Valtournenche

The farming village of Valtournenche (1,524m) is linked into the skiing of Cervinia with a 12-person gondola. As such, it is often seen as a quieter and cheaper alternative to staying in Cervinia – although the lifts are inconveniently situated out of town. Other facilities include a sports centre, ice rink and 10km of cross-country tracks.

There is a 22km piste, popular with speeding intermediates, which starts from the Klein Matterhorn in Zermatt, crosses the Swiss-Italian border and finishes in Valtournenche. This is unofficially claimed to offer skiers the second greatest vertical drop in the world (after Chamonix).