charming rifugios for an overnight camp. For
those looking to smell the geraniums, the Gran
Paradiso National Park has 725 kilometres of
marked trails and mule tracks. I took a short
but absolutely winsome hike through waterfalls
and bursts of Alpine fl owers. The tracks are also
suitable for a brisk electric bike ride. Even more
fetching is Val Ferret, a thickly verdant valley
duo straddling the Swiss border. Like a romantic
painting, the tracks lead through Pré de Bar glacier
and the towering Grandes Jorasses peaks, with the
Dora di Veny stream fl owing placidly in between.
Unfortunately (or fortunately) I arrive in
Courmayeur after the legendary Tor des Geants
is done, but fi nd myself in the piazza cheering
on the ladies and gents (440 champions) who
have traversed 330 kilometres, averaging 120
hours. Age is no bar to this massive endurance
challenge, and—mimicking a life lesson—the
key to completing the race is fortitude and
steadiness, not speed. Participants, from across
the world, fall off steep cliff s, break into panic
attacks and get lost in snow blizzards, but the
experience is said to be as life-changing as it is
arduous and emotional.TO SKI OR NOT TO SKI
The towns of Courmayeur and its famous French
cousin, Chamonix are (glamorously) head-to-head
on Europe’s most-adored ski resort list. If you’re
aching to experience the best of both, grab your
skis, brain buckets and a really good guide to tackle
Vallée Blanche, one of the world’s most beautiful,
daring glacier off -piste ski routes. A spectacular
20 kilometres run down the Mont Blanc massif,
it calls out even to intermediate level skiers.
Unmanned all through, it off ers a unsurpassed
wild, untamed beauty. Other adventurous runs for
fairly experienced skiers include a stunning treeline
bowl at the top of the Cresta d’Arp and the Torino
summit. If you’re a beginner and want to play it
safe, the on-piste options are equally scenic. Most
of the runs are marked red (advanced intermediate)
whether at Plan de la Gabba or Bertolini.
COLOSSAL STRIDES
If skiing and snowboarding aren’t up your alley,
Courmayeur and its surroundings provide
rich opportunities for trekking and hiking up ELEONORA GRECO