 Poster: A snowHead
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Possibly the most pointless day on which to report conditions. As @gnave asked I thought I’d do it. However this weekend is going to change things completely – hopefully massively for the better for @gnave and all others coming out in December.
At present only the Autumn pistes are open. This year they opened fairly early in October (they never open earlier) on the Swiss side because of a couple of good dumps and end October on the Italian side. However those couple of good dumps were the last significant snow – there has been a couple of “freshners” since.
To understand most of what follows you either need to know the area or refer to the piste map:
http://www.matterhornparadise.ch/pdf/panoramakarten/panoramakarte_winter.pdf
The Autumn skiing consists of the summer pistes 83 and 84 (but now continuing down to Trockener Steg via 81 and 73) plus the October opened pistes 71 and 72 served by the Furggsattel lift. On the Italian side it is piste 7 as far down as Laghi Cime Bianche.
Considering how old the real snow is and that temperatures have not been great to get the snow cannons and lances firing, everything was in superb condition. November skiing always feels like a bonus, particularly when it is a glorious blue sky day as it was today. Therefore you tend to see things as “fantastic” that at other times might seem moderate. I was really impressed by what the Italians had achieved given that they are south facing. They had the snow cannons working away all day today from about 3200m downwards. So they must be optimistic about temperatures staying low. They have some way to go - Laghi Cime Bianche is still definitely a Laghi albeit it is now more than half iced over.
Beyond the Autumn ski area little of the October snow and little of the work of the snow machines remained. If it had been open you could have skied on the mainly man made snow down from the open Trockener Steg at 2939m on piste 66 to Sandiger Boden at 2786m but no further. By the time one got down to Furgg at 2432m the snow had pretty much given up the ghost. You could see they had had the machines on on the other mountains from a few white patches on piste 11 (at about 2700m but south facing) on Rothorn and a bit more snow on piste 35 and adjacent pistes also at about 2700m on Gornegrat. The only place one could see a manufactured piste intact was the thin 44 coming down from natural snow at Hohtälli to join the Gornergrat area.
So lovely day for me but not much on the ground to excite December visitors. However it is real cold now and getting colder. Unless this weekend’s storm has been totally miscalled by this time next week everything should be looking very different. I am certainly feeling confident for the end of month opening and my next visit out on December 13. My decision now has to be whether to venture out in the storm on Saturday – I can’t do tomorrow as I am walking with the non-skiing wife and Sunday we head for Milan and from there a return to the UK. I’d hate to become a fair weather skier but Saturday’s conditions do look awful – I think I’ll have to decide on the morning although if the wind is severe the lifts could be closed in any case.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 9-12-15 11:13; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@JohnMo, strong winds look like an elevating risk this weekend 
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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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I'm heading out to Zermatt on 6 December and was a bit worried as whenever I look at webcams I never see anyone there skiing!!!! Hopefully this colder spell will fill it in more. I e never been there and don't know the area, I even found the interactive map difficult to understand.
When I looked at lift prices it seems very expensive for the international pass, is it worth paying extra? Will it enable much more skiing?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| speachmaus wrote: |
I'm heading out to Zermatt on 6 December and was a bit worried as whenever I look at webcams I never see anyone there skiing!!!! Hopefully this colder spell will fill it in more. I e never been there and don't know the area, I even found the interactive map difficult to understand.
When I looked at lift prices it seems very expensive for the international pass, is it worth paying extra? Will it enable much more skiing? |
It opens up Italy, but IMO, best bet is to pick one nice bluebird and calm day to pay supplemental and then hit Cervinia.
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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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| speachmaus wrote: |
I'm heading out to Zermatt on 6 December and was a bit worried as whenever I look at webcams I never see anyone there skiing!!!! Hopefully this colder spell will fill it in more. I e never been there and don't know the area, I even found the interactive map difficult to understand.
When I looked at lift prices it seems very expensive for the international pass, is it worth paying extra? Will it enable much more skiing? |
A lot of people do what @Toadman says and get a Swiss side only pass and then upgrade on a daily basis if they want to go over to Italy. We have always bought international passes. You don't need to go over much for it to work out better. Certainly anyone visiting Zermat unless they are on a very tight budget should cross over to the Italian side. It is a different experience from the Swiss side both in the nature of the pistes and the culture.
