 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
There is plenty of skiing both above and below the tree line and the scope would not disgrace a much bigger resort. Piste maintenance is excellent. The lift company do a particularly good job, combing the pistes and making snow when necessary. The link to Artesina has revolutionized the appeal of the area and the ski pass is very good value. On the Artesina side, the skiing is more challenging whereas Prato Nevoso is easier for beginners and early intermediates.
It is fairly quiet ski village, there are shops, bars and restaurants located opposite the slopes. They also hve a big snowboard area and top competitions are held there:) and the hire shop is also snowboard museum.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| angel_ski wrote: |
| and the hire shop is also snowboard museum. |
Does that mean they have very old hire equipment?
This resort may become better known now that Ryanair fly to Cuneo.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
"Prato Nevoso" - plenty of them around.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
pam w, Not being an expert in Italian I checked Google Translate, it says Prato Nevoso means snowy lawn , but how are plenty of them around at this time of year? Is there another meaning Google Translate has missed?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Peter Ross, no, nothing to do with Italian, just thought it sounded like nervous prat!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Went to Prato Nevoso in March this year. Stayed in Hotel Mondole with Equity/Rocket Ski. (Their rep was absolutely useless unfortunately) Hotel is typically chaotic Italian family friendly fun and handy for the blue run right outside. If your son is a good skier he may find it rather limited. Prato links well with Artesina but once you have done the trip a couple of times that really is it! Great resort however, great views and friendly locals etc. However, on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings there is floodlit night ski-ing and boarding on the red and blue in the village and that really added to the holiday. Less than two hours from Turin so easy transfer. Good for beginners/novices. Inexpensive bars, cafes etc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
janet.woodzz@btinternet.c, My son is a boarder as i am, he is good and will enjoy the ski park. Whats the night life like as he is 19 and will be bored sat in the hotel reading a book. do they have takeaways... pizza etc?.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We went there with our daughter and son-in-law who are late twenties and so none of us was looking for late night clubbing etc. However The Sporting Bar was great and very welcoming. We drank in there (as eating in the hotel) but they kept giving us platefuls of food with our drinks - olives, crisps, bits of pizza etc. and also served really good food for main meals such as pizzas, antipasti, etc. so thoroughly recommend this place. Also recommend the gelataria a few doors down for drinks, ice creams and main meals. Can't think of anywhere either in the village or on the slopes really that wasn't friendly - although one of the women serving in the cafe at the top of the main chair lift found smiling difficult..... The floodlit evenings were great fun and the boarders were having great fun in the snowpark. I think the runs were open from about 7.30 until 10.30. The board park has all sorts of jumps, rails etc. and whilst we were there they had a car on the slope that you could jump over!!! The Hotel Mondole has a swimming pool and is very handy for the slopes. Some of the hotels are higher up the slope so far less convenient for walking to and from the main village at night. Anything else that might be useful to know?
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
janet.woodzz@btinternet.c, Thomsonski are only offering Stalle Lunghe Apartments for the time i would like to go, on there site its says its a ski in and out and opposite a supermarket. Does it ring any bells with you? do you remember it ? did you use the supermarket, is that any good? you say some of the hotels etc are up the slope are the apartments one of these?
by the way your comments have been very helpful so far and welcome to the site i see you have only posted on my topic.
Andrew 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
As far as I can remember, these apartments are in a good position near the bottom of the main red run into the village chair lift and you schuss off the red almost at the bottom of the run and into the apartments (well not literally of course!) I think Crystal stay here as well. Equity/Rocket Ski stay at the Mondole or the Galassia. The Galassia is much further up the hill than the Mondole and fine for getting onto the blue run but a pain for walking into and back from the main village bars etc. I didn't actually go into the supermarket but my son-in-law did and said it had everything you could need. I know he went down to a bar near the apartments one night to watch football!! We went in early March and had a heatwave for the first two days and watched the snow gradually shrinking! Then we had a huge dump of snow which meant fantastic conditions for the rest of the week! We had a great holiday and thoroughly enjoyed the skiing - we were three experienced skiers plus one third week skier and it was great for him as he could ski virtually all the runs in Prato or Artesina by the end of the week which was good for his confidence. We can't remember a queue anywhere and it was a really friendly place - particularly over in Artesina. If you see a pink rabbit on the slopes of Artesina (which we did) you haven't overdone the local brew, it is the logo of Artesina and someone skis around the slopes dressed as an enormous pink bunny!!! Very friend couple run a coffee stop in Artesina and we found a restaurant with a self-serve lunch at very reasonable prices. As you can tell, we thoroughly enjoyed the holiday - despite the appalling uselessness of our holiday rep - and would probably go back if we spotted a bargain. However, it is not in any way going to set the world alight re nightlife say as in St. Anton! The ski area is enjoyable but fairly limited. The three evenings of floodlit skiing is a definite plus. There is no other resort near enough to bus to as far as I know to extend the ski opportunities. Anyway, hope this gives an accurate picture! By the way it isn't my first foray into Snowheads but I couldn't remember my login details for my old e-mail address so just re-registered! (must be my age.....)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
janet.woodzz@btinternet.c, well welcome back then. What a fantastically useful return post.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
janet.woodzz@btinternet.c, thanks for all your help, not many others have made positive feedback towards the resort but you have been very helpful thank you. andrew
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
Glad to help! So will you actually go to Prato? We book last minute these days to follow the snow and the bargains! Bit of a gamble but it seems to work.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
andybabes, It's easy to be intimidated by all the techno-babble but most of us are "only an intermediate on the slopes"....
