 Poster: A snowHead
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Is Campitello/Val di Fassa in the Italian Dolomites snow sure in December? I have seen some good deals to this area over Christmas. The altitude of the village is "only" 1,448 m, but the areas where you actually ski in the Sella Ronda are higher up. Previously when we have gone skiing in December we have stayed in higher resorts in France (Les Menuires and La Plagne) where there has been plenty of snow. Is it worth risking going to Campitello/Val di Fassa in the second half of December?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The Dolomites are snowsure because they make it. The mountain side could be green on a really bad year but there'll be plenty on the pistes by Christmas.
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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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@Owls101, Thanks for your reply, that was my thinking too, although it would be a shame if there was no snow at all on the mountain side.
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December is reliable. We're there from the 15th. 
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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.
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The target date for opening the sella Ronda circuit is 5th December. They normally have most of the rest of the system open by Christmas. Last year they hit those targets and most years they tend to have about the most runs and lifts open of anywhere in the Alps. Their snow however is almost entirely artificial.
An important factor in a weeks ski holiday is the weather. The Dolomites are very sheltered and tend to enjoy brighter and drier conditions in prevailing westerly wind directions.
Whether that happens this year ………
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| Quote: |
The Dolomites are very sheltered and tend to enjoy brighter and drier conditions in prevailing westerly wind directions.
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The Pala has a reputation for a lot of cloud and percipitation. Even today snow is forecast on the summit of the Cimon della Pala. I do not think that part of the Dolomites is popular with British tourists.
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World cup is in the area 12-16 December, and it's rare for them to have any problems, and you'd be looking at a week later than 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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@Mollerski, @luigi, @Peter S, @johnE, Thank you for taking the time to reply. The scenery on the photos looks amazing and I can see there was plenty of snow there when these photos were taken! I have just read that there is overall less snowfall in the Dolomites than elsewhere in the Alps and this combined with the low altitude of the village Val di Fassa is still making me hesitant to book. Also I like natural snow and I know that there needs to be minus degrees ideally in order for the snow cannons to work...
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@Motherofthree You can google 'til the cows come home and you'll find an answer to every question that you ask. Whether any one of those answers is worth a light is another matter. The guys here whom have posted in response to your question have a wealth of first hand experience of the area. Personally, I have been visiting the area for up to a month a year for 26 years. The snow record for the Sella Ronda villages in December is as solid as you're going to find anywhere in Europe. If you're looking for an iron clad guarantee, you won't find one.
Also, I'm interested as to why you prefer natural snow over cannon blown snow.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Motherofthree wrote: |
| @Mollerski, @luigi, @Peter S, @johnE, Thank you for taking the time to reply. The scenery on the photos looks amazing and I can see there was plenty of snow there when these photos were taken! I have just read that there is overall less snowfall in the Dolomites than elsewhere in the Alps and this combined with the low altitude of the village Val di Fassa is still making me hesitant to book. Also I like natural snow and I know that there needs to be minus degrees ideally in order for the snow cannons to work... |
The skiing doesn't come down to the village at Campitello, most of the runs are between 1800m and 2400m, so there doesn't need to be snow in the village.
Of course, it means you have to download the lift at the end of the day.
I have seen it snowing heavily right down to low levels in Val di Fassa a few times when we visited at HT in February. Once stayed the night in Moena at 1200m, woke up to 18inches on the roof of the hire vehicle. It was fun getting out of the car park. Another time, staying further down the valley in Ziano di Fiemme at 950m, it snowed all night. We managed to get out of the car park in the morning with about a foot of snow, but it was snowing heavily all day and we couldn't get back into the car park after skiing. Even with snow tyres it bottomed out in the two foot of snow. I had to dig it out with one of the neighbours.
So you might be glad if there's no snow in the village!! 
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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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| johnE wrote: |
| Quote: |
The Dolomites are very sheltered and tend to enjoy brighter and drier conditions in prevailing westerly wind directions.
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The Pala has a reputation for a lot of cloud and percipitation. Even today snow is forecast on the summit of the Cimon della Pala. I do not think that part of the Dolomites is popular with British tourists. |
Funnily enough, I visited San Martino for the first time last January and it was pretty gloomy all day!! 
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You know it makes sense.
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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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When Campitello is mobbed so is cable car from Canazei. Def best to head along to Alba and upload there. Speaking of skiing down, you can't ski down to Campitello, but you can to Canazei (snow permitting) and the run down to Alba is lovely and quiet.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Mollerski, @luigi, @Ghost Dog, Thanks for your comments, we have now gone ahead and booked to go to Val di Fassa for the Christmas week with Crystal Ski! Really hope there will be some natural snow there that week. Is the ski bus from Campitello to Alba free for lift pass holders and how often approximately does it run? Does the gondola in Alba tend to have shorter lift queues in the mornings than the ones in Campitello and Canazei?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Motherofthree, Bus is no longer free but it does run frequently (maybe 10 or 15 min wait) :: Alba queues are less.
A lot of 'accommodations' will provide their guests with a Bus Pass at a reduced price
I skied Selva one year on completely artificial snow -- couldn't tell the difference (was weird with 'brown' at the piste sides..)
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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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@albob, Thanks for the info. Good to know that the only way back to Val di Fassa at the end of the day is via the gondola then, unless we want to pay for the ski bus.
