 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously all this is no use for the rest of this ski season but hopefully helps someone in the following years.
Day -2
Surely getting a 1 pm flight can’t be stressful? Well after 2 repacks to try and get both cases under 20kg to prevent excess baggage charges (the joys of Ryanair) there was some gentle perspiration going on. The taxi driver was most interested in the concept of skis but we were a bit short of time for a lengthy chat. MAN, despite the thread on here, wasn’t that bad. Minimal queues at check in and security. Uneventful flight and then thermometers checking all arrivals at BGY. Anxious few moments as my daughter had been ill all week and had a temperature of 39c that morning! Somehow this wasn’t picked up and we found car hire as dusk descended. Battered Citroen supplied by Europcar. Just big enough but I’m not sure it was equivalent to the Audi A3 estate I had ordered. So covered in dents that I was pretty sure I wouldn’t significantly add to them, which does reduce the stress of driving. Remember the Peugeot advert with an Elephant? You’ve got this car. Drove through the dark on the motorway to Verona. Unfortunately held up by a burning car transporter, but only by about 20 minutes. Local restaurant for dinner. I had the local delicacy Pastissada de caval. First time eating horse (knowingly) for me. Enjoyed it and recommend.
Day -1
A quick trip to the supermarket and some breakfast. Lots of meds for my daughter and we walked into Verona. This is a ski forum but it is definitely worth a day or 2. Fabulous views over the city on the way to and from the apartment. Meandering walk through the old town. Unfortunately Europe’s oldest library is only open at the weekend but it’s a great city for exploring. Large pedestrianised old town and the Arena is pretty spectacular. Meandered back through the old town and got the Funicular to do most of the uphill, then some sundowners.
The Arena (obviously) with a little snow on the mountains in the background
Day 0
Drove up the A22 then onto minor roads. Lunch at Trattoria di Lago, after Mezzolombardo, just off SS43. Picked as I saw a sign (by the road), although it still took some finding. Nice place, busy. We ordered 4 things that we thought the kids might like and hoped they would eat enough. They did. Drove via Clés then Dimaro then past Folgarida. No difficulties, didn’t even get to 0C. Usual palaver of check in, ski school, ski hire and lift passes, then a supermarket shop. Ski school offered a minibus pick up or meet at the lift. Decided kids could ski and wife could decide herself. Ate in as we had a booking for the next night and had had a big lunch out. Supermarket in town is okay but small and busy.
Day 1
Out of the ski room, up a driveway, up some starirs and then a snowy slope to the back of the hotel is a narrow track which joins the Belvedere run, taking you to Spinale gondola. No one there. Waited and eventually wandered round the side to find a gaggle of instructors and children. Got to the top, along with a million small children in bright orange bibs. There’s a blue on the piste map from here but don’t bother looking for it, there’s a short red required to reach it! 74 Is a nice easy black in 2 parts, then I went up nube d’oro, the super swish new chair then down 70, because it was there to be done. 70, being north facing, was firm, steep but not really fun. Up the gondola again and down via spinale diretta (73) to Groste. Big queue. Eventually got up to the top. Thought about Groste express but a big queue there so down to Boch. Thankfully no queue there and taking 73/77 avoids the (extensive) poling on 66 (required before and after Nube d’Argento. Across the bridge to Fortini. Another hefty queue of course but 57 was very nicely softened in the sun. Skied all the way to 5 laghi where there is no queue at all. Did 85, very steep but very short then 90 via the empty Pancagulo chair. Never saw a queue here. Unfortunately had a fall jumping onto the steepest bit at the end. Mix of going too fast, hitting firm then soft snow and not coping with the transition. Did it again, slightly more slowly then headed back to pick up the rest of the family at Fortini. Went half way up Groste (big queue) to Boch for lunch. Fortunately roast chicken was on the menu which was exactly what the children wanted. Big queue again though and to get a burger in a bun, you had to order from the kiosk outside? Burgers only inside?? Finished the afternoon with gentle skiing from Groste then Nube d’argento. Quick swim in a warm pool then Cascina Zeledria for dinner. Shared a lovely Chateaubriand. It appears they only take bookings in Italian as asking “Parle Inglese por favore?” Gets a “Non” and the phone put down! The food and ambience is worth persevering for. I think you could book with a bit of google translate if you ski in, it’s only just the off the piste (54, just after it splits from 50). Due to the excellent wine and food, my wife handed over her credit card and then walked out to the snowcat with the kids.
