Dolomites: useful infoA host of useful info if you're planning a trip to the Dolomites – from the cheapest passes in town to the best pubs
How to get there
All the airports listed below are situated within two hours of the Dolomites and they’re served by scheduled airlines flying out of London and UK regional airports – many operators charter their
own flights for the season.
WEST DOLOMITE RESORTS:
Tre Valli, Val di Fiemme/Obereggen, San Martino di Castrozza, Madonna di Campiglio, Val Gardena, Arabba/Marmolada, Val di Fassa/Carezza, Alta Badia, Val di Sole are served by...
• Milan Airport regular airlines and easyJet
• Milan Bergamo budget airlines inc. Ryanair
• Verona Brescia budget airlines inc. Ryanair
• Verona Valerio regular and budget airlines
EAST DOLOMITE RESORTS:
Alta Badia, Alta Pusteria, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Kronplatz, San Martino di Castrozza, Val di Fiemme and Val di Fassa are served by...
Venice Marco Polo Airport regular airlines; easyjet
Venice Treviso Budget airlines
ALL DOLOMITE RESORTS:
are served by...
Innsbruck regular and budget airlines including easyjet. It’s in Austria but there are regular transfers.
TRANSFERS
There are plenty of low-fare ski transfers to choose from. The transfer service available from Ryanair’s Venice Treviso and Milan Bergamo airports now also runs from Innsbruck and Verona airports serving BA and easyJet flights amongst others.
The transfers cost from as little as €17 for a single (approximately £15) and from €29 for a
return (approximately £25). There are year-round bus transfers from Northern Italian airports served
by low-cost carriers from €17 euro one way.
Head to www.suedtirol.info
Liftpass offers...
Dolomiti love families! And that’s why multi-day liftpasses for children up to eight years of age are
free if the parents buy liftpasses for themselves.
Meanwhile, kids aged from eight to 16 get a 30% reduction off a pass. Further reductions on the
multi-day ski pass (two to 28 days) are available for families with more than two minors, if their lift
passes are purchased at the same time as those for the parents.
LIFT PASSES FOR THE SEASON COST...
Six-day pre-season pass €180 (£160) for adults, €162 (£144) for seniors
Six-day low-season pass €198 (£175) for adults, €178 (£157) for seniors
Six-day high-season pass €225 (£199) for adults, €203 (£180) for seniors
Where’s good for a night out?
In Alta Badia, Club Moritzino is at the top of the Gran Risa World Cup run. It’s a bar and a restaurant with dancing until late and then revellers can choose to ski down the black run guided only by the light of a snowcat (www.moritzino.it).
Then, located in a renovated mill, L’Murin is opposite the hotel La Perla in Corvara and is the main venue for après ski in the valley.
On to Kronplatz and you should head to K1 in Riscone/Reischach, which is a popular après ski venue (www.k-1.bz) and Pukanaka has a lounge, a bar and a club in Brunico/Bruneck (www.pukanaka.net).
If you’re based in Selva, Val Gardena, the Heustadl (hay barn) at the Hotel Wolkenstein is one of the most popular venues in town.
Best for eating
In the Val Gardena area there is plenty to choose from with Anna Stuben (www.annastuben.com), which is a Michelin-starred restaurant in the Spa Hotel Gardena Grödnerhof in Ortisei; or Sophie Hütte (seceda.com) on the Seceda Mountain in Val Gardena is the best place in the area to go for spare ribs; meanwhile, Baita Daniel has a tasty and varied wine list as well as a terrace with spectacular views of the Dolomites.
On to Alta Badia and you’ll find that this one valley is home to three Michelin-starred restaurants: St Hubertus, La Stüa di Michil (which can be reached directly on skis) and La Siriola. You can dine on fresh oysters at Rifugio Col Alto as you overlook the village of Corvara in the valley below; Ütia Saraghes offers the
best carpaccio (finely sliced beef meat served with rocket and cheese) on the slopes; and Jimmy Hütte in Alta Badia has the best grappa on the slopes of the Dolomiti Superski, varieties include a home-made hay grappa.
