 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm back on Saturday morning on the first train from Innsbruck.
It is looking very warm indeed through the week, spring skiing. I'll dust down the waffer-thin wan-piece. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Car showed -15 when we arrived in Corvara at 10.00am but no wind so it didn’t feel too bad then. Bitterly cold this pm when going into the wind.
a bit sceptical about the warmer forecast, forecasted temps have been way out recently. Thursday it said +5 for Corvara on Friday, never got above freezing and was minus 10 late pm. Would be nice to warm up a bit but not too much…
Nice piste conditions around Arabba and Alta Badia but we skied the Marmolada and it was icy and bumpy ca 1pm. However no queues for the cable car, maybe Saturday is quieter or the locals are smart enough to go in the morning! Great views but didn’t enjoy it, think my legs need a rest after a couple of bumpy days. Have bumps lesson tomorrow pm so it will be a relaxed morning.
Hot chocolates from last few days
Marmolada mid station 8/10, should really get a bonus for the views
Little Rifiguo by Boe etc in Corvara 8/10, maybe 9
Rifugio at campolongo also 8/10
Rifugio panorama on way down Dantercepies 7/10, also awesome views
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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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Pretty good agreement on GEFS that the air will warm quite considerably by the 24th but it looks to stay dry right out to the end of January which may well indicate good skiing conditions and potentially continued good visibility.
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| DPL wrote: |
| Hi, quick question: is there a way to get from Seceda to Dantercepies without going through Santa Cristina and up Saslong? Doesn't look like it on the map... We're going to be there the week before the BB, very sorry to miss it |
@DPL, you can get the Skibus 21 from Col Raiser to the Costabella chair in the morning (08:20, 08:53, 09:25, 10:00 and 10:32 - journey time 12 minutes) or to Dantercepies in the afternoon (15:24, 15:57, 16:29, 17:10 and 17:44 - journey time 16 minutes).
Timetable and route plan here:
https://www.valgardena.it/dl/skibus/2023_24/Skibus_21_202324.pdf
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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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Duplicate post due to website glitch now deleted.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Sun 21-01-24 13:01; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Duplicate post due to website glitch now deleted.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Sun 21-01-24 13:00; edited 1 time in total
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On the way back to Innsbruck after a short 3 days 4 night trip to Corvara. First time in the Dolomites.
Stayed in La Tambra hotel which I would recommend, although it did has a surprising lack of plugs in the room! Food good, wellness area was good after a day on the slopes although you do have to pay €5 for the whirlpool, which lasts 15 minutes.
Found the pistes in excellent condition - especially yesterday (20th). It was a bit warm on the first day but we had someone doing a season out here with us so he guided us away from the worst of the bumps.
Saraghes on piste 9A was voted the hot chocolate winner.
One of our party snowboards and we found some parts of the resort a bit flat for them but might just be a lack of local knowledge from us in terms of where to avoid.
Reds up in Colfosco were fun as was the black once the sun got on it.
Some had private lessons from the main local ski school near the main lift area and were happy with what they got.
Would definitely come back.
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| TomBH wrote: |
On the way back to Innsbruck after a short 3 days 4 night trip to Corvara. First time in the Dolomites.
Stayed in La Tambra hotel which I would recommend, although it did has a surprising lack of plugs in the room! Food good, wellness area was good after a day on the slopes although you do have to pay €5 for the whirlpool, which lasts 15 minutes.
Found the pistes in excellent condition - especially yesterday (20th). It was a bit warm on the first day but we had someone doing a season out here with us so he guided us away from the worst of the bumps.
Saraghes on piste 9A was voted the hot chocolate winner.
One of our party snowboards and we found some parts of the resort a bit flat for them but might just be a lack of local knowledge from us in terms of where to avoid.
Reds up in Colfosco were fun as was the black once the sun got on it.
Some had private lessons from the main local ski school near the main lift area and were happy with what they got.
