 Poster: A snowHead
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Morning,
Off to Zermatt with our 2 boys in 3 weeks  ...
They're in ski school in the AM and will be skiing with us in the PM. We need to be back at Schwarzsee for 12:30 to pick them up.
Can my wife and I (strong skier / boarder respectively) get to the Cervinia side and back in this time - we are staying near the base of the Matterhorn Express gondola so hoping to be on it by 9.
Similarly would a family ski over to Cervinia be a sensible idea? The boys are 7 and 4 and have 6 and 1 weeks of skiing under their belts. Or we better off spending our afternoons over at the Sunnegga side?
Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
Similarly would a family ski over to Cervinia be a sensible idea? The boys are 7 and 4 and have 6 and 1 weeks of skiing under their belts.
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For the youngest I'd say almost certainly not.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@franga, I went to the Matterhorn Skirama domain in April for the first time, actually staying in Cervinia. I would say it's possible to get to Cervinia and back in a morning, but it depends on how far you want to explore on the Italian side. If you wanted to get as far as say Salette and Valtournenche, you'd probably have to be moving fairly briskly if you are time bound and not particularly bothered about taking in the sights or stopping too long for a coffee break. To give yourself a headstart, I'd take the cable car all the way up to the Matterhorn Glacier and ski down from there. Also, Cervinia is prone to lifts stopping for a while if the wind is too strong so you'd need to consider this as well.
Having said all this, I much preferred the Zermatt side to Cervinia as the slopes were generally more interesting and challenging and the pistes are better kept (if you prefer that). If you and your family like to explore, I'd recommend a trip over just to say that you've 'been there, done that'.
Enjoy 
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Yes, it should be fairly easy, to get to Cervinia side you can do it with three gondolas up to the top of the glacier, then a short run to the turn off point to Cervinia. Then do the long cruisey run down Plan Maison, but it will then take three chair lifts back up to the junction with Zermatt. On the Zermatt side keep left and take run 69 down underneath the matterhorn and down to Schwarzee, lovely and generally quiet run with the frozen waterfall being the only real challenge.
The only difficulty about the Cervinia side is the junction between the two countries, it can be quite busy and narrow and steepish, not sure you'd want to do it with only a week or twos experience, but try it yourselves and see what you think.
I think Cervinia's worth doing if only for one run as its something different especially after you've explored Zermatt for the week, check the weather though as if they close the lifts in Cervinia then you wont be able to get back to Zermatt without spending a few hundred Euro in taxi fares.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Many thanks @scubadancer and @Sack the Juggler ...
Last time I was in Zermatt we did the Ventina run (lovely) all the way down to Valtourneche, the return trip involved a drag. which I wasn't particularly keen on (I'm a boarder).
I presume there's an obvious right hand turn as you ski down from the top of the KM cable car to make sure we end up in Plan Maison and not Valtourneche?
Thanks again.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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If Run 69 is open...it is epic...
Ventina is easy to spot coming down from the top.
I managed Cervinia to the Rothorn and back in 6 hours in January- as others have said, the wind can be an issue.
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I don't disagree generally with what has been said, in that for strong adults to get over to Cervinia and back to Schwarzsee for 12.30 is certainly possible in theory. I have to be honest though, when ours were small and in lessons, we didn't tend to go over much as I always had a horror of the wind getting up and us being stuck on the wrong side! Don't let my paranoia put you off however, but in all seriousness I would keep an eye on the wind before heading over.
As for after you pick them up, I tend to agree that all the skiing in Cervinia would probably be fine for them, however the trip over (from Schwarzsee, gondola plus two drag lifts or gondola and cable car) is quite an effort for small ones. Also they will presumably be hungry and need some lunch? At this time of year the days are shorter so I'm not sure picking them up, feeding them and then heading over to Cervinia and back is feasible, even if they were older and more experienced skiers.
Another factor to bear in mind is the altitude. If they aren't used to it, the altitude up at Schwarzsee and higher can take its toll in the first few days. We had two who weren't bothered by it and one that often felt a bit faint and/or she was sick from time to time when she was very small. Drinking lots of water often sorts that out.
You might want to think about lunch after pick up and then gondola from Schwarzsee to Furi, then Furi to Riffelberg and some cruisy family skiing at Gornergrat in the afternoons. Easy places to feed them would be the Hotel Schwarzsee right by the Stoked base (I'm assuming that's where they will be) or over to Riffelberg and there is a large self service there. Obviously if they are feeling up to it skiing down and over to Sunnegga is possible from there too, though a one week skier might find it challenging
Hope you all have a great time
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You're welcome @franga, and yes, look at the piste marker signs at Plateau Rosa for the route down. Also, scotsgirl makes a good point about the altitude. A friend of mine was affected by this at the top of the glacier, which is only just shy of 4,000 metres. Feeling light headed, nausea, and shortness of breath are the symptoms to be wary of.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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As others have said it is doable. But having to get back to Scharzsee for 12.30 gives you a pretty truncated time over in Cervinia. One of the joys of Zermatt is the very different ski experience between the Swiss and Italian sides. We always make a whole day of it when we go over. If there is any way you can be on the lift out of town before 9 I would do so – even by the time they get going at 8.30 there is already a queue of enthusiasts – as you are going in 3 weeks one of them is likely to be me!
When you get up to Trockener Steg you ought to have a look at the lift queue up to Klein Matterhorn. That time of year and that time of day the queues can be dreadful (really the only consistently bad ones in the whole area). Personally if they are long I ski down to the drag lifts and go up to Plateau Rosa that way. The ski down from the top of Klein Matterhorn is one of those “must do” experiences. But the pistes themselves are not the attraction (and off piste is not much of an option unless you know where the glacier crevasses are). I think I would sacrifice Klein Matterhorn for a bit more time over in Cervinia.
As for 4 year old with one week’s ski experience, both piste 85 down from Klein Matterhorn and piste 7 down from Plateau Rosa on the Italian side are surprisingly steep. For a decent intermediate they are really easy so one can forget that beginners can find them difficult (I took one on them last year much to his concern and my embarrassment). I’d be worried about a 4 year old (and I guess he/she wouldn’t like the drag lifts to miss out 85 much.
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Insightful, knowledgeable and very helpful comments as always, THANK YOU.
@scotsgirl, your plan / suggestion seems very sensible, I think we'll have a more enjoyable and stress-free time in the afternoons if we stuck to the Zermatt side. And thanks for all your previous recommendations on hotels / restaurants!
Wife and I will definitely venture over to Italy (comments about he KM cable car / queues / weather noted) - I can't pass on a chance to have lunch at Chalet Etoile (we'll book PM lessons for the kids on the day).
@JohnMo, we arrive on the 20th, have a fab time. Snow looks decent compared to most other big resorts.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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You are welcome - looks like you might have caught the bug after your trip last year! Hope you enjoy the trip - we are heading out for New Year so won't be far behind you!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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You can miss the turn to Cervinia- the two I was with went back down to Zermatt. 
To be fair it was blowing a gale with snow whipping across the piste at knee height...
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You know it makes sense.
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Heja AIK !!!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I bet we'll miss it now 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Mr Marmot wrote: |
| Heja AIK !!! |
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