Crevacol is small ski resort perfection. Quiet, interesting, quirky, reliable snow, few other people, cheap yet high quality plus great skiing on & off piste. Just 2 chairlifts but that’s all it needs. They are perfectly sited for accessing a vast swathe of ski terrain in amongst truly awe-inspiring scenery, so you can ignore how slow they travel uphill!
We skied as a group of five with 3 snowboarders and I was intrigued as to how they would go on the backside return run on top of the motorway. Being a quintessential Crevacol experience it simply had to be done, but I had never done it with snowboarders.
With a few fast runs on the groomers done to warm up and unsurprisingly for a midweek day, only a handful of other people in evidence, we dived off the backside into the larch forest. Snow was still in good condition on the shaded north ish aspect. Easily picking up the return forest trail toward the motorway, the snowboarders were doing well. No splitting of the boards required, but poles were mandatory. The snow was soft and warming once we hit the motorway roof, so a push was required, but nothing too dramatic. Jumping off onto piste #8 was no drama either and everyone was well pleased. Cock-a-hoop even!
Many more laps were done without ever really coming across anyone else on the same ski run. That is pure joy in and of itself and more than enough of a reason to come here during the week. Weekends certainly have a few more visitors, but even then, numbers will be small compared to other locations.
Having spent the previous week skiing just across the border in Switzerland (skiing some incredible powder in and around Verbier (ka-ching!), one certainly notices the change in price of everything when in Italy! Restaurant food is particularly stark. Having lunch at the superb mid-mountain Bar Ristorante Arp du Jeu, a huge plate of insanely tasty sausage polenta cost just 12 euro. North of the border it would have been double the price and nowhere near as good.
We simply adore Crevacol. It is a Powderhounds version of heaven. Big snowy mountains, great company, fast & fun riding, uncrowded, easy on the wallet, unique experiences, plus a boogey to some tunes in the car park to finish. The only thing that would make it better was if you went to a nearby place to stay overnight and it had a bath in the bedroom & its own sauna ...... Oh yeh, we had that too at the fabulous Maison Farinet! Perfect.
If in the Aosta valley or Verbier/Pays du St Bernard, please ski here every now & then so it remains financially viable into the future. And if you are a snowboarder contemplating the 'motorway roof backside exit', don’t forget your poles.
See our thoughts on the resort’s pros & cons via the Crevacol overview page.
Back in 1984 there were big plans for Crevacol. It was going to be the next big thing in skiing. Plans were in place for a huge ski resort made of 10 major lifts including cable cars. Development (thankfully!) stopped at two chairlifts and so as well as pondering what might have been, we are left with a great little ski resort with just enough lift access to open up a huge amount of terrain possibilities. We are also left with just enough limitations on lift access (too few, too slow) and accommodation to avoid attracting the great unwashed of humanity that can descend on larger, more popular ski resorts.
The ample skiable vertical of 800m is more than adequately served by the two well positioned chairlifts. From the top, the options are many. In-bounds piste trails for beginners and particularly intermediates, are fun, rolling runs that are as fast or slow as one desires. Trails wind through trees in the mid area. One marked advanced trail out wide to skiers’ right highlights skinning and backcountry options as well as being a rollicking joy in its own right. All the runs to the base go under the elevated roadway - a surreal experience. Can be difficult stopping oneself from ducking one’s head.
Off piste freeride and backcountry options are excellent from the top lift station. Untouched bowls, safe ridges and light forest to the north and east of the resort all end with a return via the roof of the elevated roadway – a unique experience in the world of skiing. A bit of a push, but who cares. Note that we imagine going onto the roadway is probably not strictly allowed, but as they say, when in Rome…..
Three café/restaurant/bars are on the ski hill. One at the base area above the beginner conveyor lift doesn’t see a whole lot of sun in the middle of winter, nor come to think of it does the beginner area itself. VERY cold there in January. Nice by March though.
The other two restaurants are at the top of the first chair, nestled on a sunny bench with spanking views across the mountains. Both are good but the better of the two is the Grand Golliat. Interesting and traditional local food and wines in a cosy environment. It is also the only commercial accommodation provider in the resort. Other facilities include a ski shop with full rental facilities near the car park.
We visited twice in 2018, January and March.
Crevacol is fun, high alpine skiing in an uncrowded resort close to Aosta for barely the price of a decent meal! Double thumbs up, but just don’t tell anyone else ................. it’s a secret!
You can see our thoughts on the pros and cons on the Crevacol overview page and also see our European ski resort ratings page regarding how we score it compared to other skiing areas.