Claviere Ski Resort Italy
Claviere is an important ski resort connecting the Italian & French sides of the awesome Via Lattea through the Monti della Luna (Mountains of the Moon). Claviere shares terrain and a lift pass with the fantastic French ski resort of Montgenevre.
Easily overlooked in the massive ski region that is the Via Lattea, Claviere provides an authentic Italian ski experience with a real town at its heart plus access to masses of long easy cruisers & fabulous freeride options in amongst the high alpine & larch forests.
Pros & Cons for Claviere Ski Resort
Pros
- High elevation, snow-sure base village, and overall terrain.
- Perfect selection of long beginner & intermediate on-piste trails.
- Interlinked with massive terrain both on & off piste.
- Includes international skiing at neighbouring Montgenevre France.
- Uncrowded, particularly during the week.
- Ski lifts are all chairlifts.
- Numerous fun après ski options.
- Affordable ski-in ski-out accommodation available.
- Excellent on-mountain huts.
- Ski lift pass options are the best value in western Europe (& potentially the world).
Cons
- Limited advanced on-piste in the immediate ski area (but more at interlinked resorts).
- Generally aging lift infrastructure (but interlinked with the region’s best lifts at Montgenevre).
- The ski link down to Cesana is often in a poor state with limited snow requiring a chairlift download.
- Limited public transport to the village.
- Snowboarders may not like of the long trails connecting different sectors.
- Limited accommodation in Claviere (exclusive!) comparative to other local villages & towns.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Small, snow-laden village, quiet after-hours.
- No true 4 or 5-star accommodations in the village (& limited in the entire region), but it doesn’t matter!
- Confusing array of ski pass options & boundaries - so just get a Via Lattea International pass you tight-arse!
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
Claviere is the quietest sector of the entire Via Lattea. A touch limited in the off-piste realm; its long, easy rolling terrain will delight most snow enthusiasts. The on-piste trails are centred on the 2,300m Colle Bercia. A series of long cruisy intermediate trails roll down pleasantly through light larch forest to either Sagna Longa or back toward Claviere. The Col Boeuf chair serves only 300m vertical, but it includes several wonderful pistes including the lightning fast ‘99’, plus it is the link to Montgenevre in France. Complete novices are better off spending their time at Montgenevre’s generous ‘green’ terrain.
Check out the ski trail map, only for Claviere, below.
Below Sagna Longa, trails lead down to Cesana & the rest of the Via Lattea. Whilst the trails are rated blue (beginner), they are generally far from it, particularly in the lower section. ‘Sporty’ is a way to describe them! In good snow, some sensational steep tree skiing can be had.
For off-piste freeride, there is potential on the ‘backside’ of Colle Bercia; (skin-out required) but the real business is accessed from France. Coming back into Claviere from the top of Montgenevre’s new Roche de l’Aigle gondola provides sensational freeride shenanigans on a multitude of well-pitched, rarely tracked lines off the ridge to the north toward Monte La Plane. The journey back to the top requires 4 lifts & seems a world away; through another country no less - such is skiing the Via Lattea.
Claviere’s ski lifts are all chairs. They are comfortably serviceable without being super-fast or super-new, and whilst there is an obvious ‘missing link’ up to the frontier ridge at Roche de l’Aigle, at the Montiluna & Via Lattea’s ski pass price point, who cares? The journeys up them are perfect for contemplating the good things in life, like considering which rifugio to have lunch at!
Ski Passes & Linkages
Intrinsically linked with the Via Lattea & France’s Montgenevre, Claviere has the most day pass ski lift ticket options of any resort in the region. To avoid getting dizzy, read on.....
Monti Della Luna
Amongst the dizzying options is the local Montiluna (Moon Mountains, Monts de la Lune or Monti della Luna) ski pass. Super cheap, it gives access to all the lifts & 35km (ish) of trails between Cesana & Claviere. Alternatively, if wanting to go explore France for the day, the Grand Montgenèvre ski pass has excellent value. It includes all the French ski lifts & several Claviere ski lifts on the Italian side up to Colle Bercia. For a few extra euro, Montiluna -Montgenevre ski pass can be purchased. The pass is valid for all the lifts in Montgenevre & Claviere all the way down to the crossing point at Cesana-Torinese. Crossing from Italy into France by ski is via a fast piste from the Col Boeuf, whereas from France back into Italy can be done via two contrasting points - a flat, novice trail in the valley below the customs checkpoint on the border; or beautiful, steep trails in the high alpine from the 2,580m Roche de l’Aigle.
