Monterosa Ski

The Monterosa Ski area links three Italian Alpine valleys — Valsesia (Alagna), Gressoney, and Ayas (Champoluc) — across a network of lifts and pistes that reaches up to the Indren glacier at nearly 3,300 metres. The key lift from Alagna is the cable car to Punta Indren, which opens up both groomed runs and the extensive off-piste terrain that has made the area famous.

The groomed skiing here is more limited than in larger resorts; the real draw is the off-piste. After a good snowfall, the powder on the flanks above Alagna can stay untracked for days — the village's small size means there simply aren't enough skiers to track it all out quickly. The Heliski operation based here takes experienced skiers to even more remote terrain on the glacier. The ski season runs roughly December to April; snow reliability is generally good given the altitude, though climate change is reducing season length across the Alps.

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A story
Alagna's reputation as "Freeride Paradise" dates from the 1990s when a small but influential community of off-piste skiers and snowboarders began spreading word about the quality and quantity of untracked powder on Monte Rosa's southern flanks. The combination of a high cable car (reaching nearly 3,000 metres) and steep, largely ungroomed terrain below creates ideal conditions after a snowfall. The Monterosa Ski area was later developed to formalise the connection between Alagna, Gressoney, and Champoluc — three valleys, one connected lift system.