Four days' shred in Livigno
I've never been to Italy before. France seems to have dominated my euro trips so it was good to check out another flavour of the Alps earlier this feb.
Livigno gets a good rap on the WSG 8/10 in fact - http://www.worldsnowboardguide.com/resorts/italy/livigno/index.cfm so seemed like a good place to go and check out. Disappointingly, the day we were due to drive up (from Milan) a major storm blow in and left us stranded with the fashionistas. Fortunately the following day driving conditions improved and we were able to head up to the mountains.
Livigno fact 1 - It's a long drive to Livigno.
I'd read some reports of 5/6 hour coach transfers. Our journey up took around 4 or so hours, with chains for the last half hour or so. The return journey, again just after a storm, took more like 5 hours.
Livigno fact 2 - It's quite a big place.
I was surprised at this. The town stretches out along 2 or 3 miles of the valley. They have several free buses doing laps until early evening though and you need to use these if you want to ride both sides of the resort.
Livigno fact 3 - 3 snowparks!
Disappointingly we only saw 2 of the parks but they were both great. Our hotel had a small jib-park and drag lift just to the rear - Park Amerikan. Around 10 decent rails and boxes, plus a somewhat ropey kicker set up. As it's at resort level you can hike this park until it gets dark!
The Carousello cable car, pictured, takes you up to the intermediate snowpark, and again this was good featuring around a dozen rails and boxes, a kicker line and 2 boardcross lines. Slightly annoying to lap as you have to use the cable car.
The 3rd park is located on the Mottalino side of the hill, and is the biggest park, with all the pro shit. Can't tell you much about that one as the day we rode that hill it was dumping.
Livigno fact 4 - cheap(ish) beers!
Widely touted as a bargain destination and tax free town, you can get a relatively cheap beer in Livigno and eating out was also pretty cheap, with lots of spots doing the 6 euro pizza.
Places I can remember worth a nosey - the homelywood bar, marios restaurant and some Ibiza style apres ski venue at the foot of the Carousello. The beers varied in price but local brew Calanda(?) seemed to be a steady 4 euros and pokey enough to get you quietly jarred after a day on the hill.
Livigno fact 5 - lots of easy accessible off piste
I was surprised by this. Perhaps since it wasn't peak season, but 3 days after a dump fresh tracks were still in abundance.
For more info check out their rather crap website http://www.livigno.com/ and if you do go there, I'd get someone else to drive ;)