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@Motherofthree, the bus is really cheap, I think we paid about €9 euros each for the week pass in 2022. It's worth having just as a back up if needed, or if you fancy skiing somewhere like Vigo di Fassa which isn't on the Sella Ronda round, like wise Pozza di Fassa is easiest with a bus.
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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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| Motherofthree wrote: |
| @albob, Thanks for the info. Good to know that the only way back to Val di Fassa at the end of the day is via the gondola then, unless we want to pay for the ski bus. |
You can ski back to Canazei though (but it is a 10 minute from piste bottom to bus stop with a very good bar half way down!!)
A not much snow year !
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Motherofthree, Just thought of something else..
The bus will also take you in the other direction towards Pozza/Buffare ; a separate ski area which will be much quieter..
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@swskier, @albob, Thanks for letting me know. What a difference between the last photo and the first two photos in this thread! Let's hope it will look more like on the first photos when we arrive 22nd December...
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@Motherofthree, This comes from my favourite Selva Ski School instructor. ''The best snow for skiing is a mixture of artificial and natural''. The bashers mix it up and put it back down as perfect corduroy.
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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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@albob, Can I ask which year this photo was taken?
@Mollerski, @luigi, Thank you 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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The trouble is ounce there is a good base you just want a dusting of fresh each night.
You get a foot of snow and you end up with a bump fest by lunchtime 
This will be to some people's liking but not me.
We were there early January last year, cover overall was just average but the surfaces the first couple of days was as near perfect as I have skied on for years.
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@albob, Piz Seteur is a bit different outside now. The owner squabbled with Dolomiti Superski over the route and compensation for the new lift. The result being, they re-routed the new lift right around the hotel and left it somewhat isolated. I've heard that this could potentially have lost him between 20-30k euro per day in high season. 
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You know it makes sense.
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double post.
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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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| Motherofthree wrote: |
@albob, Can I ask which year this photo was taken?
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Factoring 7yrs of global warming?
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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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@albob, Thanks for the info, what a difference between the first and last photo! I read somewhere that the snow was particularly bad in the Dolomites back in 2015 as well, so was wondering if the first photo was taken this year.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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Bus pass for week is 9 euros with a guest pass
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Ghost Dog, Thanks for the info. What is a guest pass? Would you recommend getting a bus pass when staying in a hotel near the main gondola in Campitello?
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| Motherofthree wrote: |
| @Ghost Dog, Thanks for the info. What is a guest pass? Would you recommend getting a bus pass when staying in a hotel near the main gondola in Campitello? |
definitely YES .....the bus goes from outside the lift to either Possa or Alba...I have stayed in Campitello many times ..but up by the road and I generally catch the bus to Alba ..you have the choice then of going up either side of the valley in 1 cable car...I hated the queue for the lift and also the walk to and from it in ski boots
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@DaveD, Thanks for your advice. I don't like lift queues either, but also don't like taking the ski bus unless I have to...
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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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| Motherofthree wrote: |
| @Ghost Dog, Thanks for the info. What is a guest pass? Would you recommend getting a bus pass when staying in a hotel near the main gondola in Campitello? |
Campitello has a cablecar, not a gondola. It has a capacity of 125 with a car going up as the other comes down, but queues build up with the morning rush. It takes about 5 mins to ride up and with total uplift capacity of 1100 per hr, you could wait for 45-60 minutes if the queue is long. It gets busy because it is the first Sella Ronda lift you reach coming up the Valley and it has a lot of car parking around it, as well as everyone staying in Campitello itself.
I suspect you need to be there early or leave it later to miss the queues. The lift is about 20 years old and is due to be replaced by a 3S lift with double the capacity next year.
https://www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/belvederecol-rodellaciampacbuffaure-canazeicampitelloalbapozza-di-fassa/ski-lifts/l672/
Along at Canazei there is a 12 person gondola. Queues build up here too, but because the cabins leave at a rate of 3-4 per min and uplift is 2400 per hr, the queue seems to move quicker.
https://www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/belvederecol-rodellaciampacbuffaure-canazeicampitelloalbapozza-di-fassa/ski-lifts/l652/
At Alba, there is a gondola going one way to the Ciampac area and a Funifor going up the Belvedere sector of Canazei for the Sella Ronda. Because there are two newish lifts and a smaller village, these are generally quieter.
https://www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/belvederecol-rodellaciampacbuffaure-canazeicampitelloalbapozza-di-fassa/ski-lifts/l105202/
https://www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/belvederecol-rodellaciampacbuffaure-canazeicampitelloalbapozza-di-fassa/ski-lifts/l101949/
If you get the bus pass as others have suggested, it will allow you to choose which lift to take locally and give other options down the valley to Pozza for the Catinaccio and Buffaure areas.
Hopefully you can see the layout of the lifts and ski areas on this map. Not totally to scale, but the Sella Ronda is to the left.
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@luigi, Thanks very much for this info, it is very helpful. I think we will indeed buy the bus pass and perhaps go to Alba in the mornings. How long approximately does the bus journey take from Campitello to Alba? It looks like we would need to ski down to Canazei and take the bus back from there to Campitello, unless we take the cable car down to Campitello at the end of the day.
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FAQ
