Three valleys on the Italian side of Monte Rosa, joined by lift, and one of the great freeride areas of the Alps. Gressoney, Champoluc and Alagna share the pass, and skiing between them is a full day out.

Alagna is the name that carries weight, because the terrain above it is steep, serious and largely unpisted, and it has drawn off piste skiers for decades. A guide is the right way to use it.

The valleys are Walser country, settled centuries ago by German speakers who crossed the mountains, and the timber houses and the dialect still reflect that. The lift served pistes are mostly intermediate and pleasant, so the area works for a mixed group. Prices are well below the French and Swiss resorts on the other side of the same mountain.