Skiing the Dolomiti in northern Italy is…“Amazing”! It is the largest ski region on the planet (450 ski lifts), and the outstanding beauty of these unique mountains and variable terrain makes the skiing truly ‘delicious’.
DOLOMITI SUPERSKI represents the twelve regions, some quite famous, others individually unique, all with a blend of history, culture and challenging high altitude skiing.
Best of all they offer a ‘One ticket-Ski everywhere’ pass including free regional ski buses. Climate Change now requires calculated guesses when planning long haul ski trips from ‘downunder’ and this ski-travel orgy began mid February with 2 flights, a bus, a train, another train, and finally the local bus from Bolzano to the Val Gardena region in the Dolomities.
After a deep sleep and a healthy breakfast at Garni Cir in St. Cristina I caught the ski bus to the base area and purchased a Dolomiti Superski Pass (a discounted season pass). Weekends and school holidays are busy in this valley and the flavours are distinctly Italian and Germanic. The majority of the slopes in the St. Cristina–Selva area are steepish, perfectly groomed and with consistent blue skies, sun, and heavy ski traffic they inevitably develop into sugary ‘push bumps’ later in the day. More relaxing intermediate slopes are on the Alpe Di Siusi slopes above Ortisei. There’s a lot of hype about skiing the Sellaronda and yes it is possible to ski it in a day with a guide, but it took me two weeks as the “Been there and Done that” mentality, just isn’t my scene. I want to ski everything…and saviour tasty Italian lunches while absorbing these gorgeous mountains with their breathtaking slopes.
Now a ‘Super Senior’, I tempered my gypsy ski heritage and only moved 4 times during this 3 week ski safari and they were lucky guesses allowing me to ski most most slopes in the Dolomitis. The northern villages of St. Cristina and Selva are good base locations, being villages without too much hype and ‘rar rar’ and offer easy access to other areas including the inevitable Sellaronda roundabout ‘must do’! Or if your time is short and you are kilometre hungry,..consider staying in the smaller Plan De Gralba village above Selva. Notable events for me in the Val Gardena region included walking through the shops in ski boots before crossing the main road in Ortisei, sliding through a ski lift turn-style on to the road in Selva, using a Bus (as a lift) from Saltria to Monte Pana, enjoying first tracks on the World Cup slopes above St. Cristina and Selva, plunging down the steep ‘skiers left’ off the Plan De Gralba cable car and downing a beer after skiing the Saslong pitch non stop after 3 pm (slick n’ bumpy). And the friendly service at Garni Cir, “thank you” Rosemary.
Thinking that my second week would allow me to cover most of the southern areas of the Dolomiti’s, I leisurely skied twice from Santa Cristina to the large Alta Badia region while enjoying the delightful Passo Gardena slopes and the enticing Rifugios on the way. Corvara is a very active centre and the regional pivot for it’s sibling villages, Colfosco, La Villa, and San Cassiano. This is the busiest area in the Dolomiti’s and offers excellent variable terrain for learners and experts, with race courses, a speed trap, training slopes, easy button lifts, hooded 6 packs, family fun-parks, terrain parks and two mega gondolas running in both directions from the busy base. There’s funky Rufugio’s, affordable Restaurants, trendy Bar-bistros and endless perfectly groomed piste skiing. If you are balancing your skiing or boarding with stylish socialising on and off the snow Corvara is is the heart beat, and don’t forget your wallet!
There had been good snow falls in the Dolomitis before my arrival and all the slopes were well covered with perfectly groomed and packed ‘grippy powder’, however the baking sun left very little Off Piste options. There these near spring temps were mild, encouraging deck chair posing, happy and chatty socialising and longer lunches (as only the Italian’s can). The cloudless blue skies continued all week…and the extended forecast was for more!
After 6 perfect days it was time to move from Val Gardena to the Val Di Fassa region. Skiing there with my ‘ya ya’ via the Sella Passo was an option, but taking the local bus back to Bolzano to visit OTZI (the Ice man) and then catching a regional bus to Campitello was a better choice. Being 5300 years old, OTZI enjoys his own purpose designed and built museum and provides a fascinating exhibition in the centre of Bolzano. It is a must see! Especially on a Saturday when the local market is in full swing and all the Italiano designer stores are pumping. WOW. Best of all there is a Left Luggage facility in the train-bus station, dump your bags for a small fee and walk hands free.
The bus from Bolzano to Campitello was relaxing and dropped me off at my new digs: the Tobia Hotel-Restaurant-Bar on the village piazza. Then the very hospitable owners Antonio and Ramona guided me to a cute loft-studio and my ‘home sweet home’ for the next 6 days. While travelling on the bus I met a couple of ‘likely lads’ from Bologna taking a break from University studies and also staying at Tobia. Marco had enjoyed many years of family skiing and coaching in the Dolomitis and Mondo a tall Japanese-Italian blend offered plenty of stick’em down the hill attitude.
