Access to San Cassiano ski area from La Villa

A snowHead

We are staying in La Villa in February half term about 200 metres from La Gardenaccia lift. We want to access the San Cassiano ski area and the Sella Ronda Circuit. It looks like from Google maps and the Alta badia piste map that we can ski down from La Gardenaccia to the Piz La Villa lift, possibly using Colz chair lift at the end.

Does this sound about right or are there other options like a ski bus to Piz La Villa Lift. Our hotel does not have a shuttle bus.

thanks

A snowHead

yup.
can go up Gardenaccia, and back down again almost to the bottom, peel off to the right (right above the top of a drag lift edit: or might be a short chair lift - it'll be obvious, it's just a short one up the bunny slope) which takes you to the Colz chair which is a short 2-way chair that crosses the road. then it's maybe 100m walk or ski thru the carpark to the Piz la Ila lift (depends how snowy it is).
there probably is a bus, but skiing is more fun, and it's a nice warm up run.

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

Great thanks!

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Hi GlasgowCyclops, Surely you can't be going to a Snowheads bash over half term can you?!! We are in La Vila from the 12th Feb - 19th Feb. Could I also just ask if there is ski storage at the Piz La Villa/Piz La Ila ski lift (contradicting spellings according to research)? Again I've tried to research but can't find any info. Seems also that we need to book our Dolomiti passes online then go to the Piz La Villa/Piz La Ila ticket office to get photos done for the passes. Not been to Italy before - normally in France they get them delivered to the hotel, so this seems a faff!

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@mini_mo, you don't need a photo for a one week pass. You may be able to get them from your hotel - just email them and ask. The lift is called Piz la Ila. Watch the signs carefully when you head for it - one of the lifts has a very tight right hand bend that is easy to miss if you're not paying attention!

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I have emailed the hotel already and they won't organise the passes unfortunately. The hotelier sent me a link to purchase the e-ski pass but as it does not come online till November. See details below:
___________

E-ski pass
With your personal chip card My Dolomiti Skicard the ski pass purchase is easy and convenient. Simply book and pay online with your credit card the skipass of your choice, choosing between a day, multiple-day or season skipass. The automatic chip card system transfers the booked skiing days at first contact with the reading device at the lift facility onto your personal My Dolomiti Skicard and gives automatic access to all lift facilities.
Please note: To guarantee the on-time transfer of the data, the ticket has to be purchased before 00 h of the previous day.

For special terms for families please turn to the main ski pass offices.

____________

How do you normally get your ski passes? At the ticket office or on the web (and are these sent to your home address)? I noticed that there may be family reductions at the ticket office but there certainly is not online and not on the web price list.

Many thanks

After all it is free

I just buy mine at the ticket office. They'll print your name on the pass there (and may take a webcam photo too - some of mine do, some don't). Take passports along just in case (for my 8 day dolomiti ones they copy the name from there on to the pass).

I think the e-ski pass is for if you already have dolomiti e-chipcards, and are just buying a top-up for them (I think).

I wouldn't order tickets to be sent in the post, but would order online and collect in the ticket office.

Great thanks Andy.

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And the streets have 2 names.

You know it makes sense.

Thanks re the ski pass, I think the hotel owner confused me!

Also on the spelling theme, according to my thread title, San Cassiano is also San Casino (courtesy of auto correct). Las Vegas on Snow? Toofy Grin

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

In Italian, "casino" pronounced like a Las Vegas gambling house would actually mean "brothel" Wink

I think if you edit the first post, then it lets you edit the thread title.

A snowHead

A snowHead

@SteveM. Thanks for that tip. I've just seen that Ski Renato have 2 shops, one under our hotel and then we can store our skis for a fee at the Piz La Ila lift (according to Renato's web site). So we are sorted!

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

@mini_mo, you're welcome. As it happens, we will be in San Cassiano for the half term week Very Happy

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Actually it's a very nice looking hotel at the top of the San cassiano ski lift (way over my budget I'm afraid!).
@steveM - it's the first time we've done half term and Italy... hoping it won't be too crazy busy. Kids are really looking forward to eating non stop pizza!

After all it is free

The Dolomites were always the destination of choice when were were constricted to skiing holidays at February half term ( not any more I am happy to say ). There are a couple of pinch points, especially when the ski schools head out in the mornings or at the lifts up to the Marmolada and at Lagazuoi for the hidden valley. The Piz La Ila lift in La Villa is one of these pinch points but does usually move fairly quickly.

You may like warm up by going right at the top of Gardenaccia to the Reindeer Park by the Sponata chair, this is where you can get the ski bus to Kronplatz should you want to try it out for a day. It's worth going up to Santa Croce in Badia/Pedraces, lovely easy red back down that is great for warming up.

We are back in March this year, based in Pedraces, as it's still the destination of choice but even better at low season.

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one thing to watch is the return runs to la villa. You don't state what standard of skier you are so the following may be useful

the blue 24 (from the bottom of the bambi lift) is hoplessly flat - it's clearly a road in the summer and you will have to pole for miles
both the red 17 and the black 17 (Gran Risa) are great runs, but the top 200m or so is a reasonably steep pitch, and will get bumps in the afternoon. The gran risa is used for WC slalom events and you can see that start huts as you drop 1/2 way down. If you want to avoid this top pitch then there is an alternative route - ski away from the bubble lift in the other direction, as if you were going to take 15a. go past the little hut on the right hand side and shortly thereafter is a route back to the main pitch which avoids that top section.

As others have mentioned a trip to 'santa croce' to ski the red down is a must, when I've been lucky to arrive in San Cass in good time on X-over day, that's been my regular warmup route.

enjoy

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Thanks Bertie, the family are all good skiers (blacks) but our friends are blue level only. We were planning on staying in San Cassiano for them as there are easier home runs but as they found the hotel in La villa, we did warn them they might have to come down on the lift rather than ski.

Help!!

Access to San Cassiano ski area from La Villa

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