If you are looking at webcams now you wouldn't expect to see many people. November is the quietest month by far. The walkers have all gone but none of the holiday skiers have arrived yet. Up on the pistes yesterday the vast majority of my fellow skiers seemed to be on BASI courses!
It will still be a little quiet by 6 December. Everything opens up at the end of this month (subject to snow - but should be OK except for runs into the village). So the skiing will be good. However people are only just starting to come for holidays and so hotels/restaurants are only just opening. I noticed today that our local bar and pizza place here in Täsch (the village just down the valley from Zermatt) only opens up on 11 December.
In response to @Snowsarte. Yes the winds could be a problem. Always a risk. Everything was closed because of wind today. Even yesterday which was beautiful the wind got up and closed the Furggsattel lift almost an hour early - I can attest to how windy it was as I was on it swinging back and forwards. I still hope to get out tomorrow. The rain outside is torrential. So the snow up top could be great - can't beat a November powder day. The snowline has probably come well down as well as a little earlier it was even snow down here in Täsch. We are at 1,500m.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@JohnMo, thanks for the info. I am staying in the youth hostel on half board so evening food is sorted it would be good if a couple of bars are open. Is there a bus that goes through town to take you to acess lifts?
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@JohnMo, thanks for the info. I am staying in the youth hostel on half board so evening food is sorted it would be good if a couple of bars are open. Is there a bus that goes through town to take you to acess lifts?
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Heading out on Tuesday for 3 nights. We've done it every year for about 7 seasons at this time of year on the "ski testing" package for a couple of days. Aside from one day last year, we've never suffered total lift closure.
However...this time, looking at the forecast, I can see us twiddling our thumbs and looking for non skiing activities as the wind rages over the glacier. Suggestions to keep us occupied would be most welcome!
@speachmaus, the youth hostel is a relatively short walk to the Matterhorn glacier paradise lifts. You can always leave stuff in lockers at the bottom there.
By 6th Dec far more bars are open so you won't be short of places to chill out. Elsie's is nice, cosy and traditional, as is the Hexen Bar. Don't know much about the larier places though! I think the Bubble bar is likely to be open too. Oh yes...at the end of Nov last year the Yacht Club had opened but only for drinks and bar food.
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@Perty, good luck next week. You'd be very unlucky for the wind to have everything closed down still by then. Mainly closed again this morning. They have one piste open! My only hope is that that is a sign they are trying to open stuff up. I'd love to get up into that new powder as I am away again tomorrow. The good news is the snow has been fantastic. When we went to bed last night it had been raining hard for hours here in Täsch - up in the mountains that will all have been snow. Woke up this morning and even Täsch at 1450m has a fantastic thick blanket of snow. It must be great up top.
@speachmaus, as @Perty says there will be plenty of stuff open by 6 December. That is the season proper by then. Even now there is no problem getting drink and food. When I walked past Sparky's I am pretty sure it was open. We were drinking in the Brown Cow on Bahnhofstrasse. It never closes. Also as @Perty says you are fairly close to the Matterhorn lifts. The other two ways up into the mountains are the Sunnegga furnicular and the Gornergrat train. Both of them are up at the north end of town. There is a bus that runs along the river and connects all three (it is free/included in ski pass). It is the Green Line. The other bus (the Red Line) also goes to the lifts but runs through the rest of town as well so takes longer. I have never taken it so do not know if it runs past the hostel.
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@JohnMo, @Perty, thank you for the info. Looking a lot whiter there now. Can't wait.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Well all the Autumn slopes did open up. Unbelievablely good fresh snow, lots of powder and good off piste for those prepare to ignore the "crevasses" sign (not me). The sun came out about 12.30 so until the wind reappeared about 4 it was more like really good early spring skiing. The snow is excellent all the way down to Trockener Steg at 2900m. That left me feeling very good about what it would be like on the slopes below that. Plus they had the snow lances pumping away. With the low temperatures forecast for the next week we should hold on to all that. Even Zermatt (and Täsch) have a good covering of snow - which they didn't until the week before Christmas last year (ignoring an early dump that melted).
Even if we don't get another dump (which would be very unlucky) things are looking good for those who have gambled on a December ski. As I am also here from the 13th I am very pleased about that. As it is they are forecasting snow middle of next week - bit early to be very confident but always nice to see.
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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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Hello, does anyone know if they're planning to open up more lifts on the Cervinia side this weekend? The snow looks more than decent enough on the webcams (and it's been snowing all week...!)
