 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all, wondered if anyone can recommend some Italian resorts within easy access of Turin airport suitable for family skiing?
Kids will be 10 and 7 and both done 2 weeks. They will do ski school in morning and ski with us in afternoon. Looking for resort that's got plenty of blues and easy reds.
We are going first week in March, I want to avoid any skiing in rain (as we did in Morzine this year, and Slovenia last year!) so high up please!
Either will hire car from Turin or get transfer bus, but somewhere no more than 2 hours.
Good value and cheap needed too. Looking forward to ideas. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Hils68, there are loads of places within 2 hours of Turin. Bardonecchia, Milky Way, (Claviere, Cesana,Sestriere and even Montgenevre in France). Montgenevre is ideal for your family. Looking further afield, but still within 2 hours, there's La Thuile, Aosta valley
Serre Chevalier (France), Puy St Vincent (France).
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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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@Hils68, Aosta is one hour from Turin and there's plenty of resorts there - Courmayeur (90 minutes from Turin), Cervinia (also 90 minutes) etc
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Cormayeur.
Serre Chevalier.
Meribel.
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We went to Sestriere as mentioned part of the milky way .We stayed in the hotel used for the 2006 olympics (Villaggio Olimpico)
In my opinion this is an ideal place for a family as its next to the lifts and around 1.15-1.30 hrs from Turin
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Cervinia
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We were in La Norma at New Year this year and it's great for families, Valfrejus too. The toll for the Frejus tunnel is hefty though (around 50 Euro return within 7 days iirc). They are both very good value for money and around 60-90 mins from Turin.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thank you. I like the look of Cervinia, lots of blues and easy reds. But at first investigation can't really see self catering options and booking.com hotels are way expensive. Does anyone have any tips?
Sestriere looks good, but wondered if too "reddy" ( I do like my blues and can use the 7 year old as my excuse!)
Thanks for ideas 😀
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If you haven't already been to Montgenevre I would definitely go there. It is easily accessible from Turin, has a good snow record, the type of skiing you are looking for, good ski schools and a good range of self catering accommodation. Le Hameau des Airelles apartments are good value.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| snowymum wrote: |
| If you haven't already been to Montgenevre I would definitely go there. It is easily accessible from Turin, has a good snow record, the type of skiing you are looking for, good ski schools and a good range of self catering accommodation. Le Hameau des Airelles apartments are good value. |
+1
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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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Risoul
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If you can be flexible, wait and see what the snow is like - we can be talking major differences in snow accumulation between the resorts that have been mentioned on here.
I travel a LOT in a season to and from Turin / Serre Chevalier and see what it's like across the Via Lattea / Bardonechicca and other lesser known areas.
I'm not au fait with the likes of Pila / Aosta but like I say if you're flexible then keep an eye on conditions.
When are you travelling as well, if in UK half term, then go for Italy over France.
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You know it makes sense.
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Hi, we are going first week of March 5-12 th. Could leave it closer to the time, but prefer to book sooner as have ski school etc to book. We were unlucky this year in Morzine as it rained ( in Feb) and slopes to resort were mush and brown! So really want to avoid that if possible with chosen resort. Much as I'd like a catered hotel I think it puts it out our budget ( unless we find cheap ish one outta town that gives you lifts to and from centre. So self catering it is. . . But not rabbit hutch size!
I am wondering about,
Souze d'oulx
Cervinia
Sestriere
La thuile
I like blues and no real challenges!
And somewhere good for kids, age 10 and 7.
😀
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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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| cameronphillips2000 wrote: |
| Risoul |
It is a lot more than 2 hours from Turin though, and you pass so many other ski resorts on the way. The guys on our coach going to Risoul were really fed up long before they got there. THey'd been to Cesana, Claviere, Montegenevre, Briancon, Chantemerle and Villeneuve before they headed to Risoul. They had it all to do again on the way back too. They loved Risoul, but a tour op transfer was not the way to do it.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Hils68, I'd recommend Cervinia over La Thuile. It's a strikingly beautiful area connected to Zermatt so you get Matterhorn skiing without Swiss prices. The only downside is the winds, when they pick up it can close the upper lifts. It's also pretty snowsure (Cervinia is open in summer and autum, and Zermatt doesn't close at all). Cervinia is a good bit closer than La Thuile too.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Hells Bells wrote: |
| cameronphillips2000 wrote: |
| Risoul |
It is a lot more than 2 hours from Turin though, and you pass so many other ski resorts on the way. The guys on our coach going to Risoul were really fed up long before they got there. THey'd been to Cesana, Claviere, Montegenevre, Briancon, Chantemerle and Villeneuve before they headed to Risoul. They had it all to do again on the way back too. They loved Risoul, but a tour op transfer was not the way to do it. |
If you hire a car it's ok. quite an easy drive. Utterly brilliant ski resort, perfect for families.
