 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello SnowHeads - this is my first ever post!
I am off to San Cassiano on 18 March and was dimly thinking (on the basis of the name and the country) of resurrecting my smattering of Italian. However I've been told they all speak German or local dialect. I have a bit of Deutsch but perhaps the locals speak a bit of Englisch - can anyone advise please? This is my first time skiing in Italy so I am really looking forward to trying somewhere new (hope the snow will be ok too). I hate to go somewhere and not try the lingo, but I'm not sure about learning Ladin...
Thanks in advance!
Violette
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Just use whichever you find easiest out of Italian or German and you will be fine. In fact they often start in one and finish in the other 
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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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Violette, welcome to snowHeads.
You'll get by with smatterings of German / Italian / English!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Wow, that was quick - thanks both! Mr V speaks German quite well so we will finish each others' sentences. I did actually find some Ladin phrases on the web, I could try out a few and see if people's mouths hang open. As long as I have the right dialect for the right valley... I could end up buying a whole pig carcase instead of a beer, or accidentally agreeing to get married. 
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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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Two must-dos from San Cassiano: the Hidden Valley and Santa Croce church. You'll find plenty of info if you search 'dolomites' in this section of the forum.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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And if you do go to the Hidden Valley, another must-do is a stop at Scotonis for lunch. Best steaks ever!
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Great recommendations, thank you again. We nearly always ski in Val d'Isere or thereabouts so my fluent French and favourite restaurants are no use to me this time! So nice to be going somewhere new, an adventure.
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Welcome to sH 
I just use German (mostly) pretty much everywhere in the entire Sella Ronda region (except for ordering Bombardino / Calimero). The one time we asked which was the preferred language in that rifugio, the waitress answered "Oh well I'm Dutch!".
Think they're all pretty much tri-lingual (only found 1 place where they spoke Italian, but not very good English or German)
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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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| maggi wrote: |
| And if you do go to the Hidden Valley, another must-do is a stop at Scotonis for lunch. Best steaks ever! |
Can't be missed. Best to aim to get there early.
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(brrring brrring) "Guten Tag, Scotonis? Ein Tafel fur zwei, bitte! Uno Bombardino per me!"
Vielen Dank!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Violette, you can be our translator  very impressed you are boning up on Ladin, it does get spoken in the mountain restaurants so it would be really cool to have a phrase or two up your sleeve
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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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If you do the Sella Ronda you'll find German almost disappears around Arraba - probably because it's in the Veneto rather than Suedtirol. As you identify, the language spoken by the overwhelming majority of locals in the Badia is Ladin and they really appreciate it - and are surprised - if you speak a few words. I speak in German there - apart from the odd word of Ladin - and find the locals are happy speaking in Hochdeutsch rather than the local Tirolean dialect. It's a brilliant place all round.
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The Sella Ronda at the moment, although a nice challenge, is in fact mogul infested because of all the skiers attempting it. Best done only if you are a good skier.
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You know it makes sense.
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^ twas getting that way a couple of weeks ago when we were there. My impression is that there is more snow this year, especially round Arraba, to get pushed around
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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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We did the Hidden Valley a couple of weeks ago, coming over from Selva. I have done it several times before. But this year, for the first time, I wondered if it was worth it. We had to queue for over 30 mins at Armenterola for a shared taxi and ended up getting a 40 seater coach 'taxi'. It took ages to unload all the skis. Then there wAs a 40 min wait for the cable car. Bits of the run this time, the narrow bits, were like a ski cross course with me trying to overtake slower skiers only for faster ones than me trying to get by at the same time on the outside. The Scotini hut was rammed - no chance of a table - as was the hotel at the end of the run. We were starving. The horse tow is great fun when you first do it but I found the novelty had worn off a bit this time.
If you haven't done the run before I would still recommend it for the amazing views and big mountain feel and sheer novelty but my advice is to get there early before the crowds build up or book a table beforehand at the Scotini
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks everyone for their replies - a mine of info.
I will definitely try to retain the Ladin phrases since it makes such a good impression!
Moguls... Goody! Love 'em. Maybe not *all* the time though...
The queues for the Hidden Valley sound a bore but if this is the only time I ever get to go there, they might just have to be endured.
Any more ski itinerary ideas?
Violette
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I did the hidden valley in January with no queues for taxis or the lift and the piste wide open. Went up the cable car twice as skied down the face first, which is a nice steep run with no one on it. The restaurant busy though.
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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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laundryman, What time did you do it? We were at Amerenterola at about noon.
Violette, Try the runs around Colfosco - great scenery - and the lovely restautant at the Edelweiss hut there for lunch. You could also spend a day in Kronplatz -accessible from Badia by a free bus link. I liked the runs on the St Viglen side there, which you access immediately after the top of gondola where the bus drops you.
Cortina also worth a day - feels like ' going to Italy' when you go there!
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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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pjd, I agree that the hidden valley can get very busy. Especially if it has been closed for a few days early in the week and then opens up at the end: everyone wants to go and do it before they go home!
I try to get there as early as possible, which depends a lot on where you are staying. Staying in San Cassiano one year we managed to do it twice before lunch: queues for the taxi/bus and gondola were non-existent. If you are staying further away such as in Selva or Canazei then you have got to be on the first lift out of the resort in the morning and go non-stop to Amenterola. The other alternative is to leave it as late as possible, but this isn't practical if you have a long ski back again at the end of the day.
