 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello all; new to these forums but been an observer for a while...
I'm trying to book my next trip, 2nd time in Italy, and am really struggling to decide between Madonna di Campiglio & Val Gardena.
I've looked at hotels and the basics for both of them but I can't decide which would be best for an intermediate snowboarder and skiier. I've heard both are pretty great, but Campiglio has older lifts/infrastructure compared to Val Gardena?
Which of the two offers more of a challenge? I'm not interested in snowparks either.
We actually ruled out Livigno as it looked to family-friendly and easy.
Would appreciate any tips at all.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@cowabunga666, welcome to snowHeads 
Val Gardena
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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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That could be the most difficult question ever posted on snowheads....
We're finding it so difficult to decide that we're going to have a week in each this season.
Val Gardena is linked to a bigger area, there's more challenging skiing especially at Arabba, and the hidden valley and horse tow is something everyone should experience at least once.
But Madonna is special. It's more Italian, than the sud Tirol towns. The lift system is actually pretty good, the really bad bottleneck lift at Fortini was replaced a few years ago. I think the piste prep is marginally better in Madonna but they're both excellent in that regard. And if you want a challenge then the Schumacher is one of the steepest runs you'll find in the Dolomites.
They both have plenty of good hotels. The bars in Madonna are more classy but less lively.
If you're hiring a car Madonna is probably an easier drive from Verona or Venice but really not much in it.
Be careful with hotel location in Madonna, there is a lot of accommodation south of the town which is quite a long way from the lifts.
Whichever you choose it will be great.
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@Sailbad the Sinner, Please report back next year.
I was nearly going to Madonna for 2025 instead of the Ronda ; but got a good deal in Selva
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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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@Sailbad the Sinner, thanks! In Madonna is there an easy way to get up the Passo del Groste and Pradalago with the Fortini lift while having a hotel actually in Madonna? Currently was looking at being near the “5 Laghi” lift if that helps orientate what I’m looking at…
No car unfortunately… which is a problem I’m having with looking at Val Gardena as I’m unsure about Selva/Santa Christina and to<->from + lifts + runs.
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@cowabunga666, So to get up Passo Groste you take the Groste express gondola from Fortini.
To get to Fortini from the bottom of Cinque Laghi you need to take the Cinque Laghi gondola, then the Pradalago gondola. We usually save Groste for the afternoons as the snow holds up well there.
To return we find it best to take Boch chair then reds 73 & 77. (Alternatively blue 66 is a lovely piste through the trees but gets very flat towards the end) Then take the Fortini gondola and you can ski down to Cinque Laghi without any more lifts.
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@cowabunga666, We've stayed at the Savoia Palace which is convenient for Cinque Laghi lift. We've also used the Alpen Vidi, Romantic Plaza, Italo, Milano (now closed), Spinale (fantastic but expensive) and Bertelli (probably our favourite, cross the road to the piste then ski down to Pradalago).
Unless the hotel offers a shuttle service (and you don't mind the hassle of using it) I'd avoid staying anywhere south of the lake. Anywhere north of the lake is max 5 minutes walk to one of 3 gondolas.
We've never fancied staying up at Campo Carlo Magno as we like a stroll round town after dinner.
A good study of Google maps will tell you how far from the lifts each hotel is.
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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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Life is long and will offer you the chance to do both.
Definitely Madonna first.
Val Gardena next year.
If someone would ask 'should I travel to Europe and see the Rhine falls, or to America for the Niagara' I would offer to do the Rhine first, for else it won't impress him that much afterwards.
Val Gardena with its connecting areas was well described above.
The moment you finish a week in Sella Ronda you plan your next year's.
Madonna is nice and satisfying for on piste skiing and its red and black pistes are well cared for but it's not in the same league.
I'm talking about size, views, options.
And apres ski.
I happened to reach Sella Ronda first through the BBs.
Madonna was good for an additional week TBH but not smth you are keen to return to in the following years.
As opposed to the BB in Sela Ronda and of course all the Super Dolomity huge ski area.
YMMV.
Tips: We rented a car, always cheaper in Italy and the roads are clean.
We stayed in Hotel Europa, central and clean with good service and reasonable dinners.
With a car, I believe Residence Ambiez is a better choice for me due to its strategic location between Fortini and Groste.
