Madonna Di Campiglio TR

A snowHead

Dates – Sunday 26th March to Sunday 02 April 2017

Flights – BA from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Milan Linate.

Check in process was very straightforward – not too much of a queue. Went through security and had brunch at Giraffe. Nice meal and not too expensive.
Plane was approximately 20 minutes late leaving due to the number of planes waiting to take off.
Flight was fairly uneventful apart from some turbulence as we came over the Alps.
Milan Linate airport very unremarkable apart from a very speedy baggage handling ground crew who had our bags on the carousel by the time we had come through immigration.

Transfer – Transfer by coach took approximately 3 hours. First hour or so of the journey is very tedious along the motorway East from Milan. Once we turned off and started the journey up the valley to Madonna Di C the journey improved and became a lot more interesting.

Hotel - We stayed at the Cristal Palace Hotel. The rooms were very nice – wood panelled and with lovely big bathrooms. Hotel had lovely views in all directions as it sits on a slight rise overlooking the village and surrounding mountains. As we were travelling as part of a large group the food was slightly mass catering although breakfast was very nice with a great choice of cereals, meats, cheeses, yoghurts and bacon and eggs. Hotel had a very relaxing pool and spa area which was nice to unwind in after a day on the slopes. Finally (and this was a real godsend) – the hotel ran a mini bus service that would take you to any base station you wanted. A quick phone call after the day’s skiing would result in the bus being dispatched to pick you up again. As you may have gathered the hotel was not ski in ski out but with bus service being so efficient this was not an issue at all.

Weather – Wall to wall sunshine all week with very warm temps.

Snow – Considering the season the Alps have had the ski area was in remarkably good condition. Nearly all the runs were open and were more than skiable. Madonna Di C is well known for the standard of the piste grooming and this was in evidence the week we were there. I have my own skis and have just serviced them – barely a mark on the bases which is testament to how well maintained the slopes were.

Lifts – Modern and efficient. Very few slow chairs – only went on two all week. Barely any queues apart from at the Groste Express which allows you to lap the highest slopes.

Inter Resort Connections – Quite excellent. A lot of thought has gone into connecting the different ski areas together. All areas are linked at valley level with a series of runs and lifts that run through tunnels and over road bridges – very very clever and again well maintained so all skiable for the week we were in resort.

Ski Area – Much larger than I thought it would be;

Groste is the highest sector at 2504m – fast lifts and a good snowpark. Lovely sweeping runs back to the valley floor. Area can get busy late morning / early afternoon as people make their way over to ski on the highest slopes in the area. Most people start to make their back at about 14.30 and the slopes were much quieter after this time.

5 Laghi – Fab area to ski first thing in the morning, quiet and great snow. Able to ski the multiple upper runs from one chair lift – Patascoss Express. Miramonte slalom stadium worth skiing - looks more fearsome than it actually is !

Marilleva and Folgarida – Tree lined and pretty (apart from Marilleva resort itself which is a concrete jungle and not pleasing on the eye at all). Long sweeping runs down through the woods and good fast lifts. Many people from the more bargain resorts travel through here to get to Groste so if you ski this mid morning onwards the slopes are empty. Conversely in the afternoon if you make your way back to Groste you are skiing against the tide of people returning.

Mountain Restaurants – Can not really comment on these as did not really use them. General feeling in the group was that they were not all that inspiring – did not find any cosy huts like you have in France for example. Prices were alright and you did not feel as though you were being fleeced all the time.

Village – Very pretty and unspoilt. Not many cars due to the bypass (in a tunnel). Lovely main square with bars and cafes – great for a beer and people watching after coming off the slopes. Good shops but expensive.

Hope this gives you some flavour of this really good resort.

Griggs

Very Happy

A snowHead

@Griggs, great trip report. Might put this on the shortlist for next Easter holidays Toofy Grin

Good to hear that the areas are all connected by lifts and runs- just back from Livigno and found getting bus to non connected area a bit of a pain!

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

It’s interesting different peoples experiences & perceptions. We have found the mountain restaurants to be amongst the best we have experienced. Some with the cosy fires, are a great place to grab a coffee, hot chocolate or a beer as you wait out a white out or the kids enjoy a rest. Others have great terraces with amazing views (thinking top of Cinque Laghi in particular).

Thanks for taking the time to write up the TR - I always enjoy reading people’s experiences.

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Madonna Di Campiglio TR

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