 Poster: A snowHead
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I booked at the time not much snow was around so decided on a high resort and booked Cervinia with Crystal.
Then having booked I read that the resort was prone to closure due to the winds so spent the next weeks looking at the conditions and forecasts on various website. Lo and behold just before we left it got windy in the atlantic and very windy conditions were forecast for the week, but especially Thursday.
It must have been a good tail wind on the Sunday as the flight to Turin only took just over an hour. Luggage arrived quickly then it was a matter of finding the buses and waiting for everybody to turn up before the coach trip to resort. I had read that Crystal did a day trip to Pila on Thursdays so was very annoyed on the bus when they announced this week would be Friday; do they not take the forecast into consideration.
It snowed a lot on the Sunday night and into Monday so skiing wasn't easy in a new to us resort as visibility was poor and hence we were tentative. Tuesday and Wednesday were sunny and much nicer and we enjoyed the wide open runs mostly easy reds with a few other denominations mixed in. Being so high no real problems with piste deterioration other than the run back to resort. We were staying just off red 3 (ski in/out) which was a bit tricky later in the day with tired legs. We had intended to go over to Zermatt but some friends had gone over and despite reasonable conditions had been forced to come back via two very long t-bars which they hated and put us off going. Instead we headed over to Valtournenche where we enjoyed some fast cruising on red 1 and red 6. at least the button lift back across from there isn't very long.
Wednesday evening Crystal tweeted that the forecast for Thursday was very windy and we might want to consider making plans to ski elsewhere - what a surprise. Unfortunately Pila on public transport would have been two hours each way minimum so we decided not to bother. I must admit to being fed up as this must be a regular enough experience for the TO to make contingency plans. Had they gone that extra mile and organised the Pila trip for the windy day I'm sure they would have had a full bus. As it was we missed a day's skiing and they cancelled the Friday trip to Pila anyway due to lack of numbers!
We enjoyed the last two days skiing in sunny conditions. There are some reasonably price mountain restaurants and we like the one at the top of the cretaz lift the best; I think it was called Plan Tourette and is linked to the hotel we stayed at down below.
Highlights:
- Good snow conditions
- Good hotel just off red 3 with great staff
- Good food just across the piste at la bricole
- Good cruising runs and minimal queues. Red 7 all the way down from the top of Plateau Rosa was very enjoyable.
Lows:
- Missing a day's skiing
- Not so much a low but a lack of trees took some getting used to
- Very windy up top even when calm down below - was a bit scary on the chairlift at times
Tips:
- Buy the local pass in resort; the TO ones are marked up if bought in advance + the area pass is only worth it if going to Zermatt more than twice. Plus the local pass includes a day in Pila and other resorts if you can be bothered to go there.
Would I go back? Probably but I think I would want to book late depending on the wind forecast. But I'd rather go to other places first anyway before returning to the same resort again.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Another tip - local pass can be used in other resorts in Aosta valley if the lifts close, international pass cannot!
Pila well worth a one day trip, one hour drive (longer on public transport)
Also swedish girls, can't remember the name of the restaurant though...
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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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@kabooooooom,
Nice report and thanks but I think you are possibly being a bit harsh on the tour operator.
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. Unfortunately Pila on public transport would have been two hours each way minimum so we decided not to bother. I must admit to being fed up as this must be a regular enough experience for the TO to make contingency plans. Had they gone that extra mile and organised the Pila trip for the windy day I'm sure they would have had a full bus.
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I was in Courmayeur the same week and the weather forecast was bobbing around quite a bit trying to arrange a coach trip at short notice for what was a very windy week in general is probably not straightforward. Had there been poor weather in Pila that day people would probably have complained. As it was Pila was still pretty windy but skiable according to people who went from our hotel whereas La Thuile closed completely and Courmayeur was distinctly gusty in the morning ( Major swaying on the big cable car ) Though by the afternoon it had calmed down.
In an outdoor sport weather compromises are inevitable and going to a high resort leaves you a little more at the mercy of poor weather, on average though you will tend to get more reliable snow to compensate.
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Missing a day's skiing is not that unusual. The last twice I did a three day course on the Glacier in Tignes, in October, we lost a day because of weather (mountain completely closed). It's the nature of the sport.
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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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We were there the last week of Feb and had closures due to wind on a couple of days, but we took taxis down to Valtourneche and got the Gondola up from there. €50 each way, which wasn't too bad between 8 of us. It was only 15 mins or so as far as I remember. No idea why the resort doesn't seem to promote this, because apparently the Valtourneche side usually stays open even if everything in Cervinia is closed. Some days we needed taxis back, but other days it cleared a bit as the day went on and we could ski back. Well worth doing, because we would have missed a couple of days skiing otherwise.
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Valtournenche was closed also.
Yes I may be harsh on the TO but I do think it happens often enough for them to have a contingency plan.
Plus the weather forecast on this occasion was consistent in saying Thursday would be the bad day and they still decided to change the Pila day to Friday.
Guess I must have been lucky not to have lost a day elsewhere in the past.
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@kabooooooom, you missed out not going to Zermatt...
Those 2 T-bars are one of the essential rights of passage for any true skier 
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We have been to Cervinia twice over the last few years, both visits late season, and lost at least one day to high winds on both occasions. Don't dismiss the t-bar tows too readily. They are long but just relax and enjoy the Matterhorn. There ain't anywhere quite like it! The t-bars also beat standing in a long queue for the cable car and then being sardinised with no chance of enjoying the view.
I think we have only been on one holiday, out of about twelve, where no time has been lost.
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I'm with @kennethm, on this. The t bars back from Zermatt to Cervinia are long but OK. Wrap up your face with mask or snood if it is windy. It is not the biggest burden to get in some decent skiing. I often take them if the Klein Matterhorn cable car queue is long.
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