Would definitely come back. |
Saraghes was always one of our favourite stops. We stayed in the Frohsinn hotel just above the Sorega lift, so a gentle run home after a beer or two!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| JHS wrote: |
@Moorzee10, I would expect the higher slopes to be OK but the lower slopes to be hard in the morning, getting softer by lunchtime and encouraging a late and leisurely lunch during the afternoon. On piste there should be ample snow for a decent week but best to have an earlier start and either a quick lunch and be prepared for an early finish, or a late lunch and stop.
Sella Ronda should be do-able.
Armentarola (Hidden Valley) the horse tow will probably be replaced by a taxi.
Go for it. Embrace the differences. Enjoy it.
Italian food and coffee and German beer sitting in a T shirt outside in the sun. |
Thank you for taking the time to provide this response. Gratefully received.
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Thank you everyone for all your reports. Every year it seems as if more and more Snowheads and different nationalities are visiting the Dolomites. A far cry from my first visit when most of the visitors seemed to be from Germany. Only a week to go till I'm back out to Seiser Alm. Looking like a warm week to come though.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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the holiday has not started as we hoped, got flashed on the M25, hello three points, and totally forgot to pre check in, got seated opposite ends from my darling . Verona airport is still messy took two hours to get our bags and we finally arrived in resort at three pm a very long 11 hours of travelling. The hotel is ok, spa not the best we have had , room spacious but far far too hot but the food is to die for. Husband couldn’t help himself and licked the plate with bread no morsels left behind seriously two meals both 10 out of 10. Canerderli bites in butter sauce are the most delicious thing I ever tasted.
Alpe di siusi was very busy yesterday, not only by skiers there were walkers , cross country and sledgers. The most we waited was for the panorama chair , the others were about five min queue. The snow is good, only icy in the shaded slopes, Florian was the most challenging , the rest was very enjoyable. Inflation is a lot better than expected, 1 spritz 1 Bombardino 11,5 euro. Cappuccino 3 euro goulash soup 11 e each, pleasantly surprised by the prices. Today is a longia 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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@Harrow lady, enjoy La Longia. There are several good eating places along the run too!
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You know it makes sense.
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@defnekasrat, you're right there's not a lot showing in the forecasts, but although the models are tending towards warm and dry, the confidence is (currently) low.
As long as the evening / night temps are low then the snowmakers can do their thing, but of course we'd all love some fresh stuff!!
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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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@EarthWindandWater, oh good to hear, I vaguely remember that I read somewhere that the snowmakers mostly work during the beginning of the season and then leave the clouds to their work  But good to hear that they work if the temps are low enough (should it be under 0 or lower than that?)
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Poster: A snowHead
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@defnekasrat, first year we went twenty years or so ago I booked start of December as there had been a dump of snow. We went mid January and they had not had any more natural stuff. 
Skiing was still excellent.
Skiing into the low villages was a bit odd with grass at the sides of the runs but was not a problem
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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 I understand it they have probably made all the snow they need to last until the end of the season. I may have read somewhere that they are not actually allowed to make snow after a certain date ?
New snow can actually spoil the skiing surface because it is often quite wet and doesn’t bond well with the artificial snow. After a couple of nights of grooming the piste is usually back to a predictable high quality.
It’s normal for the Dolomites to go many weeks without snowfall yet retain good skiing because of the nightly grooming and the dry air. One of its selling points is the amount of sunny weather it gets. It’s sheltered from the west and the north which is where the snow (and the rain) tends to come from.
I think quite a lot of Germans travel down to the Dolomites because it tends to have better weather than the northern Alps. Good visibility also makes for consistent piste quality because the drivers can see what they are doing more easily.
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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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@Scrunch77, Thank you for the info and attachment, very helpful.
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Pistes are good but bumpy around the SR later in the day. it looks like there has been snowmaking as today there were patches of fresh snow hanging around on some pistes. FWIW we’ve been here in Feb and seen snowmaking taking place then.
