 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm looking at Cortina and notice that unlike many ski resorts, most of the photos of the town are without snow. Given its relatively low height (1200-odd), it is fair to assume it only has snow at village level in very good conditions? My wife doesn't ski but likes a nice village that's also quite 'alpine'. We have been going to Madonna di Campiglio for years, but are looking at a change.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Cortina is quite a big town by ski resort standards which is possibly why there are few photos of the main streets with snow. I've just looked again at the photos we took when we visited in February 2014 and there are piles of snow lying around but completely clear roads. Here's a photo of the town that I took from the cable car though... https://imgur.com/a/BdQLi
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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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Cortina is a lovely place. We visited there twice last year! I have also been to Madonna and loved it there too and understand why you would return!
The town, Cortina, is picture postcard and has lots of gorgeous cafes/wine bars/restaurants and shops, probably the most expensive cooperative shop in the whole world! There is a large area of pedestrian only in the centre and the town is circumnavigated by a one way road system. There is a public baths and an ice rink also museum.
I would recommend an evening meal or lunch at this Hansel and Gretal style restaurant which is beside a small lake and surrounded by a forest jsut utterly charming but do book ahead, it's a bit of a walk so for an evening I would use a cab, Restaurant Lake Pianozes, https://www.google.com/maps/place/Restaurant+Lake+Pianozes/@46.5240087,12.1231871,14z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xa150d3aa063676ea!8m2!3d46.5142683!4d12.1328728?hl=en-US
However the access to the skiing is not convenient but well worth the journey. There was little off piste available last season but the piste skiing is as good as anywhere I've ever been to. There are a few non linked areas which all have something to offer and around the corner there is Langazuoi where you rise up in an aged cabin and enter into the hidden valley where you get the horse drawn taxi to exit which then lets you head to Alta Badia ski area which is all on the same pass. Across the road from Langazuoi is the Cinqui Torri area which is also fun. These areas are easy to access by local bus or private taxi.
Here is a link to the local website. Enjoy.
https://www.dolomiti.org/en/cortina/winter-activities/ski-area-cortina/
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I should have expanded on my earlier post a little to give you some insight into what to expect.
The area is achingly beautiful; far and away the most consistently spectacular scenery in which I've skied. For example in Zermatt you have the Matterhorn, but in and around Cortina there is a vista at every turn, with the pink stone shining in the sun. There are some amazing runs, including part of the women's downhill which goes between two rock faces on an icy steep slope that most good intermediates will take two or three turns to navigate, whilst the downhill racers just zoom through straight down the fall line.
Getting to various parts of the ski area takes a little bit of effort, but that effort is usually rewarded with something out of the ordinary. The Hidden Valley is definitely worth the trip but there's a bit of walking involved at the end, even if you take the horse pulled tow along the last half mile or so.
Some of the uplift is a bit creaky, and the cable cars and chairlifts are not new and flashy, but that all adds to the charm.
There's no real apres to speak of, but there are a few decent bars in the town for a nightcap or similar. We haven't been back because we tend to like to try different places, but Cortina is one of our top five resorts, along with Zermatt, St Anton, Saalbach and Ischgl.
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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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There was absolutely no snow in the valley a few days before I snappped this photo of my wife in 2016.
 [/img]
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It doesn't snow that often in town (due to lowish altitude)...and seems to melt away fairly quickly when it does (due to warmth radiating from buildings).
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Though I did find this for you...
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