 Poster: A snowHead
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well it is to cross a road - suspect no more than 50m to 80m. It'll do
https://www.hotel-acadia.com/en/
Snow seems better than anywhere this year - more usually it can struggle, but has excellent snowmaking apparently
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Jimbo94, the area is linked, but it's so huge and complicated you can't get everywhere, and back from everywhere, every time. Personally I'd not bother trying to get everywhere - especially not in a week. I'd go wherever the local lifts want to take me and where I know I can get home easily and not end up an expensive taxi ride away. Unless you're really good at lift maps (I'm not) and ready to spend your evenings planning, you need a guide, ideally. I don't mean a mountain guide, I mean someone like Alistair Pink who has the lift map imprinted on his brain.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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If you really want ski to the doorstep then you could always consider the Hotel Planac. It's halfway between Corvara and Arabba and right beside the Pralongia lift up onto the Alta Badia ski area. It's in the middle of nowhere so you would probably want to eat there and it might be a bit dated but for skiing convenience in that area it would be hard to beat.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Garfield, Hahahah
Yeah I'm thinking we might just stay in Selva
I have a friend who has been going his whole life and he swears by it and says it is the best skiing he's ever done - He hated Cervinia somehow 
Also said Corvara is boring (But I don't mind if it means it's relaxing and less busy)
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Not sure I would stay at Marmolada - the lifts linking into Arabba and then the sella Ronda are ancient slow chairs… think it would be painful having to ride those in and out every day.
My personal favourite spot is La Villa , not as posh as selva , Corvara and San Cassiano but much better value - and look at Hotel Gran Risa - literally next door to the gondola of the same name into Alta Badia (and then v quickly into sella Ronda). Has a nice pool and spa and the food was very good along with a good bar. Can ski back almost to door.
Well positioned for Sella Ronda plus Santa Croce trip and an easy bus to Kronplatz.
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@sheffskibod, Super ! I have a sweet cheap little B&B in La Villa which I was eyeing, which is very close to the lifts, so I will definitely give more weight to that consideration now
Also will take your advice regarding Arabba and Marmolada, I'm sure that would be annoying, and a waste of time better spent skiing !
Cheers mate 
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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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@Jimbo94, For 'Hidden Valley' you ski to Armentarola (part of Alta Badia) and get bus/taxi to Lagazuoi cable car (where the run starts)
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@albob, Legend thanks mate
The only issue I have with Alta Badia is that the base elevation is lower and apparently the snow is not as good as Val Gardena according to what I've read, at least at the town level. Not sure if it can snow less in Alta Badia than it does in Val Gardena ? Wouldn't the snowfall be around the same they are so close
On Powderhounds they seem to say that Alta Badia Natural Snowfalls are less reliable than in the past, and they don't say the same for Val Gardena. Arabba Marmolada obviously has the best snow out of the 3, but will avoid because of the slow chairs mentioned by @sheffskibod
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just to be clear - Arabba itself is a good location. Right on the sella Ronda and good value for money.
But Marmolada is not.
You mention Arabba/Marmolada as if they are the same place (they are close but separated by slow chairs and a few runs ) and you also wrote
“I actually have a hotel booked in Marmolada “
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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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@Jimbo94, you seem to be overthinking things! Think of the SR like a ring. Unlike most ski areas, at the SR resorts there’s a big hole in the middle of the ski area (Piz Sella, a large and very craggy mountain). There is no central ski area, that’s the summit. The lifts and runs link round it and there are multiple off-shoots. All of these sectors are a bit quieter than being right on the ring. When you are on the ring, it’s seamless. The lifts and runs flow from 1 valley into the next with only limited decal changes and a sign to show that you have moved into a new area. Sometimes the lifts/pistes moving you are a bit slower due to the mountain topography and it’s fairly obvious you are leaving an area. Other times there’s only a change of view to alert you that you are into a new valley.
From every area, there are interesting off-shoots to ski. As it takes >2 hours to ski round, you can explore most of the local areas off-shoots quite thoroughly if you ski fast but you can’t reach the deepest recesses of the furthest sectors, even if you ski very fast, know exactly where you are going and don’t meet any queues. You will stop to admire the scenery if nothing else and this will cause you to slow down!
If you want to do the Hidden Valley, you might as well explore 5 Torri area too and to do that easily in a day you need to stay somewhere on that side: San Cassiano, La Villa, Corvara or Arabba. Max 4 lifts to the minibus departure point from any of these. Bonus is they are also the ones closest to Treviso.
