Off to Selva for first trip to the Dolomites in Jan and have some questions. I see there's another thread but didn't want to hijack that.
Group are good intermediates, ski all day from first to last lift with a good lunch stop. Low tolerance for queues and faffing. We'll have 4 full days skiing.
I've done lots of research and have a pretty good idea of what we'll do.
Thinking of Sasslong side of VdeG then heading over to Seceda on the first day
Based on weather etc think we'll also do a day Alba/Val di Fassa, clockwise ronda with extra time in Arabba, and Alta Badia.
Roughly how long to get from top of Campinoi to top of Seceda?
Are there any decent places for a beer at the bottom of Dantercepies and Plan de Gralba? Full on apres not required. A simple bar with a decent atmosphere would be fine.
Is there any free parking in Selva or is it all paid?
Is there a big supermarket e.g Lidl on the route from Verona airport where we could get some supplies?
Considering doing the Marmolada but don't fancy a big queue on the cable car. Would the size of the queue for the 2 man chair in Arabba be a good indication of how busy it would be to get up the glacier?
Would like to go to Ortisei one evening for a few beers. Would it be easy to get a taxi from Selva and back?
Thanks
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I was in Dolomites last year in mid January. The only place with queues was bottom of La Longia piste. It's the longest run in Dolomites and naturally attracts crowds. Everywhere else max 1-2 minutes or empty. Never reached Marmolada as it was -20 there at that time, but area at the bottom was deserted. Probably depends on weather.
It shouldn't take you more than 1 hour to get to Seceda from Campinoi. It's down on Saslong piste, take short magic carpet. Then funicular, if I remember correctly, and two lifts up to Seceda. Fantastic views, but can get busy as it's the start of La Longia.
Most enjoyable skiing for me was around Arabba. More challenging and empty slopes. And Val Di Fassa definitely worth going to as well.
If you drive from Verona, you can stop in Bolzano. It has a few big supermarkets.
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?
If you have a car you could drive over to the Marmolada lifts for them opening and get two or perhaps three runs in before they get crowded.
On a nice day it is well worth the trip.
We have been in January and the 2 man chair from Arabba has some que from mid morning most days we have been.
Only thing I would add is that seceda is not fun if it's cold and windy. The snow can get very hard and there's no tree cover.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Owls101 wrote:
Hi everyone.
Based on weather etc think we'll also do a day Alba/Val di Fassa, clockwise ronda with extra time in Arabba, and Alta Badia.
presumably that's several trips not just one day ?
Owls101 wrote:
supermarkets
we've tried various options, by the far the best for us is going to the Martinelli hypermarket not far from Verona, https://www.martinellisupermercati.it/it/cavaion it is a few minutes from the motorway (you come off and double back a mile or two) or you can follow sat nav from the airport and go via a couple of small towns, google says 25 mins from airport. There are supermarkets in Bolzano but the only ones we found were smaller and you still had the hassle of getting off the motorway. We prefer to jump in hire car, set sat nav to hypermarket, stretch our legs whilst shopping and then just shoot off to the accommodation after that. I should say that when abroad my wife is a big fan of food shopping so somewhere with 20 different types of lettuce is her thing not everyone wants that much choice.
Good idea to go over to Seceda on your first day. That was my favourite day of our week in Selva last year - I loved La Longia, and also the trip back to Selva from there. The views were stunning.
At the bottom of Dantecepies you're essentially back in town, so there are a few bars. There's also one (I think called Panorama) a short way down the run from the top of Danteceipies - you'd have to go down the red side rather than the black to pass it. So that could be an option if you wanted something on the mountain itself.
There are a few places in the Plan de Gralba area. It's relatively compact there.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Will be in Selva next week. First time as well. From what I have been able to read on here and elsewhere it seems there are a lot of quality places to rent skis. Any particular places to avoid? It seems we will be staying nearer to Ciampinoi as opposed to Dantercepies in terms of starting points. Ciampinoi appears to be walking distance without ski boots on, but probably not with boots on and skis in hand. A bus will be available in any event. Any recommendations as to places where we can rent and keep our skis/boots overnight. We will be renting only skis. The plan is to ski for 6 days and get to as much terrain as possible. If we are going to store skis/boots should we do so near Ciampinoi or Dantercepies or somewhere else. Also, any need to get a reservation now? We are all experienced skiers who will be able to handle all of the terrain in the superski area.
Also interested in Marmolada glacier and will have a car. Regarding the note above on driving over to the Marmolada lifts early morning, would this be obvious in terms of coming from Selva? What lift/village/area would we drive to? Would you also be able to ski to Arraba and hit that area after the runs at Marmolada? And if so, would you be able to ski back to the car at the end of the day? Thanks.