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| cowabunga666 wrote: |
@Sailbad the Sinner, thanks! In Madonna is there an easy way to get up the Passo del Groste and Pradalago with the Fortini lift while having a hotel actually in Madonna? Currently was looking at being near the “5 Laghi” lift if that helps orientate what I’m looking at…
No car unfortunately… which is a problem I’m having with looking at Val Gardena as I’m unsure about Selva/Santa Christina and to<->from + lifts + runs. |
Now that Google Maps are not showing ski lifts and runs, it's hard to work out, so take a look here: https://openskimap.org/#13.82/46.23173/10.81941
You can go up 5 Laghi gondola drop down blue 85 to Pradalago gondola to access that sector, then drop down to the Fortini or Groste Express lifts. It all connects round the north side of the resort.
In Val Gardena, there is quite a bit of accommodation that is too far to walk from the lifts...check the map with lifts and runs here: https://openskimap.org/#12.82/46.55676/11.72333
Though there is an extensive bus service around the resorts: https://www.valgardena.it/en/bus-schedule/
The Selva route map is here: https://www.valgardena.it/dl/skibus/2023_24/Lines_map_2023_24_Selva.pdf
Best spots in Selva are somewhere near the Ciampinoi or Dantercepies gondolas, or within striking distance of one of the nursery drags so you can link in. Or the hamlets of Plan or Plan de Gralba up the Sella Pass road. The whole lower (western) end of Selva labelled as Col Da Lech on the map, you need a bus.
Tell us what you're considering and we can advise...
The scenery is on another level around Val Gardena and wider Sella Ronda linked area, but still can't help thinking that for a snowboarder looking for off-piste or between-the-pistes challenges that Livigno would be better. Too many rock faces and trees around Sella Ronda and limited natural snowfall, so little opportunity for off-piste...but the skier with you will love the pistes, views and cosy mountain restaurants, I'm sure! 
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Sat 23-11-24 11:13; edited 2 times in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I liked Madonna and it is much easier to get to by public transport ....I can thoroughly recommend the Hotel Alpina very central and near the lifts ...much more of a resort than Val Gardena ,imo
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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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We have skied Madonna and Dolomit superksi probably 5 times each and twice have first skied Madonna for a week or so and then driven over to Corvara. I'm an intermediate skier., wife is much better. Thoughts are...
lifts, I'd say there's nothing in it. Over the last few years MdC have invested in quite a few new lifts and upgraded others, both Gondola and Chairlifts, removing some previous bottle necks.
MdC feels more Italian than VdG which has a more Germanic feel (lots of interesting history behind this).
Assuming you'd get a Dolomiti superksi pass VG has a much larger ski area but there is plenty in MdC for intermediates to pass a week (assuming you'd ski Pinzolo and Folgarida which are joined by lifts)
Both have their bottle neck areas but personally I think Selva is busier than MdC and has more sticky spots but once you get away from these and the Sella Ronda it's not normally too busy and some areas can be very quiet.
Madonna is a proper town and the nearest to it in VG is Ortisei which is a little out on a limb. So depends what you're looking for.
We found MdC cheaper than Corvara/Selva.
Both have a similar number of challenging pistes but MdC cannot match the Dolomiti superksi area for more challenging runs.
VG has a few really lovely long red/blue runs which MdC cannot match but at least one of these has a reasonably long flat section.
The hot chocolates around MdC are better!
Both beautiful but I'd give the edge to VG
In summary IMHO MdC nicer town, Italian vibe, smaller ski area, cheaper,
Assuming you'd stay in Selva- bigger ski area, so-so town, Germanic vibe, more expensive.
You'll have a great time whichever you choose
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@luigi, interesting… I’d kinda ruled out Livigno on a (maybe bad) whim that it felt very family-friendly and thus somewhat boring? The ski map gave me a flat and steady vibe… my main pro for at least when I last looked was easy transportation from the airport with the direct bus.
Do you have any experience with MdC? From the sounds of it at least, if I’m not planning on doing the Sella Ronda, MdC is better for snowboarding out of the 2? I’ve read la Sella Ronda has a fair few flat areas? 
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You know it makes sense.
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@drporat, FWIW, this year will be our first year on a bigger resort like these two. Last year was Andalo, which, while great fun, was very small.
@DaveD, thanks!
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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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@richb67, super helpful report thank you.
