 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all, first post on the forum, but reading has been very helpful so far! 
We are planning a ski trip for 4 at the end of January to Trentino or Via Lattea in Italy but not sure which area to choose (there are lots of conflicting reviews on the Milky Way especially). Two of us are confident beginners (confident on blues, cautious on easy reds) and two of us are beginners (happy on most blues, not yet keen on reds). So we are looking for a resort/area that would accommodate all needs so that we can spend some time skiing together as well. We have been to Italy before (Aosta/Pila) and last year through the Andorran resorts (liked Ordino very much, and Grandvallira because you can ski to a few different places, not so much Pal/Arinsal).
We are looking at the Milky Way because it seems large enough to let us ski to different places (including the French resort next door) but are unsure now having looked at some reviews on TripAdvisor, so looking for help form proper snowheads
1. Is the Milky Way really problematic in terms of snow at the end of January and weather? I have read that a lot of the lifts can be off due to wind at very short notice meaning you may have difficulty getting back home or accessing parts of the resort.
2. Which towns around the Milky Way are best to say in? We are definitely looking for ski in/out (minimal travel other than on skis ) and some good apres, but not an overwhelming party vibe necessarily. Looked at Sestriere and Sauze d’Olux but not sure which one would be better. We like the easy access to lots of local pistes that Sestriere offers, but would also like to have a few places to go out and eat / have a drink locally.
3. Is there public transport between the two, so that we could e.g. ski from Ses to Sd’Ox during the day, have early dinner there after the lifts close and get back in the evening to Ses?
4. Is getting from the Milky Way to the French side and back really long and problematic for beginners?
5. What do people mean by “slow lifts”? Seems to be the main problem people mention but those in Andorra or Aosta were not the fastest but I am not sure how to compare them
May come up with more questions but any pointers would be very much appreciated thanks!
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 6-09-24 14:10; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Oh, I would add that we’re looking at the Trentino resorts as an alternative because they seem to be easy and offer night skiing, but we would then need to drive to different resorts on versions days, which is not our preference. And it seems cheaper. So if the bad opinions about Milky Way are true, we might decide on Trentino.
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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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Have been to via lattea and stayed in claviere. We went over new year 2016.
It’s a proper trek from one end to the other. Montgenevre end better for beginners - or sestriere maybe. We only did one day over there as it was too much hassle, the snow was poor low down and you had to download the lift to get up to sansicario.
We spent more time at montgenevre. Which is more expensive but the skiing was better there. I recall a stupidly long flat piste between claviere/montgenevre also which was irritating at the end of the day to get back home. I don’t think the buses are very regular if there at all.
Trentino on my list so can’t comment!
I would suggest le grand massif as an alternative if you’re not stuck with Italy?
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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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@Mike_24, There was a detailed trip report earlier this year from a couple who spent 10 days or so skiing many of the smaller areas in the Trentino. You will have to search for it as cant remember who posted it. It was most definitely a road trip, the areas are small and they did different ones each day, they seem to be of more attraction to local weekend skiers than tourists. Why not the Sella Ronda area? It would seem to suit you perfectly.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@albob, That's the one, you have a good memory!
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@munich_irish, spend too much time on here !!! :: I remember the denfinella one becuase I am looking at Madonna to 2025..
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Thanks all! Actually we have not looked at Sella Ronda. Given its location, would it be much more expensive than Lattea?
Any thoughts on the issues I mentioned regarding Lattea? Is it really that unreliable?
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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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I've been to Via Lattea a couple of times, two weeks staying in Sauze and a day trip to Montgeneve from Serre Che. I'd certainly say Sauze is suitable for beginners, the first time I went was only my second week on proper snow, having learnt on carpet. It can be a bit Brits-abroady but I've only ever seen one actually fight there. The top end of town at the bottom of Clotes is more or less ski in/out- I'd avoid Hotel Sport though unless you love being kept awake until 3AM but the bass reverberating through the floor.
Also stayed at the hotel miravalle, which was ok, bog standard ski hotel, short free shuttle to the sportinia lift.
Stayed in Jan and snow was fine, had a couple of powder days though it was a bit sloppy at the bottom of Sansicario.
