Claviere (Via Lattea) 6 Day Snow Forecast

Robert from United Kingdom writes:

We visited Claviere (Claviere (Via Lattea)) for Christmas 2010 and stayed at the Grande Claviere (Crystal Ski). My wife and 2 kids (aged 8 and 5) all had a wonderful time.

The hotel was excellent, Crystal staff could not have been more helpful and the childcare was second to none. Our rep was also very knowledable, helpful and always on hand to answer questions.

We arrived in Claviere to heavy fresh snow. The resport is small and friendly. There are several small shops including a small supermarket. There are several restaurants, cafe's and bars all of which sold excellent food and prices were very reasonable. We collected our ski equipment from the hire shop and the staff were helpful, spoke English and the quality of the equipment was of a high standard (we only hire skis).

Our room was a family room with 2 bedrooms and ensuite. It was clean and very spacious. The hotel is very warm which is great to dry ski gear but at night we found it too warm. We ended up sleeping with the window open as you can not alter the temp of the radiators. Food was very good with cooked breakfast options and the usual cereals, toast, fruit etc, etc. Evening meals are all 3 course meals and if required children can eat earlier and opt for a more child friendly menu. Wine is provided with the evening meal. The hotel has a small bar, large lounge area with comfy seating.

We picked the hotel due to the childcare facilities being located in the hotel. Both of our kids went to Whizkids for the morning and they took them to ski school. They both loved it and made new friends. The staff were all very friendly and professional and we had no concerns leaving our children.

The hotel has an excellent ski room. It has loads of space for equipment and has a dedicated boot room with new boot dryers for all guests.

Both my wife and myself booked ski lessons as a refresher and the tutors were very good. My wife progressed very well. I was in an advanced group and the tutor, called Net, was excellent and had lived in the village all his life so was very knowledable about the area. My wife's tutor, Steffano, was also very good and she progressed very quickly. Lifts are all chair lifts with some high speed. Lift staff are very helpful, especially when you are with children. The runs in Claviere range from cruising long blues, through interesting reds and some blacks. One nice thing we liked was that runs of differing difficulty weave together so groups of differing ability can still ski together. The Italian pistes were excellently maintained even after a full night of heavy snow. The same can not be said about neighbouring French Montgenevre.

We got local lift passes and these give you access to all Claviere lifts and a couple shared with the neighbouring Montgenevre. It also allows a full day in the Frence resort Montgenevre (only 10mins ski away) and one day in the Milkyway.

Ski conditions during the week were excellent with loads of fresh snow. On a couple of mornings visibility was not good but this tended to clear by lunchtime. You can ski to the lifts from the hotel but, whilst it is not a long walk back to the hotel, it is uphill and can be tiring for kids.

Overall, we had an excellent week and we have already booked to return for Christmas this year.

2011-01-15