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In the valley of the Matterhorn (Cervino), resorts big and small offer pistes for all grades of skier. Those in Breuil-Cervinia allow the skier to spread out in one of the biggest skiing areas in the Alps. The link-up between Valtournenche and Zermatt offers extensive skiing between these splendid valleys.
Famous for its sophisticated high life, for its great sports events, in Valtournenche it is impossible to be bored. The Cervino/Matterhorn with its unique shape gives an exceptional imprint to a natural environment to be discovered day by day, above all with the help of the famous local guides. As well as the major resorts there are also those resorts of the middle valley, untouched by the great influx of tourists and ideal for families. At the entrance to the valley lies Châtillon (549 m.), with its Roman bridge across the Marmore torrent and the medieval castle of Ussel. The smooth Valtournenche road soon reaches Antey-Saint-André (1074 m.) where an easy cross-country skiing track winds over a large plateau. From here, proceeding on your left, you reach sunny Torgnon (1489 m.) where the cross-country and downhill tracks are easy and just right for novices.
One of these reaches the Col Les Bornes, where there is an unusual view of the valley and the mountains of the Mont Avic Wildlife Park. Another cross-country track penetrates the deep valley of Torgnon up to the marshy area of Loditor, offering panoramic views of Punta Tsan and Cervino. Here is the starting point for some beautiful excursions. At Antey-Saint-André, if you turn right you soon reach La Magdeleine (1644 m.), a small resort with easy downhill and cross-country skiing tracks on the slopes of Monte Tantané. Expert cross-country skiers can try the fascinating crossing to Chamois, over the Col Pillaz.
Continuing on the Valtournenche road you come to Buisson. Here you take the cableway with a leap of 800 metres for the village of Chamois at 1836 metres. It is the only village in Aosta Valley where cars are forbidden access, and the visitor can enjoy absolute peace. Here the installations serve a small skiing are suitable for the less expert and those who wish to perfect their technique.
Valtournenche (1640 m.), historical locality which has given its name to the valley, is an important ski resort with the backdrop of the picturesque chain of the Grandes Murailles. Its vast area of tracks extends in the amphitheatre between Monte Roisetta and Gran Sometta, and offers a magnificent view of the Matterhorn/ Cervino. The pistes are of varying difficulty, and suitable for intermediate level skiers. At the upper pass of the Cime Bianche, at 2982 metres, there is the link-up with the skiing area of Breuil-Cervinia and nearby Zermatt. Thus you have one of the vastest "domaines skiables" in the Alps where you can ski for a whole day without ever repeating a run. For those who like skiing off-track, from the lower and upper passes of the Cime Bianche you can descend, accompanied by a ski instructor or mountain guide, into the deep valley of Courtod up to Saint-Jacques in Ayas Valley. Excursion cross-country skiing and climbing with skis can be practised in the basin of Cheneil, which can be reached both from Valtournenche and Chamois. The visitor to Valtournenche must not leave before visiting the small square dedicated to the guides of the Matterhorn/Cervino, and the Gouffres des Busserailles, gigantic gorges excavated out of the rocks by the whirling rush of the Marmore torrent.
Breuil-Cervinia (2005 m.) a modern tourist resort at the foot of the Matterhorn/Cervino, is today considered one of the world's most important skiing centres. Its area extends, together with that of Valtournenche, over 150 kilometres. Here you can find the biggest cableway in Italy, each cabin can carry 140 people. The modern ski lift facilities reduce waiting to a minimum and in a few minutes take you up to the 3489 metres of Plateau Rosa or the 3492 metres of Fürggen. From up there your eyes travel across the majestic peaks, over 4,000 metres high, of the Valais competing with the dizzyin Matterhorn/Cervino.
From Plateau Rosa, those choosing the track of the Ventina glacier, over ten kilometres long, skim past the upper col of the Cime Bianche, and can enter the skiing area of Valtournenche. From Plateau Rosa you can also descend to Zermatt, in Switzerland.
At Trockener Stegg there is the cableway which goes up to the 3886 metres of the Piccolo Cervino. There, on vast glaciers, begin difficult runs and some of the most spectacular off-track descents in the Alps, to be undertaken exclusively with a ski instructor or mountain guide. As well as skiing - try skiing by night on an illuminated run or summer skiing at Plateau Rosa - Breuil-Cervinia and Valtournenche offer all types of leisure activities: ice-skating, swimming in heated indoor pools, winter camping sites, indoor tennis courts, restaurants along the pistes, a great variety of discos and gastronomic eating-places.
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