Europe 2025/26

[jimk]

And while in Chamonix, you should prioritize Courmayeur over Megeve. More likely pick up some snow from this Southern Storm, has great tree skiing on its north-faces for stability issues, and the resort needs to control upper/highest bowls due to piste avalanche potential. Small, but scenic.

Also, do not drive into Courmayeur, the main town, to reach the ski resort. Use the Val Veny Cable Car, which is accessible at the first exit after the Mount Blanc Tunnel, in the satellite village of Enreves. There is even some free parking in places and zero crowds.

And after skiing, hit Bar/ 'Cafe Roma' LINK. or https://cafferomacourmayeur.com/
The Free Apres-Ski Buffet is amazing, practically rendering dinner irrelevant! All for the price of a cocktail/beer.

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Italians get very upset with the prices:

Absurd prices, never seen!!!! Stay away or look at the menu before you sit down. ​

Crodino 12 euro​

Spritz 13 euro​

Coke 5 euro​

​

Me: Those are USA ski town prices from the 2010s - 10 or 15 years earlier. And something equivalent in Switzerland (with food) will cost 4-5x as much.

Italians expect very low food & drink costs. At our Entreves/Courmayeur hotel bar, an Aperol Spritz was 5 Euros and a Negroni 7 Euros - with lots of free food (and food refills).


Courmayeur Day Trip.
With the current avalanche situation, I cannot recommend the Freeride Zones to the right and left of the ski area. When combined with route navigation and very, very long runouts, it's too difficult right now (unless with a guide.)

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Is the skyway monte bianco just a scenic lift, no skiing off it for the general public? Even if no skiing, sounds like it might be worth a look if it's free with our ikon pass? Is it within walking distance of the Val Veny Cable car?

 

[Tony Crocker]

Is the skyway monte bianco just a scenic lift, no skiing off it for the general public? Even if no skiing, sounds like it might be worth a look if it's free with our ikon pass?

The skiing is steep and south facing. You have to be lucky to get it in good conditions. I know ChrisC scored it once, and I think he was guided. The off piste in Courmayeur nearly all involves long runs to the valley floor where conditions can be extremely difficult. Don't do it unless guides tell you it's good all the way down.
At the risk of :
1) Jimk doesn't get to the Alps very often, needs to maximize this opportunity.
2) No need to fixate on the Ikon Pass when day tickets are reasonable. Decisions need to be made on where the best terrain and snow are within the logistics of your time frame and driving distances.
3) ChrisC has pointed out that guided skiing at Verbier currently fits the parameters in 2) above best for Jimk and his Snowbird instructor son.

ChrisC is right about the dining in Courmayeur. It's outstanding. For that and a relaxed day on piste, I'd say go for it if it fits your schedule, but not at the expense of Verbier.

 

[ChrisC]

Is the skyway monte bianco just a scenic lift, no skiing off it for the general public? Even if no skiing, sounds like it might be worth a look if it's free with our ikon pass?

Yes, there is some amazing expert off-piste, freeride skiing off the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car. However, it is guide-only and much more difficult than the Aiguille du Midi/Vallee Blanche in Chamonix - more akin to its most difficult route, the Grands Envers, or the front-side couloirs like Cosmiques or Glacier Ronde. Most Skyways routes require rappels or very narrow entrances since an old stairway went into disrepair.

I assume 95%+ of Skyway winter visitors are pedestrians. Beautiful new, rotating cable car rebuilt in 2015. Very worthwhile. I would allow time to visit in the afternoon. Again, Courmayeur is relatively compact

The best time to ski the Skyway terrain is now, since it faces south and still has decent snow at its altitude from January to mid-February.

I finally hired a guide just for myself last winter, since the Aosta Valley received a lot of snow from the January storms, and I abandoned Austria for lack of snow after meeting friends in Engelberg. I rarely hire solo guides (only at Courmayeur & Verbier), but the snow was exceptional/deep/stable, and the weather was perfect.

I have increasingly enjoyed Courmayeur due to its charming, traditional Italian village, its stunning location, excellent/cheaper food & wine & drinks, freeride terrain, reasonable last-minute heli-skiing, massive verticals (5k for the ski resort, 7k+ for Skyway), and good snowfall from west/south storm tracks/Mont Blanc location. If you are a piste-only skier, Courmayeur is small; utilize its massive side/backcountry off the resort, or Skyway Cable Car, or heli, and it's a huge alpine playground!

Some Courmayeur trips in reverse chronological order:

Courmayeur / Skyway Monte Bianco, Italy: February 4 & 5, 2025 10 out of 10 day! Solo with Guide.​

Courmayeur, Italy: February 2, 4 & 5, 2023 UK Friends Trip​

Heliski Courmayeur / Mont Blanc, Italy: February 3, 2023 UK Friends Trip with Guide.​

Heliski Courmayeur / Mont Blanc, Italy: January 30, 2018 10 out of 10 day! Brother with Guide.​

Courmayeur - 12/30/04 UK Friends Trip​

 

[ChrisC]

Also, I would not bother with Les Contamines. I skied it just days after a big December/January snowfall, when quality was high, but some areas closed because it was early season.

Something is going on with its freeride south faces. Not sure why big sections are closed: instability, low snow on south faces, or melt? Still could be good, but I might pass. Definitely a mostly uncrowded locals' joint, with little powder competition and a 4,600 ft vertical drop.