After all it is free
After all it is free
wjrlaw wrote:
Also interested in Marmolada glacier and will have a car. Regarding the note above on driving over to the Marmolada lifts early morning, would this be obvious in terms of coming from Selva? What lift/village/area would we drive to? Would you also be able to ski to Arraba and hit that area after the runs at Marmolada? And if so, would you be able to ski back to the car at the end of the day? Thanks.
Probably easiest to drive to Arraba there is a big parking area near the lifts for the Marmolada they usually open about 9:30 Do Marmolada first then you can have the rest of the day about Arabba and or towards Alta Badia. Go with a day with a good forecast for sun and low wind.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
If the weather is a bit windy keep an eye on the info boards at the bigger lifts. Lifts can stop at short notice.
We have been on the wrong side of the mountains when this has happened.
Timing was late morning so we went for an early lunch and fortunately things were back running by the time we had been fed and watered.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@Owls101,
"......Based on weather etc think we'll also do a day Alba/Val di Fassa, clockwise ronda with extra time in Arabba, and Alta Badia..."
Thats a lot of Skiing in one day! : If I'm going from Selva to Canazei/Alba I go anti-clock.
My favourite post ski bar in Selva is Valentine Hutte (near the Fungeia lift and on the blue run into town) ; in town - La Stua or the LuisKeller ::
at Plan di Grabla - never stopped there!
..."Would like to go to Ortisei one evening for a few beers. Would it be easy to get a taxi from Selva and back? ..." Yes, but don't forget there is also the 'Night Bus'
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@wjrlaw,
Best to store Skis near the Ciampinoi lift - there is a 'Ski depot' next to the Gondola (most ski shops will let you store your hire skis in the shop).
I have never driven, but I suspect you might be better driving to Arabba and get to the Glacier from there (as suggested by @Garfield)
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.
Thank you for all the advice and tips everyone!
When I said we were planning on alba, Ronda, Alta Badia etc we would do one thing per day to fully explore the different areas. Sorry if that wasn't clear!
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@wjrlaw, we are going to rent from Ski Olga. Has great Google reviews and is often recommended on here. Close to Ciampinoi lift. I emailed them about booking and they were responsive and helpful.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
A few years ago we used Alain ski rental which is directly opposite the Ciampinoi bahn. It's in the Demetz sportswear shop with a depot downstairs. Kit was fine and they fetched our skis up ready for us in the mornings.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Apologies to the OP if this is hijacking your thread - happy to start a new one if so!
We're also visiting the Dolomites for the first time this season, and will be staying in Selva, and I'm struggling to build a mental model of the Superski area. eg before I visited The Three Valleys, it was pretty easy to look at the piste map and get a quick sense of how the place 'hung together', so to speak. Ditto for many other large ski areas.
Whereas, in this case, I find myself looking at piste maps and not really taking it in. I'm failing to get any real sense of relative size of the areas or develop a feel for which parts of the overall area are probably 'must do', or which of the 12 underlying resorts are significantly higher or north-facing or whatever might matter most in any given week. For example, I see The Hidden Valley has been discussed a few times on here of late - but I'm darned if I can find a map that has both that area and Selva on it in any usable fashion!
I guess the issue is that the geography is far more complex than, say, The Three Valleys or Tignes-Val D'Isère, so it's fanciful to expect that a single 2D map could ever depict it accurately? If so, am I right in thinking that my mental model should perhaps be something like Portes Du Soleil, where the 'tell' that the overall area is too hard to convey diagrammatically is that each resort prints two-sided piste maps, with the (pretty useless) overall PdS map on one side and a pretty good single-resort local one on the other?
For those who know the area, what's your take on the best for a newcomer to get the most from a week? Just go exploring, aided by doing the Sella Ronda for example? Or is it better to think something like 'of the twelve resorts, the top three to spend a day in each are X, Y and Z'. Something else?
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@gendal,in a week don’t even contemplate prioritising 12 resorts, that’s 1200km, even the easily accessible ones from Selva have more than 600km. Some are a good couple of hours drive from Selva.
I think of the SR as a circle that joins 4 resorts and there are a couple of spokes off that leading to other resorts. In a week you’ll have time to get a flavour of that area. I’d suggest looking at the Canazei and Sella Ronda thread as there are lots of comments re suggest day trips.
the ‘hidden valley’ is the marketing name for the ‘Lagazuoi - Armentarola’ piste. It’s no 1 on the cortina pista map but is right next to Alta Badia. Skiable from Val Gardena if it’s not too busy, you get a shared taxi to the start and horse tow at the end…
For geography have you looked at the interactive 3d map on the Dolomiti superski site? It’s not great on a tablet or phone but ok on a pc.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
That's extremely helpful - thanks @richb67
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?
@gendal, my advice would be… you will do the Sella Ronda circuit because it is your first time. Everyone does. You want to scoot round it all, understandably so. But in your scooting you will realise that, whilst seeing every area, you are just scratching the surface of what each region has to offer.
