterosa ski area is only about 20km 'as the ptarmigan flies' from the classic Italian mountain city of private transfer or rental car.
Bus transfers are available from Turin and Milan airports. Rental car companies are located at all the airports & city centres but Milan Malpensa airport tends to be the cheapest & easiest. Cars can also be hired from Aosta.
For more detailed information on the best ways to get there, see our Travel to Monterosa page.
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Monterosa Ski Accommodation
Spanning three main valleys, the Monte Rosa ski region has a plethora of accommodation options in the ski resort villages of Champoluc & Frachey, Gressoney la Trinite & Stafal, plus Alagna Valsesia. Each valley has its own merits depending on what one is after.
Search & book all Monterosa Ski Accommodation.
In a nutshell, for the nest access to the best freeride & backcountry terrain, stay in Alagna. For the best access to the ski lifts in either direction, stay in Stafal. For the liveliest* village atmosphere, stay in Champoluc (*not lively as in an Austrian version, but livelier than the alternatives!).
For detailed information on the best accommodation & villages, see our Where To Stay in Monterosa page.
Ski Rentals, Lessons & Guiding
Ski rentals are available from our partners in great locations at the lift bases in the Monterosa villages of Champoluc & Gressoney Stafal. Receive a discount when you search & book your Monterosa Ski & Snowboard Rental page.
For the ultimate Monterosa experience get a ski instructor or guide to explore the off-piste & freeride backcountry or try heli skiing on the Monte Rosa & around Zermatt. Join a tour or see our Monterosa Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
Après Ski at Monterosa
The more traditional mountain culture of the three Monterosa valleys tends to produce tame après ski. Whilst it will not lead to partying all night, the number of quality mountain rifugi & small bars attached to each hotel provide ample after ski shenanigans. In the villages, we love the ski-in Bar Walsertal at Stafal & the walk-in Bar Miacceria at the Hotel Monterosa in Alagna. Other good ones are the Castore lounge in Gressoney & Freerider in Alagna. Champoluc has several bars just at the bottom of the steps at the end of the valley trail that look lively………..well at least until 5.30pm!
Reviews & More Info
The Powderhounds reviewed Monterosa in 2017 & 2018. We love it for all the right powder-seeking freeriding reasons. We are overdue to return and will be heading back in the coming season to explore more of its freeride routes. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.
See how Monterosa compares to the rest of the Italian ski resorts on the Italy ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.
Follow Powderhounds Europe on Instagram to see where we are currently skiing. Follow our main Powderhounds page on Facebook to stay in touch with up-to-date info, tours, and discussions.
If you have a question about skiing & snowboarding at Monterosa or elsewhere in Europe, CONTACT US.