Poster: A snowHead
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Andyarmitage, I would say that Ortisei would be the liveliest place on your list, it's a proper little town with a cute compact old centre with some nice hotels, shops, cafes, museum, etc. rather than an oversize village/ski resort.
You've got two cablecars, one to Alpi di Siusi, the other to the Seceda area, both would be excellent summer walking areas, though never personally tried it. You can walk, drive or bus up to Selva to access more lifts and Via Ferrata areas. Sorry, I can't advise on the individual hotels.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A mere two million years ago, Mr Dolomite had a busy day.
Taking a very large tub of magnesium carbonate, Mr Dolomite set to work on building one of the nicest mountain ranges in the world. He placed it between Austria and Italy, which was to cause some difficulties for a time, but it is sorted now. With the assistance of the fine people at Neilson’s, the Bish family accompanied by their old (even ancient) friend Matthew, known to a few snowHeads as Hippo, but not a prolific poster, went. (Slipped into Latin syntax for a moment there, sorry.)
Now the last time we went skiing in Italy, at Bormio, it was awful. Nice town: no snow. There was a February heat-wave on, and the only strip of skiable snow didn’t offer much. This time, it was perfect.
We stayed at the Neilson’s Chalet Belvedere which is placed quite handily about 100m from the anticlockwise Sella Ronda route and 200m from the opposite rotation lifts, which also give access to the Marmolada area. The chalet itself is by no means luxurious, but good value and we had pleasant company which is always a bonus. Arabba itself is not exactly jumping, so I would not recommend this resort for the young and lively. As we are mostly old and comatose this did not bother us at all. I always thought apres ski was French for sleep, anyway.
We flew into Verona, and the length of transfer at around 3 hours will put some off. I have heard that Venice is more convenient, but I doubt it would make much of a difference. The mountain roads are winding, wherever you start from.
It had snowed aplenty in the week before our arrival and the pistes were being perfectly preserved by low temperatures. We saw not a cloud. Not one. The snow was cold and reasonably grippy on a firm base. I was glad I had edged all our skis before departure. All needed a good waxing on return. The sun was bright but the cold air prevented the pistes from softening. Snow piles built up in the afternoons, but it is a feature of Italian skiing that pistes are on the gentle side and well-groomed. I suppose expert skiers will say there is little to challenge and not much on offer off-piste. Jon did show disrespect for the Colfosco black by skiing down it backwards. I found enough to challenge me. If you want to ski the intermediate plateau, this is the perfect choice.
What really makes this area outstanding is the scenery. The Dolomites have a character of their own and words really cannot do justice to how stunning they are. Snow-fringed mighty towers steeple out of rounded landscapes. Biscuit-coloured jagged rocks scatter at random or bunch in photogenic groups. There is breathtaking beauty everywhere you look, and some places just make you yell with amazement. I mean that literally by the way. Told you words were not good enough!
Highlights? Well, the Sella Ronda itself was fine, and surprisingly uncrowded for a half-term week. Apart from the Hidden Valley cable-car, the longest queue was around 10 minutes and that was only once. Mostly we were straight through gates into the lifts. As the photos show, we often had areas to ourselves and the Cinque Torri area was deserted when we were there. The real charm of the area is to branch off down the innumerable by-ways. Some of these need buses or taxis, but getting to know the area will, I suspect, bring great rewards. The mighty Marmolada will give you vertiginous views as well as a delightful ski approach which reminded me of that nice little run at Courchevel called Indiens. Scooting through trees and round rocks sort of thing. Only times about 100! I strongly anticipate finding out more next year.
The Hidden Valley itself is an unmissable classic. It is hard to ski more than a few hundred metres without wanting to stop to take yet more photos. Combine a visit here with the Cinque Torri. This is an area fought over by the Italians and Austrians in the Great War. Using one of the most beautiful areas in the world to fight a war seems ridiculous in hindsight.
Perhaps what this area really has over our former favourite of the Trois Vallees is the reasonable prices for food and drink. I would say that even at its worst it is about half the price of Meribel. And the food is better, much of it being proudly home-made and home-produced. I think the 3V still edges it for snow and sheer ski quality, but it could be said that the Dolomites are as under-rated as certain Swiss places we visited lately are over-rated. We loved it.
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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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luigi, thanks for that ortisei it it I just have to suss out how to get there and where to stay
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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The Ortisei itself actually has a large loop separated from the Sella Ronda circuit. It is a day's skiing in itself just to go round it. This circuit has one sector linked by ski buses and the ride can be an eye opener because it is a single-track dirt road, especially with deep snow everythere. There is a underground funicular to complete the circuit. The Ortisei/Alpe de Siusi circuit is physically linked with Sella Ronda at Santa Cristina.
One does need to walk down from the Seceda godola, through the Ortisei town and go to the other gondola station at the opposite site of the valley to the Alpe di Siusi area. The section through the Ortisei town is surprisingly short and made novel with elevators and pedestrian tunnels. It all adds up to the Dolomites experience.
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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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Quote: |
I've got my eye on this place in Arraba for next year. I think a SnowHead has stayed here already .