Since you’ve been so often, would you rate it well for snowboarders? With 7-8 days yeah, I think we’d definitely try and get the whole area covered, so Pinzolo and Flogarida too.
I might’ve assumed Selva was busier just due to popularity and the epic ski pass etc?
Given we’re both still intermediate I’m not too concerned about finding only challenging or the most challenging runs. I’d still like some easy warmups lol.
My main thing is I like steep, sharp turn terrain/runs… McD got stuff like this?
Very important point with the hot chocolate! I love a nice dessert after a day out 
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Poster: A snowHead
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@richb67 will surely give you a detailed answer but check their ski map on skiresort.info .
All their blacks are wide and well taken care off, plenty of tree lined options.
Red panoramic pistes in excellent conditions.
Pinzolo is lower altitude, travel there in colder hours
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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| cowabunga666 wrote: |
@richb67, super helpful report thank you.
Since you’ve been so often, would you rate it well for snowboarders? With 7-8 days yeah, I think we’d definitely try and get the whole area covered, so Pinzolo and Flogarida too.
I might’ve assumed Selva was busier just due to popularity and the epic ski pass etc?
Given we’re both still intermediate I’m not too concerned about finding only challenging or the most challenging runs. I’d still like some easy warmups lol.
My main thing is I like steep, sharp turn terrain/runs… McD got stuff like this?
Very important point with the hot chocolate! I love a nice dessert after a day out |
my wife sometimes boards and is intermediate so i asked her opinion. She thinks it will be fine, only one long blue that is best avoided and it has at least one very good snow park. I used to have an Italian friend who as a very good boarder and it was his resort of choice and he was the guy who persuaded me to go there.
Both resorts will have a good mix of easier and more difficult runs so you can warm up before tackling the steeper/trickier pistes. MdC has a small number of steep blacks but not lots (world cup run, Schumacher streif, and a couple of others).
If you cover a lot of ground then you will have easily skied all of MdC within a week whereas VG gives you access to a much bigger area. So if your going for 7/8 days you need to ask yourself if you want something a bit different most days or don't mind repeating yourself.
FYI Nowadays we tend to go to MdC for a few days rather than a week because (a) we know it and (b) we cover more ground every day but we go to Corvara for a couple of weeks.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Now that the kids are all grown up, I'd not had a snowboarder in the group for a long time. A friend of a friend joined us last year in Selva, he was a tidy boarder. We ran it a bit tight in the Arabba area (we often do.) and had to get a wriggle on to catch the last lift up to Passo Sella. It was painful to watch. The poor lad trying to one foot board run through the flats that we could bomb through skating and poling. So in short, the VG area isn't great for snowboarders.
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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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| Mollerski wrote: |
| Now that the kids are all grown up, I'd not had a snowboarder in the group for a long time. A friend of a friend joined us last year in Selva, he was a tidy boarder. We ran it a bit tight in the Arabba area (we often do.) and had to get a wriggle on to catch the last lift up to Passo Sella. It was painful to watch. The poor lad trying to one foot board run through the flats that we could bomb through skating and poling. So in short, the VG area isn't great for snowboarders. |
Oh well! It wasn't just my B-in-law being an old moaner then! What really killed him was the flat schuss from Falzarego down to Bai de Dones at the base of the Cinque Torri area, he hated that!! 
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As a useless snowboarder who couldn't scoot, I did find that carrying the board under my arm and walking fast in those comfy boots wasn't a bad option. But as a skier I did sometimes offer a pole to a snowboarder, when I was skating over a flat bit between two lifts in Les Saisies.
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| luigi wrote: |
| Mollerski wrote: |
| Now that the kids are all grown up, I'd not had a snowboarder in the group for a long time. A friend of a friend joined us last year in Selva, he was a tidy boarder. We ran it a bit tight in the Arabba area (we often do.) and had to get a wriggle on to catch the last lift up to Passo Sella. It was painful to watch. The poor lad trying to one foot board run through the flats that we could bomb through skating and poling. So in short, the VG area isn't great for snowboarders. |
Oh well! It wasn't just my B-in-law being an old moaner then! What really killed him was the flat schuss from Falzarego down to Bai de Dones at the base of the Cinque Torri area, he hated that!! |
TBF, a lot of that area is a puff with two sticks. The last km of the hidden valley before you hit the horse poo is misery for boarders.
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