Growing Up in the Alps

Chiara Ferraris, Staff Writer

I grew up with boots on, and before I could walk, I learned to ski. My parents have always been sportsmen and especially skiers and have passed down the passion of skiing since childhood and I will never thank them enough for that. 

Living in Aosta Valley, in the Alps, this sport has always been at the center of everything, from tourism, entertainment or job opportunities, because exploiting every inch of the Valley many resorts have been built and have started to bring an infinite number of people. The ski areas are very large, the three main ones have about forty-five slopes each, while there are more or less twenty others that have fewer slopes. The fact of having so many ski resorts increases tourism exponentially because in any part of the Valley you can go skiing without having to spend hours in the car before you get to the destination. For example, I live in Courmayeur, where one of the three large ski areas is located, and to go to the cable car it takes exactly ten minutes on foot so inevitably I am always on the slopes. These two factors for now are the biggest difference compared to the ski resorts here in Idaho. For now I went skiing only at the “Grand Targhee Resort” and although the snow is wonderful, getting there takes about two hours and the number of slopes is much lower than where I live. Despite these aspects skiing in Idaho is fun because wherever you are the amazing sensation you feel skiing is always the same.