 Poster: A snowHead
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| rjs wrote: |
| The Dutch flock to their own list of resorts too. |
Yeah, how many Brits spend their holidays in Gerlos?! Clue, hardly any but it's jam packed full of Dutch.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Went to both Borovets and Passo Tonale last Winter.
So know your reference and can highly recommend Passo Tonale
Also look at Pila, Solda, Civetta
In Austria have a look at Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis
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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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I can definitely recommend Civetta. I was also wondering about Seiser Alm, but people who know the Dolomites in more detail than I do might have different views.
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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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| KSH wrote: |
| I can definitely recommend Civetta. I was also wondering about Seiser Alm, but people who know the Dolomites in more detail than I do might have different views. |
Smaller areas, but also great spots in their own ways. I'm going to Alleghe/Civetta in Jan 
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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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@richb67, you can definitely walk between Ambiez and Madonna, my son was 8 and he managed it a few times.
A real treat is 1. the morning bread especially the focaccia, ordered from reception and left on the doorknob. Excellent and cheap. 2. Evening meals up the mountain. Easiest for you is Montagnoli. Book over the phone or at the restaurant at the top of Nube d’Argento chair. Meet a snowcat in Groste car park, across the road from the top end of the hotel. The restaurants take in turns so it was only 1 day of the week at each location. Zeledria also possible to get to but more of a walk up through Campo Carlo Magno to reach the snow cat departure point.
We flew Ryanair, Manchester to Bergamo. Think they do more flights to Bergamo than Malpensa still but multiple most days to both. Haven’t managed to get a flight to Turin or Verona yet. I drove to Verona for a day sightseeing but straight back to Bergamo and it wasn’t far.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Another shout for MdC, we went this January and it full of lovely cruisy blues and nice reds. I can recommend the Hungry Wolf for pizza. They also had IPA which went down well with the other half who does not like 'that fizzy lager cr*p'. Also there is a great pub 'Pub Dolomiti' which is very cosy and not too hectic. The Coop in the Piazza is OK too.
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@melbouch, +1 for the hungry wolf
It also has the advantage that if you go for lunch you can ski down to the world cup stadium, throw your hands in the air and pretend you’ve just won the race. Then walk 10 m for a pizza
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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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| Jennicog wrote: |
| Thanks, I'll have a search in Corvara... appreciate it! |
The Alta Badia area (which Corvara is in) is a perfect nervous beginner / intermediate friendly area with some lovely wide blues , good infrastructure and some superb (and good value) mountain restaurants.
Corvara is quite a swanky expensive place to stay , San Cassiano is more reasonable and very pretty but is very quiet (although does have a long floodlit toboggan run from the top of the main gondola which is fun )
La Villa has a lot of much more reasonable accomodation , not as posh as corvara and more going on than san cass.
Also has some good apres at the top of the mountan (club moritzino) and a smashing hotel bar at the bottom (hotel gran risa).
And the local slopes away from the main AB area can be lovely and quiet but are long and wide. (Although the red 27 Sponata is a bit steep in places).
Whichever you choose - the AB area on its own has more than enough skiing for a week (I would guess it’s 3 times bigger than Borovets) but for a few euros more - the super ski pass allows you to ski to other linked areas around a circular route called the sella ronda - other areas branch off from that. All lift linked .
The ski pass covers something like 1200 km of pistes - and the lift linked sella ronda areas probably add up to 500 km or so (I’m not sure of the actual figure )
We have been here or thereabouts probably 8 or 9 times and I find something new every trip. Could happily ski here for the rest of my life and never get bored.
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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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It's a slippery slope 
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@sheffskibod, thanks for the info. Yes keen to try Alta Badia, I think that will be our next choice 
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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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Gondolas only run until ca 5pm
restaurants to consider - cheapish eats - Hungry wolf, Home Stube
step up El Volt
ones we wouldn't return to Le Roi, Pizzeria al pappagallo
normally it is significantly cheaper to get half board but it's quite late for booking so I guess the better value places are full. Last year we booked late and stayed at Hotel Bonapace, it was "ok" but pretty much the only reasonably priced option for 2nd week in Feb.
re Residence Ambiez, it comes up on our searches every year (alongside hotel golf which is virtually next door to it) but for us the location is too much of a compromise, we prefer to be in the town as this is one of the main differences between MdC and other local resorts.