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Indeed, I arrived back from here on Saturday (Sagedog has already posted on another thread). I don't think this hotel can be beaten - I'd like to stay in anywhere that can try. It's a fairly new hotel so everything looks very new, the staff are very friendly and nothing is to much trouble for them. The foood - my god! Five course meals every night plus a huge salad bar that you can keep on going back to. The Wellness aera (basicaly jacuzzi, steam room, sauna etc.) is also a wonderful way to relax after a day on the slopes before you stuff yourself silly at dinner. As for the ski area - not sure on that one. Some of the slopes were very crowded and the Italiens seem to ski the same way they drive - two of my group were involved in collisions and there were a lot of close calls. The lift system needs updating - there are to many slow chairs and some of the two man chairs need replacing as they cause some long queues. I also experienced the worst gondala ride of my life out of Selva Gardena - the liftie actually pushed one guy in the lift so the doors would close! Also found that to get anywhere you had to use the Sella Ronda pistes which were always the most crowded. On the plus side we did find plenty of wide open slopes, great for cruising, excellent snow conditions and the run from Marmolada first thing in the morning was fantastic. If I went back to the Sella Ronda I would definatly stay in Arabba at the Mesdi - its quiet, the hotel is ski to door and you can get out ahead of the crowds from other resorts.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Mine from last year was 99/58064 the Dolomites are a fantastic place to ski.
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johnseymour, thanks for your feedback, the likelyhood of making the trip is getting close to 100% now.
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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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magriggs, I like yer thinking
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Helen Beaumont,
I cannot recomend the Hotel Mesdi enough get it booked!!
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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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johnseymour, I experienced this pushing thing too. At the Armentarola taxi bus queue for the Hidden Valley, myself, husband and 2 daughters just followed everybody else to stand in line for the taxis. After 10 minutes and about 5 buses being filled it came to our turn for the next one. I got separated from family in the crush. The elderly man who was controlling the queue started pushing me in the chest repeatedly and shouting. Apparantly after all this time everybody was on the wrong side of the barrier. He did'nt push anybody else that I noticed. Perhaps he just had it in for middle aged english women. It was a horrible start to a fantastic day.
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sagedog wrote: |
The red down from the Marmolada was great on the two mornings we did it but don't waste your time heading over to the Lagazoui area.
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I knew there must be somebody who wouldn't think the Hidden Valley worthwhile
Seriously, out of all the posts and reviews I have ever seen on the area (and that is rather a lot), you are the first person ever to suggest it might not be worthwhile (and I have skied it myself and loved it).
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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sagedog, Did you do a DIY or a package?
How did you transfer, car hire or an organised transfer?
What was the journey time/conditions up to resort like?
There maybe a few of us looking at this area for next year
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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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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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Taxi transfer was sorted by the Hotel 560€ Alfios' Phone number 3397057095 But wherever you stay the hotel will know of a Taxi Company. The flights were a bit hit and miss but Innsbruck has the least transfer time for us but the cheap easy jets and the like when they released were sunday only flights this yr, try the travel agents and go from there as we did.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Linds, Will ring you with all of the horrible details (as long as you promise not to tell anyone else about it!)
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Bumping this for Tass, to see. And welcome, too, by the way!
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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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For cheap flight/transfers, try flying Ryanair to Treviso, then Dolomitistars transfer to Arabba (29 euros each return!) as long as you stay in an affiliated accomodation. The Dolomitistars people are really nice. Both times we have been we have had basically a private taxi waiting for us on the way out as no-one else was travelling at the time, so we got a private taxi for a 2.5 hour journey for under 30 euros for the 2 of us. bargain!
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Got back from the Dolomites a week ago. Wonderful vacation, blessed by a decent shower of snow on Sunday the 16th.
I started out in the small village of Colfosco, at the hotel Kolfuschgerhof. The place lives up to every morsel of its 4 star rating, with stupefying breakfast and dinner buffets. However, typically for mid march, the snow coverage at 1700m was not impressive. Therefore, I left the village and moved up the mountain to the nearest peak, Passo Gardena. There are three solitary hotels there, with nothing else around - no shops, no kindergartens, no grappa distilleries - just three hotels right on the slopes. I chose the highest one, Hotel CIR, which towered above the rest on a small hill and fortunately had a single vacancy. I highly recommend it on all counts except for food, which is rather basic at breakfast and decent, but not exciting, at dinner. The CIR is run by a very nice and efficient couple, the interior is simply and tastefully decorated, the view to the valley is stunning, the price is reasonable - actually cheaper than comparable hotels down in Colfosco. At 2100m, right on the long and pleasant slope to Colfosco and 200 meters (downhill on skis) from the Val Setus chairlift which leads to the great Dantecerpies slope down to Selva, I doubt that there is a better located hotel on the Sella Ronda. I saw some similar hideouts, on peaks outside the villages, in Passo Pordoi and Passo Sella.
Ski-wise, I agree with the recommendations to visit the hidden valley. Going up to the breathtaking Lagazuoi peak, I did not ski down immediately to Armentarola, but rather went down back toward the Falzarego pass and spent some time on the nearly empty slopes and off pistes there. On the Sella Ronda, the slopes around Belvedere and Corvara were very enjoyable. Altogether, despite the slushy runs at the lower parts of the resorts, the area is definitely on my list of places I plan to visit again.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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