 Poster: A snowHead
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 hi all, hope everyone had a great season, me and the missus who are both in are mid fifties are looking for an Italian resort to try next year and hope you can all offer some advice, my partner is 5 / 6
Week blue run skier who is finding the next level very hard to achieve. She gets very nervous on the steeps and lacks confidence to push herself to the next level. She absolutely does NOT want to have lessons, so this leaves us looking for resorts that have mostly blue runs (or reds that are not too deep red!) we Love the idea of ski ing in Italy as she has ski ied in France Andorra and Austria...
So any advice from you all would greatly appreciated
Thank you all in advance
Ps checked the piste map for Cervinia looked quite red
Also really like the look of Val Gardena..
Is it possible for low intermediates to navigate??
Thanks all again
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Try Passo Tonale, my wife and I are both in our mid fifties and she loves the blues and easy reds in this resort. A very relaxed and snow sure resort with a glacier nearby for the more adventurous skier. The area is about 100km the Ski Adamello area and covers Ponte Di legno which is a lovely traditional Italian small town. We skied here in March and the weather was fantastic, blue skies during the day and cold nights, the snow was well over 2 metres on the mountain. We will be returning there next year for a very relaxing holiday, Passo Tonale has a very good and varied choice of hotels including ski in/out,hope this helps.
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kabby, Val Gardena (which you mentioned) in the Italian Dolomites is a good idea - plenty of blues on the Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi plateau if you stay in Ortisei/St Ulrich (which is also the prettiest of the resort towns in Val Gardena in my view). On the other side of the valley Ortisei also has good skiing on the Seceda plateau, including an excellent 10.5km long red run no. 2 called La Longia from the top down to the town. If you ski to or catch the valley bus to Selva/Wolkenstein you are then on the entrance to the Sella Ronda circuit. Alternatively also in the Dolomites I'd suggest one of the Alta Badia resorts; either San Cassiano as has been suggested above, or Corvara or Colfosco which have their own extensive blue/red ski runs and are also directly on the Sella Ronda Circuit. By the end of the week I'd fully expect a low level intermediate to be able to do the entire Sella Ronda circuit in a day.
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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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kabby, her choice, but NOT having lessons is the wrong way to go at it...
You wouldn't expect to be able to teach yourself to play golf, tennis, scuba, etc. would you?
By lessons I suggest occasional private ones with a really good teacher, as recommended, on here for example...
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| Quote: |
I'd fully expect a low level intermediate to be able to do the entire Sella Ronda circuit in a day.
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Some of the Arabba bits are quite deep red, I thought.
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pam w, I think the anti-clockwise route on the Sella Ronda is somewhat easier, the entrance into Arabba from the Pass Pordoi direction is quite gentle from memory (Blue 4 on the piste map) and then it's 2 chairlifts (Burz and Le Pale) out of Arabba with a blue run from the top of Le Pale down to Passo Compolongo. For the clockwise direction there are some fairly steep reds down to Plan Boe as you say.
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| Alastair Pink wrote: |
| kabby, Val Gardena (which you mentioned) in the Italian Dolomites is a good idea - plenty of blues on the Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi plateau if you stay in Ortisei/St Ulrich (which is also the prettiest of the resort towns in Val Gardena in my view). On the other side of the valley Ortisei also has good skiing on the Seceda plateau, including an excellent 10.5km long red run no. 2 called La Longia from the top down to the town. If you ski to or catch the valley bus to Selva/Wolkenstein you are then on the entrance to the Sella Ronda circuit. |
+1
My Mum loved Seiser Alm.
| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
I'd fully expect a low level intermediate to be able to do the entire Sella Ronda circuit in a day.
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Some of the Arabba bits are quite deep red, I thought. |
Also +1.
Despite somewhere around 15 weeks skiing now and very tidy technique, there's no way my Mum would enjoy the Sella Ronda. She could get down it, but would not enjoy. A low intermediate hung-ho teenager OTOH would be fine.
One negative to the Dollies (based purely on one week, but it was a quiet one) is that there are a poo-poo-tonne of people there! Lots of crowded pistes. Lots of big lift queues. Apart from Seiser Alm anyway, which was very quiet, probably as it's out of the way of the Sella Ronda circuit.
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clarky999, yes, I thought it was busy too - constant vigilance needed. Beautiful area, incomparable scenery, but perhaps not paradise for a nervous person.
kabby, Pila sounds a nice place to ski but I've not been there - you might find some advice from someone who has! Much smaller and probably less busy, though a lot of the Italian resorts are very busy at weekends.
My resort - Les Saisies - would be perfect in terms of having lots of gentle skiing, beautiful scenery (for France, not comparable with the Dolomites) and is very quiet outside of peak weeks - far, far, quieter than the Sella Ronda. But it is in France. Where in France have you skied already?
