luigi, I am in Arabba the first two weeks of March, this will be my forth visit in a row but every year i find new areas to ski.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I shall be there in about a month time. Looks great.
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?
riverman, luigi, I'm keeping a close eye on this thread as, having been to arabba last year, I'm off to Zoldo ( civetta ) on jan 9th . Have either of you skied this area? if so how did you find it & how well does it link to the areas around & the sella ronda circuit itself?
nickH, never skied there but Civetta looks a nice area, amazing views of Monte Pelmo.
The 'First World War' ski tour runs through Civetta, and AFAIR there are regular buses linking Malga Ciapela or Sottoguda (Marmolada) to Alleghe and another service from Selva di Cadore up to Rifugio Fedare (for Col Gallina and Lagazuoi)
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sun 13-12-09 22:29; edited 1 time in total
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
thanks luigi, I'm hoping to do the 'first world war' tour whilst there - I like the sound of the icebar on the fertazza plateau ( 100 different schnapps - dangerous!!).
Nice shots on the flickr link - I'm struggling not to get excited
nickH, I have skied the Civetta area a couple of times . It is a nice area which would keep you happy for 2/3 days. A problem could be that the main entry to the Civetta area is by means of a gondala system from Alleghe, this is a 6 seat gondala and could be very busy at peak times . As luigi, says you can connect into the Sella Ronda by means of a ski bus but this would mean a fair bit of travelling, most people from the Alleghe area use cars to access the Sella Ronda. There may be a ski bus acess to the Cortina region .
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
thanks riverman, I am a bit worried that it's a smallish area as I do like to rack up the miles, so must look into the bus options. Hopefully early jan will be pretty quiet & the gondola not too busy !
I did choose zoldo because it is a little off the most beaten tracks ( & because sueski came up with a good deal !) so can't expect it to be the same as Arabba, which I very much enjoyed last year.
After all it is free
After all it is free
I'm off to Civetta again in January, been there quite a few times. It's a lovely area, not huge, but quite varied and the scenery is stunning.
I've never had to queue more than 2 mins for the gondola at Alleghe, you shouldn't have any problems in Jan. Zoldo is a good base - nice little town with a self-contained area and a link through to the main area above Alleghe.
I think buses run to Cortina and Arraba but via Alleghe, not Zoldo. Cortina is closest by road and well worth the trip to extend your options.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
nickH, where did you stay in Arabba?
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
nickH, here's the link to the ski-bus services & timetables around Civetta, only in Italian, but it looks like you can get back and forth on frequent services between :
Opens up a lot more possibilities if there isn't enough at Civetta.
I did the circuit with the new chairlift around Averau/Cinque Torri earlier this year, it's beautiful and pretty empty, funny short rope tow at Forcella Averau to give you the height to drop over the other side, a few flat spots where you have to try and conserve momentum to avoid poling, but combined with Col Gallina and the front face at Falzarego/Lagazuoi, it would be an enjoyable day out from Zoldo.
I've always thought it would be fun to ski down the Sottoguda gorge if the snow was good enough, looks like there's just enough gradient to keep sliding:
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Tue 15-12-09 19:30; edited 1 time in total
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.
phagor, I'm there from the 9th -16th, are you there at the same time ? if so perhaps a beer would be in order. I'm staying B&B, so can you reccommend any eating places in the village or on the mountain ?
riverman, In the Garni Post I think, it was a budget B&B & nothing special, but the one I'd been going for had to close that week for a bereavement. As a regular visitor I imagine you've your accomodation sorted, if not then sueski lives there & can arrange accomodation , transfers & lift passes at good prices - a number of other s/h's have used her services & she's well recommended. This is her website http://www.simplydolomiti.com/
luigi, some great info thanks, must now note it down as I've not yet worked out how to print out a page from this site !!
I'm definitely hoping to get to the cing torri & the hidden valley this year as I couldn't last, partly because of the amount of snow that was falling !!! - no, that's in no way a complaint
I did ski the gorge last year & it's pretty spectacular. There is enough gradient to slide most of it, though I do recall some poleing, the boarders in the group found it a little trickier as it is narrow as well as flattish. Spent a happy 1/2 hr on the way through watching some ice climbers heading up one of the waterfalls - bloody nutters !
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
luigi, We normally ski down the Sottoguda pass before we catch the ski bus down to Alleghe. Was not possible last season as nickH, said due to depth of snow drifts.
.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
nickH wrote:
I've not yet worked out how to print out a page from this site !!
Click on 'File' at the top left of the screen, select 'Print preview' to see what will print, then click 'Print'. That should work!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
luigi, thanks, will give it a try
riverman, where do you stay when in Arabba ?
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Anybody around Arabba during week commencing 23 Jan?
