Seven days to go until opening which looks likely to go ahead on Saturday. The weather forecast is looking dry, sunny and cool, good for making snow and then skiing.
Up the road in the Alta Badia they seem to be making progress preparing the main pistes. They aim to open on the same day as the Sella Ronda circuit on the 5th of December.
Piste depth is a reported 25cm at 2200m and 10cms at 1500m
Very important question - how much will a bombardino cost this year?
Anywhere between 5 and 6 euros ??
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?
Adrii wrote:
What's everyone's thoughts on the Sella Ronda circuits?? Stayed last year in La Villa (first time in Dolomites) and I admit Dolomite's fame to be one of the most visually spectacular place to ski is completely true. On the other hand, I personally found doing the circuit quite stagnant with the number of gondolas one has to use. It doesn't help that I skied alone whilst my brother was doing his ski lessons in Corvara & Colfosco. And it also felt quite rushed trying to make my way back to my base resort before the lifts close.
This year I am staying in Selva and was thinking of just getting the Val Gardena ski pass rather than the whole Dolomiti ski pass; is the Val Gardena ski area large enough for 6 days?? I especially want to try out all of the Legendary 8 ski runs.
The Sella Ronda circuit is something that has to be ticked off
After that it is a means of getting to the different ski areas
Personally I would still go for the full area pass
Personally I think its one of the best days out on skis, though maybe I did it off season as I don't remember any queueing or any real crowds.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Adrii wrote:
What's everyone's thoughts on the Sella Ronda circuits?? Stayed last year in La Villa (first time in Dolomites) and I admit Dolomite's fame to be one of the most visually spectacular place to ski is completely true. On the other hand, I personally found doing the circuit quite stagnant with the number of gondolas one has to use. It doesn't help that I skied alone whilst my brother was doing his ski lessons in Corvara & Colfosco. And it also felt quite rushed trying to make my way back to my base resort before the lifts close.
This year I am staying in Selva and was thinking of just getting the Val Gardena ski pass rather than the whole Dolomiti ski pass; is the Val Gardena ski area large enough for 6 days?? I especially want to try out all of the Legendary 8 ski runs.
Yeah, the SR itself, i know one direction is better than the other but I never remember which! You kinda use the SR as a springboard for other areas, Val di Fassa is great, Cinque Torre is cool, Marmolada is great for the views, the pistes above Arraba are fab for half a day etc...lots to explore beyond just going round the SR!
Very important question - how much will a bombardino cost this year?
Anywhere between 5 and 6 euros ??
Hmm i was last there year before last and im sure i paid €6 then so my guess is €7/8...gotta be done though!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@shiva_71,
After all it is free
After all it is free
sheffskibod wrote:
I know this is mostly a weather related thread but the posts about the smaller ski areas (still under the Dolomiti Superski pass) makes me want to ask which areas might be worth visiting when we stay in St Vigilio mid Jan ?
We plan to ski Kronplatz for maybe 3 days , drive to La Villa (or Badia) at least once to do a big sella ronda + diversions day (maybe 2).
Gitschberg-Jochtal looks close and probably worth a day ?
Or should we also do Brixen-Plose on the same day ?
3 Zinnen ?
Or somewhere else?
If you haven't been before...Cortina??
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
luigi wrote:
sheffskibod wrote:
I know this is mostly a weather related thread but the posts about the smaller ski areas (still under the Dolomiti Superski pass) makes me want to ask which areas might be worth visiting when we stay in St Vigilio mid Jan ?
We plan to ski Kronplatz for maybe 3 days , drive to La Villa (or Badia) at least once to do a big sella ronda + diversions day (maybe 2).
Gitschberg-Jochtal looks close and probably worth a day ?
Or should we also do Brixen-Plose on the same day ?
3 Zinnen ?
Or somewhere else?
If you haven't been before...Cortina??
Have done Tofana side before (via an organised coach excursion from selva with Crystal back in 2018 which also took in the hidden valley on way home) but feels like a bit far to drive to repeat it - google maps says 75km.
We skied most of the area in the 4 hours we had.
