Hidden yet present, right in the heart of the Alps, a newly developed freeride paradise for ambitious car enthusiasts is spreading out. The three valleys around the respective main towns of Champoluc, Gressoney and Alagna are well-known to many freeriders when it comes to high alpine off-piste skiing. And quite rightly so - not least thanks to the construction of the new Indren gondola.
Hare hunting
Mrs. Holle kept us waiting a long time, but the time finally came around Easter. Heavy snowfalls hit the Alpine ridges and provided plenty of off-piste potential. Traveling to and from the Aosta Valley from German-speaking regions is a chapter in itself, where you are spoilt for choice: Between two exorbitantly expensive tunnel approaches (Mont Blanc, St. Bernhard) or a detour via the Gotthard, which almost forces you to visit the cities of Milan and Turin. Only then does the almost 60-minute gherkin ride to the lift facilities in the valleys follow. Once you get out of the newly built "Indren"gondola, all the hardships of the journey are immediately forgotten. Not from Alagna as before, but from now on from Passo Salati at just under 3000 m to the new station at 3275 m. Gressoney is secretly becoming the new freeride center. Cable car nostalgics will remember that until around 10 years ago, there were already two T-bar lifts here, making summer skiing possible, which was still trendy at the time.
The new lift not only makes the off-piste terrain of the old lift to Punta Indren accessible again, it also makes the ascent to the high alpine destinations easier (Rifugio Manova, Gnifetti and Margeritha) and facilitates the crossing to the two popular valleys Val Salza and Val Perduta. The latter in particular are very popular with the alpine pleasure group.
Although Alagna and Gressoney are widely known as freeride areas, the crowds seem to be limited. Although you can see a number of fashionably dressed freeriders, very few seem to want to use the new gondola as an ascent aid and are content with the moderately exciting intermediate sections of the piste. Unless led by a guide, the majority of passengers seem to be struggling down the two bumpy main gullies towards Gressoney. But perhaps this impression is only deceptive, as the terrain is very extensive and allows for many different runs, some of which are huge.
First chair
Equipped with an iPhone and radio, our guide Poldo is in constant contact with lift operators, mountain rescue services and his boss, so it is probably no coincidence that we are on the first gondola to Indren right on time after the north föhn has died down around midday. In the Eagle Couloir, however, we quickly realize that the wind has been extremely strong in the three to four hours this morning. The 50 cm of fresh snow that had fallen the day before with virtually no wind had blown away. As we descend, we are constantly alternating between stone contact and a crème brulée-like mass. Getting into the backseat and skiing straight down seems to us to be the best method of descent!
In order to cover the whole area, we slide down a little between various lifts. Unfortunately, the heat has already taken its toll - but there's still plenty of fun to be had here in the wind-protected areas on the first beautiful day.
Finally, we tackle the Val Salza. From the Indren mountain station, we cross over a striking ridge in around 15 minutes with just a few cross-country steps. From here, the 1000-metre run spreads out before us in a wide and only moderately sloping basin. Next braking turn: Staffal!
"The offense"
On the second beautiful day, Isotherm was to climb to 2700 m. Buoyed up by the morning café - maybe it was three or four, with prices ranging from 1 euro to 1.50 euros you can quickly lose your sense of proportion here - and pastries, we decide on one of the few north-facing descents in the area: the Malfatta.
After crossing and a short 2-minute hike to the old Punta Indren station, we unfortunately have to postpone enjoying the view of the Po Valley and the city of Milan. The weather is warming up quickly and we don't want to end the day in an avalanche of wet snow. So we quickly traverse onwards and, thanks to the 4 existing tracks, we are already at the start without any detours. We quickly see that the rope and climbing equipment we had brought with us is not needed for the first 30 meters of altitude - but it seems to be one of the first days of the season where this is not necessary, as the snow cover was not yet sufficient. With a few sidesteps and careful sliding down, we quickly get through this 50° steep section. A few turns in the 45° steep slope
and the north-facing powder is already spraying around our ears in the wider and flatter part of this variant. It seems as if the high alpine giants are applauding us for this delightful experience, but it's just a series of small wet chutes thundering down the south-facing steep slopes towards the valley.
The runout shows once again that you shouldn't just blindly follow tracks, but that it's advisable to memorize this route beforehand, or at least look it up in the guide book you have with you. After a short detour, the route takes us along a relaxed hiking trail towards Alagna. The snow gradually disappears here and for the first time we can enjoy a spring tour with a one-hour walk. With our ski boots dripping wet and wearing T-shirts, we reach the lift-assisted return route to Gressoney and head home.
