 Poster: A snowHead
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There are trip reports on other Dolomite resorts but none recent that I could see on Cortina d’Ampezzo, so I thought I’d start one. I was out there last week on a Crystal package.
Overall impression was very positive – of Cortina, not Crystal but that’s another story. It’s a proper town with a pretty centre that happens to have good skiing next to it rather than a purpose built resort. The ski areas were also delightfully uncrowded compared to the main French, Swiss and Austrian resorts. We only encountered four significant lift queues in a week: two of those were temporary stoppages or restrictions; the other two were in the Super 8 loop, of which more later. The rest of the time we were only waiting for perhaps 3 or 4 chairs/cabins at most.
The skiing is divided into two on opposite sides of the town: Faloria/Cristallo to the East and Tofana/Falzarego to the West. We chose one or other and spent the day there. Faloria has one access point via the cable car near the bus station, unless you have a car in which case you could drive to Rio Gere where the Faloria and Cristallo sectors meet. Tofana has access via the gondola near the ice rink, or at Socrépes where there is a chairlift near the road. Again if you have a car there are other options e.g. going up to Passo Falzarego. There are some small ski areas away from the town included in the lift pass, but we didn't get to them.
There are several free buses and it took us a while to work out what went where, the online maps aren’t that helpful. The two important ones are:
* No.8 does a circuit of the town including the Faloria cable car and Tofana gondola, with stops near the majority of hotels.
* No.3 does a shorter route through the town, skipping Tofana but going out to Socrépes.
Both run about once every 20 mins, at least during the morning and afternoon peaks. Bus stops for these have the usual bus sign but with a squirrel logo superimposed. All buses stop at the bus station so this is a good changeover point if you need more than one.
The Tofana area consists of a number of runs around the path of the gondola and Ra Vallees cable car, and another network of runs around the chairlifts further South. There are two blue runs, one each way, and a black cross-linking the two. These two blues are flat in places and need poling, not such fun for the boarders. But the biggest snag we suffered was discovering that the blue back to the bottom of the gondola hasn’t been opened at all this year, the piste runs out at the gondola mid-station. And the gondola closes at 4.30pm. Arrive there after 4.30 and you’re stuck with doing an off-piste, but well tracked, run through the trees back to the town. This includes crossing several minor roads. Fortunately we didn’t have any beginners with us.
The brand new Skyline gondola links Tofana and Falzarego sectors, starting near the top of the Olympia chair and finishing near the bottom of the 5 Torri chair. This is the easiest point to start the Super 8 from Cortina. There’s plenty on other threads about the detail of doing this loop so just a few comments from me. Hidden Valley (top of Lagazuoi down to Armentarola) is stunningly beautiful and worth the queues at each end. Take the horse tow at the bottom rather than a taxi, they’re both €3 per person and who wants to sit in a taxi when you could be skiing behind a horse drawn sleigh? We started from Socrépes and were on the chair at 9.00am, which may explain why we only waited about 10 min for the Lagazuoi cable car. When we returned there (for the run back to the gondola, fortunately) the queue was around the building and spilling out into the car park. We also queued for maybe 15-20 mins for a taxi at Armentarola but it was well organised with each bus and taxi going up full. Hidden Valley plus some of the runs on Plan Falzarego need poling in places, or walking if you’re a boarder. I hope that doesn’t sound too negative, we were all really glad we did it. We got back to Socrépes at 1.20pm.
The Faloria sector is mostly reds with a few blacks and was the quietest sector of all. Possibly because compared to the rest of the area there’s nothing particularly interesting about it for intermediates & experts, and there’s a lack of blues for beginners. Nonetheless, Vitelli is a good length black and there’s a nice long cruisey red all the way from the cable car down to Rio Gere. One tip, much of the final section into Rio Gere is flat and even uphill in places, so take the chair down the last bit. At the bottom take off your skis and cross the road for the Cristallo sector. We spent several hours playing in the between-the-pistes powder at the top of Cristallo and then had a good long blast down the red to the bottom again.
Overall it’s a 9 out of 10 from me. A few rope tows on the uphill bits and providing a way back from Tofana mid-station after 4.30 could make it a 10.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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That's a good report -- thanks for taking the time....
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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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Come on don't be a tease, let's have the dirt on Crystal 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I really enjoyed our week in Cortina,I agree you need to be on top of the bus timetable if you want to move around. my first time watching ice hockey , it is so physical and the banging against the barrier very real.
