Sela ronda

A snowHead

Hi Guy's thinking about going to Sela Ronda in Jan, anybody have some tips of what resort is nice, and where there is a bit happening at night.

Thanks,

Mani

A snowHead

None of the places are party resorts, but Selva & Canazei probably have the liveliest apres and evening bars.

Arabba would be my choice from a purely skiing perspective, but there's not much going on of an evening...unless the snowHeads bash is in town!! Laughing

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I would stick with selva, a good few bars near the bubble lifts.

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As others have said, Selva is probably your best best. It's directly on the Sella Ronda circuit and has some good apres ski places e.g the Kronestube and Luiskeller. On the slopes the Piz Seteur at nearby Plan de Gralba, as this useful page says quote"One of the best examples is Piz Seteur, at Plan de Gralba: go-go girls most afternoons and a jolly apres-ski scene, whatever the weather. It is in a key position to catch skiers after their Sella Ronda circuit, or simply to stop by at the end of a day's skiing above Selva. Beware that there's still a reasonable ski back to Selva after you've finished carousing."

Selva is also in the Val Gardena valley which has some great ski runs of its own. You'll want to do the famous Sass Long men's downhill course with its "camel bumps" down to St. Christina and the Seceda Plateau with its La Longia 10.5km long red run down to Ortisei/St Ulrich (which incidentally has some great lunchtime restaurants on the way down).

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Apologies for sidetracking this thread slightly, but I've been offered very good deal for Val di Fassa for Christmas, so thought I'd chip in here rather than start a new topic.

Has anyone been there? Is it any good?

How easy is it to get from one resort to another within the Dolomite (1200km) lift pass zone?

Also, how do snow conditions for that time of year compare to the French Alps (where I've done the majority of my skiing)

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@mikeycharlton, It depends on the specific resort in Val Di Fassa on ease of access to the Sella Ronda and further afield. Canezei and Campitello have lifts to the Sella Ronda circuit. Places like Pozza will take you longer, as you'll have a few runs and lifts and possibly buses to get you there. Do you know the resort you've been offered? Then we might be able to be more specific on the access.

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@mikeycharlton, Yes, the local area is all linked and now the link to Pozza is lift linked since last year, not sure if that's in the the local pass but I expect so. With the super ski area you have all the Sella Ronda and many other off shoots without a bus, however, many other areas need a bus to link. If this is your first visit to the area, then you'll have more than enough places to explore. I've been visiting every year since 2009 and I'm still finding new bits. There's one bit you might like to include on your first visit which is the Hidden Valley and maybe Cinque Torri. They will need a bus/taxi that you can reach via Armenterola and then there's a horse drawn tow back to Armenterola, which will cost you 2 euros, or you can get a taxi/bus back. I think the taxi/ bus is 4 euros iirc. Cortina is linked by bus from Cinque Torri but that's a bit of a trek.

@mikeycharlton, as to snow conditions -in a normal year then I'd expect there to be reasonable coverage at Christmas. If there is no natural snow (as evidenced the last season) then pretty much all of the runs will be open using artificial snow, they have very good coverage. A bit surreal skiing on a ribbon of white but as am sure others will confirm, the slopes will be open.

Aside from that, +1 what geepee says.

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Thanks for the info guys. Was a little concerned about conditions around Christmas time, especially after the last 2 years. However I've heard their snowmaking is very impressive - and you've just confirmed that.

Also...just looking at the piste map for Canazei, and every piste seems to be in the colour red? Is this really the case? Slightly concerned, as I would be going with one beginner, and another person who hasn't skied for about 15 years.

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@mikeycharlton, I wouldn't be too worried about the piste grading.