It could be a potential day trip parking at La Villa though (a much nearer 23 km drive from st Vigilio) now the new connecting lift to cortina is in place from cinque torri.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
shiva_71 wrote:
Very important question - how much will a bombardino cost this year?
Don't know, don't care, I'll be having several regardless of the price.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Sat 18-11-23 19:54; edited 2 times in total
Seven days to go until opening which looks likely to go ahead on Saturday. The weather forecast is looking dry, sunny and cool, good for making snow and then skiing.
Up the road in the Alta Badia they seem to be making progress preparing the main pistes. They aim to open on the same day as the Sella Ronda circuit on the 5th of December.
Piste depth is a reported 25cm at 2200m and 10cms at 1500m
I like the Bergfex webcam pages, you can go back in time and see the daytime images after dark and the previous week's archive too
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Ski pass up to €80 a day now, big jump, suspect it'll make a lot of pockets hurt
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Yes, the Superdolomiti ski pass is €80 a day during the peak season, but 6 days is only €428 so €71 a day and if you book two days in advance you save another 5% making it €407, less than €68 a day.
Mind you, last years equivalent 6 day pass was €373 so it looks like prices are up about 15% on last year.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@olderscot, "only" €68/day for a 6-day pass
It wasn't too long ago when I thought anything above about €35 was expensive!
I suspect snowmaking costs are the reason why lift passes in the eastern Alps have shot up so much compared to further west.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
The pass price has increased steadiily, to the level of 3V, Arlberg etc. I think the Dolomites were significantly underpriced though. My 11 day pass in 2013 was around 450yoyo which was great value. My accomodation was 35 per night for a brillant studio at the bottom of the Sasslong.
There's a general trend of increasing costs particularly in Val Gardena. Each year some of the older hotels are renovated and the prices triple. I still think it is the best place to ski for many reasons. The food, the consistency of the snow making, the ever improving lift system, the piste maintenance are all great but the biggest benefit is the number of skiable days. In 80 days skiing the Dollies, I think I've lost 8 to wind, vis, heavy snow etc. The SPC, the ski probability coefficient sits at 90% for the region. Other places I go or used to go, 3V, Arlberg, etc the SPC has been far lower, 50-70%. With that in mind, you can normalise the cost per day actually skied to a very low figure for the dolomites versus other areas.
Season pass for the Superski is 925E this year v 1550E for 3V. So if you're fortunate enough to be able to do 2 or 3 trips, it's great value. I'll keep telling myself I'm actually saving a fortune!
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?
That's what I love about - access to a knowledge base that can identify an eatery from a picture of a tree
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@CP, @snowheid, yes, excellent work!
I could just about make out 21b from piste marker so narrowed down the area but wasn't sure of the exact restaurant. Can't wait to get over there in January!
After all it is free
After all it is free
CP wrote:
Owls101 wrote:
@sean1967, where is that eatery?
The owl tree is a good landmark. Looks like Punta Trieste at the top of the Pralongia 1 chair.
Shhhhh! It's busy enough as it is!
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.
sean1967 wrote:
CP wrote:
Owls101 wrote:
@sean1967, where is that eatery?
The owl tree is a good landmark. Looks like Punta Trieste at the top of the Pralongia 1 chair.
Shhhhh! It's busy enough as it is!
I wouldn't worry it usually takes us a couple of attempts to get on the correct run to get there.
That may just my navigational skills though
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
I'm going 13-18 January so hopefully a quieter time. Would we still need to book for lunchtimes in general? If so, how is that usually done and how far in advance? I see a few places have online bookings but that doesn't seem to be the rule. Cheers
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Owls101 wrote:
I'm going 13-18 January so hopefully a quieter time. Would we still need to book for lunchtimes in general? If so, how is that usually done and how far in advance? I see a few places have online bookings but that doesn't seem to be the rule. Cheers
I have been on or around the Sella Ronda many variable times and think I only ever booked at Rifugio Friedrich August above Campitello and inside at Bioch because the weather was not looking great. Otherwise we just turn up and enjoy
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.
