 Poster: A snowHead
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All sorts of good advice here. I and a lot of others on here can't recommend the Dolomites enough for intermediate skiers. You are nearly guaranteed well-groomed pistes and at least a few bluebird days. We've been to Val G 5 years straight, minus 2021, and this year I think I saw 2 or 3 clouds the entire week. That said, we also didn't get a flake of new snow, and I have to say I was craving fresh, natural snow by the end of the week.
The one thing that the Dolomites offer is the ability to give intermediate skiers the feeling that they're not missing out on anything. If you can even skid a turn, you can ski the entire SR area without fear. Even the few so-called black runs are just groomers, albeit steep, but not fearsomely so, and completely devoid of moguls.
IDK if the Antares is a proper "hotel" or small apartments. We always stay in apartments and splurge on lunch then make our own simple dinners. The dining options in Selva proper are not tremendous, to be honest. Whereas there are dozens of mountain restaurants that range from acceptable snack bars to near Michelin-starred places...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's definitely a proper hotel with half board.
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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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Oh, yeah, right, I know where that place is, right on the main drag. It's about 200 m from Ciampinoi main bucket lift and the ticket office. Slight uphill to get to the lift but downhill on the way home...half board should be fine there. My problem is we have huge lunches in the Dolomites so I'm just not hungry for dinner...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
My problem is we have huge lunches in the Dolomites so I'm just not hungry for dinner...
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When I'm in the Dolomites I tend not to have lunch, or if I do a quick bowl of soup. Why waste the beautiful scenery and activity by sitting down and spending almost an hour eating. You can do that at home.
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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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| johnE wrote: |
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My problem is we have huge lunches in the Dolomites so I'm just not hungry for dinner...
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When I'm in the Dolomites I tend not to have lunch, or if I do a quick bowl of soup. Why waste the beautiful scenery and activity by sitting down and spending almost an hour eating. You can do that at home. |
 You are certainly not wasting the beautiful scenery in most of the rifugios on a fine day. And I do not consider sampling the food produced in these rifugios, which is nothing like what I eat at home, a waste of time. But each to his own.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Any recommendations for apartments in val gardena? 4 middle aged blokes so 4 beds or proper twins preferred.
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| Quote: |
You are certainly not wasting the beautiful scenery in most of the rifugios on a fine day. And I do not consider sampling the food produced in these rifugios, which is nothing like what I eat at home, a waste of time
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Same here. The lunches have been a major feature of the trips I've done to the Dolomites. They still leave more than enough time for me to do as many hours skiing as I can, these days. Sitting looking at a lovely view is a different experience to skiing past it with your eye on the road.
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| sheffskibod wrote: |
You have the option of quite a few long days (with a good lunch) from Val Gardena...
2 - Ski 1/2 the SR (either anti or clockwise) , divert off at Arabba and head to the Marmolada glacier . Lunch and come back |
That would be a looooong day, especially with a wait for the cable car and a run with 1500 m of vertical. Have you (or anyone else) actually done this?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| blueroom wrote: |
| sheffskibod wrote: |
You have the option of quite a few long days (with a good lunch) from Val Gardena...
2 - Ski 1/2 the SR (either anti or clockwise) , divert off at Arabba and head to the Marmolada glacier . Lunch and come back |
That would be a very long day, especially with a wait for the cable car and a run with 1500 m of vertical. Have you (or anyone else) actually done this? |
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| blueroom wrote: |
| sheffskibod wrote: |
You have the option of quite a few long days (with a good lunch) from Val Gardena...
2 - Ski 1/2 the SR (either anti or clockwise) , divert off at Arabba and head to the Marmolada glacier . Lunch and come back |
That would be a looooong day, especially with a wait for the cable car and a run with 1500 m of vertical. Have you (or anyone else) actually done this? |
We tried it in Feb 2020 coming clockwise from La Villa but the first connecting chair from the mid station above Arabba was busted with a mahoosive queue so we abandoned that plan and instead carried on round and did the pozza di fassa diversion before finishing the SR… if you are a quickish skier and the queues are OK , I would say no problem.
Plenty of people have done 2 x SR in a day.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I’ve just come back from an 8 day holiday in the Dolomites, having had an earlier 10 day holiday in Les Arcs. The self-drive, self-cooking holiday in Les Arcs worked out about a quarter of the price of flying, car hire, hotel and restaurants in the Dolomites. We tended to eat lunch in restaurants in Les Arcs and just nibble snack bars in the Dolomites (there are no restaurants on rock climbs).The Dolomites are incredibly busy and expensive in the summer so a winter comparison may give a less expensive holiday.
I have no complaints. The Dolomites offer IMHO the best rock climbing in the world and I go every year.