Runs off Spinale, ahead red/blue to Boch, hard left black 74, red 73 between
Day 2
After dropping the children off I whizzed over to Folgarida. Bit of a queue at Fortini then over onto a red to Malghette and into a new area. Did the 9 then 18 to get to piste 1 then 2/3. All very nice through the trees, except 18 which was a swarm of children. Empty gondolas but big queue on the Spolverino chairlift to get out. The queue for the Bamby chairlift beside it wasn’t much better. Skied down towards Marilleva on another nice black (little grizzly), only steep for the first bit, then got a slow chair to Dos della Pena and another longer tree-lined black to end up in Marilleva 1400. Wandered around trying to find the gondola out of there. It’s where the piste ends in a square building. I was confused by the brutalist architecture. Got out of there and back in time to sort out last night’s bill at Cascina Zeledria before getting the ski schoolers. We chose home for lunch so joined the scrum at the bridge. There is a magic carpet 1 way (towards Fortini) and it’s a downhill ski the other. Walked up to Fortini after lunch and did the blues around Zeledria. There was an awful queue once (with no queue management) then it was very quiet again as I presume all the Folgarida/Marilleva skiers headed home. Quick final ski with the kids up Spinale, more to luxuriate in the no-queue, heated seats 6-pack Nube d’Oro chairlift, than any need to ski but it was a bit foggy and my daughter didn’t like the cut up black/poor visibility combination on 74. Everyone liked this chairlift though. Big heated seats, very comfortable.
Day 3
This was going to be the day for Pinzolo but after a bit of a difficult evening and a poor sleep, the clouds were nearly as black as my mood so I thought I should cheer myself up with some local skiing. As I went up Spinale the clouds vanished and it was bluebird by the time I arrived at the top. Some easy reds and a trip up the Groste express chair with a manageable queue and the world was a much better place. Skied all the blacks in Madonna I’d not managed and went on the chairs I hadn’t (Miramonti, Vagliana). Highlight was actually red 89 off Pancagulo on the way back. The snow was just right. 5 laghi is another gondola where they have paid lip service to blue run people at the top - great view but avoid if nervous. It gets worse as the day goes on too, the top of 85 gets the sun all day and turns into little mushy moguls. It is much steeper than a blue and narrow with netting on the edge.
Bumps starting to form on the blue at 5 Laghi, black 86 soft and easygoing.Nice view
In the afternoon skied all the way from the top of Groste with the wife. She was pleased it took 45 mins as someone else in her group took 90! Took the kids up Nube and Nube. Daughter had an actual fall on churned up 73. She seems to have got into a bit of a habit of traversing/bouncing across this sort of stuff. Anyway it was a complete disaster because SNOW GOT UP HER LEG. Quick swim, rapid shop in the rubbish supermarket on the south side (quit with wide aisles but v limited stock ????) and a lovely (I mean truly scrumptious) Filleto duo Cervo at Antico Focolare. Should have ordered a side and didn’t drink much as drove. Kids accidentally got adult sized portions of pizza and ate over 3/4. I polished them off. Lovely restaurant.