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Just stumbled upon this thread.
When I first logged onto Snowheads this afternoon it was to gather info on a possible trip to Tignes. Now I want to go to Prato Nevoso!
I have to say I've always prefered smaller sized resorts - and as I've never been to Italy, this sounds perfect.
I wonder what it would be like for a little Christmas get-away ???
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
abj, me too! Sounds like my kinda place. Can anyone give me a comparison between Prato Nevoso and Passo Tonale ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Clive, I don't know Prato Nevoso but HAVE been to Passo Tonale, so perhaps draw a comparison with janet.woodzz@btinternet.c, 's description? Passo is a one road town with hotels, shops, and a couple of bars, restaurants etc. The skiing is pretty convenient regardless of which end of the road you are (as long as you are in PT proper...) and has ski shops, hire places, ski school etc at the foot of the slopes. It's not a party town! The slopes themselves tend to be wide, cruisy runs, with a decent tough-ish red down to the base. There is also a ski area on the other side of the road which we didn't venture to as the conditions over there weren't too great, but I believe it's usually worth a go. There is now also a connection to another much smaller area, the name of which escapes me, sorry, but gives you a decent morning or afternoon's skiing. Lift queues were non-existent when we were there (1st week of Feb) and my friend had some private lessons which she enjoyed and got results from - the instructor was the daughter of the owners of our hotel (Ordichea, which we can recommend and is at the 'far' end of the road from the slopes, but still only about a 5 minute walk. There are buses to Madonna too - pretty sure you can sort them out yourself rather than the inflated prices via the TO rep (if on a package). Hope this helps
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
janet.woodzz@btinternet.c, have you ever been to la rosiere or la thuile just wondered if there was a comparison.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sorry, nearly went a couple of years ago but went to Pila in the Aosta Valley instead for some reason! Have you thought about Serre Chevalier? Been there three times and would still go back!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
janet.woodzz@btinternet.c, funny enough i looked at it this morning on crystals site, they have some catered chalets that look quite good and just doing a bit of research into the place now, from what i can see its built up of several small villages instead of one big resort. If you have time to respond any info would be welcome on ski areas , accomodation , nightlife , hire shops etc
andrew 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
We have stayed once in Chantmerle over a Christmas when the children were in late teens in Hotel Plein Sud which was fairly upmarket with pool, etc. and twice in Hotel Sporting in Villeneuve with Skitopia in Feb/March- a real cheapo deal in a somewhat run down hotel but tremendous value. Wherever you stay, there is a good bus service which runs regularly from Briancon to Monetier and back along the main road - I think it is free with the lift pass. There are also other local village buses and Villeneuve has a mini train which does a continuous loop around just Villeneuve and happened to pick up outside the Sporting which was handy. That was free with ski pass. We wouldn't choose to stay in Briancon, and preferred Chantmerle to Villeneuve as slightly more shops, etc. Monetier is a bit quiet but the skiing is superb. Take a look at Ski Miquel as they stay there - had our first holiday with this company last year to Alpe d'Huez and seemed a good ski company to go with. All four ski areas are well linked. I don't think you'll have a problem with the budget with Serre Che either in terms of finding a deal or eating/drinking whilst there. Some of the chairs could do with upgrading I seem to remember and one of the gondolas (I think it was the Aravet) actually broke down several times last time we were there! Good mountain cafes/restaurants but nothing over fancy. I think our kids went to one or two nightclubs with the ski reps in Chantmerle but don't think it was particularly lively or noisy as a resort. Lots of places to eat/drink though. In Villeneuve the Frog bar was good for food/drink/English football etc. Some really nice smaller eating/drinking places on the other side of the main road to the main village and slopes. Both these villages had an ice rink.
Variety of ski hire shops. In Chantmerle we used one close to main gondola which stored our gear overnight to save carrying it back to hotel. There is an underpass though so you don't have to cross the main road if staying on the other side.
If you fly into Turin it is about two hours transfer I think and you travel in via Montgenevre - the road from Montg thru to Serre Che is very windy just in case you are prone to travel sickness! Transfer from Chambery is longer by at least an hour. Hope all this helps!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
janet.woodzz@btinternet.c, I've spent 5 weeks in that area and I have never encountered particularly strong winds ever. The area isnt renowned for strong winds.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Christopher, i think she meant the roads are very bendy not windy
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
andybabes, my mistake. 
Yes I would agree with that comment then.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
