Cervino - Sci Estivo, Valle d'Aosta, Italy

4Martin F 5:00 PM May 17, 2014

Must be good 'cos we've been several times now!
I've been skiing here ever since I first went as a puppy more than 30 years ago and in that time I've watched it change, though not perhaps as much as you might expect, and not for the worse either. Gone is the ricketty old wooden box that trundled up sagging cables to drop you on a narrow ledge from where you could throw yourself down one of the few black runs in the resort - replaced now with a modern set of fast chair lifts - and it's sadly missed because it really was a great experience shuffling down the narrow corridor which hung off the icey rock wall to the doorway where you had to literally drop three feet vertically onto the narrow start of the run. But the new lift system that has replaced it is undeniably fast, tres chic and bang up to date, like most of the system in fact. The long run from the top of the Cervinia system past the village and then deeper down the valley into Valtournenche is still the best run I have ever done anywhere in Europe though there have been occasions in the past when the bottom of this part of the system was either sheet ice or bare. It appears now though that this is firmly a thing of the past because there are artificial snow cannons dotted around the mountain. But with Cervinia's impressive altitude and snow record they would appear to be very under-worked. If you are a black run mogul merchant looking for challenging skiing then forget Cervinia, it's simply not for you. But if like me you appreciate easy skiing and wide open pistes with so much room you seldom fall fall of queues or bottlenecks then this resort is super. It can be extremely cold and windy however as there is very little in the way of tree cover until you drop lower than the village onto the Valtournenche side so keep that in mind. And if you are planning to make the trip around the Matterhorn across into Zermatt expect service with a scowl at inflated prices delivered by super surly Swiss... I'd think twice before buying the all week-all area pass that gives you access to Zermatt every day and just try it once in your week.

4James G 5:00 PM Feb 1, 2016

Great runs for all levels
Skied over from Zermatt. Great long run to start the day. there is lots of snowmaking to keep runs in good condition. We skied on two days although the unseasonal warm weather at the end of January softened the slopes enough to allow one or two rocks to emerge. Good choice of restaurants on mountain and not very busy for us on a weekday with no real lines. Apparently best to avoid in February and at weekend.