 Poster: A snowHead
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My partner has just discovered the joy that the white stuff can bring. She can now link parallels on gentle slopes after many trips to the Snowdome and a week in Saalbach during January.
I've read that Cervinia is great for confidence building, but the piste map is nearly all reds. That may scare her!
Would you recommend the resort to us or not? Hoping for a week in late March (21st).
You're views would be really welcome.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Cervinia is full of big, flat, wide motorway pistes. Excellent for confidence building & if you stay away from the central "busy" areas then you are likely to get the whole piste to yourself.
There were a lot of red marked pistes, but they really weren't that difficult
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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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Thanks Lucie. I'm waiting for Crystal to discount the Hotel Petit Palais for that week. They've still got 6 rooms left, and have discounted the week earlier by £200 per person. I recall the old threads said that a reasonable intermediate could ski back to there.
Any views on the hotel?
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I do recall talking to a couple who were staying there saying it wasn't worth what they'd paid for it, they weren't impressed. BUT, if you can get it discounted by £200 then it might be a reasonably priced holiday. I don't know how fussy they were, or what had happened to give them a bad experience. Personally I would stay nearer town, near the Cretaz drag lifts. That way you have lifts close by & it's not a long walk into town. The Europa & Excelsior Planet were the nearest off the top of my head. Sertorelli Sporthotel is a long walk anywhere
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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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The place was a bit run down for a 4 star hotel, but has been refurbished over last Summer. I'm interested to hear that it is not near the lifts - that's the opposite of the Crystal brochure.
I'll check your other recommendations out when I grab a brochure tonight.
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Sorry, didn't explain myself very well there, it is close to a lift - the Plan Maison cable car, it's just a fair old walk if you want to go into town of an evening for a beer/wander (and uphill on the way home I believe). The others are close to both lifts & town, so it's not so far to walk. We used to walk up to the Cretaz drag lift, go up there & ski down to the cable car station.
We stayed at the Serenella, which is in the Crystal book too - very cheap & only a couple of minutes walk to the lift. A couple staying in our hotel wouldn't use the Cretaz lift & used to get a taxi to the cable car station every morning!
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Why not stay in the Baita Cretaz? Stayed there last March - 200 yards up the piste and just a short ski down to the Cretaz drags - you'll never have to walk anywhere! Most rooms are pretty small and basic, but that's more than made up for by the food - fantastic dinners, and if you've paid half board they'll even let you trade a dinner for a lunch if you fancy eating out one night. Only drawback is that as it is definitely more of a 'baita' than a hotel the bar shuts fairly early, and the skidoo service down the hill into town and back finishes about midnight - although there is nothing quite as sobering as a 3.00am 200 yard uphill walk in the snow!
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I love the Baita Cretaz, it was our end of day drinking hole & we went up there for a meal one evening. I've never seen it in any brochures, so I guess it's a DIY job. They do have a website though
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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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Cervinia is one of the best places I have ever been to for easy late season cruising, and I wouldn't worry about Italian reds - virtually all the runs would be blue in France or Switzerland!
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That's the problem with Cervinia - let's face it the skiing's pretty boring - but it's easily rectified by getting the full international ski pass. It's actually quite surprising how quickly it's possible to get to the far side of Zermatt, and I think they've put a new linking lift in since I last went.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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How late can you go to Cervinia? - I'm interested in going somewhere 1st two weeks in April. Am thinking about Canada - but would be interested in Cervinia as the other half has only started and the idea of big cruising runs sounds good.
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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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I'm off to Cervinia on Sunday, staying at des guides. Can't wait, just hoping the conditions improve a bit. But going to have fun anyways.
p.s. The Mac is Back 
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The_Mac_Daddy, Have a great time. Remember where we all are when you get back.
A low-down on the resort would be handy 
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You know it makes sense.
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Adam Holt,
Skied Cervinia mid April last year. SCGB website recorded it as best conditions in europe at that time (I of course felt very smug!). I has a pretty good late season record - but all depends on luck though. We enjoyed crossing to Zermatt - but beware afternoon queues. Weather at the mo seems a bit funny - massive falls then thaws - currently Cervinia is showing lower slopes icy - whereas French resorts look pretty good - but so much can change so quickly...
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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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Can anyone offer any hints or tips, for best place to hire skis, places to eat out and best runs to ski etc? I'd be very grateful
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Poster: A snowHead
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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_Mac_Daddy wrote: |
| Can anyone offer any hints or tips, for best place to hire skis, places to eat out and best runs to ski etc? I'd be very grateful |
The Baita Cretaz is IMO the nicest restaurant. It is on blue run No. 5 which drops back to the town, so it is the perfect place for a beer on the slopes before you stop skiing for the day.
The only other places I can remember are the Copa Pan & Lino's bar, which is attached to the ice rink.
We hired skis through the rep in a real dodgy looking underground garage, but the skis were brilliant & they let us swop a day for (brand spanking new still wrapped in plastic) snow blades at no extra charge.
Avoid any run which takes you back to the Plan Maison area at lunch time. it is chaos. Go over to the Valtourneche side (right as you look at the piste map), it was always almost deserted.
Do go over to Zermatt, if only to go up to the Klein Matterhorn & go into the ice cave
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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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Cheers Lucie, thanks for the info, do you know if there are many cashpoints there, or do i need to take loads of cash?
