Frequently asked questions
Have some questions before you book with Zuba?
Check out our FAQs below...
Why ski in Italy?
Italy has so much to offer: wonderful food, a welcoming and generous hospitality, family friendly environment, superb skiing, well cared for mountain, delicious wines, and great coffee at great prices!
Why book with Zuba?
Zuba has the local knowledge to best advise you on your holiday. We'll take the hard work out of organising your holiday and the time it takes to research. With just a little information we can match you with the right kind of resort and accommodation and sort out the practical arrangements, to enable you to look forward to your holiday with the peace of mind that everything has been taken care of.
Why ski in Aosta and Piedmont?
The Aosta and Piedmont resorts boast great accommodation with wellness being a priority in most places. Both are attractive resorts with renovated and reconstructed Walser style houses, together with excellent restaurants serving traditional dishes.
How long is the ski season?
The seasons vary from one year to the next and, depending on what type of skiing you are looking to do, the season can be extended beyond the regular piste open dates. For 2024, the regular piste opening dates are as follows:
- In the Monte Rosa ski area, (Alagna, Gressoney and Champoluc), the season should run from Friday, 1st December 2023 to Sunday, 14th April 2024.
- In Cervinia the season should run from Saturday, 14th October 2023 to Sunday, 5th May 2024.
- In the Mont Blanc ski area, (Courmayeur, Dolonne and Val Veny), the season should run from Saturday, 25th November 2023 to Sunday, 7th April 2024.
Will there be enough snow?
Every season is different and, whilst there is no guarantee, all resorts have artificial snow making capabilities. The resorts we represent sit between the Mont Blanc and the Monte Rosa, the highest and second highest mountains in Europe.
What is the travel trust association?
The TTA is a little like ABTA and ATOL. Since Zuba does not get involved in flights, we have partnered with the TTA to give all our customers the peace of mind that their money is safe at all stages of the booking.
All funds are held in a Trust account and can only be paid to the relevant suppliers when you have completed your holiday.
Zuba receives commission on bookings after everyone else has been paid.
Is there off piste skiing?
Check out the Freeride Paradise of the Monterosa. Hire a guide with Zuba and let them show you what the Monterosa has to offer with the reassurance of local guides whose knowledge of the mountain is unrivalled.
Additionally, the off-piste areas accessed from Courmayeur can be amazing - with links over to the Vallée Blanche eventually leading you to Chamonix.
Does Zuba charge extra to the client for booking through them?
No. The only additional cost is the TTA charge.
Which resort is best for beginners?
Courmayeur is well set up for children's ski school. Dolonne hamlet is close to the baby park, for easy access for little ones. Alagna has a separate area for beginners, but is not on the main Monte Rosa mountain. Gressoney St.Jean has a separate ski area suitable for beginners known as Weismatten. Cervnia has a large expanse of ski runs that are suitable for beginners and those transitioning between beginner and intermediate levels.
Which resort is best for intermediates?
The Monte Rosa mountain caters well for intermediates, therefore Alagna, Gressoney or Champoluc are all great places to stay to access the skiing/snowboarding. Courmayeur is also well suited to intermediates.
Which resort is best for experts?
There are endless possibilities for venturing off the beaten track in all the resorts. However for those really searching for something different we recommend Alagna and Courmayeur, where you can easily access the glaciers and off-piste terrain.
Please take care. We recommend always booking a guide in advance of venturing off piste. Zuba has worked with local guides for nearly 20 years now and can book this for you.
When do I need to confirm my booking?
When you are happy with your accommodation choice you need to inform the Zuba team. We will then confirm everything with the accommodation and will send you a booking confirmation. At this point, you will be asked to pay a 30% deposit.
When we give you the offers from the accommodation, on email, each accommodation will hold those rooms or apartments for a short period of time. If you miss that deadline date, we will need to inquire again. Therefore it helps if you know how many people are going on the trip, how many rooms you require, how many are sleeping in each room and the dates that you would like to travel.
Zuba aim to get you the best price and availability at the time of your enquiry - so time is of the essence.
What happens after I have confirmed my booking?
We double check everything and then send you a booking confirmation form. We then ask you to pay a 30% deposit. Anytime after that we can add other additional services to your booking. A final balance is due 8 weeks before departure.
Which payment method does Zuba accept?
We ask you to make payments by debit or credit card. You can also make EURO payments by bank transfer.
How do I book ski passes?
Once you have confirmed your accommodation and booking, we will ask you to complete your group travel information online. When you have done this, Zuba will arrange for your ski passes to be pre ordered and we'll add these to your booking. They will then be made available to you at your accommodation on your arrival.
Are there any discounts for ski passes?
There are discounts for children, teenagers and seniors. To get the best price for your ski passes, it is best to order them as early as possible. In some resorts they apply a dynamic pricing policy, where prices go up with demand. Zuba will help you acquire your passes at the best time.
How do I book ski and snowboard equipment?
Zuba has partnered with different ski equipment rental shops in each resort. When you have booked your accommodation, the team will then gather the information required so that we can pre-advise the rental shops of your requirements. Please see more information on the individual resorts pages.
Can I rent specialist ski equipment in a resort?
Yes. In all resorts the rental shops offer a good variety of ski equipment including: ski touring, telemark, freeride and slalom skis. Note that the price of ski equipment does vary depending on the level of equipment you choose. If you are not an “expert”, then you do not need to pay more than the regular prices.
What happens if I need to cancel my booking?
Depending on the time until your holiday, we can either refund a percentage of your booking or indeed all of the booking fees. Our terms and conditions are here.
