Argentière or Bormio: two quiet bases, and how steep you want it
The Ski Snug teamUpdated 12 October 20266 min read
Argentière and Bormio have more in common than the map suggests. Our matching puts Bormio closer to Argentière than any other resort we cover. The villages sit 27 metres apart in height, 1,252 against 1,225. Both are small, with 44 and 52.5 kilometres of piste measured around the village. We tag both quiet, and on our measure both are snow sure, with the skiing reaching 3,222 and 3,001 metres.
What separates them is the gradient. Argentière is the serious skier's corner of the Chamonix valley, and its share of steep piste is the biggest of the 55 resorts we cover. Bormio is a historic spa town with a famous top to bottom run, on a mountain that is mostly red. So the question is how steep you want the week to be, and what you want at the bottom of the hill. The numbers first.
The numbers, side by side
| Figure | Argentière | Bormio |
|---|---|---|
| Village altitude | 1,252 m | 1,225 m |
| Top of the skiing, measured | 3,222 m | 3,001 m |
| Linked ski area | The Mont Blanc lift pass, shared with Chamonix; size not yet classified in our data | 50 km on Bormio's own mountain; the pass covers 200 to 230 km across four separate valleys |
| Piste we measure around the village | 44 km | 52.5 km |
| Easy piste | 13.4 km of green and blue, 30% of the piste | 12 km of blue and easier, 23% of the piste |
| Black | 14.7 km | 4.7 km |
| Marked off piste itinerary | 9 km | 4 km |
| Piste steeper than one in four | 59% | 32% |
| Piste gentler than 15% | 17% | 26% |
| Piste at or above 1,800 m | 83% | 76% |
| Season | December to May | December to April |
| Nearest airport | Geneva | Bergamo or Milan |
Most of these rows are close, or close enough to argue about. Two are not: the steep share and the black. That is where the choice gets made.
The skiing: Argentière has the biggest steep share we cover, Bormio is a red mountain
Of the piste we measure around Argentière, 59 percent is steeper than one in four, the biggest share of the 55 resorts we cover. Bormio's 32 percent is steep too, against 26 at a typical resort we cover, but it is a different order of thing. At the other end, only 17 percent of Argentière's piste is gentler than 15 percent, and only one of the 55 resorts we cover has less. At Bormio it is 26 percent.
13 km blue and easier 30%16 km red 37%15 km black 33%
12 km blue and easier 23%36 km red 68%4.7 km black 9%
Marked off piste itinerary, kept out of the piste totals: Argentière 9 km, Bormio 4 km.
Grades are set differently in France and Italy, so compare the measured gradients rather than the colours. They are averages per run segment, and a run's grade is set by its steepest pitch, so read them as how the week feels. Argentière's reds average 28.9 percent, the second steepest of the 55 resorts we cover and close to a typical French black, at 29.6. Bormio's average 21.7, near a typical Italian red at 20.4. That matters, because red is most of Bormio: 35.7 of its 52.5 kilometres, 68 percent of the piste.
Argentière spreads itself across the grades instead, 30 percent green and blue, 37 red and 33 black. That gives it 14.7 kilometres of black against Bormio's 4.7, and 9 kilometres of marked off piste itinerary against 4. The longest single itinerary is Bormio's, though: 4 kilometres with 1,051 metres of vertical, against 1.9 kilometres with 574 for the longest at Argentière.
Altitude: level at the door, both high on the hill
The villages are as near level as makes no difference, Argentière at 1,252 metres and Bormio 27 lower. Measured from the run geometry, Argentière's skiing reaches higher, 3,222 metres against 3,001, a gap of 221. That 3,222 is the top of the piste we measure, and it sits above the highest lift on our map, at 2,757 metres. Either figure clears our snow line.
Below the top, the order is less tidy. More of Argentière's piste is at or above 1,800 metres, but more of Bormio's sits above 2,000 metres, 63 percent against 54, and half of Bormio's is above 2,098 metres, where half of Argentière's is above 2,025. Argentière reaches lower as well as higher: its lowest piste is at 1,059 metres, Bormio's at 1,196.
Both pass our snow sure test, which asks for more than half the piste at or above 1,800 metres and skiing that reaches 2,500. At Argentière, 83 percent of the piste we measure is above 1,800 metres, up to 3,222; at Bormio, 76 percent, up to 3,001. Nobody can promise snow, but on these figures it is not what separates them. The season does, a little: Argentière's runs into May, Bormio's to April.
Size: two small mountains, Bormio's a little bigger
We measure 52.5 kilometres of piste around Bormio and 44 around Argentière, 8.1 fewer. Only three of the 55 resorts we cover measure less than Bormio, and only one measures less than Argentière. A week at either is about knowing a small mountain well.
What lies beyond differs. Argentière shares the Mont Blanc lift pass with Chamonix; we have not classified its size, so we quote no total. Bormio's own mountain is 50 kilometres across 12 lifts, and the Alta Valtellina pass covers four separate valleys, with transport needed for everything beyond Bormio's own mountain.
Who each one actually suits
Argentière suits experts, off piste skiers and anyone who wants a quiet base: those are the three things it does best. Our read is low key and serious, and we tag it quiet and expert. A group of strong skiers who want hard skiing from first lift to last will be happy there, and the season into May suits anyone who likes to ski late. Geneva is the airport.
Bormio suits confident intermediates who like long reds, and groups who want the town to be part of the week. Long runs, the thermal spa and racing are what it does best; historic and relaxed is our read, and we tag it traditional and quiet. A spa town gives a rest day something to do. Bergamo and Milan are the airports.
Neither is a place to learn. On easy kilometres they are the bottom two of the 55 resorts we cover: 13.4 kilometres of green and blue at Argentière, and 12 of blue and easier at Bormio, the least of all.
The bit nobody tells you
The biggest share of steep piste of the 55 resorts we cover does not come with the steepest blacks in this pair. Bormio's blacks average 35.7 percent, the sixth steepest of the 55 resorts we cover; Argentière's average 31.8. There are only 4.7 kilometres of them at Bormio, but a strong skier who goes there will not be short of a test.
The difference is where the steep lives. At Bormio it sits in a few black runs, with reds that ski like reds. At Argentière it is everywhere, down to the blues, which average 18.4 percent, the third steepest of the 55 resorts we cover, against 14.6 at Bormio and a typical French blue at 16.2. A confident intermediate who would enjoy a week at Bormio may find Argentière hard work from the first morning.
So, which one
everyone in the group skis strongly, the biggest share of steep piste of the 55 resorts we cover is the point of the trip, and you want more black and more marked off piste. Also if you want to ski into May, or Geneva is the easier flight.
the group is mostly confident intermediates, you want a week of long reds with a few very steep blacks for the strongest, and you would like a historic spa town at the bottom of the hill.
It is as quiet, all but as high at the door and snow sure on our measure too, with a little more piste, more of it above 2,000 metres, and reds most groups can enjoy all week. Argentière is the right answer for a group of strong skiers who know exactly why they want it.