Top of Groste, highest point of the ski area
Looking up Vagliana
Day 4
I did finally make it to Pinzolo. Starting from Spinale at 9.30, big queue as usual at Fortini and it took an hour skiing fast to get to Pinzolo Express. Surprisingly large queue for the second chairlift up to Doss del Sabion. A few pictures, it’s a good viewpoint, and then skied Tulot. Every cliche about it not being worthwhile ticking a box. Firm to icy all the way down with small death cookies for the top half. At least it was a thigh workout. Then a dash back. Reached Pinzolo Express at 1150 and took just under 50 mins to the base of Groste, not helped by the lifts. Idiotic manoeuvres at Patascoss (queue was 5 people and the 4 in front managed to stop the lift by getting hit by the chair). I then realised I could have just taken 85 and didn’t need to be on the lift. Then Pradalago stopped for a while just as I was getting sweaty. Skied like a demon (it’s mainly easy blue with a few red options) and arrived at the same time as my daughter. Up Groste (no queue!) and to Graffer for lunch. Slightly cold for outside eating as the wind got up and cloud came over. Mum and daughter decided a short day was over. Son said “no 66, I want to do blacks” so we went over Fortini to do 57 (horrible porridge with small lumps, slow and tiring) but he whizzed down smiling so we went up 5 Laghi and he went down 87, very firm so he did a bit of a slide into the soft snow that had been scraped down during the day. Home via 89, which has quite a steep section (for a red) just below the bottom of Pancagulo lift. It doesn’t look much less steep than the fairly steep black above on the left. Cooked up some gnocchi, tortellini and papardelle for dinner.
Madonna from Pradolago
Day 5
Weather is much brighter and sunny again. Mrs suddenly developed runny nose and bunged up sinuses in the late evening and didn’t feel great but some magic Ibuprofen and we went up Spinale to Chalet Fiat together as her instructor had decided the group were good enough now. Another Great viewpoint and an Espresso is just €1.50.
The piste map shows a blue run off to Boch but on the ground, it doesn’t exist and it’s a short section of fairly easy red. The choice is easy red, turning blue later, moderate red, moderate black, or moderate black which turns very steep at the end (the Schumacher streif).
This was race day for the kids so after the coffee at Fiat again, I couldn’t venture far. Instructor advised racing “from 1030”. I did 1 run down Amazzonia (57) then up Pradalago looking for likely race courses. Of course this wasn’t quite as easy as it should have been as there were 2 courses either side of a button tow. After checking the first one, realised this was definitely the wrong ski school, went over the other side, thought this was probably right, skied down and realised the whole piste was cordoned off and ended up going back down to Fortini. Saw both children out on in lessons in the vicinity of the race course but lost sight of one then the other and ended up following a group containing neither child to Zeledria chair. Got back to the race course and decided to just stay put until I saw a child and eventually my son turned up in his group. Managed photos and video and met him at the bottom. Then come an increasingly agonising wait for my daughter, unsure if I had missed her. After about 45 minutes her group turned up. I think they were the very last, there certainly weren’t any other spectators around! A quick lunch at home and I convinced myself that everyone could cope with a trip to the furthest reaches of Madonna so we walked over to Fortini and skied across to 5 Laghi. The scenery is lovely but the sun and a thousand skis had done their worst and the first pitch of the blue (85) was a proper mogul field. Slowly managed this, just about but discovered there is a second steep pitch round the next corner. A few encouraging words and this was also fairly successfully managed but it was a long ski back to the sugar fest of the link slope into Pradalago. Luckily the last slope home this way is almost all the easiest of easy blues with only 1 slightly steeper section. Dinner was at Le Roi-pizza as good as Antico Focolare, Secondi Piatti’s not as well presented but cheaper. Had a nice chat to a Wiganner. Easy walk there and back as it is at the north end of town.
