The winter season at the foot of Cervino, the Matterhorn, has now started. In Cervinia, in the magnificent Breuil basin, lift facilities are now opened every day until 1st May 2022.
Breuil-Cervinia, Valtournenche and Zermatt, the three queens of this great district, which are amongst the largest and most popular in the world, are connected to each other by a myriad of slopes and by a network of ski-lifts which means that you never need to take your skis off!
Adding to these iconic locations: Chamois (a magnificent village which can only be reached by cable-car) and Torgnon (village which dominates the valley and is affectionately known as “pays du soleil”, village of the sun) are also part of it. Both hamlets represent that part of the district which is more dedicated to tranquillity and to families, where skiing is a way to experience nature at first hand.
Skiers are offered a cocktail of mountain sports, not only of alpine skiing and snowboarding (also freeride or heliski), but also cross-country skiing and beaten trails to cover on snow shoes or mountain skis. Here, some highlights with the most famous slopes in the district:
- The “Ventina” slope owes its fame to the unique view it offers over the entire Breuil basin, as well as to the different points for observing the Cervino. It starts at an altitude of 3500m of the Plateau Rosà glacier and reaches the 2050m of Breuil Cervinia town for a total of 11 km of downhill skiing. The famous Azzurrissimo, a race which sees the most important skiers challenge each other at the end of the winter season, zigzagged for many years along its meandering run. Among the most famous ski lifts of the Alps, the cable-car to reach the summit of Ventina, from the station of Cime Bianche Laghi at the 3500 metres of Plateau Rosà, is a must-see attraction, for non-skiers too.
- The longest run of the district “Reine Blanche” (white queen) offers 22 km of downhill skiing starting from the Piccolo Cervino (3883m in Switzerland) as far as Valtournenche (1524m) for a total altitude difference of more than 2000m. Each year, during the Easter period, it hosts an important amateur race which sees the participation of athletes and families. The run departs from Colle Superiore di Cime Bianche, a natural watershed between the districts of Breuil-Cervinia and Valtournenche.
- Finally, a must for expert skiers, featuring the panorama allowing you to admire the mighty nearby southern face of the Cervino close up, are the “Black slopes of Cervino”. The “Gran Roc” (number “62”) descends parallel to the route of the “slow ski (9bis”), though being significantly steeper, and finishes its descent in the basin of Cretaz. “Vallone 5” is the name of another of the “black” slopes of the Breuil-Cervinia district, which enjoys a privileged geographical position and is often used as a training ground for local athletes.
These slopes are ideal routes, even on extremely cold days, because they are designed “inside” a natural basin. On the upward climb, the “Cretaz” and “Pancheron” chairlifts which serve these slopes ensure a 360° view over the sheer southern face of the Cervino.
About Aosta Valley: The smallest region of Italy located in the Northwest of the country; Aosta Valley boasts spectacular scenery, world-class skiing and snowboarding, food of the highest quality and a history stretching back to Roman times. At the heart of the alps and bordered by France and Switzerland, Aosta valley is surrounded by some of the highest peaks in Europe: Cervino, Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso and the king of them all, Mont Blanc, which at 15,781 feet is the highest mountain in Europe, the roof of the old Continent. With Turin, Milan and Geneva airports all within easy reach, the Aosta Valley resorts are among the easiest to get to from the UK making it an ideal destination for a weekend or short break.
For more information on Aosta Valley visit: www.aosta-valley.co.uk