 Poster: A snowHead
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I have booked a really cheap week in March in Pozza di Fassa as I wanted to check out the Sella Ronda and its surroundings. The hotel is a few metres away from the gondola but it seems that the skiable area it covers is quite limited. Access to the main Sella Ronda seems to be by bus into Canezai.
Have I made a grave error in booking this location or is it a good way of getting to other uncrowded areas of the Dolomiti ski area? Your comments 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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There are buses up and down the main road and it will not take you long to get to Campitello or Canizei and into the main Sella Ronda system. You are at the end of the delightful separate ski area that begins at Alba, which is one village on from Canazei and again, a quick bus ride from there.
The Alba to Pozza area is superb. Nice cruisy stuff with plenty of tree-lined skiing on the Pozza side. You can get over the top to Alba where there is a lovely bowl to play in, though I would say it is lowish intermediate. From there, you can take the cable car down and get a bus to Canazei and into the system via the amazingly capacious gondolas or ski the pleasant black. It is not difficult to beat the cable car down the black because I have done it and I am a crap skier.
Another option from Pozza is to take the bus (or noddy train) up the road from the gondola station to Pera. There is an antiquated two-man chair there that looks nothing as it goes across the road and disappears into trees, but it takes you into the area above Vigo. There is a nice little area there with some reds and a black that are mostly empty and delightful.
Not a mistake at all, but an excellent location for exploring all of the magical Sella Ronda and more besides. Give yourself a pat on the back for skilful use of recondite local knowledge!
You can find out a lot about all this area from the Calling Sella Ronda Fans thread from last year.
Also forgot to mention there is a lovely Tellytubbies-like place set into the hill above Pozza. Good pizza at sensible prices. Also a nice restaurant at Alba. Pozza itself is small and quiet, as I recall.
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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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Don't you get a better standard of hotel at Pozza for the same price as the areas nearer the sella, depends when in march you go but the whole Dolomiti ski area is pretty uncrowded towards the end of march.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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SCollier1, check out the current skibus routes/timetables here, the valley bus runs fairly frequently early morning and late afternoon, Pozza's not a bad spot if you don't mind using the bus up to Campitello or Canazei once you've skied the 2 local areas (Ciampac-Buffaure & Catinaccio, as Chris Bish describes above) or if spring snow is bad lower down:
http://www.fassa.com/en/Skibus-service/
The snow at the top of the Campitello cablecar (Col Rodella- Passo Sella) should be some of the best in the area and this is your nearest link for the Sella Ronda.
Amazing scenery, good food, you'll love it!
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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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SCollier1, On the 5th Birthday Bash last year we were based in Campitello, but we skied from Alba on two days, one of them skiing down to Pozza at the end of the day and getting the bus back to Campitello. The skiing is not challenging, but as Chris Bish says, the black down to the base of the cable car at Alba is tremendous fun and had lovely snow on it when we were there last year (first week of Feb).
Pozza looked to be a quiet village, so don't expect wild Apres, I would certainly consider it in future if a good deal came up. The buses are all included on the lift pass. Enjoy.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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SCollier1, - skied there in March - some good local ski-ing. You have fairly easy access to Arabba. We found the best way was to take the Gondola out of Pozza and ski over to Alba. From my memory you have a couple of red runs to warm up on via a couple of chairs and then a long black down to Alba finishing off in some tree lined ski-ing when we were there we had fresh powder. You then take a 5 minute bus ride down to Canazei and then link in to Arabba via part of the Sella Ronda. The ski-ing in Arraba is more challenging and you also have access to the Marmolada glacier. The snow in that area last March was superb. We also found some great mountain huts serving up food that was as good as in Zermatt but a lot cheaper. You can also do night ski-ing at Pozza itself - a nice steep carving run - just watch out for the local loonies.
Also make sure you do the Hidden Valley run near Cortina a great day out -organised by the tour operators -who all get together and sort the transport out
Not a grave error at all - you will have a great time.  - HAPPY NEW YEAR by the way.
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snowbandit, Exactly my thinking. If you go the way suggested, there is no reason why you should not access all of the Sella Ronda from Pozza, assuming you are a reasonable intermediate standard, anyway.
Two lifts up from Canazei, and you can ski the beautiful wide and sunny slopes of Belvedere or go over the top and on to Arabba.
The Hidden Valley and Cinque Torri will be a coach trip, but then it is from most places in the area unless you are really good with buses. Not to be missed.
Next time I go to the Dolomites, which might well be next season, I will try to get into the Alps di Susi area past Ortisei and San Pellegrino. You find all sorts of unexpected delights in these areas away from the main Sella Ronda circuit, and it is always quiet, even at peak times. Colfosco is also a must, a turn off past Corvara - if going anti-clockwise.
I envy you!
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SCollier1, I think that will work out fine. A bunch of us had a great time playing around in a bowl of powder at the top of the area on the S5BB last year. Ski 2-3 days in the pozza/alba area and bus upto Canazei for the rest. I think there are more buses from Alba than Pozza and you can ski over and treat the bus as a virtual ski lift.
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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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Thanks for the reassurance guys. This is why i love snowheads. I'm really looking forward to March now.
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SCollier1, one thing to add to above (great stuff) is that there is a fun little piste below Belvedere bowl that will get you back into Canazei which may well be your normal end of day run (it can be closed though if weather v warm) - then a few mins walk to bus stop. Last time I was there a bunch of Danish students were on an absolute bender and causing merry mayhem - funnily enough they all spoke like Jan Molby and drank like a typical scouser too.  Think it was called Husky or maybe Stua Ladin but could be worth a visit before bussing back. Wld be great to get a trip report once you're back as I've been pondering staying in one of these less well known Dolomite villages to get a different flavour of that amazing area, and sounds like a few of us are thinking likewise...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| DoubleBombardino wrote: |
| Last time I was there a bunch of Danish students were on an absolute bender and causing merry mayhem - funnily enough they all spoke like Jan Molby and drank like a typical scouser too. Think it was called Husky or maybe Stua Ladin but could be worth a visit before bussing back. |
The Danes were hanging out apres at the Giardino delle Rose (Rose Garden) at the end of the village return piste, just by the church, when I went last Jan.
The Husky bar in the basement of the Hotel Croce Bianca often has live music and disco later on.
Drinking games at the Lieber Augustin pub were well reported on by some of the guys at the chalet.
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