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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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| Hils68 wrote: |
Thank you. I like the look of Cervinia, lots of blues and easy reds. But at first investigation can't really see self catering options and booking.com hotels are way expensive. Does anyone have any tips?
Sestriere looks good, but wondered if too "reddy" ( I do like my blues and can use the 7 year old as my excuse!)
Thanks for ideas 😀 |
Valtournenche is down the hill from Cervinia, part of the same lift pass, and is lift-linked to the whole area.
I've never stayed there myself, but it's always looked much cheaper on booking.com.
If you look on AirBnB, there are lot of self catering options in Cervinia itself, but the majority are at the Cielo Alto area of the town - this is uphill from the main resort which can be a killer 20 minute walk uphill if you miss the last bus (at about 7pm from memory).
Cielo Alto is ski-in, ski-out, but the ski-out part takes you down a path into Cervinia town, where you have to take off your gear at the end, then walk through a bit of the town to get to one of two lifts....
I've stayed both in Cervinia town and in an AirBnB up at Cielo Alto - it's nicer to be in the town itself, but it was MUCH cheaper to stay at Cielo Alto, and we had a similar amount of fun both times (just don't make the mistake, like we did, of getting stuck with all your gear in Cervinia, having missed the last bus, the walk up the hill with your gear, in your boots, is a killer!)
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Thanks, something to take to account especially with a 7 and 10 year old . . Could be quite stressful!!
Cautious of the high winds I have read about now in Cervinia. As whole resort seems to shut down. Delicate balance of being high / exposed!
If we hire car from Turin we can always stay a bit out of village and drive in (or use ski bus) mindful of ski school early starts and hassle of parking the car every morning.
Montgenevre looks as if it may fit our requirements too any Italian resoets comparable? Blues and easy reds and high?
Off to enjoy our summer holiday next week, Annecy
. . Hope it's sunny!😎
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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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Montgenevre would suit the blues/easy reds requirement, also lots of self catering. Good height for March. Large nursery area. French prices tho'
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The only place i would consider is Sauze. The runs are really fun and not too difficult and they run though the trees which makes it very easy on the eye.
Getting there by train is really easy from Turin. Takes about an hour from the main station and then a 15 minute bus ride.
The downside of Sauze is that the lifts are quite slow and the snow can be hit and miss. However, I've been twice and both times I've been skiing in knee-deep powder.
The only hotel i would consider staying at is the Stella Alpina. Stayed there both times and it's fantastic. It's right at the end of the slope, so there's no walking and they have an excellent ski shop as well. Caroline who runs the hotel with her family is a fantastic host and will help you with anything you need. And as it's half-board you can't beat the value. Food is very good.
http://www.stellalpinahotel.it/
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Thanks . . I wasn't sure on Souze as I read reviews saying the Reds were quite fast. We like to ski with our two,young boys, the youngest is 7 and still snowploughing his way down, so want something he can do. Also I normally go behind him incase he tumbles, which leads me really to snowplough down too! So I think really we need resort that has blues for afternoon family time.
Does Souze have that?
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@Hils68, on the subject of self-catering, from my own limited experience of Italy, many of the hotels also have apartments in the villages, so perhaps looking on the hotel websites might give you more choice. Montgenevre is one of the least expensive French resorts.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Hils68 wrote: |
Thanks . . I wasn't sure on Souze as I read reviews saying the Reds were quite fast. We like to ski with our two,young boys, the youngest is 7 and still snowploughing his way down, so want something he can do. Also I normally go behind him incase he tumbles, which leads me really to snowplough down too! So I think really we need resort that has blues for afternoon family time.
