Ski Touring
The area surrounding Ispra offers good potential for ski touring, with a diverse range of terrain for all skill levels.
Getting started
If you’re already an experienced ski tourer, just ask around the club! You’ll easily meet members who regularly go out for weekend trips. For those looking to learn, we highly recommend one of the courses offered by the nearby Club Alpino Italiano (CAI).
The CAI Varese, for instance, runs a beginner and an advanced course every winter (see their website for details). These courses typically run for about 20 days and include a mix of theoretical lessons on safety and practical field sessions.
Where to Ski
Famous ski touring spots in our area include Alpe Devero, the Simplon Pass/Rothwald, Val Formazza/Riale, and Val Anzasca (Macugnaga). It’s also occasionally possible to ski at Domobianca (the closest area to Ispra), Val Antrona, Val Bognanco, or Val Vigezzo. For people willing to drive a bit longer, the potential is nearly infinite, with world-class destinations like the Val Bedretto, Realp, Valais, Val d’Aosta, and San Bernardino all within reach.
Planning Your Tours
There are numerous digital resources available to help you plan your outings.
Ski Touring Planning Tools
| Skitourenguru | A sophisticated tool that provides an automated, daily risk assessment for thousands of ski tours throughout the Alps, based on the current avalanche report. |
| YETI | YETI is a risk assessment tool that allows users to simulate and evaluate the risk of a specific route. It works by combining avalanche danger level (input by the user) with terrain data to visually analyze and highlight potential risks on the map. |
| Gulliver | An Italian-focused online community database where users post detailed descriptions, photos, and GPS tracks of routes, often with recent trip reports. |
In addition to digital tools, guidebooks exist specifically for Val d’Ossola and other nearby areas, providing invaluable on-the-ground knowledge (e.g. Ossola skialp)