A snowy April weekend in the Alps with Team Erna
Following our blog post the week before last, the Erna Low team returned from the snowy Alps last Monday after an amazing weekend in their new favourite resort, Montgenevre. Read on to hear all about their trip…
At silly o’clock on Friday morning, we met at Gatwick and boarded an Easyjet flight to Grenoble. We all caught up on some sleep on the flight and 3 hour transfer to the resort, which took us through the Tunnel de Frejus over to Italy – as the Col du Lautaret was closed. Going through the Italian resorts, we could see the great snow cover still lining the roads and we weren’t disappointed when we reached Montgenevre. It was cold and snowing, so it was settling nicely and we were all getting very excited about the conditions that awaited us on the mountain.

Inside the lovely Chalets des Dolines
The boys couldn’t wait, so headed up the mountain that afternoon to get a feel for the area. The girls, however, took a slightly more leisurely approach and ventured to the resort centre for lunch, followed by a spa session at the luxury Residence Le Chalets des Dolines.
We were given several two bedroom apartments and found them to be very well appointed, with large living areas, modern kitchens and beautifully soft beds.
The spa area offered sumptuous facilities, with views of the surrounding mountains from the pool. It’s safe to say we made the most of this, as well as the Jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms. There’s nothing better than a bit of pampering after a hard day up the mountain.

Le Chalets des Dolines luxurious pool and spa area
On the Saturday morning, we were all booked in with A-Peak – the ESI ski school in Montgenevre. Emily, who had only ever had one days ski lessons at the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead (see past blog here), had her first ever lesson on the mountain, whilst the rest of the team were led by Sebastian, an A-Peak guide and instructor to explore the local ski area.
Approximately half of the Montgenevre ski area was open as the resort is starting to close down for the winter (too early we say, given the current superb snow conditions!). The base is currently 70cm at the bottom and the top 120cm deep. Much to our delight, we found fresh powder all over the mountain. Coupled with quiet pistes, we really felt like Montgenevre was our own personal playground for the weekend.
Sebastian took us up the main lift from the resort, the Chalmettes, which has both chairs and bubbles. He explained this was perfect for taking a group of ski school children up in one go, if parents were worried about their little ones being on a chair lift alone. Montgenevre have put a lot of thought into how to make children (and parents) happy, and has been rewarded for its efforts with the ‘Famille Plus’ label resorts strive to achieve. For example, there’s a large beginner area at resort level, a number of calm green runs easily accessible for all, dedicated sledging areas for different age groups and from the top of lifts there is often the choice of green/blue/red runs which meet at the bottom, giving everyone a chance to ski at the own ability.
Sebastian explained for the more adventurous, there is some great off-piste available in the area – even for those without much experience. A-Peak can organise off-piste guiding for half days or full days to show you where to go and how to do it, as well as drive you back when you can’t ski back to resort.
There are three ski area/pass options available to guests; one covers Montgenevre only and is sold per day, ideal for beginners or visitors. The most popular is the ‘Mont de La Lune’ covering 110km of pistes and includes the neighbouring Italian resorts of Claviere and Cesana (and no you don’t need to carry your passport with you to ski there!); while the largest ski area available is known as the ViaLattea (aka The Milky Way), which easily rivals the 3 Valleys with 400km of pistes.
Philippe Chartier, the manager of the Skiset shop located steps away from both the residences we feature in Montgenevre, explained to us that in order to make the most of the ViaLattea it is well worth investing in a guide as their local knowledge will ensure you make the most of your time on the slopes, showing you the best there is to offer.
Montgenevre itself is a beautiful traditional resort, which is expanding with a new area to the far side of the resort where our accommodation was located. The resort has a selection of restaurants and bars to suit all budgets and tastes and is easily navigated along a promenade style level main road through the resort.
All in all, we had a great few days in Montgenevre and we’ll definitely be highly recommending it to our client’s, especially families and beginners – now we’ve had firsthand experience of this amazing resort.
- Drive with our inclusive Eurotunnel crossing from the UK (ferry options also available) – 10hrs drive from Calais (which is the same time it takes to drive to our other family favourite resort of Arc 1950)
- Fly to Turin/Grenoble/Chambery airports and hire a car or book a transfer to resort – 1.5hr to 3hr transfer to resort
- Take the train from the UK to Oulx (indirect) followed by a 30min transfer to resort.













