Aosta Valley, Italy: Food, Touring, and the Good Stuff
After Tignes we pointed the car east and drove six and a half hours into Italy's Aosta Valley. Team rider Ettore Personnettaz met us with a late-night feast at Trattoria Marietty that immediately reset our energy level with local meats, fresh vegetables, handmade pumpkin ravioli. A proper Italian welcome.
We checked into B&B L'Abri a renovated farmhouse, clean and modern with enough space to spread out and prep for three days of splitboarding. Ettore and photographer Pierre Lucianaz joined us for the whole stretch as they showed us around their home terrain.
Avalanche danger stayed elevated, so Ettore kept us on low-risk terrain, which, in the Aosta Valley, still means stunning. The morning started with a stop at the local prosciutteria before driving to the trailhead. We toured in the sun, shot photos, and wound the day down back in town over beers and loaded charcuterie boards, talking conditions and scoping the next objective. But the love didn't stop there, we were pleasantly greeted by Will's childhood friend Chris Bona from Minnesota who we invited to join us on our Italian adventures. We listened intently as the Minnesota duo shared stories with the locals and ourselves about how their friendship helped shape the outcome of Spark R&D.
Day two brought a bigger mission and heavier weather. We skinned kilometers up a drainage and reached the ridge in full whiteout. Visibility was poor and avy danger was still high, so we had to keep it disciplined with one rider at a time until finding better light and lower angled terrain. Nothing heroic was ridden, just solid turns, small features, and making the most of imperfect conditions. A reminder that you do not need to ride steep and complex lines to have fun and enjoy good company.
Our final day in Italy was focused on finding good snow in forested terrain, north-facing aspects, mellow lines, and capturing photos. With a sharp guide, a great photographer, and a crew that knew how to move in the mountains, Italy delivered exactly what we came for: quality splitboarding, unreal food, and even better company.
