Val Senales, ItalyVal Senales is a little freestyle summer gem tucked away in the heart of the South Tyrol, we visited a couple of year's ago and it looked a little like this...
Resort overview: Val Senales
The Senales Valley Glacier stands tall at just over 3,200m, surrounded by groomed slopes and magnificent landscapes. Val Senales is a popular training spot for national teams and the resort caters for all abilities… although it’s definitely a freestyle resort during the summer months. In winter there are 35km to explores, with a piste breakdown of: 23% for beginners, 47% for intermediate and 30% for experts. You can ride almost all year round here, apart from mid-May to mid-June, when it closes for a few short weeks before opening up the park to dedicated freestylers once again. Serviced by 12 lifts, the resort has a bottom elevation of 2,011m and once you’re up on the mountain there’s a variety of great cafes, bars and restaurants, where you’re more likely to find traditional German cuisine as much Italian.
Getting there: The resort is just 55km from Bolzano Airport and can be accessed by flying from the UK to Bolzano (www.alitalia.com) before hiring a car or taking a regular transfer bus service to the resort.
Where to stay: We stayed at the Hotel Oberraindlhof, and a nicer home for a week you couldn’t hope to find. Beautifully rustic, with excellent traditional South Tyrolean food, and the charm of a family run operation… it’s ideal. Check out the best offers they have at www.oberraindlhof.com
What to do off the mountain: During the winter there’s a lot more happening around the resort and Maso Corto village, in the summer the area is a little quieter but there’s still a lot happening. And you’re in the middle of national park territory, so if the glacier isn’t in great shape on any given summer day, you can grab a mountain bike or go hiking in the surrounding valleys. The Thermal Baths in Merano, just a 40-minute drive, were a special treat for us and provide a fantastic day out, dipping in and out of some 25 in and outdoor pools, with healing properties in the radon charged water for those bumps and bruises you’ve picked up while riding.
Val Senales:
Document's Great Escape
It was a long hike from Blighty to Val Senales, and one that involved bedding down in a lay-by somewhere outside Munich. Almost 24 hours after we’d set out we finally pulled the DCMT wagon into the chalet we would call home for the next week.
The area was surrounded by lush green trees and fields full of cows (suspiciously lush and not a spot of snow to be seen)… Hotel Oberraindlhof was to be our home for the next week – and it came as complete surprise to a group of riders used to slumming it. Beautifully rustic, with huge, comfortable bedrooms, four-course meals and run by the Raffeiner family. Husband and wife team Helmuth and Elizabeth were a fountain of knowledge, filling us in on a little history of the South Tyrol in Italy.
Apparently, the part in which we were staying was Italy’s prize for co-operation with the Allies in World War I and, despite the fact that German speakers outnumbered Italian speakers by 10 to one in the area; the process of Italianization was imposed on the area back in the 1920s. Political pressures have obviously declined since then. However, you can see a large cultural divide between the South Tyrol and Italy. It feels, sounds, and looks more like Germany and Austria, while locals consider themselves South Tyroleans first rather than Italian.
Day Two
Well rested and still full after the huge meal, we were up and out by 7am to make the 15 minute drive to the lift station in the village of Maso Corto and jump on the cable car up to the top of the glacier at 3,200m. I still hadn’t seen any snow but we were greeted at the lift station by a group of freestylers with expectant grins – clearly there was a park up there.
At the top I was relieved to find plenty of snow waiting for us. The Val Senales resort in winter comprises some 35km of pistes and trails, come summer, it’s down to just a handful of different runs but the real reason people come here is for the superbly maintained park that’s open all summer long (minus a few short weeks between May and mid-June).
The Hotel Grawand, at teh top of the cable car, is the highest hotel in the Alps, no less. Inside, although scaled down for summer, it’s a large operation complete with a mini-museum about the area and Ötzi the Iceman. I assumed he was the Alpine equivalent of the Yeti, but apparently not. He’s a 53 century-old man found preserved in ice in the area in 1991. After this discover, the lads are back to change their snowboard (and desperate to know the identity of the one they’ve just been riding, but I’m not telling).
Day Three
Today I’m determined to check out the small offering available outside of the park.
There’d been some fresh snow, the sun was out early, and everything felt nice and soft… just right in fact.
During the summer, there’s access to about five miles of piste, but some are only suitable for skiers. A few chair lifts and drags are dotted around servicing these areas, which fall into the
beginner, intermediate category. However, there are a few natural features along the way, which means you can bonk, tap and butter your way along as much as you like. Also, I was transfixed by my fluoro, tight-pant wearing Italian counterparts as I made my way – there was no irony in their attire and I couldn’t help but laugh at how differen
t we can be from our European brothers.