The skiing at Megeve is more mellow/intermediate, but it has a decent high-altitude alpine zone, Mont Joly. Unfortunately, it's an old fixed-grip chair that takes 12 minutes. Again, Megeve is the best choice in the Chamonix Valley on stormy or overcast, vertigo-inducing days, thanks to its trees. It's a bit like Snowmass, but its alpine areas are not as good as Cirque/Hanging Valley.

 

[ChrisC]

Is the skyway monte bianco just a scenic lift, no skiing off it for the general public? Even if no skiing, sounds like it might be worth a look if it's free with our ikon pass? Is it within walking distance of the Val Veny Cable car?

Yes, you can walk from the Val Veny Cable Car station to the Skyway Monte Bianco in 5 minutes via a pedestrian/car tunnel. Easy.

On my Skyway Monte Bianco solo guided day, we were going to head back to Courmayeur for a freeride afternoon. Instead, we opted for an Italian variant of the Vallee Blanche, called the Vallee Noire, starting in Italy at Pointe Helbronner/Skyway Summit. After steep open areas, it cuts a path on the east side of the Géant Glacier (giant seracs and crevasses!) rather than the Vallee Blanche, taking the west side. You join the Vallee Blanche right before the Requin Refuge/Cabin and before the Mer de Glace.


Other skiers who did a similar itinerary to the one I did:

Skiing the Vallee Noire, Vallee Blanche and Glacier de Toule, Chamonix

Sunday 24th February POWDER DAY. We set the alarm early after yet more overnight snow, which was certainly enough to freshen up the 30cm from the night before. Today was going to be perfect for hea…

welovemountains.net

Below is the Géant Glacier: Vallee Noire from Courmayeur, Italy - looker's left. Vallee Blanche from Aiguille du Midi, France - looker's right:
These are not my photos, but Wikipedia and a blog.

Like this shot. It's overlooking the Aiguille du Midi complex (lower right) and Pointe Helbronner above it in the distance on the ridge. Super unique place.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Good tip for future reference. If weather or full booking derails a Vallee Blanche objective, keep Vallee Noire in mind as a backup plan.

 

[ChrisC]

Re: Ikon Pass & Direct to Lift in Europe. In short, don't do it!

It's not a benefit to avoid the ticket window with your Ikon Pass in Europe. In fact, Liability Insurance is required in Italy and is often included in the ski pass price when purchased with no need for a separate add-on. My understanding is that your Ikon Pass does NOT provide any standard ski pass insurance.

For example, you likely want insurance (Emergency Medical & Evacuation) for something like this: St. Moritz Trip Starts with Class 3+ Avalanche.

Either add it electronically via the website or app, or go to the ticket window and have daily insurance added to your pass for as many days as you plan to ski. (see the screenshot below from the Chamonix ski pass purchase). Don't neglect this.

Summary:

You should buy ski insurance at the ticket window for convenient, immediate coverage of on-slope emergencies like search & rescue, ski patrol transport, and immediate medical evacuation, plus skipass refunds if injured, which your regular insurance might not cover, especially abroad; it's great for quick, specific protection if you don't have comprehensive travel insurance, but buying full travel insurance earlier (days/weeks before) is better for trip cancellations and baggage.

Benefits of Buying at the Window (Often Called "Skipass Insurance")

• Emergency Medical & Evacuation: Covers expensive helicopter rides, ski patrol, and ambulance transport if injured on the mountain, which standard health insurance often doesn't.
• Skipass Refund: Gets you a prorated refund on your ticket if an injury stops you from skiing.
• Convenience: An easy add-on when you buy your pass, with fewer forms if an incident occurs.

When This Insurance is Most Useful

• Day Trips/Local Skiers: If you're not traveling far and don't have comprehensive travel insurance.
• International Travel: Especially crucial outside your home country, where medical coverage is limited.

In short, window insurance offers quick peace of mind for on-slope emergencies, but for your entire trip, comprehensive travel insurance bought in advance is usually better.


Chamonix Ski Pass Website

Again, Alterra/Ikon does an absolutely horrendous job of educating its passholders on how to use its ski pass product effectively abroad, taking local practices into account. A lot of the website verbiage is written by very junior people with limited understanding of the ski industry in foreign, non-US/Canada countries. I see a lot of errors and oversights.

Only buried in the website as a final FAQ. Considering all the premium experiences the ex-TicketMaster/Live Nation President, now Alterra CEO, is creating, it's basic decency to offer accurate and reliable advice on how to ski internationally and minimize risk.

But Alterra does not make any money/(% of sale) from offering appropriate recommendations. And I doubt the Alterra CEO has ever personally purchased a lift ticket abroad.

 

[ChrisC]

Good tip for future reference. If weather or full booking derails a Vallee Blanche objective, keep Vallee Noire in mind as a backup plan.

Yes. The Skyway Monte Bianco is likely available most good-weather mornings for skiers, long after the Aiguille du Midi Cable Car is fully booked. Harder to find a last-minute guide.

You miss a bit of vertical with a Pointe Helbronner start, but you avoid the hassle of the arete, the required crampons, and the crowds.

Aiguille du Midi is significantly higher than Pointe Helbronner, with Aiguille du Midi reaching about 3842 meters (12,605 ft), while Pointe Helbronner sits lower at roughly 3466 meters (11,358 ft).

There are also fewer slightly fewer routes, and maybe advanced intermediate minimum.

With the new gondola and standard Montevers train, I was finished in record time. My guide wanted me to pay more attention to some of the crevasses - he was a bit annoyed when I was taking pictures in couloirs in the AM. Exposure.