Resort height: 1600m
The mountains
The one problem Monterosa faces is a lack of snow. Lots of new snow cannons have been installed to combat the problem, but the fact remains, the climate in Monterosa is drier than it is in the Alps further west and/or north. It's a shame - because when it does snow, the off-piste skiing is world-class, especially in the valley of Alagna, and on the Monterosa massif - a vast lump of rock which dominates the area and is home to 10 peaks above 4000m in height. It's one of the best heli-skiing destinations in the Alps as a result.
To help decide which valley will suit you best as a base, you need to follow this rule of thumb: Champoluc, in the west is for confident, adventurous intermediate skiers; Gressoney, in the middle, is for weekenders, and more advanced skiers; and Alagna, in the east is for dyed-in-the-wool off-pisters (there are only a handful of pistes here). Beginners and early intermediates should steer clear of the area because of the steepness of most of the 180km of pistes.
Getting there
It's just about feasible to drive from the UK, but most people fly into either Turin or Milan. How long the transfer to Monterosa takes depends on which valley you're staying in but the maximum transfer time is 90 minutes.
Rating: 
5/10
Après-ski
In Alagna and Gressoney, a Swedish freeskier strumming a guitar is about as lively as it gets. Champoluc is better: though whether or not you have a night to remember will still depend on who you bring with you, and who else happens to be in town. Café Rimbaud is the best bar - well-known locally for its fantastic range of connoisseurs' tequila. Strangely, the best restaurants are actually in Gressoney - Capanna Carla and Norkapp, although you can also get a good meal in the woody, rough-hewn but luxurious Breithorn hotel in Champoluc.
Rating: 
2/10
Non-skiers
Don't bother - unless you're happy to hang out in the high Alps, go for long walks and spend long hours with a good book. Monterosa. This is not a resort built for non-skiers.
Rating: 
8/10
Cost of living
Prices in this part of Italy are considerably lower than they are in ski resorts offering similar kinds of high-quality terrain elsewhere in the Alps, such as Verbier, St Anton and Val d'Isère.
Rating: 8/10
Attractiveness of the resort
Champoluc in particular is really cute: a low-key but traditional village surrounded by trees and topped off with distant snowy peaks. Gressoney feels more severe, because it's so steep, deep and underdeveloped. Alagna doesn't feel like a ski resort at all - just a few hotels and a gondola.