Chalet Fiat and hordes of children about to start lessons
Day 6
Everyone’s last day of ski school so as usual started with trip to Spinale. I popped into Rifugio Lago Montagnoli (surprisingly busy at 9.40am) to book a final night dinner (just managed with minimal Italian and marginally more English) before heading back over Folgarida way to check out runs for the children over that way for the rest of the morning. Worked out that if the queue for Spolverino is ridiculous, you can use Bamby and Brenti (chairs no 8 and 4) to get to the same place. They are much slower though. While on Bamby, about 30 chairs on Spolverino went past, 9 were full!!! This is with an insane queue. Could be the cause of it. Terrible queue management again. Headed back to the apartment for lunch and went sledging for the afternoon. Well, we would have done if someone hadn’t left their gloves behind! Quick trip back round Madonna by car again and we presented ourselves at Spinale. Leave a passport and collect a token for a sledge for €7 then up the gondola. Hand over tokens at the top to get a sledge. The first bend is crazy, if any doubts walk down to the green gate. The views on the first section are lovely then it’s the usual absolutely insane, edge of control with cliff on 1 side European sledge run. Ends at a slow 3 man chair. Should you fancy it, you can go all day, or immediately repair to the bar and say “never again“, again!
Sledging with a view. Not always this flat.
Day 7
An extra day on the slopes for me and the children. I took the kids off round the reds on the Folgarida-Marilleva side, hoping this would be quiet with all the school children gone. I recommend taking 12 down from Monte Vigo to an under used 6 man chair. Better than taking 9 then 18 (a busy flat cat track). More interesting piste signage here BTW as 9 (red) is the same piste as 7 (blue). You can then take run 4 (red) or 5 (black) to the beginner area. Worried my daughter by going to the start of Piste 1, through the multiple “danger” signs, then skied right after the first pitch which puts you back on blue 2! Skied over to the timed slalom between runs 2 and 3. My son was so impressed with his time, he forgot to concentrate on the run to the Gondola, caught an edge and launched himself nearly onto the veranda of a couple of Italian ladies enjoying an early Aperol Spritz (well I assume it wasn’t the Bru). Chocolate on the gondola calmed him down. Still a small queue at Spolverino but nothing like what I saw previously. Lunch was pizza at Orso Bruno at the top of Monte Vigo. Very nice and had a lovely Brenta Brau beer too. The pizzeria is upstairs and upstairs again. Then headed back to Madonna doing the mini snow park and the off piste below it then a couple of blacks at Pradalago and 5 Laghi and 89 back towards our apartment. The blue 85 looked as bad as ever. The kids legs started to go on the off piste on the way down so we stopped and had time for a dip in the pool before a final dinner at Rifugio Lago Montagnoli. Turned out the snowcat meeting point was a short walk, the snowcat was quite an adventure again and the dinner was great. €50 per adult including the snowcat and 5 courses. More food than I could manage. A pig heavy set menu but they could cater for alternative diets. I would definitely discuss veggie options in Italian before booking if needed though.
Skiing into the abyss, or just back towards Madonna on Malghette
Mid-afternoon on a slightly churned up Amazzonia
Last day was a fairly long slow drive through the Italian countryside to near Brescia, then hammered it up the A4 as very late for our flight. Can thoroughly recommend the pizza at Albergo da Arrigo in Pieve Vechia, just after Lago d’Idro. There is a handy petrol station by the SP591 right at the Oriocenter entrance. Unfortunately we only spotted it just after we had filled up 2kms down the road, at €0.10/l more. Our tardy arrival meant we only spent about an hour in BGY, all spent in queues or dashing to the gate so we seem to have missed out on Coronavirus (12 days since we got back now). A nice bonus.
Brief summary and costs
Flights - Ryanair. MAN-BGY
Tough getting everything in the right bags to get within the weight limits. Each bag under 20kg, PITA. Boots in a suitcase. They only seemed to hassle/extract cash at the gate if you take a wheelie case. No one checked the size of my rucksack and the Mrs sneaked 2 shoulder bags on each way. It’s a seat for 2 hours. Bags turned up. £500+
Car - battered and small. Perfect for Italy, skis just fitted. Fitted everything in and got us up hills and along the motorway, but with a struggle. Gear box is horrible. £180 for 10 days
Aparthotel - Residence Ambiez booked through Expedia as cheaper than direct or booking.com, just under €2000 for 8 nights for a 1 bedroom attic apartment. Twin bedroom for the kids with good storage. Pull down double in the living room for us. Adequate storage, adequate kitchenette and pots/pans/cutlery. Pool is warm and fairly large. Ordered in bread for the morning was great. Bed was a bit uncomfortable. View okay, nothing special. Ours looked towards the upper part of Pinzolo ski area rather than some spectacular scenery.
