SKI FACTS – BREUIL-CERVINIA
LOCAL AREA: Breuil Cervinia – Valtournenche (CERVINO SKI PARADISE)
CONNECTED AREA: Zermatt (MATTERHORN SKI PARADISE)
SEASON START & END: October – beginning of May
SKI ALTITUDE IN METRES: Local resort 1524-3480 / Connected Area 1620-3889
PISTES: 27% Beginner / 61% Intermediate / 13% Expert
Local Resort: 72 Pistes for a total of 156 km (19 Blue / 44 Red / 9 Black)
Connected Area: 75 Pistes for a total of 196 (16 Yellow / 13 Blue / 42 Red / 4 Black)
LIFTS: Total 54
LIFT TICKET: 2021/22 Adult: Local Resort 1 day: 51-57 Euros / 6 days: 268-302 Euros Connected Area 1 day: 68-81,50 Euros / 6 days: 359-430,50 Euros
CROSS COUNTRY SKIING: 10 km of trails
LANGUAGE: Italian
AIRPORT: Nearest airports are: Torino Caselle 118 km / Milano Malpensa 171 km / Linate 207 km / Geneva 260 km
TRAIN: Nearest station is Chatillon – Saint Vincent (27 km)
SKI FACTS: From 2022/23 Valtournenche guarantees a better use of the slopes of the Cervino Ski Paradise thanks to the new 6-seater chairlift “Gran Sometta” which, replacing the pre-existing ski lift, takes skiers to the Colle Superiore di Cime Bianche, at an altitude of 3,093 meters. The chairlift uses EcoDrive technology which allows for significant energy savings.
THE TOWN OF BREUIL-CERVINIA
Breuil-Cervinia is located high up at 2050 metres at the very end of the Aosta Valley over the mountain from Zermatt. After a spectacular 40 minute drive one arrives at the high altitude ski resort which sits under the looming and less familiar south face of the Matterhorn or Monte Cervino as the locals call it. The town centre has a main high street with a large selection of shops and a healthy amount of cosy restaurants, bars and cafes serving divine Italian cuisine.
A lot less expensive than Zermatt, Breuil-Cervinia is refreshingly priced. The town has a few dated buildings, but for the most part, the town has been transformed over time, with some fabulous architecture including hotels and chalets. Due to the position of the pistes and the size of the town there are many ski-in hotels, with the much of the rest of accommodation being just a short walk from the bottom of the pistes. Weekends can be busy with many locals driving up from Milan and Turin, so if driving to the village factor this in. When it comes to hotels, we really loved staying at the St. Hubertus Resort.
SKIING IN BREUIL-CERVINIA
Due to the altitude of 1524-3480 Breuil-Cervinia and the connected area is pretty snow sure and the ski season is pretty long as a result, and there is even some summer skiing to be had. The skiing area is very family friendly with many pistes perfect for beginners and intermediates, all surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery. The area directly above Breuil-Cervinia is a very large south facing bowl with a good selection of long and wide pistes that wind their way down the mountain.
This South facing aspect means that it gets a lot of sun, which is great for visibility and getting your vitamin D, but if temperatures do rise the lower slopes can get a little slushy near the end of the season. The neighbouring Valtournenche has a great range of intermediate pistes and can often be a little quieter than the main pistes above Breuil-Cervinia.
One can ski over to the Zermatt side if you have the full ‘Matterhorn Ski Paradise’ ski pass. The skiing on the glacier is superb, though make sure you check when the last lift back over to Cervinia is, because the the Swiss seem to bar people with passes bought in Cervinia in the middle of the afternoon, whilst Zermatt ski pass holders can keep skiing to end of the day! And be careful on windy days because some of the high altitude lifts can close.
There is a great selection and variety of restaurants on the mountain, from affordable pizzas to high end cuisine. We recommend UP Cervino at the bottom of the Baby La Vieille Chair lift; funky interiors, the best cuts of meat, an extensive wine list and fantastic Italian service. Also, Restaurant Bontadini at the foot of the Bontadini chairlift has a selection of fine Italian produce from fresh mozzarella to ravioli and Octopus, make sure you drop by to experience some classic Italian hospitality.
BEGINNERS
Breuil-Cervinia has a good area for beginners just in front of the town, but very quickly beginners can head up the mountain. The short Campetto chairlift is a great place to start, with the Cretaz and Plan Maison chairlifts and Breuil – Plan Maison gondola leading to some excellent long but gentle blues that lead back down to town.
INTERMEDIATE
The whole mountain is your oyster, with red pistes covering the whole bowl that sits above Breuil-Cervinia . The neighbouring Valtournenche further south has a fantastic range of long intermediate pistes that extend all the way down to the base of the valley. We found the pistes in this area pretty quiet and a lot of fun.
ADVANCED
Whilst, there may not be many black pistes in the area, one can find the odd tricky piste; but essentially the area has miles and miles of wide fun pistes, with extra miles of piste over on the Zermatt side of the mountain.
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