When sliding away from the top of the Campitello Gondola next morning it was clear these lads could ski……and Marco might be a good guide too? After explaining my rather odd way of skiing the Sellaronda we skied back to Plan De Gralba and worked all the lifts and fun parks back to Canazei, eventually down loading on the Campitello cable car. Let me explain….
Most of the villages in the Dolomitis have been there for centuries. They are in deep narrow valleys and very few have ski in-ski out accommodation. There are fast Cable Cars or Gondolas in the main villages or near by (hence the free ski buses) and they whisk the skiers and boarders up to the higher plateaus and slopes. Some Rufugios on the slopes offer accommodation with half board but with the usual pros and cons…. (think…access, location, weather, potential social confinement, ya de da de da…). These stylish and unique restaurant-bars are usually family owned, offer fabulous regional fare, tasty choices and value for money (and great Coffee and Cake)!
We skied most of the southern Dolomitis during the week, including Canazei, Alba, Arabba, Marmolada and the Pozza di Fassa region with pace, some grace and finally, I completed my two week Sellaronda Tour. Campitello is a rustic Italian flavoured village with easy access to the excellent slopes above Canazei-Alba and the Off Piste steeps around Arabba. The ‘Bologna boys’ were excellent company and good fun, and they kept me focused with a hot pace and their youthful bravado. Tobia Restaurant-Bar is a popular social centre in Campitello and the base of Dolomite Ski Tours from Sydney. It’s good value, FUN and the bar is enjoyed by the locals (always a good sign).
After an exhausting 6 days skiing, the bus from Campitello to San Martino di Castrozza was ‘easy-peasy’ and the continuing blues skies provided a stunning vista when crossing over the beautiful Passo Rolle pass. The switch-backs down to San Martino di Castrozza are surprisingly steep then open out to a visibly prosperous mountain town.
Quite honestly I think this classy and well established enclave is one of the most beautiful mountain resorts in the world. It is surrounded by seriously steep mountain peaks (try the Valbonetta Gondola up Rosetta) and has five distinctive ski areas including a learner slope and cross country park near the town centre. The local ski buses are free with regular time tables (in Italian) and include smaller buses which make skiing up at Passo Rolle a no stress fun day out. Skiing at S.M.di C. in a spring bubble was fast and hard….especially off the Tognola peaks and the Coston and Direttissima chairs. These slopes also have good tree cover ensuring excellent Off Piste skiing when the pow-pow is cold and fresh. I stayed in a pretty Albergo BnB within walking distance of the new Ces gondola and this was the icing on this very Italian Cake.
One consideration when buying my Dolomiti Superski Pass was it included the glamour pony Madonna Campiglio and the villages of Pinzolo, Marilleva, and Folgarida in the Brenta Dolomitis west of Trento. With the help of the local Tourist Office I made an itinerary…3 connecting buses, 1 train, then 2 more local buses…and eventually I arrived at Pinzolo (with big ski bag and ski boots in my back pack). It was a mission!
Pinzolo is a working town below the impressive Dolomiti di Brenta mountains and is connected to fashionable Madonna Campiglio by a very long Gondola. My Garni Bonzai Hotel was only 50 metres from the bus stop and gondola, and Roberto the helpful owner provided a quiet and comfortable room with excellent breakfasts. That evening after a traditional hand thrown Pizza and a huge glass of local vino at Laroda Restorante my travel stress calmed, and when walking back to my hotel I relished a very cooling desert… Large drifting snow flakes had replaced 15 days of clear blue skies and tomorrow must be a ‘pow pow’ day?
And ya can’t beat a 50 metre walk from a breakfast table to a high speed gondola on a powder day.
Down is always Good….but with the fresh snow covering all the Italian signs I had no clue where…. I tagged into a small group of locals and ended up in a band of well spaced trees, reasonable good visibility and fast open lines. Ye Ha! Eventually the clouds lifted and the upper lift provided more Off Piste options and endless fresh tracks from the high Doss del Sabion station.
On my last day it took 30 minutes from the top of the Pinzolo Gondola to ride across the beautiful Val Brenta to Madonna Campiglio’s extensive slopes. Fresh ‘packed powder’, calm blue skies and steep runs down to Madonna Campiglio village was a classy finish to my Dolomiti ski travels and the casual grilled lunch on the balcony of the Patascoss Restaurant provided the perfect vista of the “amazing” Dolomiti di Brenta mountains.
My DOLOMITI SUPERSKI – Performance check makes interesting reading.
It recorded 15 days of skiing, 357 kilometres skied, 130 different lifts used (out of a 232 total) and 65,143 down-hill metres of FUN.
The last 2 days skiing at Pinzolo and Madonna Campiglio in the Brenta Dolomiti’s are not included as skiing this southern region is a bonus to all SUPERSKI pass holders and FREE.
Getting from Pinzolo to Milano is easy. One direct bus to Trentino station, a train to Verona, then a change on to an express train direct to Milano Centrale. From there it is an easy ‘bag drag’ to the best Hostel in Italy, Ostello Bello. And don’t forget to ‘brunch anytime’ at the nearby Crazy Cat Cafe.
