 Poster: A snowHead
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We're thinking of going to Zermatt at the end of February to the beginning of March. We are wondering whether it is likely to be very busy with half term holidaymakers. We would be grateful for any advice from experienced visitors.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It looks like it will be windy up top for most of the weekend. Hopefully it drops enough for the new terrain to see some action.
Accuweather suggesting 12-20cm in the 24 hours from Saturday evening.
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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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| bolderz wrote: |
| We're thinking of going to Zermatt at the end of February to the beginning of March. We are wondering whether it is likely to be very busy with half term holidaymakers. We would be grateful for any advice from experienced visitors. |
See this very useful table. Do you mean 22nd Feb to 1 March? Still plenty of school holidays- although you’ll miss the Brits!
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=5323403&highlight=half+term+holidays#5323403
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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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| Quote: |
Bit more snow overnight, but looks like all lifts closed here today on the Zermatt side
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Looks like nothing open in Cervinia this afternoon either 
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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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| mountainaddict wrote: |
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Bit more snow overnight, but looks like all lifts closed here today on the Zermatt side
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Looks like nothing open in Cervinia this afternoon either |
Were you looking at the Zermatt website? It shows the Cervinia lifts as “closed” if the link is closed (as it was). Cervinia had the lifts up to Theodulpass open and runs all the way into town, including the Pancheron lift and some runs from it. They also had the new Goillet chair open. The lift up to Testa Grigia was closed. The winds were from the north so were hitting Zermatt much more than Cervinia.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi All, can anyone recommend a ski hire shop that would stock a range of wider skis (powder ski) for hire?
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This would be in Zermatt
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| JohnMo wrote: |
| bolderz wrote: |
| We're thinking of going to Zermatt at the end of February to the beginning of March. We are wondering whether it is likely to be very busy with half term holidaymakers. We would be grateful for any advice from experienced visitors. |
See this very useful table. Do you mean 22nd Feb to 1 March? Still plenty of school holidays- although you’ll miss the Brits!
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=5323403&highlight=half+term+holidays#5323403 |
Thanks @JohnMo for the link to that very useful table. We were actually thinking about 27 Feb to 9 Mar. Now I've looked at the table I can see there are quite a few countries with half-terms in that period. Perhaps something starting around 14 Mar might be better...
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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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| Matrix wrote: |
| Hi All, can anyone recommend a ski hire shop that would stock a range of wider skis (powder ski) for hire? |
Try Julen Sport or Flexrent by the Sunnegga funicular.
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| Quote: |
| Were you looking at the Zermatt website? It shows the Cervinia lifts as “closed” if the link is closed (as it was). Cervinia had the lifts up to Theodulpass open and runs all the way into town |
No, @JohnMo, I was looking at the live panorama map on the Cervinia website.
It's showing next to nothing open this afternoon either - see below. Is that down to the wind?
Mrs MA and I have just booked cheap Ryanair flights to Bergamo for 2 days' skiing next Thursday & Friday  Debating whether to stay in Valtournenche - but will connections be open from there to the main Cervinia area And is it possible to ski back to Valtournenche?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Connections from Valtournenche to Cervinia have been open most days since they fully opened up a couple of weeks ago but the run down to the Valtournench hasn’t got enough snow cover at lower levels yet so you’d most likely be committing to downloading on the gondola. Todays closures have been wind related I believe yes.
I have to ask though, if flying to Bergamo would you not be better with something more easterly like MdC or Passo Tonale?
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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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Route down to village at vt was open at the end of today - it was “in preparation “ when you took your screenshot @mountainaddict
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You know it makes sense.
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How much snow fell over that last few days, It looks good on the web cams but it's herd to really tell. Hows it looking from the folks on the ground. also wondering why patrullarve runs, kumme etc are not open yet. is that usual or they just have not had enough cover to date?
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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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We have friends out in resort at the moment. Apparently the glacier, Rothorn etc all got a good 30+cm and the town a nice dusting.