Check the various lift pass sector boundaries for Monti Della Luna below.
Via Lattea - Voie Lactee - Milky Way
To ski beyond Claviere into the broader Italian sector, a Via Lattea (or the French, Voie Lactee or in English, Milky Way) ski pass is required. The pass is valid on all lifts & the 305km of ski trails stretching across the valley from Cesana -Sansicario to Sestriere & Sauze d'Oulx. Crossing the valley at Cesana Torinese usually requires a download on the Rafuyel chair, before strolling across to the gondola which whisks one up to Sansicario. A Via Lattea pass can be added for a small fee to a multi-day Montiluna-Montgenevre pass. A second option is the Via Lattea International, which covers all the resorts in the region & 400km of trails. If not wanting to worry about where you can or cannot go with a ski pass, this is the one to get!
Check out the ski trail map for the entire Via Lattea below.
Where is Claviere Italy?
Claviere ski resort is in north-west Italy, near a high pass on the French border at 1,760m elevation. The village is between the closest major towns of Oulx Italy (17km/20min by road) & Briancon France (14km/22min). The best major international airports are Turin (TRN) (flights from the UK or European origins) (110km/1½hr) & Milan Malpensa (MXP) (for all international travellers) (225km/2½hr).
Public transport is the recommended mode of travel to the area. Oulx train station makes a great gateway with fast trains from the Paris-Lyon-Turin-Milan line all stopping there as well as slower regional trains. Trains also go to Briancon from Marseilles & Grenoble (via Gap) , so may be an option for some. Buses, operated by Voyageurs, make the journey between the train stations at Oulx and Briancon via Claviere (about 4/day each direction). Alternatively, a private transfer from the train station to Claviere or just about anywhere in the Via Lattea will be relatively inexpensive & way more time efficient.
Search & book here for all train tickets to Oulx. Buy bus tickets from the driver.
Access by car is best via Oulx in Italy (SS24 road) or Briançon in France (N94 road). The road in either direction goes up to over 1,800m elevation but is usually easily traversed in even the worst snow conditions.
If renting a car from an Italian airport, read our Getting Around Italy page for helpful hints, tips & warnings.
For detailed information on the best ways to get there, see our Travel to the Via Lattea page.
Claviere Accommodation
Claviere ski resort’s base is in the compact traditional mountain village of the same name. Essentially a single main road, lined with houses, hotels, shops & services, the village elevation of 1,760m, plus its shaded location all but guarantee it is deliciously covered in snow during winter. Several wonderful hotels back onto the ski slopes, offering ski-in, ski-out convenience, but without the price tag one would usually expect.
Search & book here for all Claviere ski accommodation.
The best of the local hotels is the convivial Hotel Al Foiron, closely followed by the Hotel Pian del Sole. Another quality options in the centre of the village are the Hotel Bes and the slightly retro Chalet delle Luna. If there are no availability in the heart of town, on the outskirts near the bypass tunnel is Hotel Clari.
Away from Claviere, the nearby village of Montgenèvre in France will provide a very different lodging experience. Lower down the mountain toward Oulx, Cesana-Torinese is a fantastic village, with some very good accommodation & the perfect mid-point location from which to explore the whole Via Lattea.
Ski Rentals, Lessons & Guiding
Ski equipment rentals are available in Claviere village via our local partners, right near the ski lifts. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Claviere Ski & Snowboard Rental page.
[AdListings collection="Europe" category="Italy Via Lattea" subcategory="Claviere Guiding"]
Review
The Powderhounds skied Claviere & the Monti della Luna in early 2020. We loved its snow, affordability & long cruising runs. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.
See how Claviere & the Via Lattea compares to the rest of the Italian ski resorts on the Italy ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.
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