Courmayeur

About the area

Courmayeur offers 41 km of marked pistes in Italy's Aosta Valley, and the mix explains who it fits. Blue runs account for 16 km, or 38% of the terrain, and there are 20 short easy runs next to a lift base, plus five magic carpets for first turns — good news for beginners and for families with small children. Only 4 km, about 9%, is black or freeride terrain, and the longest single descent gives 541 m of vertical, so committed experts will run out of challenge quickly. Red pistes make up 22 km and carry most of the interest.

Twenty-four lifts serve the area, including three gondolas and six cable cars, so nine lifts can be boarded without a chairlift — practical with young kids. The pistes run from 1,204 m up to 2,749 m, and the longest run measures 2,537 m.