This year instead of spending the whole holiday based at the Ciclimino hotel just down the valley from Alleghe we spent 4 nights at the La Plaza in Corvara (Kurfar). The difference from moving from a largely Italian speaking region to a German speaking region were interesting. The German speaking area was much busier and more expensive but also the level of activity. In Kurfar (Corvara) there was a large beer festival going on, complete with live music. It was a surprisingly different atmosphere. Definitely more Austrian than Italian.
Normally Alleghe to Marco Polo is about a 1½ to 2 hour drive so we have plenty of time for a days activity before flying home. This time Lufthansa moved our flight from Venice forward to 18:40 and Google maps showed a driving time of 3 hours from Corvara. So we spent the morning packing and drinking espresso. Then set off on the drive to the airport. First over the Campolongo pass and down to Arraba, then up the beginning of the Falzarego pass and down to Selva for an ice cream lunch. The rest of the route took us over the stunning Via Santa Fosca to the ski resort of Pescul and the beautiful Zoldo valley. This is certainly a nicer way to get back to Venice than negotiating the traffic of Belluno or Cortina.
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Kaiserschmarrn!
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You know it makes sense.
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| jellylegs wrote: |
| The skiing in the Dolomites is entirely different to the 3V. You can travel huge distances across dozens of interconnected resorts, and every day there is a new place to visit - that's what I love about the Dollies. But be prepared to ski on the same type of groomed piste day after day. The snow is not as nice due to low altitude, and it is rare to find a mogul - that's what I hate about the Dollies! |
Me too, best way to enjoy the dolomites skiing is to get first lift up & put some big carves in on the quiet & freshly groomed pistes for a couple of hours then go back to bed till the last two hours before the lifts close and some bumps have built up. 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Well we've just booked a week on Selva with Igluski.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@halfhand, Nice one -- where will you be staying ?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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As a follow up to my original post-
We had a fantastic week staying at hotel Antares in Selva. The hotel is walking distance to two lifts, which take you in opposite directions around the Sella Ronda. Selva had plenty of charm, but very limited nightlife, the average age of the clientele was probably 45+. This wasn’t a problem for us, but those looking for a party scene will be disappointed. After 0 snow fall for the three weeks preceding our arrival, we did get about 5 inches on the first night, then a few more during the week.
The on piste conditions were fantastic, especially in Alta Badia, Arabba was noticeably more icy. As mentioned by many, the area is an intermediates dream with the majority of runs being open reds. Most black runs here would probably be reds in other regions. There was more flat areas than we’re used to but not enough to spoil our snowboarding friends trip. We found the Sella Ronda to be easily skiable in half a day, in either direction.
The food across the region was on a totally different level compared to the big French resorts I’ve previously visited. We especially enjoyed rifugio comici, Nives and chalet Gerard (all in Selva). We didn’t have a bad meal all week.
One of the biggest draws of the Dolomites was the promise of breathtaking scenery, and we certainly weren’t disappointed. Although it lacks the elevation of the 3V’s or Paradiski, the constant views of stunning jagged mountains set the area apart and gave a truly unique experience compared to any other region any of us had visited.
If you’re a keen off piste skier, you’ll want to have some flexibility in terms of when you travel if you’re visiting the Dolomites. They do seem to get a lot less snow than other big resorts. We had enough fresh stuff to enjoy a few off piste runs, but it got tracked out quickly. We’re mostly off piste novices tho so it wasn’t a big deal, the pistes themselves were in great condition throughout the week.
So, if you’re looking for a big party scene or fresh powder is a must, the Dolomites probably aren’t for you. Otherwise, you simply must visit. I know I will definitely be heading back in the future.
Thank you all for your tips in this thread, I’m glad I took your advice, it made for an unforgettable week.
Now to planning next season’s adventure- currently researching the Ski Alberg area.
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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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Well done OP, always good to get a follow up.
Sounds like a good trip.
Arlberg seems a great choice for your group. The link to Warth, and the new Flexenbahn lift, have both increased the scope and ease of the piste skiing in the area - and of course the off piste is legendary, if on the gnarly side
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@albob, Sorry, I missed your post back in August - went off the grid during the summer. We stayed at Residence Weisenheim. V. basic apartment (no toaster WTF!) and a bit of a walk to the nearest lift (10mins in ski boots and carrying skis) but ok for 4 middle-aged blokes for a week.
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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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@halfhand, No probs -- hope you had a good week.... 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@albob, We did. First time in Dolomites and was flipping brilliant. Great skiing and great food. Sellaronda both ways, diversions off around Alta Badia/La Villa and Arabba and ticked of the "Legendary 8". Loved the areas around Ortesei and Seiser Alm. Didn't do hidden valley, keeping it on the list for next time. I should really try and do a trip report 
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