Monte Rosa

The resorts of Champoluc, Gressoney, and Alagna on the Italian side of Monte Rosa (the Alps’ second-highest peak after Mont Blanc) have had record snowfalls in recent years.  With a huge annual snowpack, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect villages and ski to restaurants and towns that isn’t possible elsewhere in Europe. We will dine in “Slow Food” restaurants, ski with third generation Italian mountain guides, and relax in the comfort of wood paneled Walser-style chalets or apartments. Spend the night at 10,000’ at the Refugio Guglielmina, where the heli will pick us up outside the front door. From here begins an unforgettable day tour of the exquisite Monte Rosa, skiing into Zermatt, and a long glacier run back to Champoluc. Round off this trip with a night in Piedmont for a private wine tasting and dinner that will give you a true taste of the Italian “dolce vita.” We recommend this terrain for Advanced to Expert skiers.

Fly into Torino (Turin) International Airport, where you’ll meet your EpicQuest guides for a 90-minute ride through the vineyards of Piedmont and up the Vallée de Lys. Itineraries typically begin in Torino on Saturday morning and depart Europe the following Sunday.

The Monte Rosa region sits beneath more than 20 of the Alps’ highest (4000m+) peaks. From the freeride-friendly and legendary Balme in Alagna to Gressoney’s Vallée de Lys, resort access is amongst the best in the world. Massive trams access the Alpine, while out-of-the-way chairs serve up steep, larch-forested tree skiing. High-alpine, glacial terrain rises just above the lift-served area, so we arrange for a heli lift to deliver the most pristine glacial terrain the Alps have to offer. We’ll base in Gressoney, right in the heart of the region, and work with our UIAGM guides to find the best descents in the area. And with heli runs like Lyskamm or Monte Rosa’s 7000ft descent into Zermatt, the variety is unparalleled.

This being the sunny, southern side of the range, bluebird days with views to the Mediterranean are always possible. But when the “Genoa Low” storms kick up as they have this year, big dumps hit these Italian resorts hard. These moisture-laden systems meet the cold air along the alpine ridge, and park right over Monte Rosa, delivering deep powder conditions. In the spring, warmer temps create ideal ski-touring stability.