 Poster: A snowHead
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Off early doors this morning to Canazei on a solo trip.
Up at 2.45, lovely wife dropped me off at MAN, the brownie points continue to build up  through bag drop and security within 20mins. Coffee and muffin enjoyed and now waiting for gate to be called.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I’m watching this with very keen interest. I’m going to the Dolomites in the next week or so but not confirmed the date yet
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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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@geoffknight, looking forward to reading this, enjoy!
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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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@geoffknight, oh yes, a Dollies trip report! Also looking forward to this. Safe trip!
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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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@geoffknight, We are off tomorrow from Stansted, staying just along the valley from you in Penia di Canazei which is a new base for us. We often go to the Dolomites mid to late March, from what I can see/read the conditions look very typical for this time of year. Should be good 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@CP, I’m actually staying in Alba, and will be using the Alba/Penia lifts, we might bump into each other! Beige/Black Rossignol jacket and black sallopettes.
Well I’m in my hotel and that was probably the easiest journey I’ve had door-to-door on a self organised trip ever Manchester Airport T1 was fantastic for a change, and I’ve complained about it many times in the past. Today it ran seamlessly and I had bag drop done and through security within 20 minutes of arriving at the front door, the EasyJet flight left and arrived on time. I picked up my hire car also really quickly and then a very pleasant 2 1/2 hour drive from the airport to resort, before checking into the hotel I picked up my skis and left them in the locker at the base of the gondola. I’ve just done a little bit of shopping for some food, I’ve had a very nice light lunch of some grande Padano cheese, crispy apple, tasty bread and a nice glass of red wine.
Time for a snooze, more tomorrow to follow.
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What a nice day, despite the early start.
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After your snooze...............
Where did you fly to? I tend to fly to Munich, Milan or Verona. In February we flew to Munich but this coincided with Fasching and a 60kms traffic jam.
I am also doing a solo trip imminently and was thinking of travelling by train / bus (which I have done before). I expected a hire car to be too expensive for one person travelling solo, but we usually do a hire car as a group. If it isn't too rude a question, how much was the car?
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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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@JHS, I flew MAN to VCE with EasyJet, and I managed to get a great deal on the car, originally they were coming in over £200, they dropped and I got one for £130, then they dropped further and I managed to get a Panda for £43.39! Which is cheaper than the transfer bus option at £60, and I much prefer the flexibility it provides even with fuel costs on top. BTW I did Canazei from Milan last year, and it was a long tiring drive, today was easy.
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Thanks
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We are off early Sunday but to Colfosco so not that close to Val Di Fassa. Sounds like you got a great bargain on the hire car, obviously timed it right!
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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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Day 1 Sunday 19th.
With it being the weekend I decided not to go onto the Sella circuit but to stay on the opposite side and skied over towards Fassa via the Ciampac area The snow conditions early in the morning on the south facing slopes were hard and on the north facing slopes they were in much better condition, I did a few laps under lift 137 which is north facing and was in lovely condition. Having done a couple of laps on that I decided to carry on and go further towards Fassa, but not all the way down due to the soft snow in places, however I missed my turn for the short lift back up to the Buffaure area and there was no alternative than to take an increasingly soft and slushy red all the way down to the bottom of the Fassa Valley, tough going and energy sapping. I took cable car 201 back up, then chair 206, and then dropped back down slightly to stop for a coffee and cake break. After this I returned back towards Sella Brunech and did three or four further laps of the run under 137 which continued to be in fantastic condition and remarkably quiet, I had the whole run to myself at times, and also the chairlift back up to the top each time. I then dropped down to the Ciampac area where I stoped for lunch, after lunch I decided that I’d pop over to the Belvidere sector to see how the snow was over there, By the time I got over there it was just gone 3 o’clock and the light have dropped and become very flat, I found it much busier with it being the weekend and on the sella circuit, my legs were starting to tire on my first day, and I decided to call it a day and drop back down to Alba Village for a well-deserved celebratory pint. I’m planning to go to Arabba area or Porto Vesco depending on what the weather is like.
My evening meal was taken in El Resole in Alba, a very nice Stinco ( pork shank) huge portion with lots of very tender meat.
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Day 2 Monday 20th.