Back with Helmuth and Elizabeth we’re expecting a quiet evening of waxing. Hours later and we’re in the bar with all the family, watching the football and quaffing wine provided by Helmuth, who’s a bit of a wine buff. A guitar is brought out… I can’t even remember who won the match, but I do remember that these seemingly quiet and sensible South Tyroleans know how to party. And to think we were expecting a quiet night.
Day Three
Getting up took its toll this morning. Everyone is feeling a little bruised and hangovers abound. A morning tweaking knees and face into knees follow and we’re delighted when the good folk at the South Tyrol tourist board tell us they’ve arranged something special for the afternoon – a trip to Merano and the thermal baths. A world famous health resort just a 40-minute drive from where we’re staying. We all pile into the DCMT wagon, which is creaking and groaning almost as much as our tired bones. The Merano Thermal Baths were a perfect antidote to our grumbles; we arrived to a palatial set up, with beautiful changing rooms, eight different saunas to choose from and 25 pools – indoors and outside. The baths take up 7,650 square meters of spa facilities and top priority here is harmony between body, spirit and soul. And since the 1960s water containing radon has been pumped from Monte San Vigilio near Merano and used for a variety of therapeutic applications, and now it is also used to fill the pools, which offers soothing and pain-relieving effects on the central and peripheral nervous system. Needless to say, we all slept very well that night.
Day Four, Five, Six…
The weather is pretty constant, with a little snowfall in the morning before the sunshine arrives to welcome the afternoon. Looking out over the Senales Valley, I knew I was hooked on summer riding. I was also hooked on the South Tyrol in the Italian Alps, the wonderful mix of cultures, a tantalising blend of German, Austrian and Italian influences, the friendly reception, the awe-inspiring scenery and the food. Val Senales is the ideal location if you’re looking for a bit of summer shred, especially if you want to mix it up with mountain biking, hiking and bathing. And, as for riding in winter in Val Senales? I can’t wait to get back here.
Words by Rachel Devlin, photography by James Bryant
Related stories:
Summer Shreddin' – Folgefonna, Norway
Resort Check Austria: Sölden v Diedamskopf
Shine On – Les Portes du Soleil
Val Senales is a little freestyle summer gem tucked away in the heart of the South Tyrol, we visited a couple of year's ago and it looked a little like this...
Resort overview: Val Senales
The Senales Valley Glacier stands tall at just over 3,200m, surrounded by groomed slopes and magnificent landscapes. Val Senales is a popular training spot for national teams and the resort caters for all abilities… although it’s definitely a freestyle resort during the summer months. In winter there are 35km to explores, with a piste breakdown of: 23% for beginners, 47% for intermediate and 30% for experts. You can ride almost all year round here, apart from mid-May to mid-June, when it closes for a few short weeks before opening up the park to dedicated freestylers once again. Serviced by 12 lifts, the resort has a bottom elevation of 2,011m and once you’re up on the mountain there’s a variety of great cafes, bars and restaurants, where you’re more likely to find traditional German cuisine as much Italian.
Getting there: The resort is just 55km from Bolzano Airport and can be accessed by flying from the UK to Bolzano (www.alitalia.com) before hiring a car or taking a regular transfer bus service to the resort.
Where to stay: We stayed at the Hotel Oberraindlhof, and a nicer home for a week you couldn’t hope to find. Beautifully rustic, with excellent traditional South Tyrolean food, and the charm of a family run operation… it’s ideal. Check out the best offers they have at www.oberraindlhof.com
What to do off the mountain: During the winter there’s a lot more happening around the resort and Maso Corto village, in the summer the area is a little quieter but there’s still a lot happening. And you’re in the middle of national park territory, so if the glacier isn’t in great shape on any given summer day, you can grab a mountain bike or go hiking in the surrounding valleys. The Thermal Baths in Merano, just a 40-minute drive, were a special treat for us and provide a fantastic day out, dipping in and out of some 25 in and outdoor pools, with healing properties in the radon charged water for those bumps and bruises you’ve picked up while riding.
Val Senales:
Document's Great Escape
It was a long hike from Blighty to Val Senales, and one that involved bedding down in a lay-by somewhere outside Munich. Almost 24 hours after we’d set out we finally pulled the DCMT wagon into the chalet we would call home for the next week.