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Skied Pila, missed out the blacks at the top (day trip from Gressoney) so just a quick wizz round. Reds were a nice constant pitch, no surprises, except one when I came round a corner and it dropped away under me, nice recovery until I fell over. Blues were nice and easy.
Have skied in Andorra (Grandvalira) I would say Pila is a notch up. How much did you ski in Andorra, as if it is only blues then Pila is limited??
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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thank you all so much for your advice and taking the time to reply. really appreciate it and shall look into all your recomendations....
San Cassiano has been mentioned quite a lot when i posted a similar enquiry before, so shall look into that too
thanks Pam w Les saisies sounds fantastic and is on the list.my partner has ski ied a long weekend in Morzine and really fell in love with the place!! she thought the [blue] tree lined runs were really beautiful and would Definately go back! she has also done a week in Tignes but found the terrain very tough going! and i gotta be honest i thought some of the greens were pretty tough going too! she has also done week in Alpe d huez and really like the green/blues there too so thanks for the advice
under a new name i make you right! fact is shes never had a lesson! i showed her how to snowplough on her first holiday and shes been progressing on her own ever since! she doesnt want to do group lessons but i might be able to cajole her into privates
bruisedskier we did a full week in Soldeu and she was comfortable on all the blue runs. its just on the steeper slopes that she it very hard to cope..... i know lessons are the way forward for her, but shes hard to convince lol
thanks all again
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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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To get back to the question, an Italian resort that is not too intimidating fir a blue level skier, I have skied Cervinia, Sella Ronda and Pila over the years which I really enjoyed but it could all be skied in 3 days, Passo Tonale fits the criteria perfectly for this standard of skier who does not want too demanding reds/blue runs but plenty of them for a full weeks skiing. Hope this helps with the question THAT YOU asked about an Italian resort.
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richards521, Do you mean Passo Tonale ("fulld weeks") is bigger then Cervinia and Sella Ronda ("could all be skied in 3days")?
Sounds strange as Sella Ronda seems massive and Cervinia (with Zermatt) too.
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You know it makes sense.
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richards521, thanks for the reply, I did mean to thank you for your advice in my previous message so apologies for that....
Looking thru the brochures they mark Passo Tonale as 5 stars for blue/red runs, so shall look into that too
I took my son ski ing there for his first trip about 15 years ago but it all seems a bit hazy now! Lol
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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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Cervinia and Sella Ronda are fantastic resorts for a good intermediate skier however some of the blues on the Sella Ronda could well be reds and some of the blues but not all in Cervinia are quite intimidating to a nervous skier. The whole of the glacier and Plan Rosa area is predominantly red and more difficult blue, as for Zermatt, excellent for skiing again for the very competent, but you have to ski back from Zermatt via the top of the Plan Rosa link to Cervinia, which is on reds and some challenging blues, again not very good for a more nervous skier as my wife can vouch for and she has been skiing for years.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
again not very good for a more nervous skier as my wife can vouch for and she has been skiing for years.
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this is an important point, as is the similar one from clarky999 about his mother. I ski with some people (all women, I'm afraid) who despite having a decent basic technique are very nervous - anything a bit different, an unexpected bump, someone whizzing too close past them, some poor visibility (what my nervous sister in law called "a white out" but was actually a bit of flat light) can really put them off their stride. Whereas I've also skied with people (of all sexes) who've just done a few weeks, are really pretty ropey, but much more ready to have a go at anything and to fall quite a bit in the process.
I entirely agree, needless to say, with the posts suggesting that the OP's wife have lessons. If he does decide to come to Les Saisies I can recommend an absolutely charming French instructor for private lessons - and at very competitive prices. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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I have been to Folgarida and Madonna do Campiglio a few times with Folgarida.co.uk - nice outfit but outside school hols they don't operate and you may get it cheaper DIY.
Brilliant Dolomites views and snow
Both resorts have loads of easy stuff - they are linked too but a bit steepish red to get to the valley link if you are very nervous. Some of the reds are more blue in my view - lots easier than French reds certainly
Nice places - very Italian and off the UK beaten path but everyone speaks English. Prices considerably less than France - more like Austria really - not surprising given its proximity
If you want more info - hotels etc PM me rather than bore everyone silly here.
i will definitely be going back next season.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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PS - you really MUST get lessons - the instructors in both places I mentioned are great
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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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PS - you really MUST get lessons - the instructors in both places I mentioned are great
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Pedantica, I definitely wasn't thinking of you!
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Pedantica, I definitely wasn't thinking of you!
| Quote: |
lots easier than French reds certainly
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major generalisation - some French reds are a lot easier than other French reds and I have skied LOADS of French reds easier than a couple of the reds in Arabba. Comparisons between resorts, let alone between countries, are not very accurate. the best that can be said is that within one resort the reds will generally be a bit harder than the blues, which will be a bit harder than the greens. And the blacks will be hardest. But in my resort there are some blacks I sail down with no qualms, others which I never do because they are too difficult - narrow and bumpy - to be enjoyable for me.
