We came to Madesimo with high expectations. We expected the midweek period to provide long fast groomers, big beefy freeride descents, uncrowded slopes, powder snow, affordable lift passes, great value accommodation & classic food. What we got ………. was exactly that & more. Any way you cut it, a midweek lift pass price of €40 for the lifts & terrain at Madesimo is not the best in Italy (Via Lattea takes that honour!), but holy moley it is not too shabby.
After such high praise, let the second (& maybe the third) paragraph state some negativity. Madesimo is not the greatest ski resort for beginners. Novices learning to ski or board for the first time are well-catered for at the top of the funicular in the Motta sector, the western end of Madesimo village & top of the gondola next to the Larici restaurant. Once a novice finds their feet, aside from a long flattish winding trail through the centre of the main ski area, most pistes are simply too steep for beginners. It is a shame there is no blue trail into the gondola base, with only two super-pitchy reds dropping into the centre of town.
The ski area is divided by a massive ravine between the Larici gondola & the Lago Azzurro chair, so the connecting trails above the ravine are important for connecting the resort to the Motta area. Sadly, even though the connecting trail 19 is blue, there is no way for beginners to get to it from the Larici side unless they descend an intermediate trail. Good way to force beginners to learn I suppose! Further along the link is too flat for snowboarders as well. Eternally glad I have skis!
Enough doom, how about some positivity! A wonderful feature of the ski area is several sensational tree lined intermediate runs that dive right into the heart of town. The 2.5km, 600m vertical Valsecchi is the absolute pick. Who doesn’t adore starting & ending a run within a few steps of their accommodation – simply glorious. 3 chairlifts & the gondola depart from various points in Madesimo.
It is an interesting village, with a liberal spread of well-priced hotels, albergos, BnBs & apartment complexes amongst its pleasing forested surrounds. Many of the buildings feel dated, but such is life in many Italian ski resorts. Madesimo is loaded with traditional restaurants, many attached to accommodation providers. Most bars, shops & restaurants are in & around the sector near the gondola base in the centre of the village. Everything is within easy strolling distance.
Pizzo Groppera is the centre of all things off-piste at Madesimo., At just under 3000m (2948m), for some reason it doesn’t have the feel of a big mountain. That is not a problem, just an observation (maybe I have spent too much time on BG mountains & are losing perspective). The solid 1000m skiable vertical off-piste routes that run down the wide north-facing bowl from the summit are deep in shade all winter & a pleasure to explore. Only lightly marked with the odd stake, navigation is straight-forward back into the ski area at the bottom of the Cima Sole runs. Found some fresh untracked powder in there even though recent snow was generally non-existent & the off-piste was a touch cruddy down lower.
The important Groppera cable car is an ancient relic with limited capacity, that whilst still does the job, must provide some frustrations on a powder day. It appears to run on demand at 15min intervals by my estimations, but the posted running interval is every 30min – that would truly suck on a busy day for a cable car with only a 30-person capacity. Intriguingly, the latest iterations of the ski trail map, including the paper version at the ticket offices of the resort, no longer show any of the ski routes off Groppera. The entire trail system has been re-named numerically as well. Wonder why? Too many people getting in trouble off-piste perhaps?
On the sunny side of Pizzo Groppera, the Val di Lei double chair serves Madesimo’s best alpine terrain. 500ish vertical metres of deserted intermediate piste & rolling off-piste liberally infused with appealing whoops & yips combine with a welcoming alpine hut (Rifugio Val di Lei) serving traditional restaurant food, snacks & drinks (coffee sadly served in paper cups – aargh!). Combine with a few laps off-piste from the Pizzo Groppera summit before or afterward, and then a backcountry descent into the village of Fraciscio makes as fine a ski day as anywhere in the world.
Aside from Rifugio Val di Lei, the Ristoro Larici is the resort’s main on-mountain eatery. Perfectly sited at the top of the gondola, it allows non-skiers & children to get up the mountain and enjoy the comfort of the restaurant & huge sun terrace. A little further down the hill, Acquarela yurt & outdoors area is splendidly located mid-mountain, within post après sliding distance to Madesimo village. A picnic room come day shelter is located at the top station of the Groppera cable car. Whilst not the most inviting interior, the tables are clean, the views are splendid & it is toasty warm!
Our initial accommodation in Valchiavenna was in the traditional village of Campodolcino (1066m elevation). At the lowest end of the mountain, Campodolcino provides fabulous value lodgings within walking distance or a short drive to the Sky Express funicular valley station. The funicular runs on a leisurely schedule, which doesn’t appear to alter if demand is high. On a powder day, do NOT miss the first funicular. You may well be waiting 30min for the next – a wholly unpleasant contemplation.
We drove up to the resort on a Sunday afternoon with a steady procession of weekend traffic heading off the hill back to Milan (Madesimo is one of the closest ski resorts to Milan). To call the journey interesting is a gross understatement. Whilst not long in distance, the journey is definitely ’sporty’. Between Chiavenna (in the valley) & Campodolcino (near the funicular base), even without oncoming traffic, the road has its issues. Numerous narrow sections & hairpin bends so sharp that even the smallest cars are forced onto the wrong side, are a true test. We are amazed the local buses can negotiate them (they can but require a lot of co-operation from oncoming traffic!). Add in ice, snow & booze-infused Sunday afternoon traffic travelling at warp factor 10 towards you, & it is genuinely scary. Now we did drive this section after several hours on the road from France, so it is possible some fatigue made the drive seem worse than it actually was, but just in case……. Unless road conditions are good & you are a competent mountain driver, we do NOT recommend driving to Madesimo – particularly on a Sunday afternoon. To be fair, when we headed off the mountain during a midweek day, the drive was fine, however the road was dry & oncoming traffic non-existent. We did come nose to nose with a bus on the way down & it ended fine as well! On the journey back we also noticed some new sections of road being constructed which may avoid some of the most dangerous sections in the future.
The streets of Campodolcino were quiet at night. A wander across a 2000-year-old Roman bridge brought us around to a local bar called San Luighi. Aperitifs were in order (if nothing else just to settle the nerves after the drive). A well-proportioned Aperol Spritz came with complimentary chips. A Negroni came with complimentary pickled cucumbers & olives. A beer came with complimentary ham & cheese panini……. you get the idea. A great little bar & typical of the region. If dinner is still on the cards after all the free bar snacks, the Ca De Val does delicious steaks (beef from Australia – no wonder it was good) & the subterranean Ristorante La Cantina dishes up the perfect pizza & pasta in a beautiful old cellar.
Unless you like your resorts a little more vibrant & filled with humans, avoid Madesimo-Valchiavenna on weekends as it can get over-run with Milanese. Otherwise a visit here for a few fast on-piste runs, lovely powder day turns & ski touring will not disappoint.
You can see our thoughts on the pros & cons on the Madesimo - Valchiavenna overview page and also see our European ski resort ratings regarding how we score it compared to other skiing areas.