Busyish around the Sella Ronda but very quiet once you get away from it (although Belvedere bowl looked heaving as we passed through this pm). Popped over to Monte Pana (Val Gardena), lovely little quiet area with a nice red and allegedly steepish black which would be good for anyone wanting to practice away from crowds. I say allegedly because they say 68 % but it didn’t feel like that, maybe because the conditions were so good and/or I wasn’t worrying about avoiding other people.
Hot chocolate
Rifugio Fodom between 2 chairlifts on the border of Arabba and Val di Fassa - 7/10
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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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Back home from three nights in Selva.*
Thoroughly enjoyed our weekend. We were definitely a happy group who appreciated the scenery, flattering slopes, delicious food, sunshine and reasonable prices.
Thank you for all the tips on here. It helped make our weekend even better.
*Sunday evening flight from INN to LGW was in the middle of of storm Isha. We were treated to what the pilot described as a "sporty" approach into Gatwick. Happily we landed on our first attempt.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Love how we are all so different, somebody thinks the place is not too busy, I think the place is so busy compared to last two Januaries, it is all about your expectations . First run was la longia and didn’t queue at all, longia was icy in places , but it always is in the morning, went up again and had to wait three cars. We didn’t repeat. The fermeda was lovely with perfect snow moved over to selva and ciampinoi reminded me of Oxford Circus very busy with people going all direction . We took n6 for gralba, four people were on the floor on the first steepish section, at 11.30 the piste was already spoiled , no surprise beginners were struggling. Gran paradiso and comici were a lot of fun as was Falk or pista del Bosch one of my favorite. We took the bus to go back home and nearly all of our fellow passenger were from the States . They complained about the snow, they said it was icy and very difficult to ski and don’t like people jumping the Q.  I really don’t think is that bad, in my opinion is worse than 2022 but better than last year, again it is what you are used to. Americans are replacing the Russian and they are here in numbers also surprisingly we heard lots of French been spoken. Coffee in G paradiso hutte 3.80 that place is so expensive, Bombardino in a hutte near selva, forgot the name 5.5.
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Duplicate
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@richb67, good to hear!
but the temps around the Alps are overall a bit concerning I think. I'm seeing days that don't even go under 0C on snow-forecast! The Dolomites, seem to be one of the places that seem to stay a bit cooler than some resorts. I'm still hoping it's a glitch in the system but the models have been quite insistent on this warmth trend for a week now 
What worries me about the Dolomites is that it didn't seem to get a good amount of snowfall from the start of the season as well, but again, it's purely my problem as I tend to get over-fixated on forecasts because after reading what everyone has been writing, I'm %100 sure we'll have a great week no matter what the snowfall is like.
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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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One of the reasons I avoided the Dolomites for so long was because they never seemed to have much depth of snow. How little I knew ! They have been relying on man made snow since the 1980s and will have made enough in most areas to last the rest of the season, whether it snows or not.
The outlook is milder but still dry throughout January which should mean good piste skiing for anyone out there. It does however look a bit windy in the short term on the higher runs.
Anticyclone moving just north of the Alps by next Saturday
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/maps-and-charts/surface-pressure/
https://www.bergfex.com/alta-badia/webcams/c13383/
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One birthday bash there was +8c every day for the whole week, with blue sky. Still got in a whole week of skiing with no issues. They certainly know how to manage and prepare the snow well in the Dolomites.
OK we all had to get half undressed in every gondola, cos they were like a greenhouse, but was perfectly fine on the slopes.
When I had similar in PdS, the entire place was grass.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We have skied Dolomites for many years now. One year there was so much snow there was a state emergency - it was fab. Then a couple of years after that it was white pistes all man made with brown either side, even high up in Arabba. I know man made isn’t the same but at least you can ski. However, we have noticed it is getting busier and busier
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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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@Peter S, I have verrrry minimal understanding of weather models, I'll be honest with you So would the Anticyclone moving towards/north of the Alps mean a cooling down trend generally?