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Today suffered lift closures due to wind, so no access to Cervinia and for a while just stage one of the t-bar from Trockener Steg was open. The Furggsattel lift reopened during lunch though the conditions at the top were pretty wild. Yesterday we could ski Ventina down to the cable car and pretty much everything down to Trockerner Steg from the very top.
My take on conditions at the end of November compared with previous years visiting at this time:
Not as much snow has fallen over 2500m and there's been quite a bit of wind. It does look rather bleak and rocky still. My guess is that they will open the blues down to Plan Maison this weekend as the weather has been cold enough for snow making. Likewise the blue/red down past Trockener Steg to Furgg which looked almost good to go from the gondola today. It's definitely piste skiing only at the moment. There are more rocks exposed than I recall previously.
Contrary to snow forecast.com and bergfex, the snowfall this week (since Monday) has been modest. We did get about 3 inches in the village so it looks really pretty. It feels like about the same has fallen up high, maybe a bit more but then it has been blown about. Piste conditions are excellent. Off piste? forget it.
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You know it makes sense.
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Brilliant, thanks v much for that! (Also makes the 'which ski to bring' question easier)
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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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The websites are showing Cervinia opening up this weekend (but not Valtournenche) and almost all of Zermatt. It may be that the runs into Zermatt don't open this weekend but that is not unusual. Confusing the Sunnegga furnicular and the lift up to Blauherd and lift up to Rothorn only open up next weekend. That makes no sense. It can't be lack of snow because the Gant to Blauherd lift is opening so you can ski down to Patrullarve and then that lift is due to be open. I assume the piste into town will be open on that side. Otherwise getting back home from that side would be a long journey. I guess all will be revealed tomorrow.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Fantastic news! (Flying to Turin this evening...!!!)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Good afternoon all.
Cone someone please give an updated report ? (if they are in Zermatt) 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Epic
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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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Oops sorry it's upside down. This was from just above plan maison on Cervinia side. Zermatt is great too. You can ski down to Furi. I don't know the area but I have seen people skiing into town but I guess you need to know route better than me and I think it will be rocky. The last 2 days weather has been wonderful and not too icy as I have brought my fat skis with me and it's been fine.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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A few lifts are open on rothorn and gornergrat too but I haven't been there yet
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@speachmaus,
Thank you for the update.
@JohnMo, will be there on the 13th and will hopefully update too.
I will be in Zermatt on the 16th and can post and update myself.
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Like everywhere Zermatt could really do with a new dump of snow. The snow showing up on the webcams is basically the dump from 21 Nov topped up by a couple of lighter falls. The good news is that unlike many places in the Alps and unlike for the same time last year in Zermatt the temperatures have stayed fairly low. Coupled with the north facing aspect of most of the pistes that means there is a fair amount of the natural stuff around and the snowmakers have been able to top up well. I am back out next week. I have been watching the possibility of snow next week with interest. Obviously it would be good to have it - particularly for me as I am out there until the 28th. However for next week we will have two thirds of the offspring with us along with one of their partners who is a on a first time skiing trip. It would be nice to have a couple of days of blue sky skiing for their sake.
If, as suggested above, some people are skiing into town they are being naughty. None of the town runs are open officially yet. It would be nice if they opened next week as I like my apres ski at the Hennu Hütte. However I think last year they didn't open up the town runs until Christmas week.
Cervinia looks trickier. Last year they had had a couple of good dumps from clouds heading up from the south. This year as far as I've seen they have had nothing like that - they have basically relied on snow from the north that we didn't grab in Zermatt. When I was out there a couple weeks ago the skiing was good down to Laghi Cime Bianche. But they still don't have skiing to Plan Maison as far as I can see. Meanwhile Valtournenche has now opened up - at least as far as Salette. There really doesn't seem much snow down there (but of course the snowmakers will have been working to create pistes).
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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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It's snowing in town now
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Thank you for the update.
Too late to cancel the trip now, whatever snow is there will have to do.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| speachmaus wrote: |
| It's snowing in town now |
Every little helps - especially as that dusting in town is doing nicely up in the mountains. The clouds are due to move on by lunch (I think noza would give a high confidence level to Meteo's three hour radar forecasts). By the look of the webcams though still none of it making it over to Cervinia.
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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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| gnave wrote: |
Thank you for the update.
