Resort Information
Champoluc is a beautiful, traditional Italian alpine village nestled in the heart of the Italian Alps in a pretty, wooded valley. The whole area is simply gorgeous, offering magnificent valley views wherever you are. The locals are also, in the traditional Italian way, unbelievable welcoming.
Champoluc is not the “in” place to be seen, nor is it the resort for you should you wish to party. It doesn’t provide you multiple 5* offerings and there are no boutique luxury shops. We feature resorts that delivers all of the above and more, but it is the fact that Champoluc has not gone in that direction, that makes it so wonderful.
The entire ski area feels like you have visited a hidden gem – the pistes are peaceful and pretty much queue- free – allowing for a wonderfully relaxing time on the slopes. The ski area Champoluc shares with the villages of Alagna and Gressoney is the acclaimed Monterosa ski area and, with its highest point at 3,275m, and an efficient and fast moving lift system, it offers skiers a wonderful range of skiing and boarding on and off piste.
Accommodation wise, most accommodation comes in the form of hotels or sparse self-catering apartments. We have set out our favourite picks of where to stay below.
This hidden gem/best kept secret status however is likely to change as there are plans afoot to link the small village of Frachey by a two-stage cable-car to the Plateau Rosa above Cervinia. If and when this happens, skiers and boarders alike will be able to travel all the way from Zermatt’s Sunnegga area to Alagna and consequently, this hidden gem of a ski area will become one of the largest in the world.
Key Facts
Ski Area
132km
Ski Range
1212m – 3275m
Blue Runs
17%
Red Runs
72%
Black Runs
11%
Season
December – April
Accommodation
Hotellerie de Mascognaz, Champoluc
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Hotellerie de Mascognaz, ChampolucFacilitiesSleep...
Chalet Hotel Breithorn, Champoluc
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Chalet Hotel Breithorn, ChampolucFacilitiesSleep...
Chalet Hotel de Champoluc, Champoluc
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Chalet Hotel de Champoluc, ChampolucFacilitiesSleep...
Hotel La Rouja, Champoluc
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Hotel La Rouja, ChampolucFacilitiesSleep CapacityThis...
Hotel Castor, Champoluc
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Hotel Castor, ChampolucFacilitiesSleep CapacityThis...
Hotel Bellevue, Champoluc
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Hotel Bellevue, ChampolucFacilitiesSleep CapacityThis...
Useful Information
Beginners
Champoluc has an enclosed nursery slope at the top of the main cable car, offering beginners the chance to learn at their own pace without skiers from other slopes crossing through it. The lift up the nursery slope is a beginner friendly travellator and as this area is located at 2,000 metres, there is always plenty of snow!
Once the basics has been mastered , the longer, more challenging runs are accessed by gondola, until you’re able to make your first trip over to Gressoney.
Intermediates
The entire Monterosa area is an intermediate skier’s paradise.Most of the runs are wide and crowd free. Making the trip to Gressoney and on to Alagna can be very rewarding and with a few coffee stops thrown in, can be enjoyed over a full day.
Advanced
Advanced skiers are well catered for in Champoluc. The main draw however is the fantastic off-piste skiing which is accessed by the higher lifts or helicopter. Given the resort being non-main stream, the acres of powder snow remains un-tracked for days after a fresh fall.
For piste skiers making their first foray into off piste, there are plenty stretches of powder by the said of most runs. If you are looking for a thigh burner, the 17km run from Champoluc to Alagna will not leave you dissapointed!
Snowboarders
You’ll find the Champoluc snowpark on the run down to the Frachy side accessed by the Ostafa-Colle Sarezza chairlift. There are numerous rails, a six metre halfpipe, a four metre wall and eight jumps of various sizes.
Adventure Park
New outdoor eco-adventure park open with exciting routes through the woods, negotiating ladders, bridges, hoops, abseiling etc. Short/easy route costs €8, longer/more difficult route costs €16. Suitable for kids over 6 years. Open 1 – 6pm daily. Take the pathway up from opposite the large car park after the lift or ski in near the bottom of the Del Bosco piste back into Champoluc.
Climbing Wall
Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday in the old school behind the church, from 5.30 – 10.30pm. €10 inscription and €4 per session.
Snow Shoeing
If you are all skied out, why not hang up your skis and try the snow shoes instead. You can take a guide who will help you discover wonderful spots that you wouldn’t even reach on skis.
Shopping
There isn’t a lot of shopping to be done in Champoluc. Shops close from 12.30 – 3.30pm for siesta. Frachey sport has three shops selling equipment or sporty wear, one in the square and two near the lift. Mari sport is behind the Hotel Castor, sells clothes and ski equipment. Jewellery – Trilly near the lift. Reverchon – mainly children’s cothes and ski wear Supermarkets – Crai and Conad and various smaller grocery stores. There are two souvenir shops.
View the live snow report for Champoluc here
Children up to 8 years old do not need to purchase a ski pass when accompanied by an adult and there are children’s areas throughout the ski resort.
In Champoluc, the children’s area is situated perfectly with a play area in the middle of the ski resort right next to a practice area.
Champoluc has Monterosa’s best beginner runs and is the village families should aim for.
Scuola Sci Champoluc accepts children from five years old.
Area Map
Hotellerie de Mascognaz
Chalet Hotel Breithorn
Chalet Hotel de Champoluc
Hotel La Rouja
Hotel Castor
Hotel Bellevue
Getting There
Driving to Champoluc from the main airports of Milan Malpensa and Turin is not difficult. Road access is via the Aosta Valley A5 toll motorway. The Champoluc exit is Verres.
Journey times are approximately as follows:
Turin Caselle airport – 1hr 30 mins
Milan Malpensa airport – 2hrs
Milan Linate airport – 2hrs 15mins
Geneva Intl airport – 2hrs 30 mins</p></li>
By Plane
The most convenient airport for Champoluc is Turin Caselle, and many airlines including BA, Easy Jet and Ryan Air fly there.
Approximate distances and drive times to Champoluc
Turin Caselle – 105km / 1 hour 30 minutes
Milan Malpensa – 168km / 2 hours 5 minutes
Geneva airport – 200km / 2hrs 30 minutes
By Road
Road access is via the Aosta Valley A5 toll motorway. The Champoluc exit is Verres.
By Train
The nearest train stations are Verres for Champoluc. Onward buses to the resorts operate from these stations. See the Italian train website www.trenitalia.com for travel options and timetables.