Ski school - Nazionale des Alpes picked from the dozen or so choices after reading on here that it is the biggest and most likely to have groups in English. Put son in with his age and slightly smaller. Daughter in with much bigger girls (1 boy). She’s one of the youngest in her school year but one of the tallest and was a good head shorter than most of the group. She must be great! They can now both tackle all but the steepest blacks on piste. Son likes going as fast as possible, daughter likes jumps. Wife spent the first 2 days moaning that she was back on the beginner slopes and the instructor didn’t speak English. Finished the week skiing much better than ever before, only slightly phased by chopped up steep slopes, managing reds and said they were the best lessons she has ever had! Her group was 4, then 6 for most days but only 2 on the last day. Somehow this cost €861 (including ski hire for 6 and 7 days) which is a bit less than I expected from the website.
Lift passes-son scraped into the free child if bought with adult age. Daughter is now a junior rather than a child so costs slightly less than a full adult. Costs here are going to ramp up next year if I can’t find somewhere that does free passes under 10! €800 this year.
The resort grew on me over the week, there are a good variety of runs off all the lifts, with the caveat that the blues off Spinale and 5 Laghi are notional. Lots of long runs, there’s a few mid-level connects but often you are skiing down to town level. Folgarida/Marilleva has quite different topography but is a very easy connection (if you are fine on a steep red). Lifts are mixed. Lots of 4 man detachables. Some are fine, some badly need an upgrade (Fortini, also Genziana but I was always going the other way). Lots of big gondolas in Folgarida/Marilleva but again a few 4 man chairs need an upgrade or some queue management (Spolverino, Vigo). But then 2 lifts with big queues most times I looked were Groste Express and Urso Bruno (both 6-man detachables). Still some Braveheart style 2 man slow chairs but all serving peripheral runs. Pinzolo really is a full day trip, starting fairly early, so I can’t really give an opinion. Lots of interesting reds and a decent number of blacks at all levels and runs all round the compass so you can follow the sun. Very old snow which went badly off on a couple of afternoons but in general piste management is top notch. Food was great for sit down meals but don’t think there are any self-service food stops to recommend. Pizza, sit down and get 3 courses waiter service or go home for lunch are generally the best options. Far fewer options than in Alta Badia where there really are a ridiculous number of restaurants on the slopes.
As always if any questions, feel free to ask. We left Thursday and came back Sunday to take advantage of an inset day on the Friday and cheaper flights. Apparently could have booked 5 days of lessons but the last day is a very cheap addition and for the Mrs especially, was excellent value given there were only 2 in a 2 1/2hour lesson. It was pretty relaxing having a day in Verona then taking a day to travel 2 1/2hours and sort lessons and hire out. Much less stressful than setting off very early and racing to get everything sorted all day.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 9-03-20 0:11; edited 9 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks for the detailed review! Skiing and (especially) the food sounds lovely. We were supposed to be visiting next week, but not any more  Useful info for a future trip nevertheless, hopefully.
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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?
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Thanks. Yes, aware of your change of plan, looks like you made the right decision at the right time. Hope you enjoy your holiday and looking forward to the TR! Got a few more photos but they are stuck in a queue. Will try later.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@what...snow, great review done Madonna for last few years but not this very fond of place. Please replaced nubo oro chair. Roi is great for pizzas
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@what...snow, "I popped into Rifugio Lago Montagnoli " can you ski to the refuge? I cant picture where it is ..
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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It's by the top of Nube d'Argento lift on piste 73 where 81/76 start.
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@what...snow, thanks I know that one... couldn't remember the name and thought it was one I hadn't been in..
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