 Poster: A snowHead
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We loved the Dolomites so much last year, we decided to go back and ski 5 days! In our 4 days of skiing last year, we managed to do the following activities:
1. Lagazuoi: Quite possibly the coolest thing we've ever done and will do again
2. Marmaloda: Eh, will probably skip next trip
3. Secada: This was very cool
4. General skiing around Alta Badia and Val Gardena
For our trip this year, we are staying on the edge of Val Gardena near Danteciepes in Selva. Any ski activities we should do? We will have a car and plan to use it occasionally to start in different places than our hotel. Right now, we have a few days planned but all on the lookout for other things to do. Days planned:
1. Lagazuoi & Super 8 Circuit + skiing around Alta Badia with excess time. For this day, we would drive somewhere in the morning, either Armenterola or Passo Campluongo and start/end there.
2. Seceda & La Longia + General skiing in Val Gardena. Might bus over to Ortisei first thing in the morning for this.
3. Alta Badia skiing. We loved the area between Armenterola and Passo Campluongo last year so would love to spending some extended time there and other parts of Alta Badia.
These are things on our radar which I'm looking for input on. Anything else we should do?
1. Sellaronda: is it worth doing? There seems to be mixed opinions on this
2. Check out Val di Fassa or more if Arabba
3. Kronplatz: not sure if its worth the hour plus drive considering we already have so much skiing near us
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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 think the skiing at Kronplatz is easily some of the best in the Dolomites. Top-to-bottom laps on the 1&2 gondola gives you 4,200' vert in one shot...the only other place in the D's you can get that is Marmolada, and you have already figured that one out. Sella Ronda...is something we all do once, and then many of us are done with it due to congested slopes and long lines. Ski where you want, not where they tell you to ski! Arabba has more pitch than most D areas, good stuff there too.
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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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Regarding your question on doing the sella ronda, I skied 6 days there a month ago, based in Selva, and we just used the sella ronda as a highway to get places. For instance, we only wound up doing it one time because we skied from Selva to Marmaloda, and then continued through the same direction back to Selva.
I liked Val di Fassa a lot. Get on first lift and ski over there. It's quick to get there from Selva.
Instead of busing over to Ortisei to do Seceda and La Longia, just walk over to Ciampinoi gondola (or maybe ski down the little townie run to the gates that allow you to cross the street - opposite side is Ciampinoi), take that up (try to get there at 8:30), then down Saslong run. At the bottom there is a magic carpet that takes you up a small parking lot to the gardena ronda express (which is really an underground subway as opposed to a normal ski lift). On the other side you will take the gondola (Col Riser) than a run or two to a chair lift up to Seceda, where you can take La Longia down, than up the cable car back up to Seceda, than kind of explore/make your way back to selva. Some great Refugios here for lunch. Think we ate at damez daniel or samuel.
I would only take a bus to Ortisei if you wished to ski the Seiser Alm area.
Val Gardena alone can take you 3 days to explore it fully. A lot there.
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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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Did both the orange (clockwise) and green (anti clockwise) Ronda for the first time in January. Orange much better imo and we had one of our best days ever, it was cold but perfect bluebird, relatively quite, and excellent conditions. YMMV
We started in Selva and made a detour to the Edelweiss valley and some extended time in Arabba. Both highly recommended.
The only way to find out if you like it, is to do it for yourself!
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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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Alpe di Suisi/Seiser Alm. If you have a car, drive to the gondola in Ortisei and park under the lift, get there early (9 at latest) to make it easy. Pick a sunny day and work your way around the Alpe then take the recently reopened red run all the way down to Ortisei again. Low-key skiing but an awesome experience. Much easier if you drive, although if you are a logistics freak you could take the Monte Pana "magic bus." (its cheaper to park if you're more than one person vs the bus)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@skier427, +1 for exploring Val di Fassa. Tends to be quieter than many parts of the area.
Did you get to Santa Croce last time?
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@peakyB we did not do Santa Croce, what is that?
Last year we mainly spent time in Alta Badia. We wandered over there the first day after we tried to do the Sellaronda but got lost in Val Gardena and ended up going in a circle. We spent portions of the 2nd and 3rd days in Alta Badia we did Lagazuoi and Marmalada those days. The 4th day was mainly Secada and everything below it down to Santa Cristina where we stayed.
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@skier427, another little side excursion is the Edelweiss area in Colfosco. If you go down from Dantercepies toward Corvara, you will go through Colfosco, which looks like a bunch of gentle nursery slopes. But there is a bubble lift (No. 46) off to skier's left that takes you to the Edelweiss area, about 6 runs, of which one is a big, wide, steep black (Run #45,with a red option and a blue cat track. there are two other lifts, and a fabulous view from lift #4 (run 50); also a good value for money baita up there. We like to do Edelweiss at the end of the day. You can basically do laps until your thighs burn on runs 50 and 45.
Edit: If you are staying near Dantercepies, there is a really nice baita (Baita Ciampac) at the bottom of the black run skier's right from the top of Dantercepies. It's rarely full, always quite good, and you can check out the form of skiers down the final pitch. As a bonus, the baita is reachable by foot from Selva, so nonskiers can easily meet you there. It also is continguous to the cross-country area at Vallunga. I don't think it's very well known because it's at the bottom of a black run, which might scare some people away. The venison ragu is (chef's kiss) superb.
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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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Baita? So there's rifugio, utia, hutte...where does Baita fit in? A new one on me. And what do they put that venison ragu on? 
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@Scooter in Seattle, that’s what you get when they speak 3 languages and one of those varies by valley!
Ps, Baita is Italian for hut, hutte I believe is the German, maybe utia is Ladin?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@richb67, correct on hutte and utia, and rifugio is Italian...but it may mean more than just a place to eat; they typically also have spartan accommodations for the summer hiking season (and sometimes winter as well). Examples attached; Crep de Munt is my current favorite, and Averau has awesome hot chocolate!
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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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Not sure if you done it already but Scotoni hutte at Lagazuoi run is amazing, delicious food, best bombardinios and super friendly people. They have lamas around the corner. We parked at the bottom of the lift, Passo falzarego EUR 5 day, did the run in am, came back in taxi, explored a bit of Cortina and came back to the top for sunset, skied down to parking. Early Jan. Amazing day.
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@mtlover, yep, Scotoni's a classic. Tough table as a result. Surprised you didn't mention/do the horse tow, a ton of fun to do once anyway. Also ice climbing just a bit downrange from the hutte.
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You know it makes sense.
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@skier427, “we did not do Santa Croce, what is that?”
It’s the bit of Alta Badia on the other side of La Villa. A couple of reds and blues, a short flat chair and (yet another) famous old restaurant just above the last lift (now a very fancy gondola). In Ladin it’s La Crusc.
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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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@mtlover, @Scooter in Seattle, we did not do Scotini last time. We were very short on time so we went up the cable car, did run #2, went back up the cable car and skied down run #1 back to Armenterola. We got stuck there and had to pay one of the taxis there 130 euro to take us back to Santa Cristina, kind of stressful experience! Lol.
We plan to spend more time in Cortina d'Ampezzo this time around and ski the Super 8 circuit. We were going to park in Armenterola, but your idea of going up to Passo Falzarego and parking there is interesting. Now I'm kind of torn what to do, lots one advantages and disadvantages to either!
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