Of these, Corvara looks like it is the largest village, it’s one of the most expensive too. The SR goes to Corvara (Borest-Boe lifts are next to each other) and over the top of Arabba (on a chairlift). The rest of Alta Badia is connected by a network of (almost all blue) runs with steeper, great runs into San Cassiano and especially La Villa. The SR also goes through Colfosco and Selva but I don’t really see either has massive advantages for you TBH, they are just further from the hidden valley. It only takes 2 lifts from Arabba to Campolungo where there are 2 routes into the Alta Badia sector so it is just as convenient. The local skiing on the Portovescovo side is a lot steeper though. The HV isn’t the only nice day ski from here, there’s multiple options.
Cortina may be closer to the cable car for the hidden valley but it’s far from the end of the run!
It makes absolutely no difference to you that Val Gardena is a slightly bigger area than Alta Badia or Arabba. You’ll have a Superski pass which will cover lifts way further than you can actually go, wherever you start from.
All the villages are within a 200m band 1450-1650m, I don’t think this is something to concern yourself about.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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This year as normal we will be staying in Ortisei (centre of town hotel) a 5-10 minute walk (aided by the Curta-Seceda escalators) to each different bubble. This allows us to spend a "warm-up" first day in Alpe di Siusi (cruisey blues & reds plus the added bonus of the Hay Soup at Gostner Hut). Ortisei allows us to do the La Longia run as much as possible (10.5km from Seceda down to Ortisei). The town is lovely (not a lively Apres-but enough to do). This year to spice things up as well as the obvious Gardena Ronda and Sella Ronda tours, we are going to spend a night or two away from our base hotel which will allow us the Hidden Valley, Cinque Torri, Marmaloda Runs, a small part of the Grande Guerra. To do this we will stay a night at Rifugio Lagazoui at approx. 2500m and also a night near Marmaloda (Malga Ciapela) - love the dolomites and cant wait 
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Poster: A snowHead
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@barneybill, Oh wow that sounds perfect
The La Longia run sounds amazing, don't think I've done a run that long, and I guess that will be the one you do back home everyday
Great idea to spend 2 nights up on the slopes and the Marmolada, I would love to do the same, but at this point I've just finally started to conclude on the final options, don't think I have the mental capacity to plan any more big changes like that 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You clearly have done some research, which was why I was a bit confused by you describing Selva as ‘central’. The way the ski area is laid out, there are no pistes or villages in the centre.
I think the advantage of Selva over the other villages on the SR is better nightlife. If you aren’t bothered about apres ski, you are sacrificing some convenience and money for nothing. It’s another mountain pass to get there and it’s a bigger village. There’s very little in it for the scenery, it’s great everywhere. Unless your accommodation is right by Dantercepies, it sounds like it would be be a hefty day for your brother to get to the Hidden Valley and back. Your at the furthest point of the SR!
I’ve been to both San Cassiano and La Villa and still haven’t got round to doing the hidden valley or Marmolada. I have children so partly too little time while they were in ski school and partly waiting for them to grow stronger to be able to manage these sort of days.
I have managed to go round Sella both ways, but I stray regularly from the straight route if I see something I fancy doing. I would advise using it to reach an objective, explore that sector, then decide if you want to ski back the same way or carry on to do a circuit, depending upon your position at the time.
Nothing worse than realising at 3pm that there is no way you will get into the right valley, getting stressed about getting the right lift/run etc. I’d advise leaving some time for lunch too, IME the food on the mountain is generally fantastic and often not overpriced, but I have only eaten in Alta Badia as I have always had to get back to Sorega to pick up the sprogs.
I’ve only had 1 day where I had a full day after dropping them and I chose to go to Ortisei. There I decided I could complete the anti-clockwise SR but didn’t have time for a full Val Ronda too. I did deviate down to the bottom of Cir on the way and up to Col Rodella to do a nice red on the way back so that wasn’t totally direct but I ski pretty fast and there were no queues. I stopped to take photos but no drinks or food. Was pretty hungry when I got back to the hotel but I knew they would have soup and snacks ready in the bar. Just doing that was over 5 hours, starting at Corvara and finishing at La Villa.
