Ski and snowboarding holidays in Courmayeur, Italy

Resort height: 1220mThe mountains

Offering only 100km of pistes, Courmayeur is never going to hack it as a seven-day destination for serious skiers. But for a long-weekend holiday, there's more than enough to do in Courmayeur - provided you're comfortable on the steeper kind of red-rated piste. There are some classics here, especially off the back of the mountain, skiing away from the resort into the Val Veny. There's an added bonus to skiing in this part of Courmayeur: the views onto the southern face of Mont Blanc are awe-inspiring.

This is where you'll also find some excellent mid-level off-piste routes, but for the really tough stuff you need to take the cable car from the neighbouring village of Entrèves, up to the Punta Helbronner on the Mont Blanc massif, to tackle such classics as the Toula Glacier route.

Wherever you go, don't let the skiing or snowboarding in Courmayeur distract you from lunch. Maison Vieille, at the top of the chairlift of the same name, is one of the best mountain restaurants. It makes the tricky business of serving simple, fresh, high-quality food at 2000m seem easy.

Getting there

One of the reasons Courmayeur works so well as a weekend destination is the short transfer time from the airport - 90 minutes from both Geneva and Turin.

Rating: 7/10Après-ski

It's not as super-charged as the likes of Verbier or St Anton, but all the same the after-hours scene in Courmayeur is one of its main attractions - courtesy of the bar Roma and the bar Americano in the middle of town. Both lay on a free buffet for their clients, and the atmosphere is lively and good-natured.

Rating: 7/10Non-skiers

For a weekend, Courmayeur is a lovely spot - the shops in the Via Roma are a treat (fashion, food and furniture are all well covered), and there are plenty of cafés at which to sip inky black espressos while you watch the Italians being, well, very Italian. A visit to the spa at Pré St Didier, will add just enough variety to make the stay interesting.

Rating: 8/10Cost of living

There are several very reasonable hotels in Courmayeur, as well as more luxurious ones. As is the case throughout Italy, the mountain restaurants tend to be cheaper than they are in the north, and private ski tuition on the slopes is, by the standards of Méribel and Val d'Isère, a steal.

Rating: 7/10Attractiveness of the resort

The one drawback to Courmayeur is the traffic on the bypass carrying the traffic from the Mont Blanc Tunnel - at least it doesn't go through the middle of town, but all the same, it's a shame to see it. Otherwise, Courmayeur has lots of Alpine atmosphere, and magnificent scenery.