Wife and I have booked a week with Pieve di Livinallongo which is 5 miles from Arabba for striking Civetta (10 miles), Cortina (19 miles), Lagazuoi (9 miles) etc.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
nickH, I stay at the Chalet Robina which is run by Colletts Holidays
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?
Some snow (5-10cm) fell on Monday across the region.
The deep freeze continues right through the weekend, around -10C daily maxima at 2000m.
Mostly sunny but a possibility of light to moderate snow early on Saturday as a low moves across Northern Italy.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
luigi, Just back from the Dolomites - wow! A piste basher's paradise. We did the Sella Ronda 3 times - once the green way and twice the orange way.
We did a detour to Marmolada on Thursday but got too cold in the -15C. We spent a nice time up on Col Raiser too. We had a bit of snow last Sat/Sun but not much. We did the men's downhill which is a lovely run. The pistes had got quite hard by the time we left yesterday but the snow cannons seem to produce a tremendous amount of snow to cover up the icy spots. The pistes on the Corvara side were skiing the best.
erica2004, so glad you enjoyed your hols, I think we've found another 'convert' to the Sella Ronda cause.
Probably good it wasn't snowy for you, that way you could appreciate the scenery better.
Amazing what they can do with the snow cannons, in lean seasons they can practically produce the entire piste network.
Thanks for our first 'on the ground' snow report of the season!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Looking hopeful for some fresh snow over the next few days as well as milder temps. Hopefully no rain!
After all it is free
After all it is free
On Col Raiser.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
somewhere else
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
This was in the little valley full of rocks and larch trees.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Oh wow! Thanks for that. Heading out (to Selva) on 16th Jan and just can't wait.
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.
Cogaula, welcome to snowheads
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Nice pics! I see you made friends with one of the natives!
Snow Report:
Deep freeze is coming to an end, with a milder, moist SW flow, could see some rain at resort level this week, but a lot will fall as snow as the freeze level fluctuates and not looking nearly as bad as the dire predictions for the French Alps which could see snowcover damaged by heavy rain right up to 2200m as well as warm winds.
Deep freeze is coming to an end, with a milder, moist SW flow, could see some rain at resort level this week, but a lot will fall as snow
I really hope you're right! We're arriving in Zoldo on the 27th. Could be excellent timing if it's snow that's falling and not rain...
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
hum3, hope it stays good for you - I'm heading to Zoldo on the 9th jan, so would be interested to hear any suggestions & recommendations you have once you're back. Enjoy
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
hum3, the free air freeze levels will rise above 2000m between now and Fri, but it looks like when the precipitation comes, it falls as snow down to lower levels (particularly if it falls at night), ending Friday with snow down as low as 600-900m, then staying cooler at the weekend:
Not looking good, they're forecasting 5-15mm of rain, along with 2-10cm of snow in Arabba (1645m), in Cortina (1180m) even more rain and less snow, over the next 24h:
Sadly I'm saying good-bye to this thread now as the Dolomite deal I was looking for hasn't materialised, good news is I've found a last minute package to Zermatt instead, so need to concentrate on that now! At least I still get the chance to lunch in Italy!
Say hello to my favourite mountains for me all you who are heading that way this year! Have a good one!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
nickH wrote:
phagor, I'm there from the 9th -16th, are you there at the same time ? if so perhaps a beer would be in order. I'm staying B&B, so can you reccommend any eating places in the village or on the mountain ?
Beer sounds good. I'll PM you my details.
For food in Zoldo, I'd recommend Deny's, near the road that leads to the car park and lift station. Good, cheap family-run pizzaria. Bar Coldai, a bit further up the road, is a more gourmet experience, lovely grub and wines. No printed menu, and the owner doesn't speak English, so you might get something random, but it's all good. The Vulcano is a fun little bar for a drink.
On the mountain, Sun Paradis on Col Della Grava is great. Definitely try the 'typical mountain' dish of Pastin - sausage burger with mushrooms, melted cheese and polenta - yum! The restaurant at the top of Fertazza in the main Alleghe area is also good if you're over that way.
I'd agree with luigi, Cinque Torri over in Cortina is a lovely area and not too far away. Maybe you could ski to Alleghe or Pescul and get the bus from there.
phagor, thanks for the info, look forward to your pm
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
yesterday evening it snowed a bit at 17:00 which left a fresh layer of 5 to 10 cm in the badia area.
Did the sella ronda today and it snowed from 11:00 until about an hour ago, but not a very thick pack. Cant tell how much since it was just above zero and on the car there there is practically no snow left. Pistes were holding up quite well and considering how many humps of snow there are on the pistes I think most off the ice will not get visible 2mrrw.
Got pretty cold in the end.... I think I need new gloves they were completely soaked..... I need freezing temperatures to keep them dry
After all it is free
After all it is free
last night about 10 cm in alta badia.
