ALTA BADIA, MY SKI PARADISE

I started visiting this area of South Tyrol in the 90s, on advice of my dear uncle. The first time, I stayed at the Hotel Tablè in Corvara, the main tourist resort in the valley (the others are Colfosco, La Villa, San Cassiano, Badia and La Val). I can still remember the emotion felt the first time at the sight of the landscape, relived every time I got back for my snow holiday. I realized soon the variety of slopes and hiking trails this area offers for practicing one of my favorite sports, always surrounded by breathtaking views. Alta Badia is close to the majestic Sella Group, between Val Gardena, Val di Fassa, the areas of Cortina and Arabba. Every day you can go skiing in different places and one week is not enough to experience all the options.

FIRST DAY: BLACK SLOPE AND RED SLOPE

From Corvara we go up with the Boé cable car to 2,200 m and with the Vallon chairlift to 2,500 m a.s.l. Once you get off the chairlift - not exactly the latest generation - you find yourself under the walls of the Sella, in a majestic Dolomite amphitheater. From here we can go down the Vallon black slope and combine it with the Boè slope (1000 m in altitude, over 5 km). After the “warm up”, we can go back up and go towards La Villa and San Cassiano. After some up and down, we arrive at Piz La Villa, from which we can descend to the valley with the legendary black slope of the Gran Risa (giant slalom slope where champions like Stenmark, Girardelli and Tomba have won). Otherwise, you can ski among the fir trees on the red slope, less demanding and very pleasant. A snack break with krapfen at the Hotel Gran Risa and we go back up. At high altitude we head to Piz Sorega, descend along the red slope La Fraina, one of my favourites, towards San Cassiano. We have lunch in one of the many lodges nearby.

SECOND DAY: IN THE HEART OF VAL GARDENA

Departure near the station with the Borest chairlift, the first lift in a series that lead to Colfosco, Passo Gardena and Selva di Val Gardena. The excursion is close to the Sella Group and gives the opportunity to “study” it up close. We note the steep and narrow Val Mezdì, a challenge for expert skiers. Once in Passo Gardena, we take the Cir chairlift up and at the top we admire a new panorama dominated by the Sassolungo massif. To go down to Selva we take the legendary Danterciepes slope leading to the very centre, near the Backerei Konditorei Mussner where you must stop before going up to Ciampinoi. Once at the top, there are several downhill slopes, including the black Saslong slope or the variant that passes alongside Castel Gardena. This very suggestive slope leads to Santa Cristina di Val Gardena, in the center of the valley: from here we have a wide choice of ski areas (Monte Pana, Col Raiser-Seceda, Alpe di Siusi towards Ortisei and Plan de Gralba towards Passo Sella).

THIRD DAY: HORSE-DRAWN SKI EXPERIENCE

From Corvara we go up with the Boé cable car, towards Armentarola. At the Hotel Armentarola you find the minibuses going to the departure of the Lagazuoi cable car, halfway between Val Badia and Cortina D’Ampezzo. Once at the top, enjoy a coffee break at the Lagazuoi refuge, from the terrace overlooking the Dolomites. From here I recommend warming up your muscles and descending on the red slope of the Lagazuoi cable car, spectacular and not very busy, before tackling the long descent of the Armentarola slope ending at the Capanna Alpina refuge and winds through a unique scenario. At the end it is possible to be pulled by horses up to the Sarè bridge to enter the skiable area of Alta Badia. There are 8.5 km of track deep in the most intact Dolomite landscape in the Fanes, Sennes and Braies Natural Park in front of the warm walls of Cima Scotoni and the Fanis group and the majestic Piz dles Conturines. Being towed is a fun and exciting experience: the horses drag a sled with a rope knotted, the skiers arranged on the sides, grabbing the rope near the knots. The horse takes a quite walk up to the Hotel Valparola.

For The Following Days

There are many other places to go on ski excursions: you can reach Arabba through Passo Campolongo and ski on the slopes of Porta Vescovo, continue to Lake Fedaia and climb the Marmolada. Go to Canazei via the Pordoi Pass, take the famous Tour of the Four Passes around the rocky massif of the Sella, which crosses the valleys of Fassa, Gardena, Badia and Arabba. The “Giro dei Quattro Passi” (called “Sella Ronda”) is a 40 km circular ski carousel, which can be traveled clockwise (orange signs) and anticlockwise (green signs), no fixed start and finish points. I returned to these places last summer, at the end of a short holiday with my father in Val Gardena. I felt a huge emotion seeing those familiar panoramas and I hope to come back together with my daughter, to share with her the beauty and uniqueness of this area of the South Tyrolean Dolomites.