Over in Kronplatz local ingredients are used wherever possible at Restaurant Schöneck (www.schoeneck.it). The restaurant at the Design Hotel Feldmilla (www.feldmilla.com) offers traditional South Tyrolean cuisine with a blend of Mediterranean and traditional Alpine fayre and Herman’s offers sushi and Asian cuisine in a building that is more than 700 years old.
And dating back to 1680, Oberegger Alm on the descent to Valdora/Olang offers the best Knödeln (traditional dumplings) on the slopes.
Fall-Line’s Top Runs
Saslong in Val Gardena – classic downhill slope, very steep and a regular feature in the World Cup downhill racing calendar. A great opportunity to see what the pros expose themselves to.
Gran Risa in Alta Badia – is another black slope that is scarily steep. It is also another World Cup regular and has a difference in height of 448 metres over 1255 metres with a maximum gradient of 53%. it’s a breathtaking descent in the heart of the woods.
La Longia in Val Gardena – is a very long run from the top of Seceda, a peak reached by gondola from the town of ortisei. La Longia has a vertical drop of about 1230m and winds 9km along high ridges, down wide fields and through narrow ravines and past a frozen waterfall.
Trametsch in Val d'Isarco – is another testingly long black track with bends and sudden changes of slope to make for a varied, fun ski. It runs from the Plose to Bressanone.
The Hermegg black run in Kronplatz is over five kilometres along and a great way to get the legs and head working as there’s a drop of 1,300 metres in altitude along the way – one for the fitter types.
The Silvester black run in Kronplatz – with a similar length and drop in altitude to hermegg delivers a rollercoaster of fun for advanced skiers.
Sella ronda – check it out here
Punta D’Oro – from the top of the Punta d’Oro (Goldknopf) lift there’s an excellent auto-timed speed-ski track on which to test yourself.
Take me to the freeride skiing
Untracked powder slopes can be found in all 12 Dolomiti Superski resorts, such as the Mittagstal, Pordoi Scharte, Cristallo, Chedul Tal. As we always say, hire a guide, they’ll know the area well, will take you to the best snow, and help to keep you safe.
The valley of Alta Badia is the best destination for off-piste thanks to the variety of options and the stunning vistas.
In particular, the descent from Val Mezdi, with a vertical drop of more than 1,400m, should be on your ‘must-do’ list.
Cortina d’ampezzo features amazing steep valleys and large snowfields, while Alta Pusteria is king of ski touring, with a huge variety of different itineraries to choose from.
Where can I take fledgling skiers
Families looking for a good place to learn to ski should consider the Alpe di Siusi/ Seiseralm plateau (seiseralm.it) as it is great for beginners, with its gentle slopes and spectacular vistas of the Dolomites.
What’s more, there are even teachers in this resort devoted to teaching families. There are some tougher slopes for the more experienced so the whole family can have a go, whatever their level.
Last winter the Dolomiti Superski offered free passes for kids aged up to 8, and a discount for those aged between 8 and 16 when accompanied by their parents.
Freestyle
Recognising the ever-growing number of freestylers, the Dolomiti Superski organised a range of ‘Drop In’ freestyle days, where more than 22 ski and snowboard schools in the area joined forces to organise a day-long event of freestyle festivities for 12 to 18 year olds. It kicked off last January, twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Snowparks can be found at Cortina, Kronplatz, Alta Badia, Val Gardena, Alpe di Siusi, Val di Fassa, Alta Pusteria, Val di Femme, Obereggen, S. Martino, Valle Isarco, Tre Valli and Civetta.
Halfpipes are at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Val Gardena, Alpe di Siusi, Obereggen, S. Martino di Castrozza and Tre Valli. Highlights for really keen freestylers should be the Snowpark Alta Badia where 13 kickers reside, as well as 11 boxes/rails; and the O’Neill King Laurin Park at Alpe di Siusi with its easy and pro lines, 14 kickers, halfpipe, quarter pipe, 15 rails, one wall and 21 boxes. Nice!
