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Dolomiti-3 questions for seasoned campaigners

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi - just discovered this excellent site so please forgive any naivity. I searched the other threads ruthlessley but still have 3 questions of viability for our precious 4 days there next week:-
[list=]Can we do the Val Di Mesi without a guide?-we believe we have the skills for the descent but the cable car never seems to be open for punters?
Is it worth a trip round the Cinque Torri if we take the taxi trip to Lagazuoi (Hidden Valley)?
Can you ski back directly to Santa Cristina from the Seceda area above Ortisei?[/list]

Any advice gratefully received. Any further tips for great lunchtime dining also appreciated - happy to ski huge distances off the sella ronda beaten track for good places.
Thanks in advance.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
dlight42, Welcome to snowHeads. There is a growing band of enthusiasts for the Dolomiti on the forum these days and you will find plenty of good information in the Resort Reviews and Trip Reports area. In particular, I commend to you the Calling Sella Ronda Fans threads which have been running for the last three seasons. There is a bunch of around 17 of us at San Cassiano next week, and some more at Arabba, I believe.

Now, to your questions. The Val di Medsdi is way above my pay grade, so cannot help you there. The threads I mentioned may well have the answer.

The Cinque Torri is only worthwhile if you think of (say) the Taj Mahal or the Amalfi coast as worthwhile. You are talking about one of my favourite places on the planet. It is stunningly beautiful and you may well have it to yourself. It might be seen as a bit of a specialised taste as the lifts are old and cranky and some of the skiing is flat, but that's character! There is a new lift which makes the circuit possible from Laguzoi so no bus needed, or available.

The access to San Christina from Seceda is simple, and involves a short ride on a sort of underground train. No problem at all and a nice area too.

Enjoy!

snowHead
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
The cable car normally runs so not quite sure why you have come to this conclusion. Has it been windy ? With regard to being able to do it without a guide, of course if one is good enough then anything is possible. Unfortunately I can't judge your ability over the internet so only you can make that sort of judgement.

You might want to read Freeride in Dolomiti by Francesco Tremolada. An excellent book. Also just a word of warning before you get yourself into any difficulties of your own making: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/alpine-safety-chief-warns-rash-tourists-we-wont-save-you-any-more-1915816.html

The Cinque Torri si area is certainly worth a day out - just for somewhere different and some more fantastic scenery. The Hidden Vallye is a decent run - I presume you know about the horse transfer at the end.
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The cable car is open to anyone unless closed by wind, but none of the ways down from it is easy (most if not all are off piste). Then you have to know how to get to the Val di Mesdi from the lift.
Follow the normal short ski along the top to a dip where routes go left and right. Look left and you see this view of a col (see photo).The start of the Mesdi run is just over the top. To get to it go into the dip and then walk up straight ahead for about 300 metres. When you get a bit above the level of the col do a long traverse left to get to it. (You will see the entry to the steep couloir in the photo, below you just before you get there). It is a longish walk but worth it.



Last time (with a guide) two people followed us there and then revealed they didn't know it was off piste (!!!). We said they could follow us but we took no resposibility for them. One of them fell and broke his binding and we left them to walk out. It hadn't snowed for a while so the snow was firm enough but I bet it took a few hours (and they probably had to take a taxi back afterwards.)
As for your standard - how can we know. After the walk the top is the steepest bit (see photo) so if you don't like the look of it you can go back.
I don't know how used you are to going far offpiste without a guide, but if there is more than the lightest avalanche danger I'd suggest you take a guide anyway.



At the bottom go straight ahead and you'll find some lifts after a few hundred metres. You are now at the opposite side of the Sella Ronda circuit from where you started, having cut across the middle.


Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Thu 10-03-11 17:09; edited 1 time in total
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
dlight42 wrote:
Can you ski back directly to Santa Cristina from the Seceda area above Ortisei?


