Holidays > 2002 > 24 February - 3 March: Skiing in Courmayeur

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Ewan, Jim, Mike, Neil and I had a week skiing in Courmayeur, which is in northern Italy, on the border with France. Europe's highest peak is visible from it and straddles the border, so is known as Monte Bianco in Italy and Mont Blanc in France.

It was a package holiday organised with Airtours (REF RB059334), booked through Freedom Direct, which included flights and half board accommodation at the Hotel Astoria.

• Sunday
  • We flew out at 15:00 from Gatwick South Terminal and arrived at 17:45 local time in Turin. It was then a two hour bus trip to Courmayeur. We arrived at the hotel at 20:00, had supper and met up for a briefing at the Jimmy Night Cafe, which is a thankfully soundproof nighclub underneath the hotel.
  • We walked around the town, Entreve, where the hotel was based. I took three photographs and was very impressed at how my camera handled it.
• Monday
  • TODO
• Tuesday
  • We walked around the town, Entreve, where the hotel was based. I took three photographs and was very impressed at how my camera handled it.
• Wednesday
  • Neil, Mike, Jim and I went to Pila, one of the higest resorts at 2300 feet. This turned out to be a good thing, as the weather in Courmayeur turned very wet and cloudy, resulting in slushy snow and low visibility, with half the people in the ski lesson stopping half way through. We, however, had a great time in Pila.
  • Walked three miles from the hotel into Courmayeur that night. While Ewan, Jim, Mike and Neil went to a pub, I walked around the town trying out my camera at night, resulting in some very artistic photographs below.
• Thursday
  • Successfully did a ski jump.
  • Swam in an outdoor swimming pool.
  • Tied first in a quiz.
• Friday
  • Very bad visibility.
  • Neil hit a rock going off-piste and went head first into snow as though he had been shot out of a cannon. The sobering thing was that his head missed a rock by five centimetres.
  • Unsuccessfully did a ski jump, which resulted in a forward somersault, a ski coming off and spraining and bruising to my right shin.
• Saturday
  • Very bad visibility.
  • Unintentionally did a black run, which was an achievement, but I didn't enjoy it.
  • My leg was beginning to hurt, as I couldn't see the contours which meant I kept hitting bumps, so decided to call it a week and returned all my ski equipment to the shop. I felt I had done enough skiing anyway and spent the afternoon walking around Courmayeur taking more photographs and walked the three kilometres back to the hotel. The sprain or bruise only seem to hurt when I skiid, so wan't really a problem.
• Sunday
  • The cablecar behind the hotel was working and allowing walkers up to Monte Bianco on the Sunday, so Ewan, Jim and I went to the first stage called the Pavilion, where I took some photographs and about 20 seconds of video, as the views took in the whole valley. We didn't go to the top, as we didn't think we had enough time and couldn't be guaranteed the cable car would keep running to take us back in time for the bus, as there were clouds further up.
  • We returned to Entreve and went for a walk along the road leading up and behind the hotel towards Val Ferret and met Neil and Mike on their way back. They had gone to enquire about cross country skiing, but had found the centre deserted. We told them about the cable car and they said they would meet us back at the hotel, as they would try to go to the top of Mont Blanc. They made it back just in time. The the cable car had gone above the clouds and the air had been very thin. They hadn't gone right to the top, which consisted of an elevator ride within the mountain to a platform linking two peaks, but I wish I had gone with them to see the view above the clouds. Wow! Maybe next time I will approach it from the French side.
  • The bus to the airport left at 14:00 and I managed to take some decent photographs of castles on the way. This proved difficult at times, as traffic signs had an annoying tendency to flash past just as I took the photograph. I know now to rather take another photograph first then delete the worst one, as was just about to take another photograph after deleting the one with the traffic sign when the bus entered a tunnel and the moment was lost forever.
  • I managed to take a photograph of Pila which we visited on the Wednesday.
  • The flight was uneventful, Mike and I finally managed to find the car again and I arrived home at 22:30. Mike still had another 45 minutes drive left to do before he arrived back in Kidderminster. I think Birminham airport is a must the next time, as it is only 35 minutes away compared to two hours to Gatwick.