Techonlogical advances
You can save precious minutes when you buy a day ski pass thanks to the Dolomiti chip-card system. No more queuing for you! After registration, the chip-card allows you to use the lift facilities freely, with the cost being charged automatically to your credit card the following day.
The new day ski pass also entitles you to discounts off the standard price – 5% on the first five days,
10% from the sixth day onwards.
www.dolomitisuperski.com now enables you to check out snow conditions and access phone numbers for booking accommodation, ski lessons or lunch at one of the huts on the slopes via your mobile phone. What’s more, the new Dolomiti Superski Dating facility allows you to meet and ski with other single
travellers.
You can even monitor your ski performance and download the stats on the number of kilometres covered and lift systems used to your mobile phone. A new online community has also been launched this season, allowing you to leave and read suggestions on skiing tips in the area, view entertaining movies taken on the slopes or get involved in an online virtual competition.
Resort Check Dolomites navigation menu:
• The Dolomites, an introduction
• 1 The classic resort: Cortina d’Ampezzo (Veneto region)
• 2 The all-round resort: Kronplatz/Plan De Corones (South Tyrol region)
• 3 The upmarket resorts: Alta Badia (South Tyrol region)
• 4 The wide open resort: Val Gardena (South Tyrol region)
• 5 The valley resorts: Val di Fassa/Carezza (Trentino region)
• 6 The village resort: Arabba/Marmolada (Belluno Veneto/Trentino regions)
• 7 The South Tyrolean border resort: Alta Pusteria/Hochpustertal (South Tyrol region)
• 8 The cross region resort: Val di Fiemme/Obereggen (Trentino/South Tyrol regions)
• 9 The laid back resort: San Martino di Castrozza (Trentino region)
• 10 The traditional resorts: Tre Valli (Trentino/Belluno Veneto Regions)
• 11 The mighty Sella Ronda: The biggest round-trip on skis?
• Eating and drinking: Where’s good for a night out? / Bring me the finest food
Related stories:
Resort Check: Kaunertal, Austria
Resort Check: Val Senales, Italy
Summer Shreddin' – Folgefonna, Norway
Posted by Online Editor - Mon, 10/05/2010 - 10:11am
A host of useful info if you're planning a trip to the Dolomites – from the cheapest passes in town to the best pubs
How to get there
All the airports listed below are situated within two hours of the Dolomites and they’re served by scheduled airlines flying out of London and UK regional airports – many operators charter their
own flights for the season.
WEST DOLOMITE RESORTS:
Tre Valli, Val di Fiemme/Obereggen, San Martino di Castrozza, Madonna di Campiglio, Val Gardena, Arabba/Marmolada, Val di Fassa/Carezza, Alta Badia, Val di Sole are served by...
• Milan Airport regular airlines and easyJet
• Milan Bergamo budget airlines inc. Ryanair
• Verona Brescia budget airlines inc. Ryanair
• Verona Valerio regular and budget airlines
EAST DOLOMITE RESORTS:
Alta Badia, Alta Pusteria, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Kronplatz, San Martino di Castrozza, Val di Fiemme and Val di Fassa are served by...
Venice Marco Polo Airport regular airlines; easyjet
Venice Treviso Budget airlines
ALL DOLOMITE RESORTS:
are served by...
Innsbruck regular and budget airlines including easyjet. It’s in Austria but there are regular transfers.
TRANSFERS
There are plenty of low-fare ski transfers to choose from. The transfer service available from Ryanair’s Venice Treviso and Milan Bergamo airports now also runs from Innsbruck and Verona airports serving BA and easyJet flights amongst others.
The transfers cost from as little as €17 for a single (approximately £15) and from €29 for a
return (approximately £25). There are year-round bus transfers from Northern Italian airports served
by low-cost carriers from €17 euro one way.
Head to www.suedtirol.info
Liftpass offers...
Dolomiti love families! And that’s why multi-day liftpasses for children up to eight years of age are
free if the parents buy liftpasses for themselves.
Meanwhile, kids aged from eight to 16 get a 30% reduction off a pass. Further reductions on the
multi-day ski pass (two to 28 days) are available for families with more than two minors, if their lift
passes are purchased at the same time as those for the parents.