@Jennicog, have you use dthe local tourist site to look for accomodation ? https://www.ski.it/en/plan-your-trip/hotels-and-accommodation
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Poster: A snowHead
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@richb67, is it really too far out?? Seem to be getting a really good deal with Inghams for the hire and ski pass too, perhaps they get better rates?
Can you taxi back from town?
Thanks for the recommendations!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Jennicog wrote: |
@richb67, is it really too far out?? Seem to be getting a really good deal with Inghams for the hire and ski pass too, perhaps they get better rates?
Can you taxi back from town?
Thanks for the recommendations!! |
it's a compromise and we all have different priorities! Honestly we've never used a taxi so i can't comment. it just seems too far out for us as we prefer to walk rather than rely on taxis etc. it's a bit of a walk up the hill from town, we stayed in the Bertolli one time and after something to eat/drink that was far enough and it's more than double that to Ambiez. @what...snow would be better placed to say how long it took etc but it's the walk back which would be the most difficult it's all uphill.
It looks like you've got the old chestnut of an option - either near the slopes and a walk/taxi into town or in town with a bus/walk to the slopes!
It's not a horrendous walk from the Griffone to the nearest lift (Spinale) google says 450m on the flatter route via the roundabout and lake. The ski buses run quite regularly with a stop almost outside the hotel.
Personally if I was going to go into town most nights I'd go with the Griffone but if I was going to stay in the apartment every night it would be Ambienz. But maybe someone can give you a better idea of bus and taxi options.
ps
I just looked at the link I sent you above as many places don't use the big booking sites during winter
Chalet del Brenta which is a family friendly 4 star with a shuttle bus and a family room is Eur4423 half board for a week or Eur3415 B&B, ouch !
but you can get a decent size apartment for Eur1800 https://www.orsamaggiore.org/EN/
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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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@Jennicog, we hired a car and drove Bergamo-Verona. We stayed there 2 nights and had a great day sightseeing in Verona, then drove to MdC. Even better, we then stayed 8 nights to get an extra day’s skiing in on the Saturday and get cheaper flights home on Sunday. Doubt anywhere in Alta Badia offers that.
Our children were only 10 & 8 then. We walked into Madonna at least twice with the kids for an evening meal but no pub visits, need to get them to bed at that age. The walk was around 10 minutes but it’s obviously quite chilly. It’s definitely uphill home but I like walking, as long as it’s not raining. I’ve never tried to get a taxi. The walk home from the snowcat drop off for Zeledrina was probably further but downhill, maybe 15 minutes. Beer is probably on a par with UK but expect wine to be cheaper and better.
I drove in a couple of times and we went up the hill to a restaurant on the slopes twice. You can’t get a lift up. You book for x people and meet a SNOWCAT in a specific location in a car park at a specific time and that takes you to the restaurant and back at the end of the evening. Would recommend, it’s a unique experience. I think you can actually also do this at Moritzino from La Villa but I don’t think every week. In MdC it seemed like there was always a restaurant doing it, there were flyers advertising liberally.
Ambiez: Out the front is the road but behind is a ski run. There’s a bit of a staircase up and maybe a bank of snow. The run leads to SPINALE lift so it’s imperative if you’re going to use this that lessons start there not eg Pradolago, which would be difficult to get to first thing in the morning. I wouldn’t advise this for the first day if you’re nervous, ski school should offer to pick you up in a shuttle bus, for a day or 2 at least. I can’t remember which ski school I used but it will be in the TR. I got ski hire through the ski school.
Alta Badia definitely has more blue runs linked together better over a larger area but the runs at MdC are generally longer. Skiing to Marilleva and Folgarida involves a definite red run there and back so you can probably save a bit on just getting a Madonna only one. Some decent stuff over there though and at least one very good restaurant.
There are loads more on mountain restaurants in Alta Badia and they are generally better IMO but the whole going up the mountain in a snowcat in the evening is a much bigger thing in Madonna and a great experience.
Scenery is almost as beautiful in one as the other. Probably the best in the world.
Is it safe? Depends on how likely you are to get handbag envy. Not many other unique dangers if you’re not driving.
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FAQ