Kumme and Pattrullarve should be operational this weekend along with the links runs to town (fingers crossed).
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Poster: A snowHead
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It's all looking fantastic on the webcams! Two weeks today we should be arriving in resort about now, if not already!
Regarding the link to Zermatt from Cervinia (by ski). Where exactly do I look to see if its open? I can see the Zermatt Link status when I go onto the app, but am I right in thinking that means the big pedestrian gondola?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I arrive in Cervinia on Wednesday, so will report on the conditions from Thursday. Looking good on the reports/forecast though, with some nice sunshine
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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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Just doing some lunch musing over the lifts and cervinia pistes (using opensnowmap.org).....why is there such a gap in runs in the middle of the bowl, from Plateu Rosa down in the direction of Cime Bianchi and beyond to Plan Mason? Too many cliffs/lakes?
If not, it seems odd that it's never been developed when the resort's one criticism seems a lack of advance black piste and off piste terrain.
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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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| Owlette wrote: |
It's all looking fantastic on the webcams! Two weeks today we should be arriving in resort about now, if not already!
Regarding the link to Zermatt from Cervinia (by ski). Where exactly do I look to see if its open? I can see the Zermatt Link status when I go onto the app, but am I right in thinking that means the big pedestrian gondola? |
On home page, little bit down click on Zermatt and it list whether links from Cervinia are open: -
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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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| MHskier wrote: |
Just doing some lunch musing over the lifts and cervinia pistes (using opensnowmap.org).....why is there such a gap in runs in the middle of the bowl, from Plateu Rosa down in the direction of Cime Bianchi and beyond to Plan Mason? Too many cliffs/lakes?
If not, it seems odd that it's never been developed when the resort's one criticism seems a lack of advance black piste and off piste terrain. |
I've always assumed the terrain is too dangerous. It is a shame, because it largely splits the resort into two. From lifts, one often sees off piste parties making their way over this area.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Good to see Schwarzsee open today. The red run past Stafelalp to Furi should be operational this weekend.
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| koru wrote: |
| MHskier wrote: |
Just doing some lunch musing over the lifts and cervinia pistes (using opensnowmap.org).....why is there such a gap in runs in the middle of the bowl, from Plateu Rosa down in the direction of Cime Bianchi and beyond to Plan Mason? Too many cliffs/lakes?
If not, it seems odd that it's never been developed when the resort's one criticism seems a lack of advance black piste and off piste terrain. |
I've always assumed the terrain is too dangerous. It is a shame, because it largely splits the resort into two. From lifts, one often sees off piste parties making their way over this area. |
It would be an interesting piste if they did run one from Testa Grigia across to Plan Maison. It is a lovey off piste route at present. However you start off on the glacier with crevasses. So you either need to be with a guide or competent and experienced enough to ski a glacier (I am definitely in the former camp).
You can see from the photo below that making it a piste would have some challenges. The photo is from summer with all non-glacier snow melted. You start from Rifugio Guide del Cervino (this is Testa Grigia) and then head left on the photo. You pretty quickly duck under the rope to take skiers’ right.
The piste would start from the glacier but that is no problem as regards piste making (there are plenty of them). However it then hits those rocky cliff like areas. They are a fun challenge to ski at present but eminently doable for a moderately competent off piste skier. Making them a piste would need a certain amount of blasting and infilling. But if you are familiar with the top section of the run down from Hohtälli on the Swiss side, it would be pretty similar to that. After that it is a nice mellow swoosh down to Plan Maison (there is an existing snow shoe walk that does a similar route).
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| koru wrote: |
| MHskier wrote: |
Just doing some lunch musing over the lifts and cervinia pistes (using opensnowmap.org).....why is there such a gap in runs in the middle of the bowl, from Plateu Rosa down in the direction of Cime Bianchi and beyond to Plan Mason? Too many cliffs/lakes?
