 Poster: A snowHead
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My parents are blue run cruisers, maybe up to red runs for my Dad. After skiing in Romania for their whole lives, over the last few years they went to La Plagne twice and Alpe d'Huez once and liked the huge domain and the convenience of being practically on piste.
They want to go somewhere the first week of January (after New Year). However, flights from Bucharest to Lyon are on the wrong days for a Sat-Sat week and I've suggested the Dolomites to them. (I'm not sure there are good flights for Innsbruck or Salzburg either - otherwise Austria would have been another option).
I've actually skied Arabba and a lot of that area, but practically only offpiste and I'm finding it hard to think back to how a blue run skier might enjoy them.
They're not looking for nightlife (though they probably would not want to be in the middle of nowhere).
Any comments on the appropriateness of the Sella Ronda for their level, what might be a good base resort, recommended hotels (not high-end) would be welcome!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Selva probably has more variety of runs than Arabba for the type of skier you suggest they are.
If they want to try the Sella Ronda circuit, there are only a couple of runs which they would find tricky if they are confident on blues, even though there are more marked as red than that.
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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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Hi,horizon, from my memory (which is obviously not much different from yours) I'd think Selva might be best for blue run skiers. Arabba is is certainly the best place for better skiers but only has a few hotels actually near the lifts (though going sat - sat you'd have much more choice than we did).
However the Dolomites don't have the most consistent snow record, especially early season (last 2 years were very poor at that time).
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I'd go for Selva - there are more blues and reds available, and the town is a bit bigger. It's true that the snow reliability isn't the best, but on the other hand their snowmaking is very good.
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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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We skied the Sella Ronda in second week of January about 5 years ago staying in Corvara. Saturday BA flights into Verona. Transfer as far as Selva was fine but Saturday traffic in/around Selva really held us up with getting through to Corvara. Lots of shops, cafes, etc. in Selva and would rather have stayed there than Corvara. All our party of 6 were in their fifties and confident skiers but not into daredevil stuff so we all enjoyed the blues and reds of the Sella Ronda. One run we really all enjoyed is called Dantecieppes (not sure of spelling). The other area we love and might interest your parents is Lech.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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horizon, I haven't skied in that area, apart from a snatched couple of hours in Cortina, but it's a gorgeous area, quite different from places like La Plagne, with lots of character. Even if the snow isn't perfect, I expect they'd have a great holiday. I was with non-skiing friends and we spent five days driving round the area, marvelling at the scenery and the way that language changes from valley to valley.
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horizon, I would also recommend the Val Gardena valley (or Grödental as it's known in German). I stayed in Selva and although Selva/Wolkenstein (to give it its dual language name) is the best known resort in the valley and is actually on the Sella Ronda circuit so is a convenient base if you wish to do the circuit, there are two other resorts in the valley, Saint Christina and Ortisei/St Ulrich. Ortisei/St Ulrich in particular struck me as a prettier South Tyrolian town and on one side has sunny slopes on the Alpe di Sius/Seiser Alm with many blues and easy reds, whilst on the other side of the town is the lifts up to Seceda from which there is a lovely 11km long red run back to Ortisei (as well as runs down to Saint Christina and from there on to Selva). I would seriously consider staying at Ortisei/St Ulrich next time I go back to Val Gardena.
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horizon, Arabba has very little for timid skiers, unless you get across to the Alta Badia area near Corvara. Both lifts out of Selva centre (Ciampinoi gondola & Costabella chair) have steepish red pitches that might unnerve the less confident, though there are lots of long, easy runs in the Plan de Gralba/Passo Sella area which you can bus up to.
I would suggest Corvara, Colfosco or San Cassiano for easy access to blues, I'm also guessing that a thumping apres isn't a requirement! 
Innsbruck is the nearest airport for these if you hire a car, but Terravision do bus transfers from Venice & Treviso up to Cortina, with a secondary transfer across to Corvara, etc.
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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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luigi, is right - I took a blue run girl to Arabba and ended up driving to Alta Badia so she did not have to handle the reds back home - they are not that tricky for most but seem to worry some. Those places in Alta Badia are terrific for tree lined blue pistes and lovely rifugi...
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horizon, I agree with luigi and patrick318, Corvara and Alta Badia generally have excellent blue runs and nearly all are tree lined.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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patrick318, yeah, thanks, I was speaking from bitter experience too, having been to Selva with timid second-weekers, the more confident ones breezed it.
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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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As mentioned above, Corvara is a much better choice for blue runs. Selva may have quite a lot of easy reds, but due to high traffic they become icy and mogulled.
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Just to give you an idea how erratic the snow is - here are the figures for Selva for the first week of January for the last 9 seasons - from 2000, ending with 2008:
upper slopes ...... 110 ..... 165 ...... 20 ..... 108 ..... 150 ...... 86 ...... 82......30 ...... 38
lower slopes ....... 50 ....... 40 ....... 10 ...... 11 ...... 50 ....... 25 ..... 62 ..... 10...... 16
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You know it makes sense.
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snowball, maybe it's going to be a rollover year 
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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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snowball, 2002 was really bad for natural snow, lots of grass on the suunny sides, but all pistes were complete and the Sella Ronda was open, albeit soggy lower slopes, when I was there 2nd week March.
2004 was awesome, fresh powder nearly every day, it was even snowing lightly at Treviso airport on arrival, again 2nd week March.
pokemon, that's what I'm hoping for, Euro millions..... of snowflakes!  
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Poster: A snowHead
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luigi, yes later in the year relatively no problem, but some years the snow is late arriving.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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snowball, the 82/62 in 2006 was whene I was there (in Campitello) and there was plenty for all pistes to be fully open, and most of the rest appeared to be covered too at skiing level, althoug there wasn't very much at village level in Val di Fassa..
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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'm sure it was, alex_heney, but as you can see that was the best year for the lower slopes.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Many thanks everyone. Re snow...with the alternative being Poiana Brasov, they're still more likely to do well in Italy. Still looking for direct flights from Bucharest to Austria/Southern Germany to open up the Austrian Alps.
snowball, let's hope that the snow is MUCH better in the first week of March!
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