Does Souze have that? |
I'm sure you can pick through a piste map as well as any of us on here so if you look at Sauze, you'll see its predominantly made up of red slopes with the occasional linking blue lower down. This isn't France though, they aren't crazy steep! The reds in and around the Via Lattea (Sauze, Setriere etc...) are reputed to be some of the most enjoyable intermediate piste skiing in the alps. Many of the reds are long and wide and give you the option of linking long slow turns or straightening up and giving it a bit of a blast. Sauze in good snow is great craic, nobody can take that away from the place.
You have to take your 7 year olds ability/scope for improvement into account though. He isn't going to snowplough forever (even if you want him too!!) but you dont want to bore him to death on a nursery slope!
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Really surprised no one has mentioned Pila , above Aosta town .
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Rob Mackley, it's a small area, the village is pretty grim and it's not particularly popular with tourists outside of Interski school kids
Gets overshadowed by Courmayeur, and it's quite easy to see why holidaymakers would rather go there, with the Mont Blanc scenery, charming village and reasonably good nightlife
I would definitely recommended Courmayeur or Cervina first, and in this case Cervinia because it's closer to Turin and more snow sure
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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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Also it doesn't have plenty of blues and easy reds, which the OP is looking for
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| Rob Mackley wrote: |
| Really surprised no one has mentioned Pila , above Aosta town . |
I was reading this and thinking the same. Check Pilaski.co.uk for a fixed price deal other than the flights which look pretty good for me next year. We have been 8 years in a row to Pila and always had snow. They have very comprehensive snowmaking.
It is really all easy blue and wide reds. The learning area is right at the top of the mountain too so good snow up there.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
It is really all easy blue and wide reds. The learning area is right at the top of the mountain too so good snow up there
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I'm not sure about this. There's almost next to no blue runs - one up at Grimond, another tiny link run between a load of reds at Nuova and then that dreadful bottleneck back to the base. There's a couple of nursery slopes used for ski school underneath the resort or outside the hotels but that hardly counts.
There is a lot of reds but I wouldn't call them easy. Bosco, the run off Chamole lift on skiers left is homologated for super G. The runs at the top, downhill. The runs off Cois 2 are definitely not for intermediate skiers.
Of course easy is subjective, but I think there are far more suitable resorts for what the OP is looking for
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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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So we are on the question of what is a blue. A very wide red to me is a blue really and the family are not complete beginners so would be fine on loads of the red runs. Yes the reds may have a single steep pitch (hence a red) but they are so wide that they are not really a problem.
The SuperG red12 is always in use for training anyway so you can't use it. in the same area 13 &14 would be fine and interlink so can make different runs to suit. Each is never narrower than 50m.
No I would not suggest they use either Couis1 or 2 lifts - I don't often myself.
There are a couple of true blue runs, no5a & b, under Nuova lift which are not just links, full as far as I remember.
Yes, surprise, like most resorts that feed down to a single point, there is a bottle neck but it can be avoided if required. Either use the green run that runs beside it or download on the gondola.
I expect these people would be getting lessons or some guiding and hence would be shown both these options. As a small resort for beginners I still think it would be good, but as I have not been to the other options if is difficult to be subjective.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
A very wide red to me is a blue really and the family are not complete beginners so would be fine on loads of the red runs. Yes the reds may have a single steep pitch (hence a red) but they are so wide that they are not really a problem.
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But she's asked for mostly/all blue runs and easy reds.
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The SuperG red12 is always in use for training anyway so you can't use it
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that's a different run, I'm talking about the one off Chamole
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There are a couple of true blue runs, no5a & b, under Nuova lift which are not just links, full as far as I remember.
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Yes sorry you're right. I'm looking at the piste map now. So realistically there's two blue runs in the resort - one is very long, but when you're looking for somewhere with "plenty of blues", two probably isn't enough.
Pila is a very small resort, 70km, and five of the pistes are homologated for 18 race courses, with at least two of them closed everyday for training. It's a steep resort with far fewer flat sections than most. The nursery slopes are small and usually extremely busy with Interski and the Italian ski schools. I'm not saying it isn't a good place, but there's a reason that it isn't full of tour ops when nearby Courmayeur, Cervinia & La Thuile are. It's mostly race clubs during the week and Milanese at the weekend.
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As a small resort for beginners I still think it would be good, but as I have not been to the other options if is difficult to be subjective.