From what you have said, Arabba or La Villa would be my choices. I meet a group on La Ila moaning that it was too far from the SR and they were going to try Corvara next time but it’s 3 lifts, hardly the end of the world. If you or your brother isn’t confident from the off, go to La Villa. Your first and last runs into Arabba will be fairly steep whereas you’ll get a fairly gentle introduction to skiing every morning in La Villa (unless you do the Gran Risa 1st).
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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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Jimbo94 you are just going to have to pick somewhere.
I don't think you will come back wishing you had went for option B rather than A it's all good.
On a plus side there is not all the covid testing and form filling that was required last winter.
We are off tomorrow  at this point last year I was close to throwing in the towel. (It was great when we got there but it took a lot of hoop jumping before hand).
I'm sitting here now hoping I have not forgot anything as it seems simple this year.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@what...snow, To be honest by central I meant that I thought it was at the heart of the best pistes, meaning you could venture both left and right (or clockwise and anti-clockwise) and always be close(ish) to your base village, obviously except when you decide to go further away to explore (Which I definitely will be doing).
I would assume some of the links between the different areas are smoother than others, so I would want to pick the place where it's easiest to ski the most out of due to more seamless links (involving more skiing and less lifts)
Regarding the stress at 3pm to get back, this is exactly what I want to try and avoid. I know that it can happen anywhere if you venture to the opposite side of the superski to your accomodation, but I was looking for the resort best located for that to be as little as an issue as possible I.e the base best located next to the best valleys/slopes. Since the area is so huge, definitely cannot do it all in a week, and would sacrifice the least remarkable, or only visit them once maybe
If as you say, the only advantage of Selva is the nightlife, then that doesn't really make a difference to me, but on the other hand if I only do the HV once or twice (Want to explore other areas), doesn't make sense for me to base myself somewhere solely because it's closer to that.
I also have kids, and this is actually one of the reasons I chose Selva for a trip without them, because very difficult to ski freely and/or meet up after ski lessons if you are over 150Km away
I don't think we are considering Arabba/Marmolada anymore, and it is nice to start the day off on an easy slope to warm up the legs, so that was some more great advice, especially for my brother
At this point it's between Selva, La Villa or Corvara, hoping to decide by tomorrow
I love this forum, you guys are all so helpful
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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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@Garfield, Enjoy!!
We had a great time at the Evaldo for Christmas week a good few years back now and are hoping to return next month. I say ‘hoping’ because this is our third attempt. The first was with our neighbour and his daughter, but that was the year that Covid broke and resorts closed. We got bumped to Kitzbuhel but that shut just before we were due to fly out too. The second attempt was for Christmas 2021 with our daughter and her man who flew over from Canada… and brought Covid with them to our house. Cue 10 days of Christmas isolation in our house and a call to the neighbours to get some shopping in for us that included a turkey and all the trimmings. They are flying back next month for another attempt with us. My wife already has us all on a rigorous schedule of vitamin tablets.
Hope you have a good one!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| buchanan101 wrote: |
| Jimbo94 wrote: |
@dode
Hmm that's also a good point, but I thought that everything was linked, so you could go up the same lift and just take different routes |
I've chosen a spot in Selva where after getting on the Nives t bar/poma outside the hotel I can go either way...
Both ways involve taken off skis and crossing a road to get on main lifts, but I think it'll do. can ski back... |
That is a good spot to be in Selva, easy lift access and not far to the centre of an evening.
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@Jimbo94, I wouldn't discount Arabba, esp if you're coming up from Venice. There used to be cheap shared bus transfers from Venice airports up to Arabba, I think it was DolomitiStars that operated them.
It usually has the best snow in the area and although it has some of the steeper pistes in the area, it's mostly intermediate terrain and very close to the gentle terrain on the Pralongia plateau.
The advantage of staying in Arabba is that it has the least tourist beds of the 4 sectors that make up the Sella Ronda, so you tend to avoid the heavy skier traffic flows that can cause queues in the other 3 sectors. You can get to the Marmolada cablecar before the queues build up and you're directly on the WW1 tour if that appeals.
Also the taxi guys in the square will take you directly to the Hidden Valley cablecar, so you can get there before queues build too.
It is fairly quiet of an evening, just a few low-key bars, but you said you weren't that bothered by nightlife.
Sorry to put the cat among the pigeons!
As others have said, you won't be disappointed with any choice of resort around the Sella Ronda. I guess everyone has their favourite, but they all have access to the same slopes, fabulous scenery and great mountain restaurants.