The area was surrounded by lush green trees and fields full of cows (suspiciously lush and not a spot of snow to be seen)… Hotel Oberraindlhof was to be our home for the next week – and it came as complete surprise to a group of riders used to slumming it. Beautifully rustic, with huge, comfortable bedrooms, four-course meals and run by the Raffeiner family. Husband and wife team Helmuth and Elizabeth were a fountain of knowledge, filling us in on a little history of the South Tyrol in Italy.
Apparently, the part in which we were staying was Italy’s prize for co-operation with the Allies in World War I and, despite the fact that German speakers outnumbered Italian speakers by 10 to one in the area; the process of Italianization was imposed on the area back in the 1920s. Political pressures have obviously declined since then. However, you can see a large cultural divide between the South Tyrol and Italy. It feels, sounds, and looks more like Germany and Austria, while locals consider themselves South Tyroleans first rather than Italian.
Day Two
Well rested and still full after the huge meal, we were up and out by 7am to make the 15 minute drive to the lift station in the village of Maso Corto and jump on the cable car up to the top of the glacier at 3,200m. I still hadn’t seen any snow but we were greeted at the lift station by a group of freestylers with expectant grins – clearly there was a park up there.
At the top I was relieved to find plenty of snow waiting for us. The Val Senales resort in winter comprises some 35km of pistes and trails, come summer, it’s down to just a handful of different runs but the real reason people come here is for the superbly maintained park that’s open all summer long (minus a few short weeks between May and mid-June).
The Hotel Grawand, at teh top of the cable car, is the highest hotel in the Alps, no less. Inside, although scaled down for summer, it’s a large operation complete with a mini-museum about the area and Ötzi the Iceman. I assumed he was the Alpine equivalent of the Yeti, but apparently not. He’s a 53 century-old man found preserved in ice in the area in 1991. After this discover, the lads are back to change their snowboard (and desperate to know the identity of the one they’ve just been riding, but I’m not telling).
Day Three
Today I’m determined to check out the small offering available outside of the park. There’d been some fresh snow, the sun was out early, and everything felt nice and soft… just right in fact.
During the summer, there’s access to about five miles of piste, but some are only suitable for skiers. A few chair lifts and drags are dotted around servicing these areas, which fall into the
beginner, intermediate category. However, there are a few natural features along the way, which means you can bonk, tap and butter your way along as much as you like. Also, I was transfixed by my fluoro, tight-pant wearing Italian counterparts as I made my way – there was no irony in their attire and I couldn’t help but laugh at how differen
t we can be from our European brothers.
Back with Helmuth and Elizabeth we’re expecting a quiet evening of waxing. Hours later and we’re in the bar with all the family, watching the football and quaffing wine provided by Helmuth, who’s a bit of a wine buff. A guitar is brought out… I can’t even remember who won the match, but I do remember that these seemingly quiet and sensible South Tyroleans know how to party. And to think we were expecting a quiet night.
Day Three
Getting up took its toll this morning. Everyone is feeling a little bruised and hangovers abound. A morning tweaking knees and face into knees follow and we’re delighted when the good folk at the South Tyrol tourist board tell us they’ve arranged something special for the afternoon – a trip to Merano and the thermal baths. A world famous health resort just a 40-minute drive from where we’re staying. We all pile into the DCMT wagon, which is creaking and groaning almost as much as our tired bones. The Merano Thermal Baths were a perfect antidote to our grumbles; we arrived to a palatial set up, with beautiful changing rooms, eight different saunas to choose from and 25 pools – indoors and outside. The baths take up 7,650 square meters of spa facilities and top priority here is harmony between body, spirit and soul. And since the 1960s water containing radon has been pumped from Monte San Vigilio near Merano and used for a variety of therapeutic applications, and now it is also used to fill the pools, which offers soothing and pain-relieving effects on the central and peripheral nervous system. Needless to say, we all slept very well that night.
Day Four, Five, Six…
The weather is pretty constant, with a little snowfall in the morning before the sunshine arrives to welcome the afternoon. Looking out over the Senales Valley, I knew I was hooked on summer riding. I was also hooked on the South Tyrol in the Italian Alps, the wonderful mix of cultures, a tantalising blend of German, Austrian and Italian influences, the friendly reception, the awe-inspiring scenery and the food. Val Senales is the ideal location if you’re looking for a bit of summer shred, especially if you want to mix it up with mountain biking, hiking and bathing. And, as for riding in winter in Val Senales? I can’t wait to get back here.
Words by Rachel Devlin, photography by James Bryant
Related stories:
Summer Shreddin' – Folgefonna, Norway
Resort Check Austria: Sölden v Diedamskopf
Shine On – Les Portes du Soleil