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dolomites

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
If you can't find anything in Arabba, you could also look in San Cassiano and Canazei from each of which a quick gondola ride takes you up to big, easy areas suitable for virtual beginners.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Corvara very good for beginners. Loadsa snow at the mo too!!!
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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?
I thought Arraba looked lovely when I skied through several times and there were easy slopes as well. A family we know stayed there the first time they took their children skiing and the kids were good skiers after the first week.
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Can anyone recommend a bed & breakfast not too expensive hotel or appartment. I seem to have tried most that are shown as available on the alta badia webite for the week of 17 February but when I contact them direct there are no vacancies.

Thanks
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I've found a couple bed & breakfasts one in Colfosco & one in Ortisei. I wondered which was a more attractive and convenient resort and which would be better for an extremely cautious virtual beginne.
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In my opinion either would be fine skiing wise. I prefer Colfrosco as a village but that's only personal preference because I seem to recall it has better limks to the Sella Ronda circuit. Having said that,if you're a virtual beginner that probably won't matter to you unless you show rapid advancement during the week.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Selva is good for beginners, nursery slope is in town, my (then) 4 year old son learned to ski there.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Bob the Bullet, I think Selva can a little inconvenient for absolute beginners as the nursery is low and suffers poor snow often, then it's hard to access easy progression runs without taking a bus to Plan de Gralba. If you've skied before its fine though. If not, corvara or Colfrosco are about the best in the area in my opinion with easy skiing on the doorstep.
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I'm a big fan of Arabba but it has to be the worst place in the Sella Ronda for beginners. There are only 4 easy runs that can be accessed without going down a red and two of those are a way up a cable car. We had some absolute beginners with us this weekend and they were pretty much stuck to the two resort runs.

The Sella Ronda is packed out with much more suitable terrain. Take a look at Corvara's piste map for comparison.
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Quote:

I'm a big fan of Arabba but it has to be the worst place in the Sella Ronda for beginners


I have to agree with rich, here.... Avoid Arabba if you're a beginner. Corvara is the place to be.
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I also have to agree with rich, Corvara is really good for beginners and so is Colfosco. Arabba is more for Intermediate/Advanced skiers. I have stayed in Selva, Corvara and Arabaa and i would say i like Corvara best and the snow always seems to be better than Selva. Arabba again gets even more snow as its slightly higher up and its north facing. I will be going back to Corvara next Jan for sure with Neilson.
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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.
Thanks-I've got one further query.I'm a nervous wreck on chair lifts and wondered in which resort I'd be more likely to be able to keep them to a minimum.
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
trevor,
There are not too many drag lifts in the area as most have been upgraded to chairs. But there are a few above Corvara and Cherz. You will have to get a chair lift or gondola out of the resorts though.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
trevor, If you don't like chairs you've got a problem with modern day skiing as the high speed 4 or 6 man chair is the lift of choice that's being used to replace loads of old drags everywhere. Most of the main lifts in the dolomites are chairs apart from some gondolas and cable cars going out of the resorts themselves, but once you're on the mountain, it's chair chairs chairs!

There are still a few drags and corvara is probalby the place to be if you want to use as many as possible!!! Good luck mate.. close your eyes and think of England. or have a couple of Grappa's for brekkie wink
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Unfortunately due to a confusion in dates probably caused by my lousy Italian the accommodation in Colfosco is not available & the whole of Covara seems to be full for the week of 17 February. Would Ortisei be suitable for a virtual beginner?
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
SnowGod, you're quite right, so easy to forget what it was like at the beginning, I had in my head that the run back down from the top of Datercepies was easy (and it is) but maybe not for a beginner. I still remember the wife just about in tears tring to ski down the red from Ciampanoi towards Piz Sella. I landed up getiing half cut at the snapps stand half way down as I went up and down for 1/2 an hour waiting foer her. I suppose there are worse ways to spend the first hour of the morning.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Can any of you that have been to Arabba recently tell me if that T Bar lift is still the only way back from Campolongo to Arabba? I remember this being a dreadful bottleneck in the afternoons, is this still the case?