Building on what Chris Bish has said, and hopefully to clarify. You can ski from the top of Seceda directly down on piste to the top of the underground funicular railway, and then get on that to go the rest of the way to Santa Cristina. But I'm not aware of any official way to ski down into S Cristina from the top of the funicular - it may be possible but I imagine if so you'd be taking your skis off once or twice to cross roads. Besides which, when we there in Feb, there was no snow on those unpisted bits just above S Cristina Sad - still it did not stop the rest of the fun Very Happy
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You'll need to Register first of course.
snowball, Not sure if you're trying to scare the OP off Puzzled but pic 1 doesn't look like the normal entry couloir

<edit> ah - I see where you're looking from in Pic 1 - Piz Boe to the right & that's the ridge at the end of the traverse with the Rif.Boe on, with the V.de.M drop-in over on the far side : so the higlighted couloir is a drop back in to the Val Lasties, not the V.de.M entry Little Angel </edit>

We did it a month ago (unguided): normal skinning route (or bootpack for those without skins) to the Rif. Boe, then dropping in the main couloir (as pic 2) which I guess is ~30 - 35 deg. and was superb packed powder.
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=1710071&highlight=#1710071

For the OP : transceiver check at the Pordoi cable, plus carry all normal backcountry gear (shovel/probes etc) . Route is not difficult - no route finding issues in good vis, but be aware of avalanche danger. Most difficult part for us was the exit couloir which was steep, icy, mogully stream run, as it had been v.warm the previous week then refrozen - but there were guys on snowboards making it down OK.

As Snowball said - not knowing your skill level, can't really comment on needing a guide or not...
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Many thanks for all this info - I'm really pleased to have discovered a site with folks who clearly love skiing as much as me! The Val di Mesdi instructions were particularly useful although I did however misname my question about how to get from Seceda to santa cristina - I meant in fact not seceda but the opposite side of the valley which is above ortisei (so on the left if you drive from selva to Ortisei). I recall there's a fairly flat area connected to Santa cristina (Monte Pana I think) and I wondered if it's possible to get down to here from above Ortisei.
Our only next problem is finding a hotel for 3 nights next week - the Gran Baita kindly cancelled our reservation at the last minute and the whole of the area seems to be stuffed - can't think why, the snow forecast isn't great Confused
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
The main area above Ortisei on the opposite side of the valley to Seceda would be the "Alpe Di Siusi". On the Alpe Di Siusi if you find the hamlet of Saltria you can get a bus to Monte Pana. From Monte Pana you can then either get the 2 seater chairlift down to St Christina or take the red run that joins onto the black world cup run down to St Christina. Then you can take the Val gardena Ronda Express train to the gondola station to get up to the Col Raiser/Seceda area. If you take the chairlift down to St Christina you will unload a few hundred metres from the Val gardena Ronda express train. But you can wait and get the ski bus to there if you dont want to walk.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
dlight42,
Quote:
Our only next problem is finding a hotel for 3 nights next week

You might want to try here http://www.albergoalpino.com/index.php?id_pagina=1&sez=1 it's about 5 miles from Arabba, but they do run a minibus to the lifts (we had use of a hire car).

We did a 5-day long weekend here at the end of Jan: Hotel is excellent value ~50eu per night half-board (excellent food too) - there's not much to do in the village if you're after any après, just a nice bar/pizzaria in the lower village square

Also: if you want to plan your route for the Val de M - check out the brilliant 3D-dolomite map application here > http://www.dolomitisuperski.com/hochpust/en-US/3d_skimapen.html : superb rendering of hi-res aerial mapping in 3D, with tilt/pan/zoom etc

This is the start of the V.de.M from the 3D map - normal route comes in from the right (by the Rifugio), and there's also the superb looking (yet to do Toofy Grin )Canale del Ghiaccio route on the left, from the top of Piz Boe
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snowball, geoffers, that looks nice. Is there decent off piste in the Dolomites? Xavier de le Rue was raving about the couloirs in his last vid.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
BobinCH, The skiing is generally pretty easy stuff surrounded by superb scenery, but there certainly are some fine looking routes if you google for Dolomite Freeride sites
This is video of the "Piz Boe - Ghaiaccio" route which I desparately want to do, now I've done the "tourist" route Laughing - I've scoped it from the 3D map & vid and it looks a must (check the free-heel skier too... Blush )

http://youtube.com/v/TBK1gvX-bsc

This thread too by Horizon (who posts here) + Snowball : from TGR http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/50606-TR-Dolomites-17-25-March?highlight=Dolomites
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