In the majority of situations we are able to complete a refund or change the holiday for a more suitable date.
Can you organise ski school for us?
We can link you up with decent ski schools in each resort. We will connect you with the teams, informing them of what you are looking for and then let you book directly. This enables you to be as flexible as possible when you are in the resort allowing for last minute changes to the planned schedule.
Can you organise ski instructors for us?
Private tuition can be arranged, however this is subject to availability. Please ask us as soon as you have booked your accommodation and we will see what can be arranged.
Can you organise a ski guide for us?
Yes. Zuba works closely with the mountain guides to coordinate a suitable booking with safety in mind.
Does Zuba organise flights?
No, Zuba doesn't organise the flights. We can help you with anything from the pick up at the airport through to your return to the airport at the end of your stay. Please see below which airports are best located for each resort.
- Alagna - Milan Malpensa and Milan Linate
- Gressoney - Turin and Milan Malpensa
- Champoluc - Turin and Milan Malpensa
- Courmayeur - Turin, Milan Malpensa and Geneva
- Cervinia - Turin and Milan Malpensa
Do we need a car in the resorts?
We advise that a car is not required if staying in Alagna, Cervinia or Champoluc. Depending on where you are staying in Courmayeur or Gressoney a car could be useful during your week to travel in between different areas of the resort. When you have chosen your accommodation, let’s have a chat and we can give you the most suitable advice.
Which airlines fly to Italy (Aosta and Monterosa) from the Uk?
It is a good idea to have an eye for the deals with the airlines, we recommend signing up for our e-alerts so that you are kept informed and can get the best prices possible.
- EasyJet flies from London Gatwick and Luton to Milan Malpensa and Turin Airports as well as Geneva
- British airways fly from London Heathrow to Milan Malpensa and Milan Linate. BA fly from Gatwick to Turin Airport
- Ryanair fly from London Stansted to Milan Malpensa
- Whizz fly from London Stansted to Milan Malpensa
- Jet 2 fly from London Stansted to Geneva
- Tui fly from London Gatwick to Geneva also
Which airports can I fly to?
Turin and Milan are the most logical choices. Milan Malpensa is advised in particular for Alagna, Turin would be the best choice for Gressoney, Cervinia, Champoluc and Courmayeur. You can however still fly to Milan Linate and Bergamo although the transfer time from Bergamo is a lot longer. Geneva is a longer drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel, but doable if you are visiting Courmayeur and you don't mind a slightly longer drive. Note that driving from Geneva you would have the additional cost of the tunnel.
Is car hire or transfer cheaper?
If you are travelling with a group, a transfer would be preferable. All transfers can accommodate up to eight people, or more on request. If you are travelling for a short stay, as a couple for example, it may be more affordable to rent a car. Note that for groups who are self-catering, we can arrange for the transfer to stop off at the supermarket in the valley on your way up to the resort.
Do I need a car in the resort?
Many of the hotels run a shuttle service to and from the lift stations. Some will also shuttle you into the centre of town. If you are staying in Alagna, Staffal or Champoluc, we would suggest that you don't need a car.
Is there public transport in the resort?
In all the resorts, there are local buses which can transfer you from one place to the next. We recommend that you check timetables if you are thinking of using this service a lot.
Do I need snow chains?
We suggest keeping an eye on the weather before your departure. Whilst the roads are well maintained by the authorities in the resorts, there are times when snow chains are required. If renting a car, this is usually a service that the rental companies will offer. Make a mental note to check that they are actually in the boot of the car before you set off from the airport.
Which car hire company should I use?
We have found over time that the best place to start is the search comparison site rentalcars.com. Note that you want to make sure that you are picking the car up from the airport terminal (not some other bus ride away).
What are the snow conditions like?
In general the best snow conditions are to be had from the beginning of January to the end of March, however for the past twenty years, we have found there to be plentiful snow at the end of the season in April. There is artificial snow in all the resorts and the pistes are generally very well maintained. Click on the links that follow to see a 6 day snow forecast for each specific resort: Alagna, Gressoney, Champoluc, Cervinia, Courmayeur as well as lots of other information about the resort.
What's the après ski like?
The après ski in Alagna and Gressoney is based around eating good food and enjoying wine. Champoluc, the largest of the three village resorts nestled around the Monterosa, has bars and restaurants but no clubs or boisterous nightlife so to speak.
For more places to party the night away, we would suggest looking at Cervinia or Courmayeur.
Do you organise summer holidays?
No. Zuba only concentrates on the winter season. However the Aosta welcomes visitors throughout the year.
Do I need travel insurance?
Yes. Zuba are not brokers, but advise all clients to get suitable travel insurance for the trip.
When we order ski passes, these do come with the ski area insurance which will save you the cost of being taken off the mountain in case of accident, however this does not cover medical costs or repatriation. We recommend that you get suitable cover that specifically includes skiing and high mountain activities.
Are there any fun parks for snowboarders?
In Courmayeur there is a fun park for snowboarders (with a pillow to land on). Additionally, in Gressoney there is a short run of risers and jumps near to the Gabiet lift station which can be a lot of fun.
How old do my children need to be before they can learn to ski?
Children can begin ski lessons at around the age of 4/5 years old.
Can we go heliskiing in the resort?
Currently heliskiing is possible from all the resorts. The Zuba team is very happy to organise this for you. In Alagna the flights take off from the Gressoney side of the mountain due to flying restrictions.
Equipment included in all heliskiing programs are: ABS backpack, avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe, harness (if needed).
Naturally weather conditions need to be appropriate for heliskiing.
