The ski season begins in mid-December and lasts until sometime in April, depending on snow conditions in the area. The skiing, although good, has little to attract experts, who head instead for Chamonix across Mont Blanc in France; Courmayeur is more for beginners and intermediates. Lift tickets in Courmayeur cost 35€ to 40€ ($46-$52/£23-£27) for 1 day, and 105€ ($137/£70) for 3 days. For snow reports in and around Courmayeur, call tel. 0165-843566 or go to www.skivallee.it.
Near Courmayeur, you can take one of the most unusual cable cars in Europe across Mont Blanc all the way to Chamonix, France. It's a ride across glaciers that's altogether frightening and thrilling. Departures on the Funivie Monte Bianco are from La Palud, near Entrèves. The three-stage cable car heads for the intermediate stations, Pavillon and Rifugio Torino, before reaching its peak at Punta Helbronner at 3,430m (11,254 ft.). At the latter, you'll be on the doorstep of the glacier and the celebrated 19km (12-mile) Vallée Blanche ski run to Chamonix, France. From Cormayeur to Chamonix cable cars are available only from the end of June to the end of September. The round-trip price for the cable car ride is 78€ ($101/£52). The return trip is by bus through the Mont Blanc tunnel. Departures are every 20 minutes, and service is daily from 8:30am to 12:40pm and 2 to 5pm. At the top are a bar, a snack bar, and a terrace for sunbathing. Bookings can be made at Esercizio Funivie, Frazione La Palude 22 (tel. 0165-89925).
Many nonskiing visitors come here just for the bracing mountain air and the panoramic views. The shopping is excellent, especially on Via Roma, and many of the most prestigious retailers in Milan or Rome maintain branches here.
In summer the scenery is gorgeous, with towering Mont Blanc in the distance. Some 52km (32 miles) southeast of Courmayeur is the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradise, once the private domain of King Vittorio Emanuele II (1820-78).