And it is still snowing
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Mafketel, good news - keep it coming !
heading to zoldo in a week.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
nickH wrote:
hum3, hope it stays good for you - I'm heading to Zoldo on the 9th jan, so would be interested to hear any suggestions & recommendations you have once you're back. Enjoy
Well, I'm back! I give you an appraisal here, and replicate it in the Resorts section too.
First of all the conditions - pistes were really good, despite the torrential rain they had on Christmas Day. There was a a bit of snow while we were there (a few cm) to keep things fresh too. It was quite warm while we were there too, around freezing in resort during the day, but it did seem to be cooling down the day we left (Sunday 3 Jan).
Proper off piste was a no-go really. Never seen so many avalanche warnings around, but not surprising considering the massive avi with 7 deaths they had recently near Passo Pordoi. In fact, the valley that went was one we skied in February, when we hired a guide for the day. Sobering thought...
Anyway, back to Zoldo...
By way of background, my girlfriend and I met up with a group of eight others. We had some excellent skiers (ex-racer, ex-seasonaires, Swedes born with skis on), an excellent boarder, with everyone else being a good skier (ie happy to go down black runs). We are all in our late 20’s, early 30’s.
Sitting at 1400m, Zoldo, is a small, charming place, very Italian, and part of the Civetta ski area with 80km of piste. The only English speaking people we came across were those who had also booked with Simply Dolomiti, so take your Italian phrase book!
SKIING:
The ski area is stunning, as you would expect in the ‘Dollies’. Sitting on the lifts is a pleasure when you've got those views to admire. The local skiing is pretty good too. I'm happy on any piste and there was enough there to keep me entertained for the three days I stayed local (well two and a half days, as I can’t count New Years Day as a full skiing day!).
Highlights are the red run down to Alleghe - (longer than it looks on the map), with some fun steeper sections, and the reds down to Pescul. The night skiing is excellent fun too on a nice wide, cruisey red that you can really open up on and a steeper red (classified as black) - not many places you can get first tracks twice in one day! The night skiing is open from 7pm to 11pm so plenty of time to fill your boots if you haven’t done enough skiing during the day, and generally quiet.
I’d have explored the trees a little which are accessible enough, but the days I was in resort the vis was poor or the snow was old and rain crusted, and the off piste base wasn’t fantastic for that sort of thing in any case.
The main point to note about skiing in Zoldo and Civetta generally is that it’s so quiet. We were there between Christmas and New Year, and there was a third of the number of people as I was expecting, especially midweek. Outside the Christmas period, I reckon you’d almost have the place to yourself! The pistes stay in good condition throughout the day but on flip side, because there aren’t huge numbers of people, there are more two man chairs than you’d like. However the longest we waited in a queue in the Civetta area for the whole week was 10 minutes, so not a problem, with a lot of the time there being practically no wait at all. I pretty much walked straight onto the gondola every morning.
First lift was at 08:30 with last lift before night skiing at 16:30.
I went on three day trips on the SuperSki pass, twice to the Marmolade (one sunny day - majestic, the other grim weather, very flat vis, but lots of snow - good challenge, skiing by feel) and the third was the World War One route, the ‘Grande Guerra’.
Getting to the Marmolade is simple enough, a free 20 min bus ride from Alleghe (the ski over is a great warm up)(get to Alleghe, cross the road, turn left, walk 75m, cross the road again and catch the bus which run every 25 mins), and well worth doing if it’s sunny. The views from the top after taking three consecutive cable cars is breathtaking.
The WW1 route for us (Zoldo, Pescul, bus to Cinque Torre (€3), Lagazuoi/ Hidden Valley, Arabba, Malga Cipella/Marmolade, bus to Alleghe (free), Zoldo) is doable from Zoldo if you are a quick, fit skier, get the first lift, and you stay focussed on getting round. The last lift out of Alleghe to get back to Zoldo was 15:45 for us which left little time to get round, especially as we did a couple extra fantastic red runs in Cinque Torre, which meant we were a little late getting to Lagazuoi/ Hidden Valley, and had to queue for 40 mins. We also had an excellent boarder with us, but she inevitably struggled on some of the longer flat sections on the route.
If you weren’t starting from Zoldo, you’d be able to relax more as you wouldn’t be under the pressure of getting the last 15:45 lift out of Alleghe.
It is worth doing though, as you cover so much ground and it’s a great tour. The Hidden Valley is worth doing by itself! Be sure to stop at the frozen waterfalls just after the rifugio, and the horse drawn tow at the bottom is still childishly good fun!
FOOD AND DRINK:
The food in resort and up the mountain is fantastic value, especially when compared to the French Alps. The food is simple but good, and the recurring dishes were - pizza & pasta (obviously), rare beef steak, goulash, polenta, and strudel.
On New Years Eve, we ate at Deny Pizzaria (opposite the road that goes down to the gondola) and for main (not pizza), dessert , wine, shared side salads, coffee, limoncello and tip the bill came to just over €25 a head.