People tend to recommend Alta Badia to less experienced skiers, Arabba to those who want a bit more challenge, Selva to those who want some Apres and nightlife and Canazei/Campitello as a lower budget option, but actually no real disadvantages except the need to download at the end of the day.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Fri 13-01-23 20:34; edited 1 time in total
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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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@Jimbo94 For transfers have a look at Cortina Express ...I've not used them but it looks like they go from Treviso to eg San Cassiano at very reasonable rates and are available on your dates.
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There are tourist service shuttles via Venice to Arabba. Very competitive
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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@Jimbo94, but there are many other must do off-shoots. You should go to Marmolada when the conditions are right, definitely to Santa Croce and up the Edelweiss Valley. The rest of Val di Fassa via Alba sounds great too. With the HV trip and 1 day getting round the SR that’s 6 days sorted already. If you go to Selva you probably wouldn’t get to Marmolada or HV without an early start and a certain level of anxiety on the way home. But the Val Ronda will be much easier!
The worst connections on the SR are (YMMV)
1. Corvara up to Dantercepies for Val Gardena - 35 mins on 4/5 lifts with minimal skiing between
2. Val Gardena to Val di Fassa - a flat cat track in great scenery
3. Val di Fassa to Val Gardena - lots of short chairs followed by a flattish blue. Lots of better runs in the mountains to the left if you can/have time (this is the area above Selva)
4. Val Gardena to Alta Badia from Dantercepies - a looooong blue run with no alternative route.
And of course Borest, a flat gondola that just takes you to the next lift, in both directions. And then through Selva, village skiing and walking across roads.
The best bits are Arabba to Val di Fassa, Arabba to Alta Badia and vice versa. Fast routes with great views, although you will probably find Arabba to Val di Fassa a tough ski in the afternoon.
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| Jimbo94 wrote: |
@albob, Legend thanks mate
The only issue I have with Alta Badia is that the base elevation is lower and apparently the snow is not as good as Val Gardena according to what I've read, at least at the town level. Not sure if it can snow less in Alta Badia than it does in Val Gardena ? Wouldn't the snowfall be around the same they are so close |
Snowfall may differ between those two locations - in the same way that rainfall may vary between Walsall and Wolverhampton.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Jimbo94, This is the best map of the Grande Guerre routes that I've found. It's in Italian/German but you'll get the jist
https://www.altabadia.org/media/erster-weltkrieg-grande-guerra.pdf
La Villa and Corvara are top left. The Hidden Valley and Cinq Torre are middle right. Arabba is middle left, and Marmolada (Malga Ciapela) are bottom left. I *think* you can get from Cinq Torre to Cortina via a new lift not shown on that map. Selva isn't even on that map - it'll be off the top left hand edge.
We're off to La Villa Sunday week. We've done Sella Ronda and most of the Grande Guerre route before, so this trip I think we'll be concentrating on some of the more out of the way areas.
Wherever you end up, the area is simply vast and an intermediate cruiser paradise. Ski till lunch, have lunch, and then ski back again. Do this clockwise on the SR one day, then anti clockwise the next day. Then get the piste map out and realise that your two lunch stops weren't that far apart, and you can do the whole loop easily in a day.
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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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@Jimbo94, I have based myself in Colfosco once, Selva twice, Santa Cristina twice, plus Seis/Siusi twice and Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi once when the kids were learning to ski. For me, Selva is the best base for skiing.
In addition to direct access to the Sella Ronda, Selva has a huge amount of skiing not directly on the Sella Ronda circuit many of whose lifts therefore have slightly shorter queues. It has some of the best pistes on your doorstep (e.g. Saslonch and Ciampioni) or a short ski away (La Longia from Seceda above Santa Cristina to Ortisei - a 10km red).
If you like full-on days out (as opposed to just meandering around an area) the following trips can be done from Selva:
- Gardena Ronda (I prefer anti-clockwise)
- Cinque Torri and hidden valley (but ski a direct route with no faffing around if you’re aiming to do both)
- Marmolada
- SR clockwise
- SR anti-clockwise
Val Gardena and Seiser Alm has amazing artificial snow, so there’s no need to worry about the snow forecast if you’re just piste skiing.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Jimbo94, the major benefits of Arabba as a base are that there’s a reasonably priced coach transfer, if you arrive/depart at weekend. Also that there’s a range of good accommodation within 5 minutes walk of the main base lift (Burz).
I’d say the pistes in that area are a bit more challenging than other places linked to the SR but not so much to bother any decent intermediate skier.