I've had weather or snow forecasting apps fool with me in the past but that was mostly in Turkey where the weather is very unpredictable, especially in the ski resorts. I am surprised to see such high temps in Feb in Europe. But when I see many people who are experienced in the area act chill about it, I chill a bit down too :)Also, the Dolomites seem to be a good place to go during a warm weather period
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@defnekasrat, in the kindest way possible I say: you're overthinking the weather. Chillax. Yes, you probably will need sunscreen more than a snorkel. Good vis in a place new to you is important.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Scooter in Seattle, All I needed to hear, you are %100 right I get to go abroad to ski only one week per year so it tends to feel like I have all my eggs in one basket. but, I’m chill from now on and looking forward for sunny skiing, amazing food and most importantly, grappa!
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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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Popped over to Alleghe today and skied Civetta, our first visit there.
Pistes ok this morning but most hard packed from lunch. Lovely sunny day, not overly warm. Our car still had ice on it when we came back at the end of the day.
Civetta a nice enough ski area, great views and very quiet slopes. But quite small with a few flat slopes and some slow lifts. Worryingly a few bits of grass popping through on at least one piste, definitely less snow than the other areas we’ve visited. We still had a good day though.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@defnekasrat, today the forecast for Alleghe town was ca 5 deg C, but our car was out in a car park and still had last weeks ice on top when we got back so I doubt it got much over zero and that’s down at 1000m. We’ve been here in March when it was very warm and there was still snow, albeit not great later in the day.
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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 been great in Madonna, perfect spring skiing but the slopes are full of nutters unfortunately
Seems we have all gotten away with various attacks from behind except my helmet
We are having a great time and I have really found a taste for bombardinos though I suspect they won’t taste the same as home so will just have to come back
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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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@defnekasrat,
An Anticyclone means settled descending air. It brings Calm weather and probably sunshine. If the feed is mild, which looks to be the case, then temps will be mild with an overnight freeze up. Settled weather is good for skiing though some busy pistes will get cut up by the afternoon.
Personally speaking, a week of sunshine is worth a foot of new snow, particularly in the Dollies, sat out on a sunny terrace eating lovely food and staring at the view
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Just done 3rd day based in Selva, conditions are very good, anyone heading here shouldn't worry about snow there's more than ive seen on many previous years. Visibility good, if anything could be a touch colder it was a teeny bit spring like late afternoon today.
Today was a bit crap, I should have checked about Cinque Torre but the super 8 is not open, so you can't do the CT/Lagazoi loop which is a shame.
Still really hard to have just one bombardino, availability of tables in restaurants still like rocking horse poop, I'd book a table for every night otherwise is might be a sandwich from Despar
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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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| shiva_71 wrote: |
I should have checked about Cinque Torre but the super 8 is not open, so you can't do the CT/Lagazoi loop which is a shame.
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Any idea why it was closed today? The Dolomiti Super ski website suggests all the relevant slopes and lifts are open.
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Warm in Alta Badia today, had to remove a layer of clothing and the car defrosted for the first time since we arrived 12 days ago, Colfosco pistes around Edelweiss were sticky even before lunch as they get the morning sun. Higher and shadier places lasted better and we still skied until after 3:30. Very spring like today but forecast is for it to cool down again.
There were wind warnings saying that some higher lifts may be closed causing delays on the Sella Ronda so @lapalma that could be why Super 8 was showing “closed”.
If you pick your pistes you can hardly see a soul, just minimise time on the SR and other marketed/famous routes. We had a couple of occasions today when we were the only people in sight, it’s been the same since we arrived.
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@richb67, you are very lucky in Alta badia it is definitely quieter there than anywhere else. Let me tell you that selva is not like that, it is very busy and today it was borderline to dangerous. We moved to AB to get away from the crowd and really enjoyed our day at the end. If I can give a suggestion to people coming this weekend stay away from the sella ronda.
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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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@Harrow lady, yes we have been over to Selva a few times in the past week, it’s lovely but that area around Campinoi is just too much of a bottle neck. It seems that everyone has to go though this and it really needs either a bypass or easier routes down. Then many people are funnelled down to Plan de Gralba so you get those who’ve been speeding down the steep black mixing with the ski schools and chaos reigns!
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FAQ
