Cervinia - please can I have your thoughts?

We are thinking of going to Cervinia over Easter. If anyone has been there, please could you let me know about your experiences.
What I'd really like to know is -

a) is it right that there are new chair lifts up the mountain? Does this mean that you don't have to use the gondola? I've heard stories that there are over 160 steps upto the gondola station - and steps in ski boots are a real pain !!

b) what's it like for beginners? We are a mixed ability group, but I want to be sure there are some wide blues for my wife who is a beginner (still !!)

c) What facilities are there in the village - shops, cafes etc.

d) What are the runs back to the village like? Are they blue? red?

e) Hotels we are potentially looking at are the Excelsior Planet and the Europa. Any info on these would be appreciated.


... and any other useful info , please !!


Thanks a lot !! ... and if anyone wants any info on La Thuile, just let me know !!

Cheers

Tony

This will give you and idea of the pistes 8)

http://skisnowboardeurope.com/cervinia/map01.html

Get yourself a copy of Where to Ski and Snowboard -invaluable info like that is readily available in it.

Cervinia looks a good place for intermediates who like to cruise around. I look at going to it every year, and then end up booking somewhere else with more appeal for me.

If I go to Italy again, which I hope to, it is likely to be the Dolomites.

WTSS says Cervinia is a hotch potch of a place in resort, but it has excellent nursery slopes as well as the easy cruisers. And it does confirm there is a steep climb up many steps to the gondola.
However, its in the sun a lot, and if conditions are good with good snow coverage, I would imagine its a pleasant place to ski, especially over to Zermatt. However, its prone to wind and they tend to close many lifts when its like that.
It also reports that most reds should be blues as its lovely easy cruising.

I'd get a copy ofthe guide as it is very details on many resorts, including Cervinia. Enjoy.

TonyJohnson wrote:Thanks a lot !! ... and if anyone wants any info on La Thuile, just let me know !!

Cheers

Tony

very decent :thumbup:

I have been to Cervinia, it's many years ago now. My memories are of wide gentle pistes, not that crowded except at 9.15am! Lots of hotels in a pedestrianised main street, where folks doing La Passeggiata is quite important. Plenty of bling on display.

I remember good mountain eateries. I visited the Rifugio from Zermatt back in November, and it's accessible on foot or on skis from Cervinia by using the cable car to Plateau Rosa, then walking about 100 metres.

From memory both of the hotels you mention are quite smart.

Hi Tony

I went to Cervinia two years ago and have to say that it is the place where I fell in love with skiing and have never looked back.

In answer to your questions:

a) is it right that there are new chair lifts up the mountain?
There are chair lifts up the mountain from the bottom of the resort however they do not take you directly to Plan Maison which is the main area where the gondola goes into and where ski school meets. Yes there are steps up to the gondola unless you are staying next door to it (which we did however that meant we had to walk up and down the steps at night if we wanted to go drinking in the town) Yes the steps are a pain however they wouldn't put me off from going back to the resort.

b) what's it like for beginners?
I was an absolute beginner when we went to the resort and I didn't have any difficulties and was more than happy skiing the blues that run down to Plan Maison and by the end of the week was skiing down the reds from Plateau Rosa. The pistes were all quite wide and not too busy so as to put you off.

c) What facilities are there in the village - shops, cafes etc.
Its quite a busy resort with a few shops and its fair share of cafes and bars.

d) What are the runs back to the village like? Are they blue? red?
The runs back to the village are mainly red and the one blue that does go down is quite steep in places and personally I would classify it more as a red in parts. It is however more than standard practice to get the gondola back down at the end of the day (just in case your wife isn't too confident)

If you want anymore info just give me a shout.

I can confirm what Brimster has posted.

I'm pretty sure that there are not 160 steps up to the Gondola, but there are quite a few.

I believe in the last couple of years they have replaced the button lift at Cretaz with a covered chair lift. If you take that and then chair lift Rocce Bianche, should be able to ski down to main area of Plain Maison.

It is a cracking resort for beginners, and also gives more experienced the chance for some great skiing.

Full of long cruisy runs. Many of the reds would be blues anywhere else.

Lots of the ski lessons/beginners slopes are at Cretaz, at top end of town.

Cervinia currently has more snow than pretty much anywhere else in Europe, and because of it's altitude, it'll keep for a long time.

Can get cold because of strong winds at times, so wrap up

I would agree with all that has been said. I've been to Cervinia a couple of times in the last few years (was going to go again this year but couldn't get the accommodation - that's another story).

The steps up to the gondola are no big deal, especially as you tend to tackle them only once a day. There are runs down to the resort but they are sometimes closed (both times we were there) so you tend to go up beyond Plan Maison for most of the time and take the gondola down in the afternoon. I don't suppose that will be the case this year though with all the excellent snow...

We found it cold and icy on the Italian side so tended to ski up and over to the Swiss side (Zermatt) but that would depend on the prevailing winds and I don't suppose ice will be a problem this year. The tip here though is to aim to come back to Italy for lunch and vin brulé (much cheaper) and, whatever you do, don't get stuck in Zermatt when the lifts close. It's a 5-6 hour taxi ride back to Cervinia!

Almost forgot. The first time we went there were two beginners in our party. Both booked lessons at Plan Maison, one loved it and one hated it. The latter eventually found the nursery slopes down in the town with the conveyor lifts and had a reasonable time down there on his own but has never been skiing since. The other guy is now a regular with our group and will be joining us for the 4th time this year. I think a lot of it was to do with how well they tolerated the biting winds. As has been mentioned, wrap up warm. It's about the only resort I have really needed a face mask and even then I had frozen sinuses on a few occasions.

Have fun.