Champoluc, Italy

Champoluc is a wonderful ski system that is part of Monterosa Ski, one of Italy's largest ski areas, which also includes the ski resorts of Gressoney and Alagna Valsesia. The ski resort is suitable for those who are passionate skiers and want to focus on the skiing during the ski holiday and a little less on the evening activities. It is also a warm and hearty alpine village that completely lacks less attractive buildings from the 60s and 70s, all the buildings here are built to fit into the alpine environment, which gives you a lovely alpine feeling. The views over the Monte Rosa massif are magnificent and the alpine feeling sets in quickly!

There are is a decent amount of restaurants and bars as well as a couple of cafes, but as I said, there are definitely other ski resorts in the Alps that suit the party crowd better. Champoluc is more of a ski-oriented alpine village than one that has loads of festive activities off the slopes.

The slopes around Champoluc

This ski resort is suitable for those with good skiing experience, as most of the slopes are in the upper register. There are, however, some lovely long blue and red slopes, but it's honestly not a beginner's paradise. However, many of the slopes are not too advanced, except for some black slopes and some parts of the red slopes.

The slopes you get up to from the gondola lift that starts in Champoluc are primarily red slopes that are not optimal for more inexperienced skiers and those who want to start the ski holiday with a little easier skiing. You also have to go via a black slope to reach the slightly easier red slopes and blue slopes. A tip is therefore to go a couple of kilometres north to the village of Frachey and take the lift up from there, then you will reach directly out into the area with easier skiing.

There are two different bus routes, both of which are free, between Champoluc and Frachey with approximately half an hour between departures. There is also plenty of free parking at the lift in Frachey.

If you get tired of the slopes above Champoluc, it's easy to get further up to Bella Bettaforca at an altitude of 2727 meters, and then there's a long (fairly easy) red slope down towards Gressoney, where you'll also find the Monterosa Fun Slope, which is fun for the children to go. If you continue further east, you will reach the slopes around Alagna Valsesia where there are several more advanced red and black slopes.

Plenty of off-piste and freeride opportunities

All over Monterosa, and of course also around Champoluc, you will find plenty of off-piste areas for off-piste and freeride skiing next to the slopes that are easy to reach. Above Alagna Valsesia there is also Monterosa Freeride Paradise where a lift takes you up to 3275 meters high, and down from here there are no prepared pistes.

Travel to Champoluc

The nearest airport to Champoluc is the airport in Torino, and from here it takes less than an hour and a half to go. The airport is also conveniently located north of Torino, so you usually avoid heavy traffic on the road.

It is also possible to fly to Milan as it is only around 2 hours by car from there. If you book a flight to Milan, it is best to make sure it goes to the airport Malpensa (in other words, not Linate), as it is closer to Champoluc from there. In addition, Malpensa is located northwest of central Milan, which means that there is less risk of a lot of traffic and traffic jams on the road.

Rental car or transfer?

There is no problem finding a transfer to Champoluc either from Turin or Milan. Transfer is of course the most convenient option, but it is usually much cheaper to rent a car yourself. Most hotels have free parking and there is also plenty of free parking in Champoluc.

If you rent a car instead of booking a transfer, remember to make sure that snow chains are included in the rental, or pay a little extra to get a car with winter tires, as the last half hour is constantly uphill and the closer you get to the village the bigger there will be a risk of slippery road conditions.

Restaurants in Champoluc

Champoluc is not a big village, but there are still quite a few restaurants here. The most popular restaurants in the village are Il Balivo and Brasserie du Breithorn. Although these two are also the most expensive, they are not excessively expensive in any way. Most restaurants serve food based on local produce, which means a lot of beef-based food as well as charcuterie and cheeses, and it is not easy for vegetarians to find suitable dishes. You can see all the restaurants in the village and in the surrounding area here, with guest ratings and the option to see where they are located on the map.