Don’t worry about seeing it all (like I did) the scenery alone will blow your socks off. Explore the corner you are in and look forward to a return visit to a different area.
Treat it like a Circle, with other areas as off-shoots .
If you start from Selva clockwise - Colfosco and the Edelweiss valley is first ; then Corvara with the Blue Heaven of Alta Badia behind it, and further on the Hidden Valley ; going further around the Circle you have Arabba and behind that the Marmolada glacier ; we then have the Belvedere Bowl above Alba/Canazei, behind which is Ciampac/Buffare area ; up the bubble to the area above Campitello (Passo Selva) ; from here it is pretty much a straight run back down to Selva or you can divert to Piz Sella area if you want.
And then ----- to the 'rear' of Selva is Seceda and Alpe Di Suisi :: Probably missed some areas out !! Monte Pana?
There is loads to go at - you could spend a day in each of these
Seceda/Alpe Di Suisi
Alta Badia
Val di Fassa - Belvedere/Ciampac/Buffare
Selva area itself
Or just explore -- making sure you are back to the top of Dantercepies or Passo Sella for when the lifts close
My opinion -- Hidden Valley/Marmolada over-rated ; but if you have never done them - do so
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
albob wrote:
My opinion -- Hidden Valley/Marmolada over-rated ; but if you have never done them - do so
I wouldn’t bother with hidden valley (unless staying in San Cassiano which is next door) . It’s over rated and is not so hidden any more. Full of skiers who are not good enough to be on it but fell for the marketing.
Takes a big chunk of time and faff . queue for taxi from armentarola , queue for cable car , a busy run a lot of which is a narrow track blue or very steep red (where all the snowploughers come a cropper ) . Queue to eat at Scotonis. Queue for horse tow.
Better if going that way is to spend more time in Alta Badia and have a delicious lunch
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@gendal I had similar issues trying to visualise how everything is connected before going for the first time this year.
It has just about the right amount of detail to get a good feel for the scale of the main area as others have described above. Hidden valley is the red piste on the far right from Lagazuoi. It does miss off Cortina but manages to squeeze on all of Secada, Seiser Alm, Santa Croce and some Val di Fassa.
After all it is free
After all it is free
@strmin, +1 for Arraba on the south side - a number of reds and a couple of blacks that are quiet and in good condition (as north facing).
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.
@sheffskibod, for these reasons and the queue for the gondola to get back I didn’t bother this year. Did La Longia instead - great run- may follow advice on here and this year return to the bottom if the cable car back from half way is busy and take the bus back
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albob wrote:
Treat it like a Circle, with other areas as off-shoots .
If you start from Selva clockwise - Colfosco and the Edelweiss valley is first ; then Corvara with the Blue Heaven of Alta Badia behind it, and further on the Hidden Valley ; going further around the Circle you have Arabba and behind that the Marmolada glacier ; we then have the Belvedere Bowl above Alba/Canazei, behind which is Ciampac/Buffare area ; up the bubble to the area above Campitello (Passo Selva) ; from here it is pretty much a straight run back down to Selva or you can divert to Piz Sella area if you want.
And then ----- to the 'rear' of Selva is Seceda and Alpe Di Suisi :: Probably missed some areas out !! Monte Pana?
There is loads to go at - you could spend a day in each of these
Seceda/Alpe Di Suisi
Alta Badia
Val di Fassa - Belvedere/Ciampac/Buffare
Selva area itself
Or just explore -- making sure you are back to the top of Dantercepies or Passo Sella for when the lifts close
My opinion -- Hidden Valley/Marmolada over-rated ; but if you have never done them - do so
excellent overview. if you have a week from any of the bases (Val G, Corvara, Canazei, Val di Fassa, Arabba) the best is just to pick a sector and ski it for a day. I have never actually done the SR! Just always got sidetracked by an enticing run or lunch.
Once you are there it will make a lot more sense.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Completely agree with those saying that it makes more sense when you are there. We went for the first time last year and found it all brilliantly signposted, negligible queues (even at half term) and absolute perfection in terms of piste preparation, lift quality, restaurants and scenery. You really can’t go wrong and if you don’t see all of it the first trip, the good news is you’ll just have to go back
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.
Wow... so much extremely useful information here. Thanks everybody. @gazatron - that map is *exactly* what I was looking for. I had just spent several minutes trying to match @albob's excellent description to what I think is the 'official' Sella Ronda map and it was still a bit tricky... mainly, I think, because everything is basically the same font size. Whereas, the Intersport one makes much better use of typography and is far more understandable as a result. These responses have been super helpful.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Best way to do the Hidden Valet is to do the Great War ring anticlockwise - Be sure to double back.and do the Alleghe top to bottom.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Pasigal, exactly. Just explore.