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When I say subjective I mean what is an easy red to one, may not be for another. Relative to the other resorts, I think there are far better options for the OP's criteria
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Champoluc worth a look. + I think you need to get away from your over-fixation-on-colour-as-a-universally-understood-grading-scheme.
Most Champoluc reds would be mostly blue elsewhere with the occasional steeper bit. I must get out my inclinometer and prove myself correct on that.
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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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Lots of lovely very family oriented family run hotels in Valtournenche. If you have a hhire car you can drive up to Cervinia or they usually run their own minibuses to the Valtournenche lift.
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Apologies for hijacking the thread.
On the subject of Pila , its is widely advertised as having excellent slopes for progressing beginners/intermediates.
I would have taken this to mean a steady , confidence building curve from blue to red etc hence the relative safety of taking large groups of schoolkids and therefore excellent for a family of varying ability.
Assuming good slopes the smaller resorts inspire confidence in families as you dont mind the kids exploring on their own so much.
Well pisted slopes, all easily accessible and well marked.
Varied apre-ski with the Roman town of Aosta and excellent culinary choice.
This doesnt seem to tally with what is being said here.
Is this selective opinions of the resort owners and Interski?
One of the posters has been more than helpful and generous in their helping me to plan a long break in the area and as im staying longer it suits me perfectly to have access to many resorts but stay in a small city rather than a revolving weekly crowd. I am hoping to learn Italian and learn more about the culture, food and wine when not on the slopes. ( in a ski resort id probably enjoy the apre-ski too much!)
Wont change my mind , im biting to get there , just curious with opposing opinions of the place:) Ill give a very detailed report to add to the mix next year:)
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@hawkwind, the OP asked for recommendations based on some criteria that she outlined in her first post. There are several resorts in the Milky Way & Aosta Valley (closest skiing to Turin) that fit that description and we've mentioned them.
For example, Cervinia is about an hour and a half from Turin and has lots of cruisey flat runs. So I suggested going there over a longer drive to another resort with more limited skiing and shorter, steeper blue/reds. (Cervinia is also very striking being at the base of the Matterhorn and has a cute village - not what the OP asked for, but still always nice)
Pila suits me better than Cervinia on a daily basis - but the OP didn't ask where did I want to ski, I've made a suggestion based on what I think/hope would be exactly what she wants
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@Hils68, loads of advice on here and always amusing people giving advice based on one trip / or even a day to somewhere 
First thing to do is check when the high season French holidays finish and what areas if any are on holiday the week you are going, March 5th-12th.
If French hols finish on the 4th March then that is a tick in the box for the likes of Montgenevre, however if the holidays extend to March 11th then stay clear of France as you have that option.
Another very important aspect to consider is the cost difference between Italy and France!
The only item more expensive in Italy over France is fuel.
Lift passes, ski school and food / drinks on the hill are way cheaper in Italy.
Going rate for a coffee on the mountain in France is €3 where as Italy is €1.50 - pizzas in France circa €10-12 where as Italy €5-8 likewise for the Spag Bol.
Ski passes on a daily basis can be €12 cheaper, though I don't know about weekly passes.
And Italian resorts in that week of March are far quieter.
Sestrierre is where my friends with their kids have gone quite a few times and I've skied there a fair bit along with Sauze and Sestrierre has the better pistes as both North and South facing unlike Sauze.
And Sauze can also be a bit of a PITA to get to the piste dependent on where you are staying. That said if you have a car then that's not so much of a problem, unless you get a lot of snow!
Again I can't comment on the Aosta resorts having only skied that way passing through on road trips, though Pila was rammed with British school kids I seem to recall!
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| Quote: |
loads of advice on here and always amusing people giving advice based on one trip / or even a day to somewhere
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Correct me if I'm wrong and missed this, but don't think anyone has given adviced based on one trip? At least two of us making recommendations live in Aosta Valley
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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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@Hils68, Try Champoluc, should be brilliant in March.
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I've been to Bardonechia, Sestriere and Sauze all with kids. The reds in these resorts are all easier than French resorts (just my opinion) so I wouldn't be too worried about the maps.
One thing I would add about Sauze is that the blues can be tricky than the reds for beginners as they are very narrow. Also many of the accommodation options in Sauze involve a walk to lifts. Bardonechia was good family resort it's just not a big area.
All had good ski schools for kids too.
If I had to chose one of those three to best suit it would be Sestriere.
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FAQ
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