And conditions make a huge difference, as does the standard of grooming. Nervous skiers will be happiest in resorts where the runs are groomed every day.
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pam w, I was thinking in particular of that horrible start to the homeward journey to Arabba (which luckily had been flattened on our last day.) The combination of bumps, poor visibility and crowds nearly did for me!
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
again not very good for a more nervous skier as my wife can vouch for and she has been skiing for years.
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this is an important point, as is the similar one from clarky999 about his mother. I ski with some people (all women, I'm afraid) who despite having a decent basic technique are very nervous - anything a bit different, an unexpected bump, someone whizzing too close past them, some poor visibility (what my nervous sister in law called "a white out" but was actually a bit of flat light) can really put them off their stride. Whereas I've also skied with people (of all sexes) who've just done a few weeks, are really pretty ropey, but much more ready to have a go at anything and to fall quite a bit in the process.
I entirely agree, needless to say, with the posts suggesting that the OP's wife have lessons. If he does decide to come to Les Saisies I can recommend an absolutely charming French instructor for private lessons - and at very competitive prices. |
Yup.
For what it's worth, the place my Mum enjoyed most skiing-wise was the Portes du Soleil. Soooo many very cruisy pistes, and (with some pretty notable exceptions) crowds get spread out much better than the Sella Ronda.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thank you all again for all your advice I really appreciate it
Il have to try and convince her about the lessons!!
( I have actually been banging on about it for a while to her!)
Thanks all again
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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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Risoul in France not a bad option. Lots of nice long greens and blues.
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kabby, despite what Richard said, I thought Cervinia was full of pretty easy blue runs. Certainly very few steep runs and if they do get steep nearly every run is very wide so you can take your time. It can get very windy though.
Colfosco/Corvara was also recommended.
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You know it makes sense.
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Hey Kabby,
I search also always for ski-areas where are a lot of blue or red ski runs.
I have been on the Alpe di Siusi, last year. It is a grate area for skiing but also for hiking and relaxing. I also have found a very nice hotel, directly on the slops, you are able to start directly with the skis on your feed. And have the possibility to return easily also with skis…
Maybe you want to have a look: www.hotel-tirler.com
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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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Not sure Passo Tonale is your answer. Not a massive choice of blue runs, some of them are pretty short. If you are not having lessons and heading out on your own you will find you are doing the same runs a lot of the time.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Alastair Pink wrote: |
| kabby, On the other side of the valley Ortisei also has good skiing on the Seceda plateau, including an excellent 10.5km long red run no. 2 called La Longia from the top down to the town. |
I wouldn't recommend La Longia for the OP's partner. Once at the top, there are only two ways down; both are very long and, whilst not steep, can be heavily mogulled from top to bottom. As we found out this year on a day-trip from San Cassiano to Ortisei.
My vote is for San Cassiano - loads of gently skiing on the plateau, and many runs with a slightly more challenging alternative
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Regarding Italian resorts, I've been to La Thuile, Pila (day trip), Selva and Cervinia (from Zermatt). The OH has also been to Livigno.
I would concur with the recommendations for San Cassiano, blue heaven indeed.
Which week did you do the Sella Ronda clarky999, ?
We had our first trip there this year (29th mar - 5th apr) and there was very little, if any, queuing and more often than not we only shared the piste with a handful of others. Will definitely return.
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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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dode, mid-March. Don't get me wrong, it's a great ski area, just not sure it's what the OP wants...
It's the sort of place I'd love to spend a month or two with some motivated friends; so many epic couloirs!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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kabby, Do think of Pila seriously as is is mostly easy Reds, with some very gentle blues. Huge flat learning area at the top of the mountain too.
Run 3 is very steep to start and used to be Black so miss that one out but the rest are ok as long as you don't use either Couis1 or 2 lifts. Yes there are only 4 lifts you would use but generally no queues and brilliant cheap on mountain food. Try and travel at the weekend though as the resort does get very busy on a weekend. Monday - Friday hardly any one there most weeks and very zealous piste bashers !
Run 2 is also a bit narrow and steep at the bottom so leave that to later in day or week as that can lead you back to early morning queue. Run 1 is beautiful at the top, great views, but runs through the forest lower down and gets very icy so we dont bother with that at all.
Orgainse you flights then speak wit Carole at pilaski.co.uk and she will do the rest - including show you the slopes so you don't try something too steep. We go every year for 5 days and love it.
Fly via Turin if possible (shorter transfer) but Geneva is not that bad and easier for us to use.
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FAQ
I was thinking of people who go to pieces in much easier situations.... 