Never done the SR though? It’s a challenge. There AND back in one…
I tried to plan stuff for my first visit last March but ended up (mostly) just skiing. There’s plenty of time even doing the SR to explore various areas and when starting in Selva, diametrically opposite Arabba you might as well do the loop while you are at it.
Challenge this year (from Selva) is the glacier (and back, obvs). Some slow lifts over there though supposedly there are a couple of new ones somewhere over there…
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Signage is mostly good and you can pick up paper maps as you go around.
Sella Ronda signs are hard to miss but I still do from time to time.
Signs for the bigger towns are mostly plentaval so as long as you can remember the order you can work out the way you are going.
We have been a few times and are still finding bits we have missed in the past.
Hidden Valley and Marmolada? both are best done early in the day.
I like the Marmolada but we stay in Arabba so can be heading over first lifts. Hidden Valley is stunning but a faf. If I was with folk who hadn't done it I would happily take them but otherwise I would probably pass on doing it again.
At some point you will get lost but its not a big deal
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Garfield wrote:
Signage is mostly good and you can pick up paper maps as you go around.
Agreed, however there is at least one important exception when skiing to Armentarola for the taxis to Lagazuoi when doing the Hidden Valley. After you've passed the Utia/ Rifugio Sareghes (or called in there if you want one of the best thickest hot chocolates!) keep to the right hand side of the piste as after a short distance there's a rather inconspicuous sign pointing to the right for Armentarola. If you miss it you'll have to ski on to San Cassiano then take the gondola from there up the mountain and ski back to where you missed the turning.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
As for maps, start with the Sella Ronda map which is a plan view (north at top of page) and shows how the four constituent areas sit in relation to one another.
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?
@gendal, no worries about hijacking. Loads of good info from your questions. Confirmed hidden valley is a faf and why I'm avoiding.
Check out Fatmap to get a feel for the area. It's a 3D map of the area with all the lifts and piste names, info on altitude, piste length etc and you can do all sorts of zooming in and out, rotating etc. once you've got the hang of it it's brilliant. Enjoy your trip!
Sorry, another hijack - does anyone have suggestions for multi day parking in Cortina while we do a ski safari from there in Jan?
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Another vote for the Hidden Valley being a faff and not a particularly enjoyable ski, even when the conditions are good, which they often aren't. That said, parts of the route are beautiful and it's probably something which should be done once.
The MyDolomiti app is very useful for route finding as it shows which way each run goes. This is not always apparent from the traditional maps as the areas are so large the gradients are a bit off! It also gives an indication of how busy the lifts are and whether they are open etc....
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Owls101,
Thanks for the FatMap recommendation -- I so miss the DolomitiSuperSki 3D map
@Klamm Franzer -- Forgot about the MyDolomiti app !
After all it is free
After all it is free
If you’ve not done the hidden valley, don’t be put off by talk of faff. It’s probably one of the most visually stunning runs you can imagine. And that’s before you consider its place in history. Take a few minutes to read about it in the cable car station and cable car itself and look at the tunnels, galleries and shell marks on the rock faces and think about the poor souls that perished there.
For a quick taster of why it should be done at least once, here’s a quick 1-minute video @8611 has just posted on the Dolomites snow/weather thread.
I can’t wait to go back in a little over three weeks!
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.
@Scrunch77, I don't disagree in itself its a great run if like the person on the clip you can be there fairly sharp in the morning.
First week on January helps as well.
If I was with someone that wanted to do it I would be happy to take them. I would want to be at the cable car by 10:30 if I could though.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Don't get all this talk of "faff" on he armentarola (locals' scratch their head when you say "hidden valley"). It is simply amazing, from the Lagazuoi views on the surrounding peaks (You can see some of the most amazing signature peaks of the dolomites like Tofana (Rosa, Media), Cristallo, Averau, Antelau, Civetta, Pelmo, Marmolada), then you drop down on the armentarola surrounded by this amazing view of the backside of the Tofana. The history of it (the tunnels under the Lagazuoi, the forcella col dei bos where you still have barbed wire, broken down guns, rusty helmets). The piste winds down from truly alpine terrain, to the forest below. You pass one of the best rifugios in the dolomites for eating meat (scotoni), have the frozen waterfalls and then finally (if the horses don't panick and kill you) the horse pull and final piste back to San Cassian.
I live locally, but I do the piste at least twice per year, and I really don't get bored by it. It's a must do! The most perfect ski day in my live, was when we hiked up the lagazuoi (ski touring) and then skied down it when everything was closed in the covid year (2021).
Yes like everything in the dolomites it's suffering from it's own popularity and the instagram crowd, but if you plan a bit and wait the first 10 minutes after arriving at lagazuoi (when everybody in your cable car has left) you can still ski and enjoy the silence and views!
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
not everyone wants that much choice.