LIFT PASSES FOR THE SEASON COST...
Six-day pre-season pass €180 (£160) for adults, €162 (£144) for seniors
Six-day low-season pass €198 (£175) for adults, €178 (£157) for seniors
Six-day high-season pass €225 (£199) for adults, €203 (£180) for seniors
Where’s good for a night out?
In Alta Badia, Club Moritzino is at the top of the Gran Risa World Cup run. It’s a bar and a restaurant with dancing until late and then revellers can choose to ski down the black run guided only by the light of a snowcat (www.moritzino.it).
Then, located in a renovated mill, L’Murin is opposite the hotel La Perla in Corvara and is the main venue for après ski in the valley.
On to Kronplatz and you should head to K1 in Riscone/Reischach, which is a popular après ski venue (www.k-1.bz) and Pukanaka has a lounge, a bar and a club in Brunico/Bruneck (www.pukanaka.net).
If you’re based in Selva, Val Gardena, the Heustadl (hay barn) at the Hotel Wolkenstein is one of the most popular venues in town.
Best for eating
In the Val Gardena area there is plenty to choose from with Anna Stuben (www.annastuben.com), which is a Michelin-starred restaurant in the Spa Hotel Gardena Grödnerhof in Ortisei; or Sophie Hütte (seceda.com) on the Seceda Mountain in Val Gardena is the best place in the area to go for spare ribs; meanwhile, Baita Daniel has a tasty and varied wine list as well as a terrace with spectacular views of the Dolomites.
On to Alta Badia and you’ll find that this one valley is home to three Michelin-starred restaurants: St Hubertus, La Stüa di Michil (which can be reached directly on skis) and La Siriola. You can dine on fresh oysters at Rifugio Col Alto as you overlook the village of Corvara in the valley below; Ütia Saraghes offers the
best carpaccio (finely sliced beef meat served with rocket and cheese) on the slopes; and Jimmy Hütte in Alta Badia has the best grappa on the slopes of the Dolomiti Superski, varieties include a home-made hay grappa.
Over in Kronplatz local ingredients are used wherever possible at Restaurant Schöneck (www.schoeneck.it). The restaurant at the Design Hotel Feldmilla (www.feldmilla.com) offers traditional South Tyrolean cuisine with a blend of Mediterranean and traditional Alpine fayre and Herman’s offers sushi and Asian cuisine in a building that is more than 700 years old.
And dating back to 1680, Oberegger Alm on the descent to Valdora/Olang offers the best Knödeln (traditional dumplings) on the slopes.
Fall-Line’s Top Runs
Saslong in Val Gardena – classic downhill slope, very steep and a regular feature in the World Cup downhill racing calendar. A great opportunity to see what the pros expose themselves to.
Gran Risa in Alta Badia – is another black slope that is scarily steep. It is also another World Cup regular and has a difference in height of 448 metres over 1255 metres with a maximum gradient of 53%. it’s a breathtaking descent in the heart of the woods.
La Longia in Val Gardena – is a very long run from the top of Seceda, a peak reached by gondola from the town of ortisei. La Longia has a vertical drop of about 1230m and winds 9km along high ridges, down wide fields and through narrow ravines and past a frozen waterfall.
Trametsch in Val d'Isarco – is another testingly long black track with bends and sudden changes of slope to make for a varied, fun ski. It runs from the Plose to Bressanone.
The Hermegg black run in Kronplatz is over five kilometres along and a great way to get the legs and head working as there’s a drop of 1,300 metres in altitude along the way – one for the fitter types.
The Silvester black run in Kronplatz – with a similar length and drop in altitude to hermegg delivers a rollercoaster of fun for advanced skiers.
Sella ronda – check it out here
Punta D’Oro – from the top of the Punta d’Oro (Goldknopf) lift there’s an excellent auto-timed speed-ski track on which to test yourself.
Take me to the freeride skiing
Untracked powder slopes can be found in all 12 Dolomiti Superski resorts, such as the Mittagstal, Pordoi Scharte, Cristallo, Chedul Tal. As we always say, hire a guide, they’ll know the area well, will take you to the best snow, and help to keep you safe.
