Carving Slopes near Milan, Italy

[luca85]

Has anyone here informations for freeriding about Staffa-Monte Moro (Macugnaga)?
Cable-car on map No.1349 1:25'000 looks incredible and downhill too!
Even mountains must look great, elevations from 1307 m straight up to 4638 meters.

I have been told by many people that macugnaga is really great for freeriding. Late in the season you can go to Saas Fee from "Monte Moro". Last year they also groomed a piste between the two places (without any lift to go back... but they organized a bus which in "just" 2 hours takes you back to Macugnaga)
The problem is in the resort. Like in many places in Italy the built a lot of "holyday homes" and almost no hotels, so it is a ghost town (still not one of the worst). On top of that all the lifts are very old and near their expiration date (yes...in Italy lifts expire!!) and they do not have any money to change them. Some have already been closed and few tracks are available compared to what the place used to be.
Interesting note... This summer during weekends they operated a ski-lift until mid-July even if they are not on a glacier because there was still plenty of snow!

[Schneewurm]

I agree Alex, just an old Yaris Abarth.
Indeed, I was on the road Yesterday afternoon with my bycicle. Before a stop-light I saw a car from Italy with the sign I - ?? 016 SN - MI. I and MI was on a blue field. MI stands vor Milano, right? It was a simple Ford Fusion, no Abarth or similar sign on it.
Beside that, some kilometers before I was overtaken by a Ford T (vintage car). I was on about 43/45 km/h on a flat street. This old cars have been realy fast too (about 60 km/h). It's realy strange, I couldn't follow this about 100 Year old Ford T with my modern bycicle, even not on good asphalt roads.

@luca85
Thanks a lot. Yes I was thinking about the Saas-Fee feature. On my ski touring map Zermatt-Mischabel-Saas Fee, they wrote about 3-4 hours by ski's for to go from Mattmark up to Monte Moro pass. On a groomed trail it could be even faster and easyer to take the right way (avalanches!)

2 hours by bus from SaasFee to Macugnaga? Even not with a car. Abarth doesn' help. Perhaps it was the bus down to Visp or Brig (1 hour) + railway tunnel Simplon EuroCity (28 minutes) + bus from Domodossola to Macugnaga (estimated 1 hour).
What can happen on the valley of Saas (bridge of Martiswald), if buses are driving to fast, You can see on the first picture below!

Old ski- and chairlifts runs better then brandnew chairlifts, if there is a good maintnance! Keep in mind, modern chairlifts have much more moving parts/ overall parts which can fail. I saw more modern chairlift breaking down then other lifts. We have expiration dates for lifts also in Switzerland. We have loose on this way many genious, mostly steep lifts.

It's simply the way-to-high-price, for assurances for renewing expiration dates and not the maintnance costs. There are now more and more people on snow from countrys far away from the mountains. They are allmost not able to handle to stay in an appropriate way on mountains/ slopes/ lifts and so on. Even not with all-new stuff, which is much better than skis, bindings, boots, clothings 50 Years before.
So snowboarding- and skiing-resorts turns more and more to well formed artifical tourist ghettos. Such resorts like Soelden, Ischgl, Flims-Laax ... offers fast high-capacity lifts and super-easy slopes only. What even helps the rescue-teams to do their every-day job on a agreeable way.
Wintersport becomes more and more realy interchangeable to the tourist ghettos at the island abroad.

... Some have already been closed ...
Example of the desaster you can see on the both picture below. They are closed now since many Years and definitive for ever! E.g. the closed skilift does 300 m of high on 600 m of length. Thats steeper and 50 % higher than Zinal slopes. Nowadays there are no more slopes, but many small trees.

Yes, I realy know such "holyday homes" resorts with only about 12 rooms on one hotel next to the lifts. Traveling ¾-1 hour to possible next hotels is a bad choice. This summer I heard from a wintersport-place where 2 of the 3 hotels are forced to bankruptcy. Now they have the idea to build "holyday homes" out of them.

[NAM]

Hi,everyone! Answere please, wat's better way (by train,bus) from Zinal to La Thuile? (I would like go for riding there a few days after ECS and after that departure to Moscow from Geneva)

[Arnaud]

hmmm, Zinal to La Thuile ... long way because you must cross the Matterhorn / Monte Rosa mountains !
2 possible ways :
- Through Mont Blanc tunnel : first you must join Chamonix (France), then a bus cross the tunnel up to Courmayeur, then another bus join la Thuile.
- Through Grand Saint Bernard Tunnel : join Martigny (Swiss - not so far from Zinal). The tunnel join Aosta (Italy) then you should find buses for la Thuile, but in any case it's a long way.

Maybe the best solution is to find an Italian guy going back to Milano or Torino after ECS. From these 2 town it's quite easy to reach La Thuile through train and bus.