Thanks for the report
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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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I love Cortina too. That sweeping red from Cristallo down to Rio Gere is my son's & my favourite from that holiday...probably ever! We did 10 repeats one sunny morning and then had some delicious Walnut & Ricotta Crespelle (savoury pancakes au gratin) at the Rio Gere restaurant, yum! 
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Mon 30-01-23 0:23; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Good report. Indeed tell on Crystal, they made a mess of our holiday last year. I would have hoped they had got better.
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Loved Cortina
Went with Inghams last minute March 2020
Superb
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| Quote: |
Come on don't be a tease, let's have the dirt on Crystal
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OK since a couple of you asked. First the good bits: It was a decent package at just over £700 for a 3* hotel half board, including the full area lift pass. Booking seemed hassle-free - it was another member of our group that booked it so I can't comment directly - and that was with us split between 2 UK airports. Flights, transfers and booking in at the hotel all worked fine.
The problems all came down to the fact that they had a "Digital Rep" or something like that, which is a trendy way of saying that there isn't a resort rep. The only Crystal people we saw all holiday were at Innsbruck airport. On the transfer coach our group booker was given a package containing our lift passes and that was it, no info on the resort or anything like that (which is one reason why I thought I'd record all the stuff in my OP). Everything else we had to figure out for ourselves. We've been skiing for many years plus I'd been doing research beforehand on SH and elsewhere so this wasn't too big a deal but...
* Info on the buses would have been helpful. It would have avoided a 30 min walk across town in ski boots on the first day for a start. They might have told us about the lack of run back to town from Tofana as well.
* One of our group injured her arm (got herself off the mountain, walking wounded) and needed the medical centre. The "Digital Rep" was a phone number for what seems to be an Indian call centre. They provided some info but nothing we couldn't get in 5 mins on Google. They seemed most keen on getting her insurance details.
* The most critical bit was that we received no times for the return transfers. This is the one bit of info we couldn't get from anywhere other than Crystal. On the evening before we messaged the Digital Rep and then rang repeatedly (international calls on a mobile £££). Only when we rang for the third time did they give us the pick-up times. The message went unanswered and the first 2 calls were "I'll get back to you" but they never did. I wonder whether they would have ever got round to telling us if we hadn't kept pestering.
All in all the Digital Rep was an abject failure.
The idea of not having a resort rep is something I'm OK with if it keeps the price down. It may even help make less popular (in the UK) resorts like Cortina viable by keeping the overhead low and I'm certainly in favour of that. But if Crystal are going to do this they need to provide a realistic alternative, and they have fallen down on that.
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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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@Vielles glisses, That does sound poor, especially re transfer times and the lack of help with your injured friend
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Enjoyed your report - we went in September just after an early snowfall and found it incredibly beautiful. V keen to return
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Vielles glisses wrote: |
* The most critical bit was that we received no times for the return transfers. This is the one bit of info we couldn't get from anywhere other than Crystal. On the evening before we messaged the Digital Rep and then rang repeatedly (international calls on a mobile £££). Only when we rang for the third time did they give us the pick-up times. The message went unanswered and the first 2 calls were "I'll get back to you" but they never did. I wonder whether they would have ever got round to telling us if we hadn't kept pestering.
All in all the Digital Rep was an abject failure. |
This happened to me last year in Val D'Isere. I knew there were only 3 of us in resort from (from the trip up in a mini-bus), and I knew what time our flight was supposed to leave Chambery (5 pm IIRC), so I could make a decent guess. I tracked down the other two guests (they were in another hotel) and asked if they knew - they had been told 11am, which sounded about right. My concern was they would 'consolidate' us onto a much earlier bus intended to get the 9am-10am Chambery departures.
Reception in my hotel got a call at 8:30am on Sat morning whilst I was in brekkie saying that a taxi would arrive at 9am. Thankfully I hadn't gone out for a crafty morning scoot around the local slopes.
In the 'old' days the resort rep used to put a notice up in reception on the Thursday with departure details. Is it really too difficult for Crystal to email these details through to the various accomodations so they can put it up on the notice board, or at least poke a copy of the EMAIL under your door?
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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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Did Crystal have the lead passengers mobile number? We had two text messages with the pickup time (Austria early Jan.). No rep resorts have been a thing for a fair few years now. We treat Crystal TO trips like a DIY one just that they sort out the flight and transfer.
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Good detailed report. Thank you, I must go sometime.