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There are cashpoints on the high street, up towards the 'Copa Pan' bar (I think that's what it's called) - we never had problems getting cash out. Keep an eye on your belongings though - our group had a jacket stolen and another person's wallet stolen (plus credit card used) on the same night, in 'Copa Pan' as it happens.
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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 off in less than 2 days now, and it seems to be snowing nicely at the mo, can anyone tell me roughly how long the transfer is (from Turin i think)?
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By car it took a little short of two hours, including a wrong turn at the exit from the airport.
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nice one Cedric. Sounds better than the 5 hour transfer from Tolouse to Andorra i endured last year
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| Cedric wrote: |
| By car it took a little short of two hours, including a wrong turn at the exit from the airport. |
I thought that was compulsory on all foreign holidays 
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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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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Well i'm back had a great time, excellent skiing for someone of my level (low intermediate) the conditions were near perfect. Lots of nice easy reds, great for practicing technique and building confidence.
Now i'm looking for a cheapie last minute in late march!
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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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The-Mac-Daddy: good to hear you had a great time. I was in Cervinia Xmas/New Year 1988 and had a super time despite some horrendous life queues. These were especially bad first thing in the morning getting out of town, and then awful queues would build up on all lifts out of Plain Maison. I understand the lift system has improved? How were the lifts for you?
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Just spotted this thread, and apologies for being late, but for anyone else who may be going:
We went at half-term last year, and the only real queues were at the base station and the first two chairs from plain Maison.
Run 7 Ventina(sp?) is one of the greatest "cruising" runs ever. That's cruising in the skiing sense, of course The only problem with it is it takes you down to the town so you shouldn't do it when there are queues at the bottom.
The far left of the skiing area (as you look up) has some fun bits that run between some house-sized boulders and is normally the emptiest part of the mountain (though the lifts aren't always open). If you go at the right time of year, you can sit up the top of that bit, at the end of the day, and watch an amazing view of the sun going down, and still beat the last ski patrol down.
Take your passport when you go to Zermatt, we got stopped and searched at the border, once. Beware it acn take a lot of time to get back if the queues are long. There are two routes though, one via the Breiterhorn(I think that's what it's called) and one up a succession of t-bars. If you go up the Breiterhorn, be careful about altitude sickness, I saw two people succumb to it up there.reasonably remote.
Also, if there are any boarders in your party, if you go over to Zermatt, then down the left, under the Matterhorn/Mont Cervinia, you will likely end up on a long traverse through the trees - I think there's a way round it, but we didn't find that. It's worth it if you're all skiers though as it was very quiet and
If the snow's good, the run down to Valtournenche is definitely worth it. It's not difficult, but at 22km, good for the crack.
In town, we spent most of our time in the Yeti bar. Probably not the best, but we tend to put down roots like that whenever we go somewhere. It was quite good, and the bar staff were very friendly after about the second or third visit (that's not to say they were unfriendly before).
There's a great restaurant, can't remember its name, just off one of the reds that runs back to teh lower nursery area. You pass it on a drag on one side, and ski down the other. It's fine enough during the day and gets some good sun, but in the evening they have a great cellar and very good food. You need to drive or get a cat up in the evenings, but worth it.
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You know it makes sense.
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When we went last week of feb, it was quite busy as this is italian half term. However we soon figured out how to beat the lift queues, basically ski school usually starts at 10:00am at plan maison, so it pays to be a lazy git like me and get to the cretaz 2 drag lift at about 10:15, ski down red 3 to the bubble lift and up to plan maison hence missing all the ski school traffic
We got this wrong on the first day, bit too keen i guess and hit every queue, with all the normal european standing on each others skis, pushing and shoving and a bit of tactical pole planting (to stop people pushing past), it was great fun, bit like a rugby scrum. But the missus didn't like it much, women eh
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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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It is possible to work your way up the left-hand side, I seem to recall (pretty sure we did it once or twice). It involves a little walking between a couple fo lifts, and it may not be much or any faster than the main lifts, but you're moving and outside, which beats queueing in a big, concrete building.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Yeah, but the missus doen't like drag lifts, they hurt her calf muscles apparently?
Anyways, appart from the first day we didn't really get stuck in any queues, it's all in the timing you see
Summary: Cervinia has excellent skiing for lower intermediates like myself, the hotel we stayed at was very basic, but it was a cheap last minute deal. Not much to do in the evenings apart from eat and get drunk, but at 5 euros for naff beer (heinecan etc) and 7.50 euros for a spirit plus mixer it can get a bit pricey. Think i'd definately go back there for the skiing but would go for a better hotel possibly.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Get to know the bar staff...especially the females in your group. Spirits aren't measured in Italy. If the barmen likes you...the measures can be *big*.
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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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Peter B
I went last year and am going out again on 21 March. The reds are like very easy French Blues and the Greens are practically flat. The pistes a lovely and wide and the snow record is great. It can get pretty cold and windy at the top though - if you are not that confident a skier, stay lower down or ski Valtournache. One of the nicest bars there is called the Copa Pan - everyone knows it.
Skanky - totally agree, Run 7 is great and you can really mota down it. Anyone that has skied for more than a week would be happy on it as it's so wide and you can get big turns in if you have to.
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