Ski touring week in the Maritime Alps, based at a hotel with a mountain guide | Valle Stura, Italy

We’ll organise the journey so that everyone can travel in car-shares or in their own cars, as travelling to Bagni di Vinadio by public transport is complicated and the final stretch would have to be covered by taxi.

So we’ll meet up in the morning in Switzerland (e.g. Zurich, Bern, Brig) to set off in carpool groups, and then we’ll all meet up in the evening at the Hotel Corborant in Bagni di Vinadio.

We arrive at the Hotel Corborant at a leisurely pace. Over dinner together, we get to know one another and discuss the first ski tour for the following day.

The following is ideal for your first ski tour: Passo Bravaria Perfect – the classic local mountain, right on the doorstep of the hotel. Its summit stands at 2,311 metres, and the route is the ideal way to get a feel for the conditions and the terrain.

If there’s a lot of snow, we’ll set off directly from the hotel again; otherwise, we’ll start from the car park in Besmorello, a small hamlet just above Bagni di Vinadio. Our tour takes us through the picturesque Vallone dell’Ischiator to the Migliorero Mountain Hut, a lovely stone hut on a rocky outcrop, where we stop for a break.

Depending on the group’s circumstances and ambitions, we can end our enjoyable ascent here and begin the descent. Or we can continue climbing up to the Corborant Pass at 2,614 metres. The pass lies directly beneath the rugged cliffs of the Cima di Corborant, the mountain after which our hotel is named.

If there are quite a few of us, we could also split into a more active group and a more laid-back group.

If the conditions are right, we’re planning the trip to the Cima delle Lose, a high-alpine peak standing at 2,813 metres. We’ll drive to Argentera or Bersezio, which lies further up the valley. From there, we’ll begin our ascent. We quickly find ourselves above the tree line and make our way through wide, often wind-swept cirques and steeper slopes.

An alternative for today would be the Cima Ciastella, whose summit lies at 2,314 metres. For this route, we would set off further down the valley at Tetti Torcello near Sambuco. The lower section leads through a steep woodland, which opens out higher up into a broad north-west-facing slope that often retains the best powder snow.

The French border offers guaranteed snow. Today we’ll decide together whether to go all out one last time before the end of the year or whether we’d prefer a more relaxed trip:

The sporting goal would be to Tête de Fer, whose summit lies at 2,883 metres. A long, rewarding hike that involves a further climb of around 1,050–1,150 metres in altitude (ZS).

The ultimate pleasure would be the Testa Pe’ de Giun, at 2,721 m, reachable after a climb of approx. 750–800 metres in altitude (WS+).

In the evening, we’ll treat ourselves to a real culinary feast, enjoy the New Year’s Eve menu at the Hotel Corborant and raise a glass to the New Year together.

On New Year’s Day, we’ll start the day at a leisurely pace, enjoy breakfast and then set off on a relaxed hike, either up the Monte Ventasuso (2,712 m) or the Tête de Platasse (2,706 m).

For both options, we’ll first drive up to the Colle della Maddalena, a well-known mountain pass on the border between Italy and France. From there, we’ll climb up through sunny, gently sloping terrain to one of the two summits and then enjoy the lovely descent.

After we’ve had breakfast and packed our bags, we check out and set off down the valley.

Together, we’ll go on one last little tour, which is on our way home. We’ll set off from Bergemolo, a small village above Demonte. From here, we’ll climb up to the Cima Cialancia, which lies at an altitude of 1,885 metres. The ascent takes 2–2.5 hours. The summit isn’t very high, but it stands alone on the edge of the Po Valley. From here, we can once again enjoy a spectacular view across the whole of Piedmont.

Whether on our own or in car-shares, we set off for home at midday – with plenty of memories of snow-capped peaks and exhilarating descents to take home with us.