Dolomites

A snowHead

We're looking at the Dolomites (among other places, including that popular spot, La Rosiere) for Feb half term 2007.

Any comments, suggestions for villages/accomodation and any advice on DIY to there gratefully received. We're a family of two adults, two 12yo kids, all reasonably good piste skiers, some of us looking for a bit of off piste experience.

A snowHead

Anybody? What's Arabba like?

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

Arabba’s very nice but has very little night life. Depends what you want really. We stayed in the sport hotel (excellent food etc). Flew out for a week on the 21st Jan 06. We had perfect weather for the first four days then lots of snow. The piste’s were fully open. Plenty to do what with the mamolada glacier, hidden valley trip and the stella ronda. Well worth the visit. Suppose if you have the kids with you this could be ideal.

I've just booked to go over to Selva next year. Corvara is another option but it's expensive.

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richmond, Excellent place, nice people, very Italian, but if you like nightlife then its not for you. Two or three good bars and good value restaurants. Easy access to the Sella Ronda etc and brilliant scenery.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Thanks, sounds good. We're looking for somewhere with bit of reasonably demanding stuff; the other current fave is St Anton, although we'd be happy with somewhere less demanding than that (Kitzbuhel, where we've been for the last 2 years at half term, is rejected for the moment as not enough tricky stuff). Would it be good place for beginning off piste?

Apres ski isn't an issue, really; a couple of decent bars and a good restaurant or three and we're happy.

We'd prefer DIY, although the TO's prices to Arabba look quite reasonable. Any experience?

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Forgot to mention the scenery, wow.

What’s your price range?

We went with inghams and flew into Bolzano. Transfer about 2 hours. Flew Austrian air, turbo prop from Manchester. Great flight. Stayed in the sports hotel half board. Think it was about £700 pp. Overall very happy with the whole package.

Got talking to a few other people who did it DIY and they managed to find a chalet for 6 for a lot cheaper. Downside was they got diverted to Milan and had a 5 hour transfer. Sad

http://www.arabba.it/sella_ronda-e.htm

http://www.arabba.it/piantina_invernale-e.htm

http://www.arabba.it/localita-e.htm

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tp023, thanks. Price range? Tricky; whatever it takes, but no more than necessary, nothing luxurious, but not slumming it. Nielson's are offering HB in the Sport Hotel you mentioned for £760 ish at HT week (and SCGB membership gives 10% off, I might rejoin!), which seems remarkably cheap and difficult to beat DIY. Inghams are a lot pricier for that hotel and week. We'd probably prefer SC if there are good restaurants.

If we DIYed, we might take a hire car from the airport; would that be useful or would it stay in the car park all week (I'm not looking for driving opportunities, but I'd be interested to know if there's any benefit in having the possibility)?

After all it is free

My cousin and her family go to Corvara,they want us to join them sometime. A friend who doesn't ski too well went to Val Gardena/Selva.She hated it, mainly because of the hike to the lifts every day, and has refused to go skiing since.

"If we DIYed, we might take a hire car from the airport; would that be useful or would it stay in the car park all week"

Loads of skiing so it'd be in the car park all week. I cannot think of any reasons to have a day off.

I went with 6 advanced skiers (I’m intermediate) and whilst a lot is not the most challenging stuff, the super-ski area has loads to keep everyone occupied. This was my first time in Italy and was really impressed with the hotel and very easy access straight to the slopes (5mins max from the hotel).

Arabba’s a small town so the majority of hotels should be fine.

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richmond, often cheaper if you DIY to hire a car though, transfers for 4 can be pricey.

snow reports

Helen Beaumont, we found it about the same from Munich to Kitzbuhel. hired last year, and had a rather unpleasant journey (due to bad weather), private transfer this year, very smooth.

it's in the super ski area. arabbas area 6

http://www.dolomitisuperski.com/skimapall.asp?L=3

this will give you a good idea of how it's all linked.

You know it makes sense.

From a personal point of view, now we have our own apartment, a car is almost an essential. We had to go to Briancon to buy a curtain rail, and the DIY store took another wad of cash off us. Ski bus is good in Serre Che though, so if you can get a reasonable transfer it helps. ATS quoted us a ridiculous price last Easter though.

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

tp023, The car could be handy for getting to Cortina for the day, you could take in the small Cinque Torre ski area on the way, the scenery is just fantastic there. If you don't do a diy and use a TO there is a good chance they will have a day out to Cortina organised.

If it was my first time there I would not bother with a car and just get stuck into the extensive ski area on offer. Tour round, do the hidden valley at Falzerego, have a look at Corvara, La Villa, Selva ( not my cup of tea ) and enjoy the ambiance and scenery and some pretty good skiing as well.

If you use the search facility in this forum for 'hidden valley' etc there has been a lot written and some links to other information sources.

Go there, I've not been for a good few years but will be next February for sure.