I headed straight up to the Belvidere area first thing, once there as the light was a little bit low and flat I decided to head over towards Arabba and Porto Vesco area as it looked as if the weather was slightly better in that direction. The snow was in really good condition although it hadn’t been particularly cold overnight. Once I got towards the Arabba area I decided that the south facing runs back into Arabba would be hard work so I decided to head up to the Porto Vesco area, once there I headed up to the Passo Padron summit where I had my morning coffee break. The light was changing between brilliant sunshine and heavy cloud and flat, whilst having coffee the clouds were rolling in and it was getting increasingly darker so I decided to head back towards the Passo Pordoi area where it looked a little bit lighter, some of the runs were getting quite cutup and I found them hard work in a number of places. Once over to Passo Pordoi I I did a few laps on the runs underneath lift 124, which was in really nice condition and made up for the slightly poor conditions I experienced earlier in the morning, it was soon lunchtime 2pm so I headed back up and over onto the Belvidere plateau where I stopped for lunch. After lunch, whilst I’d been watching the clouds roll in and roll out with varying quality of light, I decided to do a few runs in the Belvidere area which I did until the clouds completely obliterated blitz the sun reducing the visibility quite significantly, and also my legs started to feel the pain. I took the gondola back down to Alba village and had a very nice pint of beer to celebrate another good day. Not quite sure I’m going for a meal this evening as I haven’t booked anywhere so I’ll take a walk out into the village and see where it takes my fancy.
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You know it makes sense.
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@geoffknight, Enjoying the report’s so far, I too am very interested in this thread as I’ve booked a solo trip to Alba myself for next march. Can you tell me the hire cost of the lockers at the gondola please? Also would be interested in what hotel you’re staying in, enjoy the rest of your trip.
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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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@geoffknight, I suggest the Stincko Pork again - don't change a winning team 
Keep up the reports.
An all-out attack on the SR tomorrow?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Keep the reports coming. I fly Manchester to Innsbruck tomorrow
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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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Day 3 to 7 Tuesday 21st to Sunday 26th
Sorry to anyone interested, the live aspect of the reports vanished, I just didn’t find time to do daily reports, so I’ll complete my week now I’m home.
Tuesday. I decided to head off in a clockwise direction from Alba on the Sella, without the intention of going all the way round due to the sun and warmth affecting the south facing runs, I didn’t fancy trying to get down into Arabba after 2pm. I spent most of the day under the magnificent Sassulungo peaks, exploring the area in bright sunshine and temps peaking around 10c. The north facing slopes were in nice condition, I did also find one run which looked to be sectioned with racing gates, but was open, it was south facing, I first hit it about 10.30, no one else had been down and I enjoyed the untouched corduroy 4-5 times each time all on my own, with each run getting slightly softer, it reminded me of my days windsurfing and wave riding with little resistance. I then went round further clockwise towards Selva, but stopped short, taking Gran Paradiso lift which took me to the start of the flattish run through the field of rocks, and then back to Belvedere area for lunch, and finishing off the day there.
Wednesday After taking to a couple in the BB over breakfast who had battled back from Arabba the day before I once again decided to head off clockwise as the pistes sounded much better that way, I lapped the sectioned off run a few times once again, before continuing on towards Selva, without going that far round, and exploring the runs in the Sassulungo area, and found another fenced off run that was accessible with fresh Corduroy and facing NE, I did a few very enjoyable laps, then a late lunch near the Campitello summit, followed by runs around that area, before heading back to Belvedere and a well earned beer in the late afternoon sunshine. Having been very warm, a lighter fleece would have been more comfortable, I’ll change it for tomorrow.
Thursday with further reports from others in the BB of tough conditions on south facing runs around Arabba and Selva it was an easy decisions to head off the same way as the past two days as I had seemed to find some of the best conditions, and pretty much repeated the fun of Wednesday.
Friday I headed off in the clockwise direction again, a few laps on each of the sectioned off areas, then dropped down towards Plan di Grabba and explored the runs down to the base area, surprisingly two runs with the same orientation were in completely different condition. It was a very warm day, so I decided to head back to Belvedere for a late lunch and avoid any nasty slush that may develop. A final run over toward Pass Pordoi and back was lovely in parts and horrible in others, at this point my legs were loosing all strength and decided to finish for the week intact.
I took my skis and boots off, before having a well earned beer, and bumped into another solo traveller from the BB where we recounted our enjoyable week together.
Saturday saw me up for an earlyish breakfast before heading off to Venice where I had booked myself a night before flying home late Sunday PM, with an easy 2.5 hour drive to drop of the car at the airport, a touristy water bus from the airport. I jumped off the boat at Arsenale with a view on having lunch enroute towards my hotel near the bus station. As I was walking I saw a large police and Carabinieri presence which surprised me. I decided to eat whilst walking and get to check in to the hotel early in case of any problems with the booking. At check in the receptionist told me to avoid an area of town close to the hotel as there was a planned demonstration in support of a convicted bomb attacker, they were anticipating possible violence, hence all the police I saw!