It is possible to do the full length and back in a day but you need to be quick, you may also be told that you have to take a long drag lift out of Sansicario, this isn't true, you can drop down to the mid station of the Sestrierre gondola from the top of the main Sansicario chair and avoid them.
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| Mike_24 wrote: |
Thanks all! Actually we have not looked at Sella Ronda. Given its location, would it be much more expensive than Lattea?
Any thoughts on the issues I mentioned regarding Lattea? Is it really that unreliable? |
Chalk and Cheese in my opinion
Lattea - cheap/slow old lifts/unreliable snow
Sella Ronda - more expensive/fast new lifts/lots of snowmaking if needed.
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Sauze is built in to the side of the hill - steep walk to lifts -proper 'old town' area
Sestriere - more modern lifts than Sauze - purpose built town
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If you’re going to Via Lattea, based on your ability levels I’d probably avoid Sauze. The Sauze area is great (I’ve been 5 times) but it’s not heavy on blue runs. Personally I think the best part of the Italian side of via Lattea is the reds and indeed some of the blacks which are all pisted, mostly wide and often glorious. Also, getting to the top of Fratieve and down would be a real challenge for beginners and early intermediates, there’s only a steep black or a sketchy blue/red that can either be closed or just generally terrible condition. And that’s the only way up and back to Sestriere and Sansicario.
Sestriere might be ok but again, a bit more red dominant than blues.
The Montgenevre end, however, would be very much recommended. Some really nice greens and blues all over, one of the greens was actually one of my favourite runs, a really decent camber on it so no flat spots (boarders had no troubles at all with it) and it was long and picturesque. Also found the reds were generally pretty gentle and good chance to get some confidence up on those.
In terms of getting across from Montgenevre/Claviere to Sauze/Sestriere, I think I’d suggest giving that a miss for now. It’s a good old trek at the best of times, let alone for beginners or early intermediates. Nothing wrong with getting a minibus over and skiing back though, we’ve done that before and it worked great, about 80 euros for an 8 person minibus from Sauze to Montgenevre when we last did it in 2023.
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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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| Mike_24 wrote: |
| Oh, I would add that we’re looking at the Trentino resorts as an alternative because they seem to be easy and offer night skiing, but we would then need to drive to different resorts on versions days, which is not our preference. And it seems cheaper. So if the bad opinions about Milky Way are true, we might decide on Trentino. |
Hi,
all below IMHO having skied around the Dolomites quite a bit and started doing so when I was your level.
re night skiing if you haven't already then double check it's suitable for your level. Madonna di Campiglio does it occasionally but IIRC it's only on the World cup run which is a very short and steep black. However Madonna does offer a nice range of skiing for your abilities, is a nice town and is mid range price wise. Passo Tonale in the same area is notably cheaper but nowhere near as nice and most suitable pistes are exposed to the wind and line up parallel to each other at the top of a road pass. You can drive between the two.
If you're looking further east at the Dolomiti Superski area (of which which SR is a part) then Alta Badia would be a decent option for your group's ability as there lots of blues and easy reds. The SR itself requires being able to ski reds pretty confidently so might be something for later in your trip. Of the towns in Alta Badia - Corvara is fairly pricey but La Villa and San Cassiano are cheaper. There are many options for skiing in the Dolomiti Superski area and many threads on those options!
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Thanks, all very helpful! Looking at Sella Ronda now after all seems Alta Badia has lots more blues so would probably be better for us than Val Gardena.
Are the towns around Alta Badia mentioned above quite lively? We are not looking for a party place but we like to have at least a few different restaurants and pubs around us since we are staying in one place for over a week.
Also, it seems like it is not possible to complete the Sella Ronda run on blues only. How difficult are the reds that you would have to go through to do it? Can you skip some of them on lifts etc?
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You know it makes sense.