Too late to cancel the trip now, whatever snow is there will have to do. |
I wouldn't even think of cancelling. It will be good.
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It snowed in town all morning leaving about 1" of snow. I was up above the clouds on rat horn and gornergrat today and it was sublime. Very quiet and about 6" of new snow. Even managed to make fresh tracks this afternoon. No36 was fab I skied it 4 times before I had to come down.
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You know it makes sense.
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@JohnMo, the home run is looking good but don't know when it will open. There seemed to be some prep at henny hutte going on
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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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@JohnMo, sorry spell check
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Poster: A snowHead
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Sorry, first post. First ski holiday for 10 years, flying out to Cervinia on 21st Dec, anyone know if the conditions are likely to be good?
Can anyone tell me about getting up to the top of the mountain with children (aged 6-10, competent beginners!) - even if it is just for the view etc. H & I skied before children. Can you get the lift up and then the lift down again if they don't fancy skiing it? Would you recommend trying to get over to Zermatt with the children. Apologies for the silly questions.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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to do all that, you pretty much need to be on ski's. That said, if they are competent beginners, they should be able to handle it. Gentle slopes op top
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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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Conditions are not great right now, but will probably improve by the time you get there.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Newbie72 wrote: |
Sorry, first post. First ski holiday for 10 years, flying out to Cervinia on 21st Dec, anyone know if the conditions are likely to be good?
Can anyone tell me about getting up to the top of the mountain with children (aged 6-10, competent beginners!) - even if it is just for the view etc. H & I skied before children. Can you get the lift up and then the lift down again if they don't fancy skiing it? Would you recommend trying to get over to Zermatt with the children. Apologies for the silly questions. |
What would they be like on T bars? Looking at this piste map:
http://www.matterhornparadise.ch/pdf/panoramakarten/panoramakarte_winter.pdf
From the village (Breuil-Cervinia) you get the lift up to Plan Maison. From there there are two ways. But the best for you with small children is the lift to Laghi Cime Bianche and then the lift to Plateau Rosa Testa Grigia. From there you ski down in Switzerland to Trockener Steg. I think your children will be OK with that. The first half is red but a fairly mild red - in fact I can't think why it is not blue the whole way down.
The reason that is better than the three chairlifts from Plan Maison up to Theodulpass is that the entry into Switzerland from there involves an immediate steep u turn that surprises a lot of people - I don't think your children would like that.
From Trockener Steg you get the cable car up to Klein Matterhorn. If it is a blue sky day the views from there are great. And skiing out from the station, while not interesting technical skiing, does have a fantastic "top of the world" feeling.
But now comes your problem. It is all red from there. Piste 85 starts off gentle - well flat to be honest. But then gets a bit steeper and narrower. However when it turns into piste 84 it is really very steep (for a red). It is nice and wide. So in good conditions you "might" be OK. You describe your children as competent beginners - because of the "highest skiing in Alps" kudos a lot of not very competent skiers do it and live to tell the tale.
As you get near the bottom of 84 you turn left onto the flat blue 88. A lot of us regulars close to straight line (if it safe to do so!) 84 to get across 88. I think you will be walking it with children. The piste map is a little misleading as it makes it look like you can miss out 84. You can't.
The alternative is to get the cable car back down to Trockemer Steg. From there you can take two T bars back up to Plateau Rosa Testa Grigia. They are long. But in windy weather they are the only way to get back into Italy from Switzerland.
Good luck with the snow. It is not great on the Italian side this year. This time last year I was spending most of the time over on the Italian side as it had much better stuff. This year is reversed.
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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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Most people who are "competent beginners" call themselves early intermediates. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Wow thank you for all that info. I am v grateful.
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6 more sleeps 
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| Newbie72 wrote: |
| Wow thank you for all that info. I am v grateful. |
I forgot to say: you do realise you need an international ski pass to go from the Italian side to the Swiss side (or vice verse)? You can get your Cervinia pass upgraded to an international pass at any ticket office. It is €34 for an adult and €17 for a child. Worth it if you want to ski the Swiss side. But expensive if you are just going to the top of Klein Matterhorn.
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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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| Quote: |
Wow thank you for all that info. I am v grateful.
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That's what Snowheads is all about 
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Will be there on the 20th! Was there 2 years ago at week before xmas, amazing what the Italians can do with artificial snow, could ski to the bottom with green fields either side.
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FAQ