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@mikeycharlton, although geepee is broadly correct, given the propensity of red marked pistes in the area, I do think there is something to think about in this respect when starting from Canazei. When you take the gondola up from Canazei, you end up at the base of the Belvedere skiing area (below Passo Pordoi). This is a nice bowl with a fair number of lifts and slopes. To actually get to skiing you need to take another lift - either the big cable car or another gondola. For the beginner and other non-confident types then don't take the cable car. While the slopes from the top of it are not major, I think they would not be good to be the first ones encountered. From the top of the second gondola, from memory, is a bit easier at the start. From there you run down to a pair of chairlifts and the shorter one is better for a slope coming back without a steep section at the start.

But I would also take advice from local ski school. Is the beginner going to have lessons?

Personally, one day one I would head up the road to Alba, take the gonodla up there and then at the top of it you can either have a few easy runs off the drag lift or can head up the chair and get off at the half way point for an easy run back down. If you take the chair to the top then there is a bit of a steeper pitch to start with on the way back down. Return to Alba by cablecar rather than take the black Toofy Grin

.

Others may well pitch in with advice as well.

Yes the beginner would need lessons. Think I need to get in touch with the TO and find out where they take the beginners.

I can see a couple of short blues (with button lifts) which are accessed by a chair or gondola. (I'm guessing that's the Alba section?). Certainly doesn't look like there is any blue/green pistes close to Canazei village itself.

In fact most of the blues look like they are in Carezza (which seems a trek), or Pozza di Fassa which isn't particularly ideal either when the accommodation is in Canazei.

You know it makes sense.

@Mani - party towns there are not - Italians don't really partying like we do. But Selva is for sure the liveliest town directly on the Ronda and it has excellent skiing too. If you are feeling adventurous, look up Rifugio des Alpes. They have a party bar which is heaving until the last lift serving cocktails and with gogo gils on a sunday and wednesday. It's right at the very top of the Sella Pass and you access it by skidoo or a lift up from Campitello. It's cheap and fun as you just roll out of bed in the morning, still the earliest on the slopes and ski hard all day, then head back, get hammered on cheap cocktails and a caraffe of wine over a 3-4 course dinner and then fall into bed early, to awake feeling right as rain (ish). And then repeat.

@mikeycharlton the last two years have been atrocious at christmas but they were strong El Nino years which affects the Dolomites badly. That said all the runs were complete as they are very good at making snow. That said this year looks closer to La Nina so at the very least it should be an average to slightly better than average winter, so I'd say you'll be safe. Travelling around between resorts is pretty easy, and well worth it.

To both, I've done some blogs on my website about skiing in those areas which you should find useful. http://www.casa-alfredino.co.uk/skiing-information/

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@mikeycharlton, We have stayed in Pozza and accessed the Sella Ronda slopes via Canazei. We were a little wary as there are a lot of red marked runs above Canazei but our experience was that they were very gentle, to the point that we didn't worry at all whether to take a blue or a red all week.

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reassuring to know @SCollier1,

cheers @Casa Alfrdino, i'll have a look at that.

Ok so I've just the read the small print ......'For guests staying in Campitello and Canazei, intermediate adult ski school is in a completely different location to children's ski school and it would not be logistically possible to take your child to ski school here and then make it back in time to attend your own intermediate ski school'.

Not ideal at all. Kids beginner lessons meet at the top of Alba, whilst adult intermediate ski tuition meets at Pecol.

A snowHead

To be honest, you'd be better of at Civetta or Corvara. Those are the areas which really have some good varied blues and are not too spread out for groups. Corvara is more spread than Civetta. Lots of people on the forums love Civetta because it's quiet, family oriented, very Italian, cheap, close to Venice for flights (which are cheap) and the skings really good. Val di Fassa is pretty spread out - it has great skiing and is pretty well connected with buses but you do have to travel to make the most of it.

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Canezai fir us at xmas was a big let down due to lack of snow, plus having to download rather than skiing to base... Tip though is store your skies at the depot opposite the lift. We stayed about 20 minute walk from lift , the village was not that busy re bars either. Good cake shop though. The piste area was a bit limited, so gong around the rhonda proved best bet.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Rhonda is definitely not one of them. Nor is Sela for that matter Smile

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

After all it is free

thanks:)

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Sela ronda

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