 Poster: A snowHead
|
Already thinking about where to go next year!!!
Two friends (who have never skied or snowboarded before) have said they would like to try skiing. We had already been thinking of going to Cervinia - would this be good for beginners?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
It was my first time skiing when we went there last year and I loved it. There are gentle slopes to learn on at Plan Maison and then the instructors took us up higher fairly early on to some of the long blues. The intermediates/advanced in my group found plenty to keep themselves occupied too.
The only criticism I have and the thing I would try and do differently if I was to go again would be to make sure I got an instructor with good English. Ours was very good, but his English was very poor, and the lesson I had on the last day with an English speaker was much, much better.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
jonm, out of interest who did you use on the last day?
We're off there next month and although I'm a boarder I keep meaning to learn to ski so I can investigate touring in Scotland. I just have this recurring nightmare the day I learn to ski will have the best powder f my life to board in 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
JB friends of mine from Bathgate went there for the first week of Jan and enjoyed it, when it was open, they had mixed weather that week so a couple of days they were ferried to other resorts that had open lifts.. He has about 3 weeks skiing under his belt for her it was the first time, they are heading to Saas Fee at the end of this month so we will see how they compare it when I meet up with them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
jb1970, Cervinia is, in IMHO, possibly one of the best resorts in the Alps for beginners. Good snow record, lots of predictable gentle wide pistes, plenty of blue and easy red options to progress to, friendly instruction. It's not the prettiest village in the Alps even though it's under the stunning Matterhorn, but it's nowhere near as bad as many of the French resorts. All I would say is that you may want to seriously consider arranging the trip independently rather than through a tour operator. For some reason, which is a mystery to me, the packages cost a small fortune for the quality of hotel and the food on the Half Board opion, and cost significantly more than other nearby italian resorts.
Try a flight to Milan or Turin, hiring a car, and booking a hotel or B&B independently through the tourist office and you could well find yourself saving 30-50% off a package price. I can recommend a lovely B&B on the main drag called Le Perroquet (think thats the correct spelling) and there are lots of reasonably priced pizzerias and good retaurants to go to at night. There's a couple of reasonably lively apres ski bars to go to although it's by no means a wild night out compares to, say, many Austrian resorts.
The thing to be awareof is that most of the runs are above the tree line as the resort is so high (the village is at 2000m which is as high as the top of the skiing mountain in many parts of Eastern Austria!) so the lifts can be prone to closure in high winds, and the upper runs are sometimes closed due to avalanche danger after a decent snow fall (not likely to happen this year, but next year who knows!!!!)
I'd highly recommend the resort for beginner and early intermediate skiers & boarders
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
prog99, his first name was Neil, can't remember his surname though I'm afraid. He was mid-forties I'd guess, and from the Breuil Cervinia Ski School, i.e. here: http://www.scuoladiscibreuil.com/index_e.asp and on that pic I think he's 4th from right at the back, not that you can see much!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Excellent choice for beginner skiers but not for boarders. Although I do not board, a guy boarding with us had to run a lot as the slopes had some serious flat bits on most slopes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Only caveat is the steps up to the cable car. Chose your hotel wisely, either: (a) one that is next to or above the station (b) one that runs to there in a shuttle bus or (c) if you don't care about carrying your skis up a few slippery steps pick any.
|
|
|
|
|
|
brian
brian
Guest
|
|
prog99, if you haven't seen it already do a search on youtube for "backcountryboarder" and check out Addicted to Snow. Brilliant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
skanky, agreed. A murderous climb in ski boots first thing in the morning, and hellishly dangerous when icy, as each step is on a slight slope. I think the Astoria is the hotel right next to the lifts?
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
brian, I've met him on his last day of shooting in the Aonach Mor car park.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Roy Hockley, have found my abilit on flat bits has greatly improved this year. Mostly by improved ability, watching ahead for flat sections and better waxing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| SnowGod wrote: |
jb1970, All I would say is that you may want to seriously consider arranging the trip independently rather than through a tour operator. For some reason, which is a mystery to me, the packages cost a small fortune for the quality of hotel and the food on the Half Board opion, and cost significantly more than other nearby italian resorts.
|
Hmm, our half board in cervinia (10th march) has turned out cheaper than our self catering in val thorens a few weeks ago. If the hotel catering turns out disasterous then we'll eat out and the tour operator will hear all about it later.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
prog99, Sorry... to rephrase.... Cervinia TO packages can be very expensive FOR ITALY.... France, particularly the "mega resorts", is a total rip of in all departments, full stop. How can the robbing gits justify charging £3000 for half term week in a 2 bed rabbit hutch they claim "sleeps 6" but actually sleeps 2 comfortably! It's located on the 7th floor of some system built monstrosity resembling a high rise block of flats. You then have to queue 2 hours to get onto a ski lift.... once, that is, you've managed to stumble down 12 flights of stairs in ski boots cos your apartment building lift is knackered  Lunchtime sees you remortgaging your home for a shite bowl of soup and a beer and having to use a toilet straight out of victorian London, and then after slaloming between snakes of french school kids all day, you walk into this soulless purpose built town with tumbleweed blowing about...... OK, so there are some sweeping generalisations there, and some tongue in cheek comments... You may have gathered that I hate skiing in France with an absolute burning passion... each to their own though, and the more people who go to France means less in Austria and Switzerland so it suits me just fine.... I know I'm missing out on some great mountains, but I begrudge giving them my hard earned money!
Back to tpic.... We had disastorous half board in Cervinia at Hotel Grivola a few years ago, although I understand it's been totally refurbed now and things are much better. TO didn't want to know about it no matter how much complaining to the rep.... Letters afetrwards got us a miserly £50 per person vouchers to use that TO the following season.... I've never used a TO since and never would again unless, perhaps, I ventured to Canada or USA but even thats debatable. It's so easy to travel independently nowaday why give some greedy TO loads of cash to do what you can do yourself for free. I reckon what I save on not booking packages gets me an extra week a year skiing in.. gotta be worth it.
I appreciate the comments about the flat bits for boarders in Cervinia but if you get some speed up you can get over them, and they're mainly on the run ins to the mid station.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
SnowGod, thanks. The main thing is I will be at a ski resort and not at work
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