Owls101 wrote:
I'm going 13-18 January so hopefully a quieter time. Would we still need to book for lunchtimes in general? If so, how is that usually done and how far in advance? I see a few places have online bookings but that doesn't seem to be the rule. Cheers
I've never booked ahead in January but that's been as 2 or me James Bonding it solo. No harm in booking ahead, phone a few days in advance. Im not one for a large breakfast or even at all so tend to eat early and only one course, slamdunk a quick espresso and grappa, that then allows for enjoying the quieter slopes whilst most eat. Decoupling desert to about 4pm breaks things up nicely too.
You should go to Punta Trieste, suits your user name , very Owlbased. Crep du Munt is excellent but worth booking ahead, they have some very nice seats at the bar. Friedrich Augustus you can see the grazing relatives of those now being served. There's some great oyster based obnox to be had too at Col Alt at the top of the gondola.
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
@sean1967, thanks for the suggestions! We have a slightly different tactic (elevenses then later lunch) but does the same job.
I'm a Sheffield Wednesday fan and our nickname is the Owls so Punta Trieste is definitely the place for me!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
And my user name !
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Getting back on topic...spotted these posted on YouTube recently from the Falzarego chairlift at Col Gallina in the Cortina ski area, one of the few lifts open in mid-November in the Dolomiti Superski area...
I'm a Sheffield Wednesday fan and our nickname is the Owls so Punta Trieste is definitely the place for me!
Even more appropriate would be the Civetta ski area as Civetta in Italian means owl (the locals reckon that the two small peaks at the top of the Civetta mountain look like the ears of an owl). The logo of the Civetta ski area is an owl on skis!
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?
It wasn't too long ago when I thought anything above about €35 was expensive!
I suspect snowmaking costs are the reason why lift passes in the eastern Alps have shot up so much compared to further west.
I remember paying the equivalent of around £90 in Lira for a 6 day Val Gardena pass on my first week skiing, £15 a day...but that was in 1999, before the Euro jumped up prices in Italy, before Brexit crashed Sterling, before governments printed billions for Covid and before cheap Russian hydrocarbons went offline!
Still looking decent on piste (and empty!) up at Col Gallina today...storm Ciaran did some good it would seem...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Harrow lady wrote:
Every year I send a message to the tourist office asking why Maserai in AB is uncovered the standard reply is the we appreciate your feedback bla bla bla ,so disappointed that nothing has changed once again. It could be one of those pistes that you repeat and repeat, it is beautiful, the wind on the way up just puts us off, shame.
It’s known by our family as the coldest lift in the world,
Daniel from colfosco ski school, whose family have lived there for 100s of year and was a font of knowledge on all sorts of things inc being a great instructor, said it’s just too windy for cabins, and I’m guessing there is no need for a gondola there and I would prefer to get cold than take my skis off yet again
After all it is free
After all it is free
Owls101 wrote:
I'm going 13-18 January so hopefully a quieter time. Would we still need to book for lunchtimes in general? If so, how is that usually done and how far in advance? I see a few places have online bookings but that doesn't seem to be the rule. Cheers
We’ve never booked and AB has so many restaurants,
From the main bowl i think there is at least 15 within one lift ride, pretty much all are good. our favs are crep du mont, marmota, alara and for breakfast on a sunny day you can’t beat col pradat In colfosco.
Its worth booking dinner up the mountain a few places do it we like edelweiss in colfosco then bum sledge home, not strictly allowed but always fun.
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.
sean1967 wrote:
It is upon us, there's snow atop Dantercepies!
The daily looks at the forecast, the interminable wait for the valgardena.com website to update the 350 bus timetable.
Last December was epic, loads of snow, sunshine , empty piste.
On a sad note, La Bula is closed permanently. I don't know what will replace it but it was the most solid option for great, well priced food in Selva.
albob wrote:
@sean1967, That is interesting -- looks like it may been 'absorbed' by an extension to the Hotel Stella ??
Update on this, thankfully La Bula has not closed permanently. The long serving and delightful managers, Alma and Mino (Dustin Hoffman and Delia Smith lookalikes), have retired however the restaurant will be open this year.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
but It looks to have turned a little colder and they are now getting snow down on the lower slopes at 1200m.