11 days and counting............................
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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?
Looking at the piste map it looks like the T bar, No 8, Biok and the Poma Lift, No 7, La Brancia is now 2 chair lifts, but when i was there a year ago there was a T Bar on one side and a poma lift on the other going to Arabba from Campolongo, and yes it is a bottle neck for the Sella Ronda too.
Take a look at this piste map and see what you think?
http://www.altabadia.org/cartine/skimaps.pdf

SKI/SNOWBOARD - lifts and ski map
NEW WINTER 2006/2007
Lift plants:
Col Alto: 8 persons cablecar replaces chair lift – 2.400 persons/hour
Slopes:
Bamby: new slope from the Piz La Ila to the chair lift Bamby along the left hand side of the chair lift.
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Yes the Tbar and poma back to Arraba from Campolongo are still there, but weren't busy over Cristmas - may be a problem if the resorts are busier than they were at Christmas. But you can get to and from all the blues at Covarra only using blues if you are staying at Arabba so I don't see the problem. I was skiing with tow young kids who were on there first ski holiday - they had done a few days in Scotland previously - and they had no problems with any of the runs around Arabba by the end of the week.
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We were in Arabba last week and saw no real queues for the t-bar / button lift to get back into Arabba . Worst queues we had all week were for the cable car up to Marmolada from Malga Ciapela: about 20 mins, although that was at lunchtime as we got up so late!

Agree with the thoughts on Arabba being no good for beginners. Alta Badia area is much better, so Corvara / Selva would be good. La Villa and Pedraces looked nice as well.
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Thanks for the feedback on the dreaded T Bar - I guess half term week will be busier than you guys recently encountered, but nothing like France will be.

Degree of difficulty off the piste will not bother my Son, there is nothing in the area that will phase him on-piste - the Val Mezdi, with a guide, will test him and the Hidden Valley will be 'awesome' ( his word not mine ). Is the horse pulled rope tow still operable? or is it skidoo powered these days?

He has never 'done' a T Bar so hey ho I will have to sweep up I guess Very Happy


Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Tue 6-02-07 20:48; edited 1 time in total
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Yes the Horse pulled tow rope is still there on the Lagazuoi Ski Tour.
Check out this video.
http://www.dolomiti.org/dengl/Cortina/laga5torri/video/video/AreaInvEN.wmv

More info here
http://www.dolomiti.org/dengl/Cortina/laga5torri/inverno/piste.html
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
surfski, Did you ski the Cinque Torre ski area just before you get to Cortina coming from Arabba? It used to be served by a rickety 1 man chair ( maybe 2 but my memory is not good ). The scenery at the top was just magnificent, the skiing wasn't too bad either, only local ski clubs out the morning we were there.
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CP, i did ski around the Cinque Torri Jan 06 and i must say there was a few very good runs. The chair lift from Bai De Dones to Cinque Torri is ok as its a 4 seater if i remember rightly called 5 Torri. The chair from Cinque Torrie, called Forcella Averau up to the top of Rif. Averau is an old 2 seater chair lift and very out dated. Then there is a horrible small drag lift with a solid handle on the steel rope to take you up to the top and over to the other side to Fedare. Skiing down that run is often icy as it faces south. Coming back up from there again its a very old 2 seater chair lift, maybe one, cant totally remember.
The best runs are No9, Averau, No10, Potor, No11, 5 Torri and No12, Scoiattoli.
A map of the area and more info, http://www.dolomiti.org/dengl/Cortina/skipass/5torri/piste.html

Hopefully going back there next Jan as i love the whole area and hope to stay in Corvara.

Click on my link below for pics of that area plus the Laguzuoi Ski Tour info.
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1 sleep to go - if there are any other snowHead s in the area next week then it would be good to meet up.

Now I am off to start the packing conundrum - how do you get all your ski and apres gear into a bag that weighs under 15kg?
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CP,
Have a great time, watch the baggage allowance they are red hot on it now. Spoke to mario this morning and the hidden valley is fantastic at the moment. Have a couple for me.
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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.
CP I'll be running around the area 23/2- 3/3 staying in Selva at the Garni Iris with the other half. Hoping for fresh snow since I'll be leaving in a snow storm for the trip.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
pinhead, We will miss you then - we return on 24th Crying or Very sad
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
CP, Try and leave some snow for the late arrivals.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Just back from Arabba - it was fantastic snowHead

Apparently Italian half-term falls in the week of Shrove Tuesday, so this week may be busy and might also explain limited availability for the week.

Horse drawn lift at the bottom of the Hidden Valley still available, a really nice day trip from Arabba...
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hoppo wrote:

Horse drawn lift at the bottom of the Hidden Valley still available, a really nice day trip from Arabba...