You can comfortably get round the whole SR circuit, adding a bit of skiing on an offshoot or two, in a day.
The Hidden Valley / Cinque Torri area is a good excursion, I think. Each day from Arabba there will be shared taxis and coaches taking people early morning to the Lagazuoi Pass. Then you explore that area and leave yourself a comfortable 3 hours to ski back to Arabba.
Arabba is a small town compared to Selva. A few bars, small supermarkets, cafes but nothing very touristy and you don’t have to exit through the gift shop.
If not bothered about nightlife or being in a town with lots of shops, then Arabba probably offers you better value than Selva Val Gardena.
I’m not sure why Corvara and the Alta Badia skiing would be considered ‘boring’ by intermediate skiers (your friend you mentioned earlier). It’s a good base, IMO, but accommodation tends to be a bit pricier than Arabba.
You might want to toss a coin and go with that for a decision?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ok here are some replies and updates
@buchanan101, you were correct the % signs on the lifts shows how long you will wait - 100% means big queues
To everyone mentioning the good prices of transfers to the Alta Badia and Arabba Marmolada Area, thank you, I had checked a few of these and unfortunately none of the departures coincided with our flights (We would have had to wait 3 hours after landing) + the 3+ hours to get there from Treviso !
@Scrunch77, I do think that Selva is a good option since it has the largest home turf area of all the different areas (170Km), this is unless you want to mainly ski the other side of the Sella
At the end what I did was I got quotes from all accommodations in the Val Gardena area and in the Alta Badia Area, prioritising value and location on the pistes (avoiding ski bus - I know, a bit picky )
At this point it was a bit late and so much of the well priced accommodation was booked, that's why it was such a hassle to find a good place, however eventually I have settled on a B&B in Colfosco which is Ski In Ski Out (I have free cancellation till 25th January in case any other better options come up)
On Powderhounds this was the guidance for the villages in Alta Badia (Colfosco has a very bad review so I was avoiding it), however I have a friend who stayed there and said it was really ok, I guess you could tell me how it was too @Scrunch77 ?
Corvara - The heart of Alta Badia, Corvara has a sunny disposition, major lifts allowing easy access to all points, all major shops and services, the best bars in the region, wide range of lodgings from the high end La Perla to a host of excellent guesthouse accommodations.
La Villa - Over-shadowed (literally) by Piz La Ila & the Gran Risa, much of the town is in shadow during winter – including the excellent Hotel Christiania (ski-in ski-out) only metres from the bottom of the Gran Risa. Some options above the road get more sun & direct access adjacent warm & sheltered intermediate & beginner slopes. For a combination of light & dark, the Hotel Gran Risa is in prime position at the end of the world cup slope in the centre of town.
San Cassiano - Probably the sunniest town in Alta Badia, it’s slightly off the beaten path location make it a real option for visitors. Some of Alta Badia’s most scenically beautiful and fun runs (number 11 & 12) leads back to the town. The gondola Piz Sorega gives direct access from San Cassiano to the myriad of lifts & beginner /intermediate trails on the plateau.
Badia - At the end of the line accessing the main slopes from Badia every day would be tedious, not to mention the return at the end of the day.
Colfosco - Darkened by shadow from the Sella massif for most of winter and with gentle slopes plus a mind-numbingly painful set of lifts, it is best avoided except if a novice later in the season. Enough said!
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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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Another thing which made it difficult is that we changed our dates to 25/02 until 06/03, squeezing in an extra day of skiing , and many accommodations could not meet this requirement (Some only do week to week)
Also forgot to mention, the pro of Val gardena having 178Km of slopes I guess is that if you need to be closer to home at the end of the day to reduce stress, you have a nice range of runs to do for the last bit till everything closes
Another Ski In/Ski Out option that we had was Plan de Gralba which is closer to the Selva side, but my friend said the runs there are quite a mess after 12pm, so I chucked that on the back burner
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Jimbo94, of the places I mentioned I have stayed, Colfosco was the most convenient for getting on the piste as the apartment was ski in, ski out. The local Edelweiss valley is nice and it’s sunny but the skiing is limited (4 lifts), so you have to get onto the SR circus every day.
Heading west/anti-clockwise takes you to Dantercepies with great runs either back to Colfosco (fab fast cruise first thing on fresh corduroy before the hordes arrive) or to Selva.
