Kronplatz at February Half-term?

A snowHead

We always spend Feb half-term week at Arabba in the Dolomites. As the lift pass covers such a huge area, we try to make use of it by visiting as many different areas as possible each year. Three seasons ago we went to Kronplatz for the day. It was possibly our worst skiing day ever. We seemed to spend most of the day squashed into huge queues for every lift (not pleasant when you are only 5' 2"! and constantly avoiding other skiers on the busiest pistes we have ever seen. Lunch wasn't great either, and we were very relieved to be going back to quiet Arabba that evening.

Now I am wondering if we were just unlucky? Every other report I have read on here about Kronplatz always sings its praises. I know we were there over half-term week (but on a weekday), but the Sella Ronda is rarely as crowded at this was.

I would really like to give it another chance this year, but it will take a great deal of persuading my family and friends to venture there again.

Has anyone else tried Kronplatz during Feb hols? Any thoughts/opinions please!

Thanks Puzzled

A snowHead

Many here have been very many times and I'm sure someone will give a more pertinent answer.
However for what it’s worth I’ve only ever been once; we actually spent a week there and I would say it is the least queue prone resort I’ve ever been to – including the rest of the Sella Ronda resorts, so maybe yes, you were unlucky.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I found the whole circuit (in both directions) crowded. not many lift queues but some significant jostling. A phrase from Harry Potter (in Italian as part of my learning) kept coming to mind. "non mi spingere" but I never summoned up the courage to say it. The Italians, especially the girls, were the worst pushers in Tignes in November, too. That wasn't half term but the pistes were busier than I'm used to in my French area. They needed fairly constant vigilance. Off the Sella Ronda things were much quieter. It's a beautiful area but not my favourite for the ski experience.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

I'm a Kronplatz fan, and as such I will usually say very positive things about the area, but it's not constant praise and it does have significant limitations. But queues aren't a problem that I can remember having encountered there. I don't remember specifically being there at half term, but I'm fairly certain I will have been. Until very recently there has been a noticeable absence of British Tour Operators and even now they only have a small presence. I guess it is because of this that there is only a small percentage of UK skiers there, and following on from that, I haven't noticed a particular increase at UK half term.
A lot of the runs at the top of Kronplatz mountain are very "samey" but depending on how you travel and which side you approach from, one side can have a very different feel from another side.
How will you travel there? If by train (on the way to or from Arabba) then you will start at Percha. If by bus from Arabba you are going to start at Piculin then San Vigilio before you reach Kronplatz. If by car you have the option of starting skiing from Piculin / San Vigilio / Bruneck / Percha / Olang.
What are you looking for in your day skiing? Beginners slopes / reds / blacks / a feeling of travelling around / good lunch / scenery / lively apres?
I put a fairly long post on this thread about San Vigilio some of which may be relevant to you http://www.snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=119851&highlight=
Feel free to ask questions here or else send me a PM. I am not a Kronplatz expert but I have been there at least once a year for about 15 years and I will do my best.
My own skiing is good intermediate piste skier and at an age where I am just short of 60, I have a definite interest in a Weissbier or Bombardino on a sun terrace as well as skiing

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Maybe you hit Kronplatz when the Lent/Carnevale/Fasching holidays were on, so would have been busy with Germans (Catholic Bavaria & other parts of Germany as well as the whole of Belgium often have school hols that week) and locals...schools in South Tyrol, Trentino & Veneto usually have Monday, Shrove Tuesday & Ash Wednesday off that week too.

Thankfully this year it falls the week before UK half-term, assuming you're there 13th Feb onwards.

All being well, I'll be skiing uncrowded pistes in Alleghe & Arabba with my young son that week...see you around! snowHead

You'll need to Register first of course.

Thanks for all the useful information. Looks like we may have hit Carnevale week that year. As we are going a week after Carnevale this year (13th Feb), we may be OK. I will do my best to persuade all concerned.