[NAM]

Thanks a lot Arnaud! But I have one more idea-La Rosiere.Oleg said that its possible go from La Rossiere to La Thuile by lift.So I'll can live in La Rosiere and ride in nice slopes in La Thuile!May you give expert evidence about that? (And what is the better way from Zinal to La Rosiere)

[Arnaud]

Yes, La Rosiere (France) and la Thuile (Italy) share the domain.
The most interesting slopes are on la Thuile side. Consider also that accodomation and food are cheaper in Italy (and also better for food if you like pasta and pizza )

But the way from Zinal to La rosière is long also. La rosière is close to Bourg St Maurice. By car you have to join Chamonix, then cross Megeve to reach Alberville, and finally you arrive to Bourg St Maurice. By train or bus ..... maybe more difficult than going directly to la Thuile

[Schneewurm]

NAM
don't drive me crazy with such things!
O.k. we build (for Europe only) the longest tunnel on the earth. You can see the opening next Friday. Swiss people payed for the tunnel 100 % them-self. Undercrossing all the high mountains from North to South on lowest possible base of country will be possible in the next Years. And now people from Eastern Europe e.g. Moscow are asking for a tunnel from East (Zinal) to West (LaThuile).

Well, like Arnaud told, there are other ways for to go to LaThuile and for to go than back to Geneva airport. Even it takes a lot of time to find a good way.
Whats Your departure time of flight in Geneva Airport?

For to go from La Thuile to La Rosiere You should travel both way by snowboard (and with backpack). Pass of Petit St. Bernard is closed during wintertime.

Zinal-LaThuile: (Departure time 06:13 early in the Morning !!!)
- Zinal(bus to)-Sierre(train to)-Martigny(bus to)-Aosta(bus to)-LaThuile,
- Zinal(bus to)-Sierre(train to)-Martigny(train to)-Chamonix(bus to)-Courmayeur(bus to)-PrèSaintDidier(bus to)-LaThuile (Departure 06:13 in the Morning, Arrival around 12:00 in LaThuile, so You can take a ½-day skipass for to go to la Rosiere. At Chamonix You will have at 09:30 45 minutes to wait for next Your bus (10:10), so You can take than breakfast.

LaThuile-Geneva(Airport):
- LaThuile(bus to)-PrèSaintDidier(bus to)-Courmayeur(bus to)-Chamonix(train to)-Martigny(train to)-(passing Lausanne)-Geneva(airport) (easyer to go and less changes: 4)
- LaThuile(bus to)-PrèSaintDidier(bus to)-Courmayeur(bus to)-Chamonix(train to)-Annemasse(train to)-Geneva(passing whole city by tram and bus)-Geneva(airport) (up to 7 changes with walkings of 8 minutes)

Anex:
LaThuile = La Thuile
PrèSaintDidier = Prè-Saint-Didier
Ticket / round-trip-ticket for all bus and trains can be orderd on desk of railway-station in Geneva-Airport. Perhaps some tickets like from Chamonix to LaThuile must be get at desk on railway/bus-station Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, or direct on bus itself (Società Autoservizi Valle D’Aosta)
Myself, I had good experience with the bus company of Aosta (asking/waiting of experiences from other users here)
Kepp in mind, You must have than VISA not only for Switzerland. VISA for France and Italy (Europe-Schengen-Visa) is also required.

[NAM]

Thanks everybody! So,I'll be in Zinal 22.01.-01.02.Then moved in to La Thuile until 06.02. Let's go together who want's! P/S departure time from Geneva to Moscow (via Zurih) 7 p.m.

[starikashka]

Thanks a lot Arnaud! But I have one more idea-La Rosiere.Oleg said that its possible go from La Rossiere to La Thuile by lift.So I'll can live in La Rosiere and ride in nice slopes in La Thuile!May you give expert evidence about that? (And what is the better way from Zinal to La Rosiere)

Consult General how to consider Oleg`s advices Before you make a decision to follow

[pokkis]

Dont go there, stay with us in Zinal

[NAM]

Thanks a lot Arnaud! But I have one more idea-La Rosiere.Oleg said that its possible go from La Rossiere to La Thuile by lift.So I'll can live in La Rosiere and ride in nice slopes in La Thuile!May you give expert evidence about that? (And what is the better way from Zinal to La Rosiere)

Consult General how to consider Oleg`s advices Before you make a decision to follow

Thanks Andrey, next time I'II take into consideration

[NAM]

Dont go there, stay with us in Zinal

I had never been in Italian mountains but I think 9 days in Zinal will be enough

[pokkis]

Slope is slope where ever it is, it is just snow in agle but good company is good.
We will arrive there same day anyway as you

[NAM]

Slope is slope where ever it is, it is just snow in agle but good company is good.
We will arrive there same day anyway as you

I'm absolutele agree with you!And looking forvard for meeting with my old friends!

[starikashka]

How dare you He is not old ))))))))))))))

By the way, pokkis is right good company can make good slope even better

Sadly i can`t join the fun this time.