If not, it seems odd that it's never been developed when the resort's one criticism seems a lack of advance black piste and off piste terrain. |
I've always assumed the terrain is too dangerous. It is a shame, because it largely splits the resort into two. From lifts, one often sees off piste parties making their way over this area. |
I think they tried!
https://skimap.org/skiareas/view/987#maps-year-1960s
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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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A real downside of watching the charts every day is how much they change. One minute it's dry for the foreseeable future, then I check a few hours later (ie just now) and GFS showing a huge storm from Dec 22nd.
I know you should only really pay attention to forecasts a few days out...but man the emotional rollercoaster is tough when you tune in daily.
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@jamo the rollercoaster feels exactly like the squigglies look.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Yes, I definitely share that unusual addiction. I also (like many) enjoy planning a trip almost more than the trip itself. Humans are weird.
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Home run down from Furi to Zermatt open (not sure when that happened). Very early for that. Nice bit of pressure from those Blatten restaurants paying off I’d guess.
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You know it makes sense.
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Fairly sure that opened today John. The Zermatt Instagram account also confirmed they will be opening the Gornergrat to Gant red, the red to town (Cervo), Stafelalp red and the Grunsee black on Saturday.
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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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Glorious weather in Cervina today, sunny, blue skies, c. -7 degrees but only started to feel cold around 4 when we finished. Great conditions, plenty of snow, and the cannons were going later on
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
| Glorious weather in Cervina today, sunny, blue skies, c. -7 degrees but only started to feel cold around 4 when we finished. Great conditions, plenty of snow |
I'll second that @Montan - we had great conditions yesterday and today, though it was a bone-numbing -13C at the top of Cervinia today. Most runs were very quiet and we had some lovely deserted cruising at times, especially after getting the first lift today.
Back home early tomorrow after a lovely stay in Valtournenche. The run back down to there is in great nick. We even had time for a nice wander round Aosta and its lovely Christmas market too.
I can't comment on Zermatt conditions, as we just stuck with Cervinia. A while since we've been and amazed (especially after skiing in Tignes last week) to find cappuccino for €1.60 on the mountain  (In the quaint Chalet Igloo).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The Italians are very egalitarian like that. Even in the poshest cafe on the hill everyone can at least afford a decent coffee. I think that is great.
Conditions look great
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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 think I watched you ski past on the webcam earlier today!!
Delighted to hear about the coffee costs. We usually ski in Les Arcs, so just have to stomach it.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I’m heading to Cervinia with bro Blanch1962 last week in Jan and thoroughly looking forward to it. Bro is, ahem, rusty, probably last skied 20 years ago but he’s fit and generally up for a challenge. I’ve asked ChatGPT to plan a not too challenging route for us to get over to Findeln so I can give him the treat of his life at Chez Vrony and then back to Italy, but seems they’ve been on the mushrooms, trying to tell me I can take a gondola from Furi to Sunnega. I don’t think this is right but I can’t quite work out the connections myself (I’m sure I’ve done it before but memory  and all that). What’s the most efficient way to get from Furi to Sunnega? Or is there an alternative route completely? Lunch planned for midday. Thanks in advance.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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From the piste map, once you’ve taken the Furi gondola to Riffleberg, you’ll need to get on the Gifthittli chair. Then you can take piste 29, which takes you to piste 26. Off there you can turn left onto black run 25 foot to Eja, or stay on the red 26 to Hublot. From the top of either chair, it’s a blue to Findeln, just longer off Hublot. Guess ai can’t read maps?
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Well that is a bit frustrating. Cuts off the top of the Ventina. Also makes access to Valtournenche tricky for people coming from Swiss side.
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Thx for sharing - just arrived today so am forearmed
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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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Snow conditions are outstanding. We were snowshoe walking yesterday rather than skiing. But that allows you to get a better feel for the snow. Deep and crisp and even as the song goes.
A few days of beautiful weather coming up. Those temperatures will cause a bit of damage but not much to worry about. Then a nice top up at the end of the week. Next week looks like some possible action but too early to pay much attention to yet.
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FAQ
- albeit a good one - after our usual France skiing.