April 8, Testa Bernardo, Italy

Stayed overnight in the "cheapest hotel in Courmayeur" - the Penzione Venezia @ 23 euros per night, which was actually quite amenable. Bad weather called for staying low the next day.

Testa Bernardo turned out to be a very NW style tour - about 1,000 meters of climbing in wet snow with poor visibility, with somewhere between two inches and a foot of heavy fresh snow over crust. The tour started and finished at the Courmayeur cross-country area. We found a few good turns in between crusty sections, and did some bush-whacking before coming out at a bar with great cappucino and cakes. Finished off by having to skate ski a couple of kilometers back to the car on full stomachs.