Heading east/clockwise means getting a lift (Borest) down to Corvara before you can get another lift up, which I found a bit niggling. Also, personally, I haven’t enjoyed the Alta Badia skiing as much as the Selva/Santa Cristina skiing, though I haven’t skied the runs down to La Villa, which are supposed to be good.
Staying in Colfosco as opposed to Selva means you can better explore Cinque Torri/hidden valley and Marmolada without the fear of missing the last lift over the Passo Gardena and getting stuck in Colfosco (as we did one year and had to get a taxi over the pass to Selva), whilst also having efficient access to the Selva/Santa Cristina skiing. It’s for that reason we based ourselves there once.
If you attempt the Gardena Ronda from Colfosco, it’s probably better to go clockwise because it gets the Monte Pana - Saltria bus out of the way early and if you’re running short of time you can always jump on the bus from Ortisei to Selva (rather than walk and take the gondola to Seceda, and ski via Santa Cristina), though the anti-clockwise route offers superior skiing, in my opinion.
We like staying within a 10-minute walk of a ski shop that’s within 50-100m of a main lift and leave our equipment there overnight. We enjoy the warm up/warm down that the walk (in normal footwear) delivers. Compared with ski-in/ski-out, it increases choice of accommodation and provides an opportunity for a cheeky beer, or to grab some provisions if we’re self-catering that night. (We always have a big lunch on the mountain and are often too full &/or tired to go out for dinner more than a couple of nights!)
Whatever you decide, you’ll have a great time and will want to revisit the area!
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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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@Scrunch77, Legend mate thanks that really helps
We have narrowed it down to 3 options, all are ski in ski out and should be close to restaurants bars etc (Selva has the most probably)
Our options are Selva, Colfosco and Corvara
Selva the most expensive but only by a bit so dont mind paying a bit more
I guess as you said, Colfosco/Corvara closer to doing the Lagazuoi, 5 Torri, Arabba Marmolada area
Selva better because your home slopes are vast and can be close to home without being bored, and also closer to the Seceda area which I’ve heard is very nice
As you say the area is huge so we will be returning many times and likely trying different places for doing different areas
Perhaps Selva better to stay when I go with the kids so if I have to be close I won’t get bored
Whereas Colfosco and Corvara can go now since its kid free and can explore wider terrain !
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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“Also, personally, I haven’t enjoyed the Alta Badia skiing as much as the Selva/Santa Cristina skiing, though I haven’t skied the runs down to La Villa, which are supposed to be good.”
They are IMO the best runs in the area and the way to Santa Croce, so there’s a whole big section of Alta Badia that you haven’t been to. The other great runs are 12 into San Cassiano and the black/red from Mont Vallon to Corvara (1000m vertical descent).
By late Feb, it’s not really midwinter any more and maybe Colfosco is getting more sunshine? Isn’t most of the accommodation up the Edelweiss valley rather than on the red then blue SR run so on a south facing plateau well above the valley floor? That’s what it seems like when skiing through.
Presumably another upside of Colfosco is that you never do the whole section from Corvara to Dantercepies in one go. It’s not that the lifts are slow or short, it’s just a lot of time on long lifts before you get any decent skiing. When you do go up there, there is a red but I’ve only done the obvious black so I’ve no idea how steep it is. Better to do a few laps under Sodlisia, then up Colfosco and Stella Alpina before trying any reds if you need. The views from the other 2 lifts up there, Pradat and Forcelles, are excellent but the slopes steeper. Then take Borest and start exploring.
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Another point I guess is that Selva will have the longest queues at the lifts ? Though being Ski In Ski out that is not going to be an issue in the morning, more for getting around the runs afterwards
Colfosco is probably the quietest of the 3 so thats definitely a pro, and its in the middle of the 2 areas
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@Jimbo94, you will enjoy being in Colfosco. You are right on the Sella Ronda.
IMO, you are better to think of the place as one huge area with lots of different villages to choose to base yourself in, rather than lots of separate areas. The place is vast enough that it is fun to choose different villages on future trips to give you an opportunity to explore different sections more fully.
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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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By early March, you might be glad of and searching for the pistes that are more in the shade, with the snow holding in better condition. That big old sun is getting higher in the sky with warmer rays by then. Anything south or southish facing more likely to be cut up and slushy as the day wears on.
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100% agree
That is what i was thinking, so maybe Colfosco is the best option after all
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FAQ
. Mrs G got wiped out there once late afternoon and likes to be back over by 1 pm.
