General Information

Cervinia is a high-altitude glacier resort with the best snow record in the Italian Alps. Cervinia is also above the tree line, which means that in a whiteout there is little to offer contrast, and you're at the mercy of the fluorescent poles to find your way down. This could be a special problem for beginners.

Altitude sickness is not a general problem, but this is high-altitude skiing. Take all the precautions. Drink a lot of water, be careful of the sun, eat well, and if you're prone to altitude sickness, pace yourself going up the mountain.

There are more than 42 trails linking over 200 kilometers/124 miles of south-facing piste in Cervinia. Most of the trails are above the tree line, and the higher slopes offer the most challenging runs. In particular, the Plateau Rosa area, at 3,400 meters/11,182 feet, is host to fantastic views and the link to Zermatt, Switzerland. With over half of the trails marked red for intermediates, Cervinia makes for good cruising grounds. The pistes are long, wide, and open, but crowded on weekends. There are also many convenient restaurants and stops along the way. Watch for high winds on the upper slopes. And if you ski to Zermatt for the day, check the time of the last tram back, or prepare yourself for a long and pricey taxi ride. Although there are 200 kilometers/124 miles of piste, the runs themselves are not very challenging. Some of the blacks are even undermarked and should technically be reds. An expert will be happier in lift-linked Zermatt, just over the Matterhorn. But for the intermediate, Cervinia offers some great cruising grounds. There is also summer skiing on the Plateau Rosa and a boardpark from mid-June to mid-September. Summer skiing is great for freestyle skiers and boarders, training ski racers, and beginners.

Intermediates

Advanced

Those looking for steep and challenging terrain are advised to go over to Zermatt, linked to Cervinia and included on the International lift pass.

If you are looking to hit Mach 5, try the Kilometro Volante (FlyingKilometer). There is also some good off-piste up around Cieloalto.

Snowboarding

The Cervinia snowpark also hosts some popular events. The three-day Snowboard Classic has an Invitational Jump Competition, a boardercross with eight boarders competing head-to-head, and three wild card competitions which anyone can enter. There are free workshops and lessons for beginners. The Snowboard Classic is also a weekend of partying, culminating in a rock show.

Nevertheless, there isn't much freeriding in Cervinia. Serious freeriders will find it bit of a bore, although the freeriding around the Cieloalto is passable. There are also some great off-piste possibilities if you heliboard or go over the border to Zermatt. Also, try routes 19 and 20, just off the Lago Blu chair lift. Hard boot carvers should try the long, wide, and curvy Valtuounenche trail.

The glacier is open in the summer, and it has a decent boardpark. It is great fun to hit big air in a T-shirt on the glacier, but even Italians prefer to go to the better summer snowparks in Austria and France.

Apres Ski

Dining out

Local dining is casual, although Italians from Milan up for the weekend love to dress up and wear fur coats. Don't let this daunt you. There is an easygoing atmosphere in Cervinia, and it is still a charming mountain village. For upscale dining, try the restaurants in the four- or three-star hotels. Some restaurants to try are Hotel Europa and Hotel Astoria. For more casual dining, try the pizzerias such as Il Rustico and the Igloo.

In Cervinia, there isn't much in the way of fast food or late-night eateries. If you still crave American fare, try a panini, an Italian hot sandwich with fresh mozzarella cheese and cured ham. Also, you can find great pizza everywhere.

Usually the restaurants close between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. During that time, though, the coffee bars are open and serve up delicious snacks and pastries. In Italy, you can eat well all day.

That includes up on the mountain. There are 10 restaurants on the mountain, and they offer delicious fares and better-than-decent prices. If you are skiing Zermatt and Cervinia in one day, definitely eat in one of the restaurants in Cervinia.

With over 45 restaurants in the resort, there are many wonderful options for dining in Cervinia. From wood-fired pizzas to fine dining, you cannot go wrong. Local specialties are speck (smoked ham), polenta, and meat stew. Local brews are genepi and grappa. These are particularly strong and will keep you very warm inside.

Local dining is casual, although Italians from Milan up for the weekend love to dress up and wear fur coats. Don't let this daunt you. There is an easygoing atmosphere in Cervinia, and it is still a charming mountain village. For upscale dining, try the restaurants in the four- or three-star hotels. Some restaurants to try are Hotel Europa and Hotel Astoria. For more casual dining, try the pizzerias such as Il Rustico and the Igloo.

In Cervinia, there isn't much in the way of fast food or late-night eateries. If you still crave American fare, try a panini, an Italian hot sandwich with fresh mozzarella cheese and cured ham. Also, you can find great pizza everywhere.

Usually the restaurants close between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. During that time,though, the coffee bars are open and serve up delicious snacks and pastries. In Italy, you can eat well all day.

That includes up on the mountain. There are 10 restaurants on the mountain, and they offer delicious fares and better-than-decent prices. If you are skiing Zermatt and Cervinia in one day, definitely eat in one of the restaurants in Cervinia.

Lifts

In 1999, two new 85-passenger cable cars were installed. Now it only takes about four minutes to reach the main lift area. Ski passes issued for over two days are checked through a remote reading system (compatible with Swatch Access) that cuts down on waiting in lift lines.

Snow record

Since most of the mountain faces south, Cervinia enjoys a lot of sun. This means that there is great, warm spring skiing, but then the snow falls into the freeze-melt-freeze pattern. The snow is icy in the morning and soft in the afternoon. But because of the resort's excellent snow record, this is rarely a problem except late in the season.

Avalanche warnings are posted on lifts. For all off-piste take notice of the risk rating of the day.

Who Should Go

Italy is very charming, and with the choice of restaurants, pubs, and discos, there are many options for couples. The only drawback is that the resort is primarily functional in deisign and lacks some of the charm of other resorts in Italy.

A group of friends will be well served by Cervinia. Its pistes are mostly intermediate, a good middle ground for a group skiing together. Also, there any many choices for hitting the après-ski scene. Cervinia is a friendly, fun resort.

Cervinia is very economical for families with kids. Also, the children's ski program is good. As in all of Italy, children are doted on. Don't be surprised if your child is whisked into the back kitchen at a restaurant and comes out with chocolate on his face.

Cervinia is a relatively small resort. There are no conference facilities; most restaurants are small trattorias.

Cervinia is 118 kilometers/73 miles from Torino-Caselle airport, 160 kilometers/100 miles from Milano-Malpesa airport, and 188 kilometers/117 miles from Milano-Linate airport. Generally, it is cheaper to fly into Milano than Torino. From all three airports, transfer will take between two and two-and-a-half hours.

If you are arriving by train, Chatillon is 27 kilometers/17 miles from Cervinia. From Chatillon there is regular bus service to and from Cervinia. Allow about 45 minutes for the transfer.