Cervinia, Italy, April 20, 2018

ChrisC

Well-known member
I wanted to spend an entire day in Italy and see what Cervinia is all about.

Since it faces south and west - the expectation was pure Spring skiing. Look for corn - groomers and off piste. Eat Well. Find a great European Sundeck.

Some notes:
The off-piste terrain near the border with Zermatt is steep and straight forward. However, lower down Cervinia is a maze of lakes, creeks, steep walls and flats. Hard to decipher. So I dipped in sparingly.

Overall, Cervinia skews heavily intermediate and beginner. A couple of advanced off piste areas. However, it's a beautiful setting. I think the Matterhorn is less stunning over in Italy. Restaurants are cheaper.

So a day of Zermatt's glaciers and Italy's cruisers.
Cervinia 1.jpg
 
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ChrisC has Cervinia sized up quite well. Primary exposure is west, but the black circled "Good" sector is mostly north facing. That yellow sector is heavily sun exposed and goes to a lower base, so no surprise it was closed mid-April.

ChrisC":3llxs5t4 said:
lower down Cervinia is a maze of lakes, creeks, steep walls and flats.
I kept my eyes open riding lifts on Jan. 27. So late in the day I figured out a long but mostly mellow powder run all the way down the central ravine past the Lago Goillet dam. That's probably not a recommended route in early or late season. The bailout from Plateau Rosa to Plan Maison is long and flat, though well worth it after skiing Cervinia's best terrain.

ChrisC":3llxs5t4 said:
Restaurants are cheaper.
You must have missed Chalet Etoile, not cheap but reputedly world's finest on-mountain restaurant. Liz and I have no reason to dispute that claim after two lunches there.
 
Here are some photos of Cervinia. Very beautiful area. Yes - Tony - I was eating well. I would ski to about 2/230 - and just sundeck it .

I appreciate your recommendations.
 

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I am going to confess - my lunch budgets were out of control. I allowed myself to do this - my idea - an American ski lift ticket is $150 - so a cheaper $50-90 ski pass - allows me to go big on lunch.

My lunch became my dinner. The sunsets were already 9/10pm.

I am one that does not love the sweetness of American breakfasts - so I really start to eat in Europe. I love Euro breakfast. Cheese, meat, eggs, bread, muesli, yogurt.

Yes Tony - I was eating reindeer ravioli, salad and some wine .... my bill for $50-60...was cheaper than the destruction in Zermatt - Chez Vrony / Findlerhof.

Everyone can make fun of me now - I never do this. But Zermatt is known for great food.
 
We hit Chez Vrony in Findeln too, probably the most famous Zermatt on mountain restaurant, and also Zum See in Furi. But Chalet Etoile is #1 in our book. I took 1.5 hours out of two powder days in 2014 and 2018 to eat there!
 
jamesdeluxe":3n1o2foe said:
Even without having eaten there, Chalet Etoile appears to be a winner just from a visual standpoint.
In April I'm sure lunch on that deck was delightful. We ate inside as it was still a bit cool on those powder days.

Gandegghutte on the Zermatt side is at 10,000 feet with the Swiss view of the Matterhorn in one direction and the Gorner Glacier in the other. That's where we were going to lunch on Feb. 12, 2014 if the Italian border had not opened.

Cervinia's town snowpack was the most impressive we saw this season. There was enough left in Val d'Isere in April that I suspect it was similar mid-season.
 
jamesdeluxe":w0k835qb said:
Even without having eaten there, Chalet Etoile appears to be a winner just from a visual standpoint.

Thanks!

But you are the one who knows how to ski Europe.!! So many mountains.

I see all of these trail maps on Google Maps. Me? I’m boring - just try to ski the 10 that everyone has heard about.

There’s a lot more.

I was a bit annoyed that my brother chose every mountain that I have been too. I would have stayed another day or two - in early Feb - to ski Verbier. But I love Boston - and wanted the Patriots to beat the Eagles. Brady is maybe at 50%?!

Anyways, the snow year in Europe was so great- why complain. And so many Euro mountains closed on n April 15th - even Saas Fee.
 
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