Day trip? Did it two weeks ago with junior (aged 5) and it only took the morning. Although I do admit he does have the tendency of refusing to stop, which means we did the Hidden Valley in only two pitches (stopped at the refuge for a quick hot chocolote (with cream)) and didn't even see the frozen waterfall as he was going so quick!

Opinion on the horse drawn lift was "poo-ey", but it certainly does avoid a lot of polling.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
RobW, we stopped and admired the view frequently wink Took us about an hour to get from Arabba to the Hotel Armentarola, about an hour from the Hotel Armentarola to the top of the Lagazuoi cable car (fair sized queue for the cable car) then about an hour to ski down to the Capanna Alpina - where we had lunch.
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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?
Hoppo, Back last night after fantastic week in Selva. Passed through Arabba whilst skiing the Sella Ronda and very much liked the look of Arabba for next year. Can you recommend any hotels?
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Christina1, we stayed at the Hotel Olympia, and would definitely go back - it is set a little way up the hill from the centre of the village, but it has a ski room about 20 metres from the 4 seat chairlift. We booked through Inghams, not sure but I think it is the cheaper of the 3star hotels in the village. The Sporthotel is absolutely central - haven't been inside it though. Flew into Bolzano - which I really liked, it's the smallest airport I've ever been to!

The transfer to Arabba is about 2 hours from Bolzano via the Val Gardena pass - but this is only possible by minibus size transport (I think) and involves a large amount of twisting and turning. On the way back we went by small coach up the Badia valley and the transfer took about 2.5 hours, much less twisting and turning though.

I'd be interested to hear your opinion of Selva, it looks like a much bigger and livelier place than Arabba - how was it getting between the main lifts in the town? Was it a bit busy getting up the mountain first thing in the morning?

I'm keen to go back to the Dolomites, the only reasons I wouldn't go back to Arabba would be the longer transfer and the fact that is really very small - we normally like to do a bit of window shopping at the very least. That said I'd still probably go back there as a preference, the access to the Hidden Valley and the Marmolada glacier is good, you're right on the Sella Ronda and the skiing down from the main gondola / cable car is the right level for us (and almost deserted off the Sella Ronda route!)
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Hoppo, Would'nt say that Selva was exactly lively in the evenings. The town is strung out along one busy main road. Not that many bars to choose from, but luckily the one attached to our hotel (Corona) was the best in town. Found one or two others that were quite nice, but we don't like them with loud music, so if you don't mind that then there is more choice. Had teenagers with us who did find a nightclub, but they only went once, so would imagine it was'nt that great. We too like window shopping, but that was limited to wood carving and ski shops with not a lot else.

Although we really enjoyed our stay in Selva, I think I prefer somewhere with more of a village atmosphere. The hotel was excellent for access to the lifts, with a 3 minute walk to 4 man chair one way and 3 minutes to gondola the other. Queues were no real problem as long as you are on your way by 9.30, with 2 or 3 minute waits.

Our transfer was from Verona (Brescia) and took 3 hours, but that was due to our slow mini bus driver! Same other way because of transfer day queues through S. Christina and Ortesi.

Skiing around Selva is fabulous though. Some in our party got up early a few mornings to do the World Cup run which they thought was fantastic.

On reading back sounds as if I am being negative about Selva, but we truely had a lovely time. This was my 10th ski holiday and I would say it was the best, mainly because of the quality of the runs and beauty of the dolomites.
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Christina1, we avoided the saturday crowds by departing at 4:20am Big Wink I really liked the look of the scenery around Selva, aside from the Hidden Valley the run down from the Passo Gardena and around the Sasso Lungo were the most beautiful on the Sella Ronda - although we did get slightly lost passing through that way on the Sella Ronda Embarassed

It's funny, both the transfer drivers we had were admirably cautious and polite - not what I was expecting at all Toofy Grin

Which hotel did you stay in?
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Hoppo, Going to Arabba on the 4th March with Colletts Holidays who have various Chalet options in the village. Did you hire skis and if so were they offering a good selection.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
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riverman, 'fraid we took our own skis. There is a largish rental place in the building housing the big gondola and cable car stations, called Nicos Ski Hire or something. Inghams use a place called "Mode Sport Ski Hire Shop", skis were 86, 66, or 37.50 euro for the VIP, Superior or Standard options. I think there might be one other hire place in the village - but judging from the size of the shops they are pretty small.
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Hoppo, thanks for the information
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Dave Horsley, Did you rent tele skis or take your own, and if rented what were they running/day.
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