‘See that light in the valley? That’s where we’re sleeping’ – skipping the crowded slopes to go ski touring in Italy

Could adventurous ski touring be a way to help resorts survive more sustainably?

Cían and friends ski touring in the Aosta Valley

Cían Byrne

Venus hangs low by a crescent moon, its beaming light pierces the freezing alpine night. The lake beside me froze over some time ago and is blanketed in a lofty layer of snow, and a river from the glacier tumbles down the cliffside, plummeting the temperature even lower.

I’m ski touring for the very first time and, despite my watch telling me it’s -4C, I’m awkwardly fumbling to take off some layers. This demanding form of skiing shuns chairlifts and gondolas for self-propelled adventures into the ski areas outside resort boundaries.