Skiing in Pontechianale means slopes that wind from altitudes of from 2,700 to 1,600 metres among pine forests and wide descents. The feeling of being able to reach out and touch the Monviso, the King of Stone, is an emotion that many can experience, not only professionals.

In the upper Varaita Valley an important page in the history of ski mountaineering and ice climbing was written: the first climb on the Ciucchinel frozen flows dates back to 1977. The waterfalls and couloirs of Pontechianale make up one of the most renowned ice gyms in the entire western Alpine arc. It is a unique and fascinating place from all points of view, worth seeing and climbing, during the day as well as at night.

Don your skis again, but your cross-country ones this time, to cover the kilometres of slopes that extend into the many centres in the valley: Bellino, Casteldelfino and, further downstream, in Valmala.

Pontechianale has après-ski bars with a pleasant woody scent and a typical mountain style, but you can’t leave the valley without first visited Chianale, an alpine pearl and one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.