Snow Week

Hordes of kids. Jostling lift lines.

Raucous teenagers released from the rigidity of school.

Traffic levels more like the M6 than a mountainside.

Why would any childfree individual subject themselves to half term skiing?

But not everywhere.

Nestled in the mountains north of Milan beyond Lake Como, Madesimo is not much more than a smattering of houses and hotels.

The ski area is not large, 40km in total, so don’t expect to ski somewhere new every day for a week. But apart from weekends, especially if you are up on the first hour of the lifts opening, you can have the runs pretty much to yourself. Mostly used by Italians for weekends it’s only on Saturday and Sunday that there is anything that resembles a lift line.

In fact the whole village appears to be mass of unused real estate with apartment blocks clearly closed most of the week. Though I did have a bit of difficulty finding a very last minute booking.

Air B&B to the rescue.

Unfortunately one of the cable cars over to the highest runs was closed due a recent accident and subsequent investigation, cutting out the highest runs. So, in search of diversity, I swapped my skis for snowshoes and plodded up the other side of the valley from the pistes.

This was really the way to get away from it all. It was midweek and those here were most definitely sticking to their skis. Walking up the opposite hill, the slopes unfolded so true to piste map I wouldn’t have been surprised to see interconnecting red and blue lines.

As well as the solitude, it felt far more energetic than my laconic skiing style. Even before I hit the deep snow and ‘ungroomed trail’ I was peeling off layers and stuffing my hat in my backpack. A quick internet trawl revealed that snowshoeing up burns more energy per hour than skiing down.   Though I think any output was totally offset by consumption of wine, bombardinos, cakes and pasta

So, a week in Madesimo. Recommended? Yes. Despite the small ski area the pluses certainly compensate.   As well as empty slopes there are quiet cafes and bars, with ski hire and passes at less than rip off prices.   It was my second time there.  The first time I said I wouldn’t return (too small) but, well who knows, perhaps I’ll go back snowshoeing or wait till the snow thaws and hike up the hills.

I’m beginning to think I like walking more than skiing.  And the scenery kind of speaks for itself.

This time I stayed here,

Last time here