To answer the question

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

FionaG, OK if it were me then I would aim to go to at least one of the towns / villages at the far end of the resort (Olang or Reischach or Percha) and back as a basic aim, and then depending on timings you can add in a couple of extra runs from the top of Kronplatz to one or more of the others. If you are travelling at my speed, you won't have time to do many of the other runs, especially if you want a relaxed lunch break. It's a holiday after all so if you don't manage to start at the crack of dawn, just miss out Olang or Percha or both. I don't know what time the last bus is to La Villa but I don't think you will have time for any apres (from about 4.00pm or 5.00pm onwards)at the K1 bar at the bottom of the Sylwester piste.
Highlights for me would be: Lunch at Ucia Bivacco or the cafe near the bottom of Alpen, in the middle of the piste / Piculin to finish / Sylwester / Calimero or Bombardino at the top of Piculin. If you are familiar with the Dolomites then I assume you have already found that there are regional and local differences between bombardino and calimero, my preference being for advocaat plus espresso plus brandy
Suggested itinerary:
Gondola up Piculin (no idea what the queues will be like as we stay in Sankt Vigilio). If you want an early coffee then bear right at the top and there is a cafe there down a few steps. Good calimero / bombardino. Down either Black Erta (quite wide so not a particularly hard black) or red Piz de Plaies (with a blue option) and meet at the gondola SkiTrans Bronta which basically is a horizontal gondola to take you across town. That takes you to gondola Miara and at the top of that it's straight into gondola Col Toron. When you leave the Col Toron gondola, you keep tight right and go under the gondola and keep right which takes you onto a track (obviously a road in Summer) for about 150 yards (don't take the piste Rara) and then you join the piste Pra de Peres part way down, close to the bottom. You go down that aiming for the chairlift Costa (it's the only chair you can see from there) and you need a bit of speed at the bottom to reach it without poling.
Go up the Costa chair and at the top, go off to the left and then pause and work out where you are going next. If you leave Costa chair and go left there is a short downhill bit and a hut you can ski round before you go back down the Costa piste but you have three options then. (i) just go down Costa piste but don't go all the way down to the chair again, head off to the right just before the bottom and that takes you to the Ruis gondola. (ii) If you are heading for the Ruis gondola you can almost immediately (just after you have gone round the hut in the middle of the piste) go off to the right (that is the right as viewed when looking DOWN the piste) and that is an alternative Costa piste which takes you to the Ruis gondola. Costa is not a long piste and it is "only" a blue but this variant is more interesting. (iii) If it is time for lunch or a hot chocolate with a shot of rum, then head for Ucia Bivacco. After you have gone around the hut in the middle of the piste and are starting to head down Costa, look to your right. That's Ucia Bivacco. Take the alternative Costa piste to the right and keep as much height as you can. After refreshments go to Ruis gondola.
Go up the Ruis gondola and you are at last at the top of Kronplatz. Near the big bell (Peace Bell with viewpoint).
I suggest from there you take one or more of three runs. if happy with black runs (probably a similar standard to Erta - the first run of the day, but rather longer) then go down Sylwester to Reischach. If anyone wants to miss that one then just go straight to Reid which is graded red (keep up speed for the long flat bit in the middle). If you have enough time then do the red to Olang. If you have loads of time then take a trip down Alpen and break for coffee / beer / calimero / bombardino at the cafe in the middle of the piste (the cafe at the side of the piste to the left of that one is also good)
Basically see what you have time for, but I like Sylwester, Reid (follow the signs for the train and Percha), Olang, Alpen, Seewiese, Marchner.
To get back from Kronplatz to Piculin there are a number of options to get off the top of Kronplatz. My personal preferred option is blue piste Furcia 9 but it can be a bit of a bug-ger to find it and you might find yourself on one of the other options such as red Furcia or Sonne (red or blue). Any and all of these can get cut up badly half way down so if anyone has tired legs it can be sensible to download in the Ruis gondola.
If you go down Furcia red or blue then after the right turn half way down you have the option of keeping high and right and that takes you to Ucia Bivacco again.
From the bottom of Ruis you have a slight uphill and then head for Rara. Probably signposted for Piculin / San Vigilio. Ski to the Rara chair and go up that. It's an old chair - non detachable so it doesn't slow for you to get off.
Go right as you get off Rara and then you ski down to the top of the Col Toron gondola again. This time bear left and keep going down. Col Toron goes for some distance and near the bottom is Schnapskurve cafe (also called Miara cafe) on your right. Good for a different drink - alcoholic alpaca milk. Keep going down. Col Toron becomes Miara (several good cafes on the way down) and at the bottom of Miara you take SkiTrans Bronta back across town. As you leave Bronta bear left to the Pedaga gondola. Note the signs above the two entrances - one access point takes you to the mid station only. You need the one to the top.
As you leave the top of the Pedaga gondola you either go straight ahead for the Piculin piste (or tired legs can download in the gondola) or keep left to go down a few steps to the cafe for a last whatever.

That's my suggestion for a day for someone of my standard, with options of downloading in a couple of places to have a bit of a rest, and options of a couple of extra runs from the top of Kronplatz if you fancy doing Reid and / or Olang after you have done Sylwester.

Do send a report letting us know if you decided to give it a go and letting us know both the good points and the bad ones.

I know you can make most things look reasonable with judicious editing, but this is Kronplatz as at 08.01.16
I think the first piste is Hernegg and then Sylwester in the second half

Kronplatz - The Perfect Ski Experience from Skirama Kronplatz

https://vimeo.com/151139286

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

@JohnHSmith, Thanks for such a detailed plan. I'll certainly try to do as much of it as possible, based on how much time we will have there (dependent on the bus times). The video makes it look fantastic - it certainly did not look like that when we visited three years ago!

I will certainly post a trip report if we make it to Kronplatz. Smile

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snow reports

Hi John, I've not skied Kronplatz but if you are looking for somewhere central and easy to get to, where you can reach most of the resorts quickly, take a look at our place. We are not in resort, but only 5 minutes from Marmolada, 10 minutes from Alleghe and have easy access to with the new lifts to Alba, Canazei and Pozza, or a short drive to Falcade, Moena and the Latemar. Www.casa-alfredino.co.uk

Help!!

Kronplatz at February Half-term?

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Resort Reviews and Trip Reports