A snowHead

richmond,
Can't help with the dolomites though it is somewhere I really want to go to. If you want to go somewhere like St Anton with a bit of less demanding skiing you could try Lech. Just as good skiing though with some easier stuff as well and can ski St A very easily from Lech (Easier than the other way round.) Usually quieter with better snow as well.
We did a DIY to Lech february half term a few years back and it was a very reasonable price, We shared a family room in a hotel.

A snowHead

Thanks one and all.

T Bar, I've been to both Lech and St Anton a long time ago, although I certainly didn't do either justice. The skiing in St Anton would suit us fine, but we'd almost certainly have to drive as the nearby airports all seem very pricey at that time (Feb half term). Driving is fine, but quite a lot of time and effort for the car just to spend a week sitting there doing nothing. Arabba sounds interesting, we'd love to ski in Italy again, we fancy the Dolomites and we could fly there (worst case scenario, using a TO). Bolzano airport is close, although direct flights seem to be thin on the ground.

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

Just came back after skiing 2 days in Garmisch, 7 days in St Anton and 5 days in Sellaronda. Drove all the way. 2600miles return.

When there is snow Sellaronda is really a skiing paradise because there is a lot of sunshine. Austria seems to be always snow sure but can be also foggy with few sunny days for some reasons. That is the general impression I had with Zell am See, Saalabch/Hiterglemm, Ski Welt and St Anton.

Italy and France seem to be sunnier.

We stayed in B&B at 29 Euro per head at any number of nights we care to choose near Santa Cristina, about 3 miles from Selva Wolkenstein (Sellaronda circuit) but the valley has linked pistes all the way down to Ortisei. My resesrch shows that I could pay more than double if I had chosen to stay close to chairlifts near Selva. There are plently of shops and restaurant along the valley as we ate at either Ortisei, Santa Cristina or Selva depending on our mood.

Sellaronda has over 500 km piste and from the lowest town a skier can ski to Santa Cristina, Selva then go through the Sellronda circuit of Val Fassa, Arabba, Alta Badia and return back to Selva. Realistically the Selva-Alta Badia-Arraba-Val Fassa along is 40km and can take the whole day. Most of the pistes are red slope with black slopes away from the main loop. Corvara is saturated with blue slopes mainly and is suitable for a day exploration as it is a decent size resort in its own right. We didn't explore Arraba much excepting passing through it in both closckwise and anticlockwise directions. We tried to drive to another valley (for staying longer there) but found the mountain pass closed to all traffic and so skiing is the only way to go from valley to valley in Sellaronda.

The main Sellaronda circuit is busy but queues are bearable, about 20 minutes maximum in the worst case. We found the best skiing experience actually around Santa Cristina and Ortisei. There is one side of the valley called Alpe Di Siusi designed for families and pistes there were smooth and wide as a football pitch. As it isn't the main attraction there is no crowd there and it was really nice there. We also heard someone from another English group claiming she had the best skiing experience there too.

Driving around to ski over 10 to 12 countries, some times doing one resort a day, Italian Dolomiti stands out the best skiing place for both the wife and I. The infrastructure there is truly amazing too. French Tarentaise is alright but I wouldn't go there during half terms. Austria and Italy are probably the place to be during school holidays.

We booked with Tourist office for Garmisch Partenkirchen, which is a nice place to ski but not large, as they do a 2 nights B&B plus ski pass for 99 Euro each. In St Anton we teamed with my brother family staying self-catering flat and paid 930 Euro for 6 of us for 7 days. Having a car we could cover nearly every part of each resort. When the weather was really poor one day in St Anton we took a rest day visting Lechcenstein and saw its small skiing resort. So in all the DIY trip has worked out pretty much as we would like it to happen.

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saikee A marathon drive - what kind of car do you have?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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I run a 7-seater Shogun 3.2 litre diesel. Done about 5 trips so far with it. Carry a set of snow chains too but never have to fit them yet. I started off with a Nissan Primera, then a Toyota Rav4. A full blown 4x4 (with low range gear and lockable diff) is the right equipmment if one want to ski freely anywhere in the Alps.

I was going from Selva Wolkenstein to Corvara but the road was closed 2 to 3 miles from Selva. Didn't even manage to reach Passo Gardena.

Yes we didn't explore Arabba much. The ski map shows about 15 chairlifts in Arabba. There are about twice as many in Corvara. Area wise I would say the Sellronda loop is the biggest, followed by the Alpe Di Siusi with Seceda/Col Raiser valle, then Corvara and then Arabba. The rest of Val Fassa, away from the Sellaronda circuit, seems unlinked and may have to be done with buses. The Alpe Di Siusi is a big loop too with Seceda/Col Raiser as there is a bus run from Saltria to Mont Pana.

CP,

If you are going to Villaroger (1200m) you can ski down from Aiguille Rouge (3226m) to enjoy the biggest single vertical drop of over 2km in the Europe, possibly the biggest single vertical in the world too? Now we are getting the jeolous!

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

Two years ago we came over the Passo Selva in snowchains in a Fiat Punto. It was hairy but we made it - we were about the only car on the pass.

Help!!

Dolomites

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