Al Lumin further up the hill was a bit more expensive, but the food was really good, and the waiter knew a bit of English so helped with the menu translation (apparently 'Bambi' was on the menu!). Their Cumin Grappe was also the smoothest and best tasting of the trip.
Christian Pizzaria was also excellent value, with giant salads on offer should you feel the need for a meal without cheese, and 'red' beer at €4 for 400ml, but at 8%!
‘On the mountain’, the quality and value of the lunch at Palma was really good, but boarders beware the long drag back up from there.
A hot white mulled white (vin brulé €2) or expresso (€1) at the little café at the bottom of the gondola is a perfect way to relax at the end of the day.
In the evening, the Stube dal Patriarca , which is most similar to a British pub atmosphere we found, had some decent live music, but otherwise we made our own entertainment (aka eating and drinking!).
There was also a sports bar and a bar/club called Zoo bar, but didn’t get round to visiting them - not for any particular reason (apart from being ‘old’ and tired from day and night skiing).
If you’re self catering two small markets within easy walking distance.
ACCOMODATION:
We stayed in the Garni Pecol, a B&B which was good value (can you spot the theme here?). The rooms were smallish, but tidy and comfortable, had nice views, Italian TV, and had quite a large terrace, which we didn’t make use of. It was a 10-15min walk from the gondola, depending on how fast you walk with skis - not really a problem. The highlight though was the breakfast room, which was relaxed, large, had comfortable seating, a bar (bottled beer €2), excellent coffee and a FIRE. On one evening we struggled to get into a restaurant (booking recommended at this relatively busy time), but we ordered take away pizzas, and they were happy for us to have them in there.
Breakfast was pretty good, if predictable - cold meats, cheese, variety of bread, fried eggs, fresh apricot jam filled croissants (nice with Nutella!), tea (ask for the milk) and coffee, yoghurt, orange juice, and cereals.
Marco, the manager, speaks a very little English, but both German and Italian, if that helps.
WHO WOULD I RECOMMEND ZOLDO IT TO?:
- The value of the place just cannot be ignored, so anyone looking to save a bit of cash would do well to consider Zoldo.
- Mixed ability groups would also do well to come here, as there is plenty to offer everyone, although this is not a destination if you’re looking for full on, black mogul skiing. We were a pretty good group ability wise, and we didn’t feel let down.
- This would be a fantastic destination for long weekends. The area is large enough to keep you going for a couple days locally, with perhaps one day trip and with the night skiing you can really ski all day. Transfers from Treviso was about 1 hour 45 mins to Zoldo on a private transfer. Going on the Dolomiti Stars transfer only takes you to Alleghe / Caprile, so an extra leg for the 30min trip over the pass would have to be organised to Zoldo.
- The families who were there with us also seemed to have a really good time, and their apartment (brand new, with 4* hotel facilities available) and other hotel accommodation was well received.
- Anyone who likes to ski on quiet pistes, in stunning scenery! As it is off the Sella Ronda circuit, there’s no through traffic… Brilliant!
- If you’re one of those crazy cross country skiing folk, there is some of that there too. (I’m not one, so know nothing about it!)
WHO WOULD I NOT RECOMMEND ZOLDO IT TO?:
- Those looking to meet other Brits! Not really any other Brits to speak of.
- Those who are not skiing. Off mountain entertainment is pretty limited. The 4* hotel does have a pool and spa, and there are a couple ‘tat’ shops which would take 10 mins to explore, and the obvious ski shops.
- Those looking for big Apres - again entertainment is a bit BYO, but you do have the opportunity to make it, and there is the club/bar ‘Zoo’.
- Those who want immediate access to the Sella. (To me, a free, warm 20min bus ride to the Marmolade, or 30 mins to Cinque Torre isn’t an problem, and gives you time out to enjoy the view. There’s always night skiing to catch up on the skiing time spent on the bus!)
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The red run (42) coming back into Zoldo from Alleghe can be a bit daunting for some at the end of the day if you’re tired, as it does see more use than most. Downlifting wasn’t a problem though (lift 32).
I would have liked to have eaten up the mountain and night skied, but couldn’t get everyone organised to do it!
Didn’t get to the snow parks either…
There are loads more trees around than the piste map would suggest. That really helped on the really poor vis day. There are some very accessible tress to ski through (basically a few trees dividing the piste) between runs 22 and 23, down from M Fernazza. A bit of fun!
Some of our friends stayed a couple extra days in Venice, which we thought was a nice idea.
HOW WE DID IT:
Booked through Sue at Simply Dolomiti, paid our money to ‘Not So EasyJet’, and done! We actually went through Milan Malpensa, as the flights were so much cheaper that way, we could afford to spend cash on a hire car and visit a friend on the same trip. We travelled to Treviso by car, then picked up the transfer bus.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
