Hiking around the Gran Paradiso

The five of us explored Valle Maira with our guide Andrea during four days, which was a truly refreshing experience because the area is so wild. There's no ski resorts around, only isolated stone villages inhabited by a couple of die-hards living away from it all, and beautiful treks all around. Great scenery. We didn't see more than 10 fellow skiers around. The food is great too, and there's plenty of it. We also went to France for one day. As to Andrea, whom i knew from a previous trek, he was flexible and careful as always. A great experience!

Cogne was a great experience! I'm a more advanced climber but for my girlfriend it was the first time one ice, and she loved it! Andrea is patient and knowledgeable, for sure one of the best guides I ever had. bonus point: After the climb we all went to a restaurant in town, food quality was top notch! If it's your first time in the region, I'll suggest you "polenta concia", which is your typical polenta with local cheese and onions!

The couple of days spent in Cogne were just incredible. If you like the mountain and want to try something else in winter than skiing or snowboarding, ice climbing is definitively for you. During our time there, we enjoyed the beautiful sceneries of the Aosta valley, visit the small villages, enjoy the cuisine and most importantly learn the basics of Ice Climbing. The sport is really physical and requires to be a bit of a daredevil but the satisfaction of reaching the top of a frozen waterfall give you feeling that surpasses any of those challenges. During our trip, we were accompanied by our guide, Andrea. His knowledge of the mountain and his friendliness were the “Cherry on the topping”. Besides teaching us the different techniques linked to ice climbing, we also discussed other mountaineering activities which was delightful for Pierre-Henri and myself since we want to get more involved in that area. During our stay, we started to practice on easier routes in the Lillaz park. This first day allowed us to grasp the general techniques and already test our strength and our “fear” of hights. The next day we headed towards the Grand Paradis national park and we walked for about an hour through the snow to reach the icefalls. The view on the way was breathtaking. The icefall we climbed was definitively more impressive than the first one we had done, much steeper, taller and technical. That being said, getting to the top was an amazing feeling. We were so trilled after our ice climbing experience that we are already looking through the “Explore-Share” site to find our next adventure which will more than likely be summiting either Mount Rosa or Mount Elbrus.

I've spent 5 days with a group of friends in Valle Maira accompanied by Andrea, our guide for the trip. He is young , cheerful, flexible, very good at card games and has an excellent knowledge of the region. It was my first time skiing in Italy and I've been seduced by the authenticity of the mountain villages, the amazing sceneries and the local gastronomy : you get both quality and quantity at a very decent price! If you are looking for quiet moments away from the crowd this is definitely the right place to go as this region is far less touristy than Valle Aosta.

We had an incredible time with Andrea on Mont Rosa, he knows the mountain by hearth and has a wealth of experiences. It was incredibly fun with the right amount of challenge to be with him on the mountain. Would certainly recommend him and do it again.