Intermediate Skiing in Italy

There’s a whopping 400km of skiing in the Milky Way, over half of which is graded glorious red. If you like to begin the week with a dose of adrenaline, ski piste #79 into Sansicario - formerly the women’s Olympic downhill run, it’s a broad, long and fast one to swoosh down. Powdery spots are no unfamiliar sight in these parts – whether you’re on the local slopes, across in Sestriere or beyond, you can dip on and off the pistes to your heart’s content. Easing in a little more gently, blue #12 is a breezy trail that winds through the trees towards Jouvenceaux, a dinky stone village. Finishing off any fantastic week in Sauze is a fabulous route that dances down the mountainside from Col Bassett via red #11 and blue #52. Covering some hefty distance, the journey manages to tick every box – a little steepness, some gentle cruising and oodles of cracking views.

All types of intermediates are in for a smashing week here. Breezy blues are scattered around to act as a warm-up or cool-down, with #5 leading straight back into the village for the end of the day. In the red department, there’s a fabulous top-to-bottom descent from Cine Bianche featuring some steep pitches and rollers and curving around Lago Goillet half way. Matterhorn Glacier Paradise is your one stop shop for close up views of the Matterhorn and uber snow sure skiing (so much so it’s open in the summertime). Via the red from the peak you can link blues and reds into Zermatt for a taste of olde-worlde Switzerland and hundreds more kilometres of pistes.

You'll find some stonkingly pretty routes around Selva, none more spectacular than the Sella Ronda - a day long, bucket-list circuit of gorgeous Italian ski towns and iconic Dolomite peaks. Of the local reds, the one from Dantercepies is a must and Ciampinoi has some wonderful runs wiggling through the forest, both back into town and over to St Cristina. Early intermediates get to enjoy the scenery just as much: We’ve whiled away many happy hours on the lovely Paradiso blues above Plan de Gralba, where there are craggy peaks, thick forests and expanses of white as far as the eye can see.

Queues are a rarity here thanks to the army of lifts from the town, allowing more time to focus on the important stuff: Those 37 reds that spill like spaghetti from peaks on either side of the valley. Take the Mottolino lift for the brilliant Capriolo run, which connects to the Monte Sponda chairlift, where a bunch of varying pistes split off. The Marmotte’s easily the most challenging, while the Delle Cime comes up trumps for a punchy adrenaline rush. On the other side of the mountain is the Carosello 3000 lift, where a cracking restaurant of the same name serves up homemade sweet treats and a mind-blowing take on the Italian bombardino. It’s worth a pit stop every time, before you tackle the gradual gradient of the red Polvere Sinistra or Centrale.

Being able to ski between Italy and France is one of LT’s biggest draws – and on a good weather day, the route over the border’s a doddle. Once you’re there, La Traversette’s a great French mountain hut for the all-important raclette stop, and the number of red runs doubles. For early intermediates, first stop on the Italian side is the easy-going blue #24, which does away with nerves and sets you on course to conquer runs like #15 and #16. The extra distance on these lets you build up a good rhythm without leaving your comfort zone and equally as long, the 11km red 7 never fails to crop up in conversation. Best of all, you can ski some serious altitude: Set course for the Chaz Dura lift which opens up the ski area’s highest peak, and perhaps the most exciting network of reds. The crème de la crème? #6 via #9, carving a broad path from 2579m right back to base.

The runs here are high and north facing – music to the ears if you’re after good snow to explore and improve on. Banchetta’s your local peak, with its waterfall of reds and blues streaming down to resort (don’t miss the lovely long red Bimbo and blue Bassa). But though it’s tempting, don’t ski here all week – there’s so much more with the Milky Way at your ski tips, including a fabulous all-red route into Sansicario and miles more over in lively Sauze d’Oulx. Nearer to base, ski down to the hidden timbered village of Pragelato, where Al Mulino dishes up some lunchtime R&R in the form of amazingly good pizza.

There are three ski areas to devour in Kronplatz alone, not to mention the wider Superski area to tuck into. And the views are something else – on the main peak, the panorama of majestic Dolomites is almost as sublime as the slopes. Keeping it chilled and allowing plenty of time for sight-seeing, the gentle blue #6 and evenly pitched roller #28 have been set out to catch the best angles and cram in some quality snow action. Red-run junkies will be in their element: #3 kicks off in the open and then loops through the trees towards the 113 gondola. Don’t forget to take a day to cover the ground towards St. Martin – on the way over ski the red #34, it’s a wiggly, easily conquered descent that merges into the smooth blue #36, and brings you to snowy meadows and conifer forests that surround the cosy village of St. Vigil.

It’s clear who Passo likes most - with over 60% of the area dedicated to intermediates. For some sky high altitude, head to the Presena glacier, where a long red trails down from 3016m to Passo Paradiso – it’s a gondola ride down from here if you don’t want to ski the black, but the Dolomite views and snow sure conditions up top are incredible. The other side of town is home to ribbons of blues and reds – zig zag up and down from the long blue Valbiolo on one side (with a great restaurant at the top) to the Bleis reds on the other. To explore, take the gondola towards Pontedilegno, where miles of roomy pistes tangle through the trees and add a taste of gradient to the mix (if we could, we’d ski reds #9 and #11 on repeat). You can even pop over to Temu (a rustic all-Italian village) and although the run that leads into the centre carries a black label, good snow conditions make it easily manageable for confident skiers.

Get your ski legs back on the waves of blues above Socrepes – here, some of the most scenic slopes in the world will leave you hungry for more, and Cortina’s other ski areas will certainly deliver. From Duca d’Aosta, the fabulously long Tofanina run weaves in and out of the forest and back to base, before a return to the same starting point opens up some wonderful shorter reds. Eating up the miles on the Faloria side are tons of red routes, including the Vitelli Bassa. This piste earned a place in the history books as Giant Slalom slope in the ’56 Olympics and nowadays is a designated ‘slow-ski’ piste where the order of the day is gentle cruising and sightseeing. Take the Mandres gondola for a fair selection of steeps and smooth groomers, or work your way over to Son Forca, where the 2.5km larch-lined Rio Gere gives a bird’s eye view of Cortina.

Skiing here’s a true slice of peace and quiet... you might even find yourself the only cruiser on the corduroy. Split into two distinct areas, there are miles of blues and reds, with the nearest area Colomion stealing the show with its north-facing terrain. Over here, follow the red Fisi 50 and merge onto red Smith, before heading back home through sparsely scattered trees. Top class blues aren’t in short supply – Sole and Bucaneve are the talk of the town, and their sleek, wide terrain all about carving elaborate patterns. Continue over to the Punta della Mulattiera for a shot at red Thabor, a true corker of a piste famed for its speed and remote setting. Just a short bus ride over to Jafferau unlocks runs that any intermediate worth their salt just has to try, with higher altitudes and higher levels of adrenaline. Begin with the friendly blue Roccia Nera, then link blues and reds (Panoramica’s a great starter) all the way down the valley, finishing up with gelato and vino at Lo Chalet.