Itinerary for a Typical 8-Day Aosta Valley Guided Ski Safari Tour
DAY 1: ARRIVAL, COURMAYEUR
Make your way to Courmayeur and check-in to your 4-star hotel. Wander the lively old town laneways in the centre of Courmayeur and locate a place for drinks and dinner!
DAY 2: COURMAYEUR SKI AREA - CHECROUIT/VAL VENY
Your first ski day takes place in the Courmayeur ski resort, with varied slopes suitable for every skiing level. The area develops across two sides: Val Veny on one side and Plan Chécrouit on the other up to Cresta d’Arp (2,750m altitude). The ski resort combines panoramic slopes with forest runs and stunning views across to Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc). Slopes on Plan Chécrouit side are perfect to start the day and warm you up with their wide, sunny and open descends, while Val Veny offers scenic skiing through the forests. If you love technical skiing, head to Youla and Arp, the wildest areas of the resort. The entire day is a balanced combination of skiing on varied slopes, always surrounded by majestic alpine scenery. Dinner on your own. Overnight stay in Courmayeur hotel (for next 4 nights).
DAY 3: LA THUILE & LA ROSIERE SKI AREA
Today’s itinerary lets you explore an international ski area. From Courmayeur, you reach La Thuile, the gateway to Escape San Bernando, connected on skis to France. It’s one of the biggest ski resorts in Aosta Valley thanks to the international connection with the French resort of Rosière. It’s a true frontier ski area, with varied, iconic and adrenaline-filled terrain. It offers snow-surety and is nestled amidst wild, pristine peaks. Over 160km of slopes reach 2,800m altitude on Mont Valaisan, the highest point in the area, where the view extends from the Mont Blanc massif to the Tarentaise. Wide, sunny slopes alternate with more technical ones. For a true adrenaline rush the legendary Franco Berthod slope awaits you, the steepest in Italy. In the afternoon you will return to Courmayeur. Dinner on your own. Overnight stay in hotel.
DAY 4: SKYWAY MONTE BIANCO & MER DE GLACE (VALLE BLANCHE)
Today is all about verticality, breathtaking views, and thrills: get ready to touch the sky. Starting at 1,300 meters, ascend with the Skyway Monte Bianco to Punta Helbronner at 3,466m. This is a technological and engineering marvel. In just a few minutes, this lift transcends the sky limits & takes you to incredible heights. The first section takes you to Pavillon at 2,173m. Here, you'll find a large terrace offering a 180° view of Mont Blanc and the Val Veny. Further along, you ascend to Punta Helbronner, the highest point in Italy at 3,466m. The circular terrace above the station offers a 360° view of the four-thousand-meters mountain peaks of the Western Alps: Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn, and Gran Paradiso. After admiring the view, it's time to set off on the Mer de Glace descent, which, with its 24 km length and 2,400m of altitude difference, is the most famous off-piste descent in the Alps. From the first metre, you'll be skiing on one of Europe's largest glaciers, surrounded by peaks that every mountaineer dreams reaching. The setting is undoubtedly evocative, but at the same time, it makes you reflect on the glacier's significant retreat in recent years. The descent ends in the splendid village of Chamonix, on the French side of Mont Blanc. Return to Courmayeur.
For those not interested in off-piste skiing, where the ascent to the panoramic viewpoint is located, it's possible to descend back to the valley and spend the afternoon back in the Courmayeur area. Dinner on your own. Overnight stay in hotel.
DAY 5: SKI AREA CREVACOL or PILA
For today, there are two options, depending on the type of tour you choose. If you've chosen to try off-piste skiing, you will take a morning transfer to Crevacol, a small ski area dominating the village of Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses. The ski resort wonderful slopes, devoid of other skiers, and fantastic off-piste terrain including glades. Conditions permitting, there are powder runs suitable for everyone. At Crevacol, skiing is primarily in the woods and on open slopes starting from the mountain stations. After a few runs in the ski area, the chosen objective for the day is the route that takes you toward the slopes of Great St. Bernard Pass, along a slope where the snow remains cold and dry. The environment is certainly solitary and wild. At the end of your skiing, a transfer awaits you to take you to Cervinia, at the foot of the magnificent Matterhorn.
If you prefer to continue skiing on the piste slopes, the morning transfer will take you to Aosta, where in just 18 minutes a comfortable gondola lift will whisk you up to 1,800m in the Pila ski area. The view upon arrival is spectacular: Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn, and Gran Paradiso -these imposing mountains open up before you. The area offers a fantastic variety of slopes, rising up to 2,700m, and some superb mountain restaurants. In the afternoon, return to Aosta, where your driver will be waiting to take you to Cervinia. Dinner on your own. Overnight stay in Cervinia hotel (for next 3 nights).
DAY 6: CERVINO SKI PARADISE
The name "Ski Paradise" already gives you an idea of the beauty that awaits you in this ski area. It is the highest ski area in the Alps, watched over from every angle by the Matterhorn. Connecting Breuil-Cervinia, Valtournenche, and Zermatt, it offers over 300 km of slopes. Today, you can spend your entire day skiing on the Italian side, without crossing into Switzerland. Starting from Breuil-Cervinia, located at 2,050m, you have direct access to the ski slopes, which extend up to the 3,883m of the Klein Matterhorn. Between Plateau Rosà, Cime Bianche, and the Theodul plateau, every run offers open spaces and a sense of total freedom. If you want to admire the imposing silhouette of the Matterhorn up close, the "Pancheron" chairlift takes you into the Breuil wide valley, an exclusive area for admiring the giant's crests. Also not to be missed is the Ventina descent, the most well-known and popular among ski addicted. With its 11 km, it alternates with steep walls and breathtaking schuss, leading you all the way to the village of Cervinia. The area also offers a ski-in/ski-out connection to Valtournenche, where the Gran Pista takes you right into the village - a true mountain gem. If you're looking for a touch of adventure, the area also offers natural freeride terrain, perfect for exploring in complete safety with your own guide. Dinner on your own. Overnight stay in hotel.
DAY 7: CERVINIA-ZERMATT GLACIERS
The final day is an intensive convergence of majestic mountains & landscapes that crown your week of skiing. From Cervinia, you quickly ascend the Italian side to the 3,883m Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, the highest panoramic point in Europe. Here, the view opens up onto a crown of 4,000-meter peaks that seem so close. With your skis on, you cross the Italian-Swiss border to hurtle down the slopes that lead to the town of Zermatt & other slopes beyond. The view of the Matterhorn from the Swiss side is one of the most iconic images in the Alps: a perfect pyramid. Zermatt is designed to welcome international skiers of all levels and visitors seeking authentic destinations. Thanks to its location, it enjoys copious snowfall throughout the winter, ensuring excellent slope quaity. The return to Italy is once again skiing the wide slopes of Cervinia, where the day and the skiing part of the tour come to an end. Dinner on your own. Overnight stay in hotel.
DAY 8: DEPARTURE
After a classic Italian breakfast, check out and say goodbye to the Aosta Valley or continue to another great European ski experience before heading home!
Note - The program could be changed at the discretion of the Tour Operator/Ski Guide based on weather and snow conditions, maintaining unaltered, however, the basic structure and the aims of the proposal.