The valley of Alta Badia is the best destination for off-piste thanks to the variety of options and the stunning vistas.
In particular, the descent from Val Mezdi, with a vertical drop of more than 1,400m, should be on your ‘must-do’ list.
Cortina d’ampezzo features amazing steep valleys and large snowfields, while Alta Pusteria is king of ski touring, with a huge variety of different itineraries to choose from.
Where can I take fledgling skiers
Families looking for a good place to learn to ski should consider the Alpe di Siusi/ Seiseralm plateau (seiseralm.it) as it is great for beginners, with its gentle slopes and spectacular vistas of the Dolomites.
What’s more, there are even teachers in this resort devoted to teaching families. There are some tougher slopes for the more experienced so the whole family can have a go, whatever their level.
Last winter the Dolomiti Superski offered free passes for kids aged up to 8, and a discount for those aged between 8 and 16 when accompanied by their parents.
Freestyle
Recognising the ever-growing number of freestylers, the Dolomiti Superski organised a range of ‘Drop In’ freestyle days, where more than 22 ski and snowboard schools in the area joined forces to organise a day-long event of freestyle festivities for 12 to 18 year olds. It kicked off last January, twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Snowparks can be found at Cortina, Kronplatz, Alta Badia, Val Gardena, Alpe di Siusi, Val di Fassa, Alta Pusteria, Val di Femme, Obereggen, S. Martino, Valle Isarco, Tre Valli and Civetta.
Halfpipes are at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Val Gardena, Alpe di Siusi, Obereggen, S. Martino di Castrozza and Tre Valli. Highlights for really keen freestylers should be the Snowpark Alta Badia where 13 kickers reside, as well as 11 boxes/rails; and the O’Neill King Laurin Park at Alpe di Siusi with its easy and pro lines, 14 kickers, halfpipe, quarter pipe, 15 rails, one wall and 21 boxes. Nice!
Techonlogical advances
You can save precious minutes when you buy a day ski pass thanks to the Dolomiti chip-card system. No more queuing for you! After registration, the chip-card allows you to use the lift facilities freely, with the cost being charged automatically to your credit card the following day.
The new day ski pass also entitles you to discounts off the standard price – 5% on the first five days,
10% from the sixth day onwards.
www.dolomitisuperski.com now enables you to check out snow conditions and access phone numbers for booking accommodation, ski lessons or lunch at one of the huts on the slopes via your mobile phone. What’s more, the new Dolomiti Superski Dating facility allows you to meet and ski with other single
travellers.
You can even monitor your ski performance and download the stats on the number of kilometres covered and lift systems used to your mobile phone. A new online community has also been launched this season, allowing you to leave and read suggestions on skiing tips in the area, view entertaining movies taken on the slopes or get involved in an online virtual competition.
Resort Check Dolomites navigation menu:
• The Dolomites, an introduction
• 1 The classic resort: Cortina d’Ampezzo (Veneto region)
• 2 The all-round resort: Kronplatz/Plan De Corones (South Tyrol region)
• 3 The upmarket resorts: Alta Badia (South Tyrol region)
• 4 The wide open resort: Val Gardena (South Tyrol region)
• 5 The valley resorts: Val di Fassa/Carezza (Trentino region)
• 6 The village resort: Arabba/Marmolada (Belluno Veneto/Trentino regions)
• 7 The South Tyrolean border resort: Alta Pusteria/Hochpustertal (South Tyrol region)
• 8 The cross region resort: Val di Fiemme/Obereggen (Trentino/South Tyrol regions)
• 9 The laid back resort: San Martino di Castrozza (Trentino region)
• 10 The traditional resorts: Tre Valli (Trentino/Belluno Veneto Regions)
• 11 The mighty Sella Ronda: The biggest round-trip on skis?
• Eating and drinking: Where’s good for a night out? / Bring me the finest food
Related stories:
Resort Check: Kaunertal, Austria
Resort Check: Val Senales, Italy
Summer Shreddin' – Folgefonna, Norway