Courmayeur is just down the road from LIMW – here.
It’s an interesting idea and depends on what people want to do. As came up in the main fly to ski thread, I reckon the vast majority of people who are really good skiers are doing fly to ski just as a day trip, and e.g. St Johann was reportedly popular for that, with slopes “within walking distance” of the airport. And Aosta may be too but I don’t know anything about the nearby slopes. Pila is about 2/3 of the altitude of the Cervinia slopes and right now would be rather warm (Cervinia was marginal last week).
My feeling is that to get a turn-out on a fly-in, the location needs to be really good. Most participants are flying in from further than “down the road”.
I think a real problem is that one cannot check out locations without going there for a day or two. The websites all have the same library pics of some world champion going down a 45 deg slope at 100kt (filmed prob99 at 6am) and you can’t tell anything from the piste maps – except maybe if every run is black then you better bring a co-pilot 
Emir wrote:
However, if anybody has some other airport are in mind, feel free to propose it but let’s not forget it has to be international (customs & immigration), hard runway and hard apron with capacity to get all interested.
One of the best locations is still LSZS [ Samedan ]. Long hard runway, full airport of entry, everything very close by and amazing scenery and experience. Very sunny and nice ski resort. You do not drive up any valley to a resort, you land right in it. Only downsides are the area is obviously not super cheap and you need pilot qualification for cat A airplanes. But the rules apparently changed a now you are allowed to fly in and then do a local training flight with an instructor, which sounds a lot easier than previously.
Only downsides are the area is obviously not super cheap and you need pilot qualification for cat A airplanes. But the rules apparently changed a now you are allowed to fly in and then do a local training flight with an instructor, which sounds a lot easier than previously.
Saving on taxi offsets higher accommodation prices and I guess ski pass price is very close to what one pay in Italy. So total cost of trip should be at same level. Pilot qualification is something that rules out LSZS as fly-in destination because it would be too complicated and probably too expensive.
Out of curiosity, what training do you need if you’re allowed to land without prior training?
What about Sion LSGS, are there any nice ski resorts in vicinity?
lukepower wrote
as I finally got an aircraft
Oh you do? Congrats! So what die you end up buying? The A36 you were trying to get a pre buy on?
Sion LSGS, are there any nice ski resorts in vicinity?
Yes, both sides of the Rhone valley are literally plastered with ski resorts! Northern side with Crans-Montana and others, Southern side has many smaller ones such as Nendaz, Arolla, Zinal, or even Verbier…
The airport itself is a gem, and sure would qualify top marks for a future EuroGA fly-in 
:
- long hard surface runway, jets allowed
- reasonable fees (in opposition to LSZS which would cost a fortune just in parking fees)
- city of Sion nearby, downtown about 35mn walk
- instrument approach
- accommodation prices ok, but can also get expensive in the famed resorts
Until retirement and joining official seenager ranks (senior teen ager) LIMW on the want to do list.
FF and autorouter are showing either IFR from the east and above Worrier FLs or VFR from Rhone Valley which doesn’t seem to have an obvious VFR pass
both sides of the Rhone valley are literally plastered with ski resorts! Northern side with Crans-Montana and others, Southern side has many smaller ones such as Nendaz, Arolla, Zinal, or even Verbier…
I think that what clobbered all past attempts (until this month’s one in Cervinia), and this is evident in the original fly to ski thread, is that it is difficult to get any consensus. I think those who might come to a fly to ski meet-up are mostly not hard core black run skiers. Why not? I don’t know. The older people who do the longer trips don’t take big risks on the slopes, perhaps. But of the 5 people we had in Cervinia, none were black run skiers.
And, mostly, the Swiss Alps are for black run skiers. I know every location has “baby slopes” but they are mostly for totally ab initio learning, and for teaching small children. Cervinia was an exception, with the button-lift section being quite a nice run. I think that if you want easy skiing, beginner/intermediate, and good quality wide runs, you want the Dolomites. This surprises me but I have not seen, or heard of, exceptions.
FF and autorouter are showing either IFR from the east and above Worrier FLs or VFR from Rhone Valley which doesn’t seem to have an obvious VFR pass
In practice one cancels IFR in the mountains. Coming from the north, Swiss ATC force you to anyway, by saying IFR cannot be below FL160 (FL180 in places).
RobertL18C wrote:
FF and autorouter are showing either IFR from the east and above Worrier FLs or VFR from Rhone Valley which doesn’t seem to have an obvious VFR pass
Arriving IFR to LIMW from east you’re expected to cancel at IBCUC, enter Aosta valley somewhere at LEW1 (IVREA), then follow the valley to MMNW4 and there turn west towards MWE1 and LIMW RW27.
Arriving IFR from west I guess canceling is ok somewhere in Geneva area and then passing Mont Blanc descending to MMNW1 and further to LIMW RW09.
RobertL18C wrote:
seenager ranks (senior teen ager)
Ohhh. That one is great! I’ll be using that once I get there.