I used the water bus to avoid the area and had a pleasant walk around the quieter areas and a nice meal, and did similar on Sunday morning. I did find that after a weeks skiing and all the walking my legs were tired, thankfully I was able to use the water bus to cover the longer distances.
The flight home was on time, with passport control and baggage reclaim completed within 30 mins of landing, having been very critical of MAN previously, it seems to have improved significantly.
Key costs for the week.
Flight £136 rtn inc 23kg bag (I originally had a flight to MXP which EasyJet cancelled, I was able to move the booking FOC to the more expensive VCE )
Car Hire £46
Tolls €16
Fuel €32
Hotel BB basis €350
Lift Pass @€296 6 days for price of 5 low season offer.
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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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@geoffknight, Great reports, sounds like a fantastic trip. Have you seen my earlier questions?
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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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Thanks for the reports ,which I have very much enjoyed. I stayed nearby in Pozza di Fassa the week before you on a solo trip. I chose the Vallee Silver pass and skied the area across to Ciampac, Catinaccio(Vigo), Alpe Lusia and San Pellegrino/Falcade during the week. It just emphasises how much great skiing there is in this area.
My costs were remarkably similar
Flight £137 BA Gatwick to Verona incl 23kg bag.
Flyski Shuttle €59
Hotel BB £365
Lift Pass €288 Senior Vallee Silver - I was still in high season!
Although the skibus service and the shuttle were really good I think the car was a better option at that price!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I’m glad the reports has been helpful, it’s been nice to document each days activity.
@rizzotherock, the lockers ( at Ski Paolo ) are €36 for 6 nights, you have to hire skis from them to be able to use them, it’s the nicest locker room I’ve ever seen, your lift pass is used to open your locker and also gain access into the room from outside, super secure, blown air heaters for boots, gloves and helmets, and the floor is carpeted ! They do give a discount if you are staying in accommodation that takes part in the local promotions, same as lift pass offers.
@pski2122, It’s my second time staying in Alba, seems a very good value village for solo travellers, going twice this year and last on my own, I have to keep costs down as best as I can, I owe my wife a fair few brownie points, especially for getting up at 3 am to take me to the airport each time.
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@geoffknight, ok thanks, I’m hiring skis through Crystal so not sure who they use atm. I will be staying in the cesa rotic which looks a fair trek to the lifts hence why I’m hoping to hire a locker. Is it possible to get cheap evening meals in the village? If I have a decent lunch then I’d only be looking for something light like a takeaway?
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Two trips for me as well this year- only the second one was solo so I am not quite as much in deficit with the brownie points !
As you say it is a good area for solo travellers with plenty of single rooms available. I think the availability of the shuttle service is a great help in keeping costs down as well if a cheap hire car isn’t available.
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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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@rizzotherock, It’s about 800m to the Belevedere or Ciampac lifts, Ski Paolo were excellent in all aspects, can you cancel the ski hire ? Or use the ski bus which stops just outside, it has a reduced service after mid March.
For Meals out in the evening, there isn’t a takeaway in Alba open at night, there is a deli that does take out meals, not sure what time it closes. It’s not overly expensive to eat out, there’s 3 decent places, all good value, El Resole, Pizza Edy and El Binecol, all do pizza and pastas, plus other local dishes, a pizza, small beer, and 50cl of house wine was about €22, you can knock €5 off that if you have a basic Margarita.
@pski2122, would you recommend the shuttle, I’m going end of Jan next year, the roads will be more prone to snow then, if I can’t get a car with winter tyres, using the shuttle could be a good option as long as flights are on time.
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Yes, it all seemed very efficient. Their website has all the schedules. If you follow the link from the Val Di Fassa website I think you get an extra discount.
The service runs Sat and Sun in the main ski season from Verona and Milan.
As well as Val Di Fassa/ Fiemme they run shuttles to the Brenta Dolomites (Madonna) and Passo Tonale areas.
I had a bit of a wait at the airport and a change to a minibus at Trento . Everything was on time and well organised. They more or less have one stop per village so it’s not door to door.
I would certainly use it again .
I must admit the thought of fitting chains on my own did rather put me off the car option! If you could get winter tyres on Italian hire cars it wouldn’t really be a worry!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@geoffknight, thanks again for the really helpful info, I’ll probably use the bus then if I can’t get a locker, food prices does sound very reasonable, can’t wait.
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FAQ
