I was trying desperately to ignore the various snow forecasts landing in my inbox, but the ones with the subject line 'Powder Alarm' were giving me seriously itchy feet. Coupled with an ever-dwindling group of mates who might never be game enough to get a pair of skis on ever again (yawn), it was clear I was suffering from a major case of Snow FOMO. Upon finding myself with some free time in between contracts, a quick Google search led me to Cold Fusion, who just happened to be running an early season 3.5 day trip to snow-sure Cervinia. Rather different to their usual chalet + chalet host concept, but I took the chance and booked a spot on my first trip with them, and I'm very glad I did so.

Steve from Cold Fusion - who's also one of the company owners - looked after us for the duration of our trip, and always made sure that everyone was happy, safe, and enjoying themselves. Some highlights:

-Hotel (Punta Maquignaz, Cervinia) was typically Italian, clean, and offered everything we needed. Bonus - it was pretty much ski-in, ski-out, so no long walks or shuttle buses
-On-time flight and no messing around at the airport meant we were able to ski for a full afternoon, plus three further days
-Good ready-made ski/board crew, of fairly similar abilities who all looked out for each other (and of whom most were game for first lifts and a spot of après)
-We headed down the valley for an afternoon in search of better weather, kindly driven there by Steve - you won't get that with a regular tour operator
-Early season meant no lift queues. In fact, no queues anywhere
-Snow by the bucketload

I'd definitely recommend Cold Fusion to solo skiers/boarders, and will definitely travel with them again in the future. It's a great concept for those who have a passion for snow - but don't necessarily want to play the third wheel in a group chalet or can't find the enthusiasm to ski during school holidays with those friends who have kids.

Solo Ski Properties to Rent