Violette, A good day out from San Cassiano is to head for the Cinq Torre area: take the bus/taxi from the Armenterola as if you are heading for the hidden valley but then ski off in a southerly direction: very peaceful quiet skiing whenever we've been, with a fixed-grip single chair(!) forming a key link the system (the return is a modern quad detachable into an incredible cleft in the cliffs - a fantastic feat of engineering getting it in there). And they what you get back at the end of the day you do the hidden valley to finish off 
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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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Wow, this all sounds fantastic. We're staying in San Cassiano itself so these are really helpful suggestions.
I love the idea of "going to Italy" for the day - I like a proper expedition. We went to Italy from La Rosiere in January and it was a blast, even with that incredibly long drag lift.
Thanks everyone!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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RobW, the single chair was replaced last season
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| RobW, the single chair was replaced last season |
Yep, by a 2 person chair with a "moving carpet" type entrance if I remember correctly.
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pjd, we did it from Arabba, first week of Feb. No queues. We did the cable car once for Cinq Torre then again for the Hidden Valley on the same day. The service at Scotonis is very good and quick but you won't get a table inside if it's cold (this year) - and if you go later in the year (as last year, from San Cassiano in March) and it's hot - then you'll have to sit inside because outside will be full! Folk are so full and happy they stay a long time and just relax and have another drink! It is worth it, though. Oh, the horses take longer than the taxi back, if you stay too long and are short of time.
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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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| Alastair Pink wrote: |
| rob@rar wrote: |
| RobW, the single chair was replaced last season |
Yep, by a 2 person chair with a "moving carpet" type entrance if I remember correctly. |
Hahaha! State of the art then!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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laundryman, Wow, what a day! I guess when we did it was peak time in terms of holidays - most of the cable car were Dutch. No other Brits though that I heard despite it being our half term. We had a great day out despite the crowds and really enjoyed the extra runs round Pralongia on the way there. We also had a great - but late! - nobby lunch at the Hotel Armenterola which I recommend
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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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Yes, The single chair is indeed gone. Even better the rope tow at the top is gone too. The new two-man takes you all the way to the top.
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RobW, you say you skied the hidden valley twice before lunch one year, how did you get from the end of the run back to the cable car - by taxi? or did you have to queue up at Armentarolo again?
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You know it makes sense.
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tessaventer, there are taxis from the end of the Hidden Valley run which go direct to the cable car at Lagazuoi rather than down to the road to Armentarola.
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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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Yikes... just found this in Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladin_language)... there are 12 different types of Ladin and they can sound as different as this:
Where do you live? Dove abiti? Ulà stessa? Olà staste pa? An do stasto? Ulà stasto? En do abites? 'Ndo abites po?
Could be a challenge...
I've put Mr V onto all your suggestions for ski routes - rather looking forward to a romantic 2-person lift. Better than a T-bar (how I hate them!).
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Poster: A snowHead
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Violette, Yep, I think each valley is a bit different. Talking to our hotel waiter in Selva a couple of weeks ago he did say that there was mutual understanding between different regional Ladin speakers - a bit like Norweigian and Danish - and that Romansch spoken in Swizerland and Fruilan in the Venice area were also understandable to a Ladin speaker. Good luck!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Violette, Yep, I think each valley is a bit different. Talking to our hotel waiter in Selva a couple of weeks ago he did say that there was mutual understanding between different regional Ladin speakers - a bit like Norweigian and Danish - and that Romansch spoken in Swizerland and Fruilan in the Venice area were also understandable to a Ladin speaker. Good luck!
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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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pjd, I once had my hair done in Newcastle in a small, cheap salon full of middle-aged ladies who all knew each other. When one of them spoke to me, I could understand, but when they spoke to each other, it was like listening to Danish (I'm from Kent!). So perhaps it's going to be a bit like that (hinny).
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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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Violette, Ladin sounds a bit like someone speaking Italian in a rough German accent! The Italians I know cannot understand it at all. Do try it though! Even saying hello (sounds something like 'hoila') got a good response
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Fascinating! Though the example they give (weirdly about Christ being tortured, must be a remote-valley thing) could *almost* be German spoken in a Geordie accent...
How come when you reply to me, my name appears in bold type? I notice this seems to be the usual in replies, do I just have to type your name and put it in bold or is it an auto thing?
V
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Violette, Just click on the name of the poster you want to refer/reply to and their user name will appear in the reply box
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Iski, ta!
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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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Hi all,
Trying but struggling to find out how I can affordably get from Venice Airport (Marco Polo) to San Cassiano this coming Friday. Cortina Express runs a bus to Cortina, but I can't find anything except expensive taxis (85 euro) to get me from Cortina to San Cassiano.
Any ideas? Even bus transfers to La Villa or Badia to get me a bit closer would be helpful... thanks!
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cj1994, Welcome to Snowheads!
I take it that you've seen the Cortina Express Alta Badia timetable: http://www.cortinaexpress.it/res/download/pdf/334_en.pdf ?
This seems to show that there is a service on Saturday and Sunday only via Cortina to San Cassiano, but not on any other day (in fact if I'm reading it correctly it says that there isn't even a service to Cortina except Sat and Sun?)
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FAQ
. Anyway it was probably 1pm by the time we got to the top of the cable car again. The run was clear, the restaurant was packed, but well worth the wait. Had to get back to Arabba at breakneck speed to avoid lift closure. Excellent day all round, despite the trauma!