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Or - if you the run around Sella Ronda cannot be completed on blues only/ skipping reds, is it possible to ski from Alta Badia to any neighbouring resorts on blues? As you may be able to tell, I’m keen to ensure the trip is enjoyable for everyone in the group
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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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| Mike_24 wrote: |
| Or - if you the run around Sella Ronda cannot be completed on blues only/ skipping reds, is it possible to ski from Alta Badia to any neighbouring resorts on blues? As you may be able to tell, I’m keen to ensure the trip is enjoyable for everyone in the group |
Don't get too focused on the colour, if you can manage an easy red then you can no doubt manage any red in good conditions and it's the latter that really matters.
The difficulty of the SR is highly variable depending on conditions so wait until you have your ski legs and some lessons under your belt and see what the conditions are like. Late January it should be ok if you go out first thing but you can't avoid some reds. However where they're steeper most are wide. Some of the reds bits can be avoided by little tricks (search the threads or ask closer to the time). The main issue for us non-expert skiers is that the SR is very popular so later in the day it can get bumpy and icy so make sure you don't try and get back too late in the day.
From AB you can get a bus (or short drive) to Kronplatz for a day out, mainly blues if you choose them and no need for reds to get back later in the day as you can take a gondola down to the bus stop/car park.
Arabba is on the SR but is the most challenging skiing in the area so you might want to by pass this for Canazei which has a range of blues and reds.
You can ski over to val gardena and there are some lovely wide reds down into the resort but IMHO the rest isn't the best for nervous skiers.
Corvara - has a few bars and restaurants, plenty for a week, probably a different bar each night (just!)
La Villa - smaller, quieter, less bars and restaurants
Both are fairly quiet and laid back, not party places.
There are regular inexpensive buses between the two.
We have stayed in both and personally prefer Corvara but it is more expensive, this year we'll be staying in both again.
Just one comment if you're interested in group lessons - AB ski schools tend to do these differently to some other resorts. Adult group lessons run Mon-Fri mornings but Thursday is a full day (so same hours as 'normal' but no adult group lessons on a Sunday). If you're in an intermediate group and the instructor is happy you can do the SR and the conditions are good they will target that for the Thursday. Whatever your level they try and do something different that day and stop for lunch somewhere. E.g. we did a group trip last year and our nervous skier who prefers blues still got a full day out skiing to areas of the resort that they wouldn't otherwise have visited, and they had the comfort of having an instructor who they knew guiding them.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Mike_24, of course there is one side of the Sella Ronda that is in the Trentino...it's called Val di Fassa 
https://www.fassa.com/en/winter
Canazei, Campitello & Alba have direct links into the Sella Ronda and are generally cheaper than Selva and Corvara.
Further down Val di Fassa, you have Pozza which has a night ski, but it is a fairly steep run often used as a slalom course.
There are also a number of worthwhile smaller ski areas in Val di Fassa that are good for daytrips.
You can see them on the ski map on this link, as well as the Sella Ronda on the far left.
https://www.bergfex.com/buffaure-fassatal-fassa-pozza-val-fassa/
Carezza, Alpe Lusia & Passo San Pellegrino are really good for early intermediates with some nice long blues.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Mike_24, if you can only just manage a red, you’re going to run out of time to ski to other areas on the SR. Just Alta Badia is 2/3 the size of the whole Grandvalira ski area. In Alta Badia, you can ski anywhere between Corvara (up Costes chair or Col Alt gondola) as far as Piz La Ila (above La Villa), San Cassiano and across to Passo Campolungo and off every lift between (about a dozen) on a blue. Then there’s a flat gondola to Colfosco and you can ski off Sodlisia and Plans on blues. There is 1 more blue from Bec de Roces back to Campolungo that is on the Arabba pass. After that you need red runs (off Boe gondola and connections past Jimmi’s hut to Val Gardena, up Edelweiss valley, into La Villa then to Santa Croce and past Bec de Roces to Arabba). It’s a fair size area with great scenery and fantastic food. I don’t think there is a larger contiguous area of blues in Europe. Maybe the Espace Diamant? There are loads of threads on here about which blues have slightly harder sections and which restaurants on the hill are particularly exceptional. And there are only 3 blacks, all easily avoided. Compared to Grandvalira, you will note a significant improvement in lunch. Once you are all confident on reds (even when tired), the ski area is essentially endless in multiple directions, just try not to get stuck in the wrong valley when the lifts shut!
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