Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, this has probably been covered before but what is the best route to the Marmolada glacier from Selva? Should we go clockwise or anti clockwise? We travel on the 9th feb and it’s my 5th trip here but have never made it up to the glacier before and people from our group really want to do so.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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anticlockwise via Passo Pordoi, but might depend on ability or your exact starting point.
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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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We are staying in selva so can start at the champinoi....we are all confident red run skiers.
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@Holly101, From Selva, I don't think it will make much difference either way.
For confident red run skiers, don't see why you can't take in the whole circular route, taking in Marmolada at the same time. Just get an early start in case the weather closes in
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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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It feels like it should be shorter going anticlockwise (green), but I checked my Sella Ronda map and it has a table with all the lifts & the piste lengths on it. It says 9.4km of piste & 5 lifts on clockwise (orange) starting at Dantercepies via Corvara to Arabba and 12.8km & 7 lifts on anti-clockwise (green) starting at Ciampinoi via Passo Sella & Belvedere to Arabba. Using the Costabella chair to access Dantercepies would add in another 0.6km & one more lift, but it still looks like the anti-clockwise (orange) is shorter. There are lift lengths and vertical distances listed too, but it's probably piste length you were asking about. On the the orange there is the flat Borest gondola ride across the valley between Colfosco & Corvara and the short Arabba Fly chair to get you across the valley there, but those are included in the five.
Of course there's also the added distance over to Malga Ciapela and back, but that's the same whichever way you arrive at Arabba. Make sure you use the gondola out of Arabba and get off at the mid-station for Passo Padon/Marmolada.
It's not worth going to the Marmolada if the vis is bad, so do make sure you pick a bluebird day. You probably won't be alone and queues for the cablecar at Malga Ciapela can build up mid-morning when the Val Gardena contingent start arriving.
Make sure you go up onto the viewing platform on the roof of the top cablecar station for the best views, you are higher than everything else in the vicinity and can almost get a full 360 panorama.
By all means finish the full orange Sella Ronda circuit via Belvedere & Passo Sella on the way back, though again it is shorter (9km vs 15km, though not directly comparable as you don't have to drop to Arabba if you choose orange) to go back the way you came via Corvara.
Whichever way you do it, it is a long way, so you need to start as early as you can.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks guys, we ha be no problem with early starts and really looking forward to it. Looks like there is some snow forecast in the next few days so conditions should be great,
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Looking on the 3d superski map the runs down to the Malga Ciapela cable car seem to run out before you get there. Do you walk it or bus it.?
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FrequentFaller wrote: |
Looking on the 3d superski map the runs down to the Malga Ciapela cable car seem to run out before you get there. Do you walk it or bus it.? |
You can ski to the lift station
The red down from Marmolada is wide but it is red all the way there are not many easy bits to get a breather
Allow a couple of hours from Arabba to Marmolada and back as you will get some hold ups by the time of day you get round from Selva
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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FrequentFaller wrote: |
Looking on the 3d superski map the runs down to the Malga Ciapela cable car seem to run out before you get there. Do you walk it or bus it.? |
The runs do continue to the cable car station at Malga Ciapela, but they are pretty flat and can be icy through the trees.
On the way back as you come down from the Marmolada, as you hit the flats, you must remember to catch the Padon chair back to Arabba and not continue down to the cable car station, it's a long way back on those drags if you miss the chair.
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Thanks for those two replies. We are staying at Santa Christina this time so by the time we get round I expect to get all the holdups and the red run back down to be fairly chopped up. No point in doing it if the weather is not brilliant and if it is that's what everybody else will do.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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[quote="luigi"]
FrequentFaller wrote: |
L, it's a long way back on those drags if you miss the chair. |
Drags were not operating a couple of weeks ago
Didn't look like they intended using them the buttons etc have been removed from the cables
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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The anti clockwise route around pordoi is narrow and gets busy. That said, the scenery along the side of Sass long is great.
To be honest I always felt Marmolada was a lot of effort being crammed in for a pretty wind scraped ordinary run. The views are pretty average by Dolomite standards too. Following the Ski Panorama route out of the back of Alba gives far more interesting, enjoyable and scenic skiing, if you're not bothered about saying you've been over 3000m...
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Am I the only one who like the skiing more than the view?
It may have to do with us arriving at the cable car quite early. Then when we got to the top, while everyone else were too wrapped up in the view, we got to start down on the nearly empty piste!
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You know it makes sense.
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I agree with a few of the above. If the weather is poor it's not worth doing and if the weather's good beware the queues.
When I tried a couple of year's ago, the queues were so long we decided to sack it off and drag lift back up, which wasn't the best use of time.
Coming from Selva, you are going to struggle to get there before mid morning, so just be prepared for a longish wait.
However, I agree with @cameronphillips2000, that the Panorama tour around the Val di Fassa is well worth it and not so far for you to get to.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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It's well worth it IMHO but go as early as possible. We left straight after kids' ski-school drop-off, so at about 9:15, from Selva, went clockwise (up Dantercepies, through Corvara) and got to Malga Ciapela about 11:30 and it was an hour before we were at the top of Marmolada (40min queue & 20 min ascent) - but we also put in a couple of extra runs on the way round - up Vallon from Boe and a run back down to Arabba as the queue for the Saas de la Vegla chair was massive when we got there first! If you can, get the first lift up at 8:30 and probably better to go up Ciampinoi and via Pordoi - especially if Ciampinoi's your nearest lift - there's certainly more skiing that way.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I beginning to go off the idea. Perhaps I'll wait for another time in the Dols, when and if I'm staying closer.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What would be really useful, but I doubt they would ever do it is some sign as you come down the run by the chairlift that will take you back up, showing the queue time at the cable car. Or even a website accessible from phone that would give the info!
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