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You know it makes sense.
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| HutToHut wrote: |
| Did Crystal have the lead passengers mobile number? We had two text messages with the pickup time (Austria early Jan.). No rep resorts have been a thing for a fair few years now. We treat Crystal TO trips like a DIY one just that they sort out the flight and transfer. |
I'm fairly sure they had his number even before he called them - they certainly did afterwards. They also had the number of the woman who was injured earlier in the week. No calls or texts to either about the transfers. Also, if Crystal had been trying to contact us then presumably their call centre would have had the transfer information when we first contacted them.
I've had reps that just visit the resort at a few specified times previously, but it's the first TO holiday I've been on for 3 years and I hadn't experienced the complete absence of a rep before. We'll know for next time.
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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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@Vielles glisses, Lack of Reps is becoming more common. I have learnt to check, but it is easy to miss
"..YOUR CRYSTAL SERVICE
Rep in resort Airport meet & greet 24/7 phone support Ski Explorer app..."
That is from the Les Arcs page ; Cortina page is missing 'rep in resort'
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Poster: A snowHead
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on our last Crystal ski trip (Madonna di Campiglio) there were no reps in resort and the app was awful. The location of the ski hire place they use was wrong and the piste map was several years old so missing two new lifts and a piste ! Fortunately we knew our way around.
£700 all in is a great price for Cortina, It's my least favourite of the resorts in that area (because of the size & disjointed ski area) but it's beautiful, we might be after a late ski deal and I'd bite somebody's hand off at that price 
we got stuck on that blue once when the chairlift was closed, it was open but still more of a track than a piste...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Question about Cortina infrastructure:
In Tofana area, does the bottom station of Socrepes/Gilardon/Roncato chairlift have ski lockers? If it does, how do they work, are they typically available etc?
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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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Certainly lockers at bottom of Socrepes but I don't know how they work.
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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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@T Bar, I’m going out on a limb here, but I reckon they employ some sort of locking mechanism. 
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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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| T Bar wrote: |
| Certainly lockers at bottom of Socrepes but I don't know how they work. |
Would you remember approximately how many? Like, a few, tens, hundreds?
I have never actually used any lockers at a ski resort. I'm wondering whether they are usually free to use, or have some sort of timed electronic mechanism, or coin operated?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@tupungato,
Over 100 I would have thought we went past the room with them on the way to the lift but I didn't pay that much attention. If it's important I'd contact the lift company
@dode,
You may even be right. 
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£700 for a week all-in is incredibly cheap. I reckon you got what you paid for - and glad you enjoyed it.
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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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Judwin, if Crystal picked you up in Val d'Isere at 9 am for a 5pm Chambery flight (surely outrageous even if they'd given you proper notice) presumably this was 'consolidation' with pickups for other people's much earlier flights? I can't think what other reason there would be. Very off-putting re future use of Crystal.
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Did you use the crystal app? We have had return transfer info provided on this for the last 3 years no problems.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| s397cyg wrote: |
| Did you use the crystal app? We have had return transfer info provided on this for the last 3 years no problems. |
I do not own a mobile phone, and even if I did I wouldn't take it on holiday. I make this perfectly clear to them both when booking and the reps on arrival. If they want me be contactable then they must provide me with a mobile phone.
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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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| peerless ploughman wrote: |
| Judwin, if Crystal picked you up in Val d'Isere at 9 am for a 5pm Chambery flight (surely outrageous even if they'd given you proper notice) presumably this was 'consolidation' with pickups for other people's much earlier flights? I can't think what other reason there would be. Very off-putting re future use of Crystal. |
It was half term - it can easily take 5-6 hours to get from Val Diz to Chambery, so leaving at 9am to arrive at 3pm for a 5pm flight isn't that unreasonable. What I was more worried about was being "consolidated" onto a transfer coach at 3am in the morning with punters traveling on the early (typically 9am-10am) departures from Chambery. Being dragged out of bed at 3am isn't something I would have enjoyed. As it was, they organized a private transfer (Taxi basically) for the 3 of us on the 5pm Exeter flight, which was fine.
Same thing happened this year - I emailed them on Thursday to say I hadn't received departure instructions yet. The (automated?) Email reply said they would respond within 14 days to my request. Not a lot of use when the flight leaves in about 48 hours. In the end I did get a note poked through the door sometime Friday. Pickup was 11am for a 5pm flight.
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FAQ
