Our latest roving retirement took us to Europe to ski, finally. We have been planning to ski in Europe for the last five years and we finally made it. Our Epic Passes from Vail include a 7-day lift ticket in the majestic Italian Dolomite mountains. It was just the incentive we needed to enjoy some roving retirement time skiing abroad, even if we took four days getting there.
Location and Layout
Our destination for this trip was Madonna di Campiglio in the Dolomite Mountains of Italy, which is located about 2.5 hours north of Verona. Milan, about 3.5 hours southwest away, may be the best arrival airport from North America. We chose Campiglio because it allowed easy access to a number of the Skirama Dolomiti ski areas, where our passes worked.
The whole set of Skirama ski stations (access points) covers a very wide area, which would require a lot of driving. From Campiglio, there are 7 telecabines (gondolas) that whisk skiers up different mountains on both sides of the valley, making it easy to access 95 miles of runs. A total of 59 lifts were within quick reach. There are other resorts in the Campiglio area, including Pinzolo, Folgarida, and Marilleva. Happily, we were able to explore them all.
Getting Passes
To get our Skirama passes, we presented our IDs, Epic Passes, and 5€ deposit each at one of the ticket offices. It didn’t take too long to get our passes. But we weren’t quite ready to jet…
Currently, Italy requires skiers to present proof of recent vaccination or booster each day they ski. Sporting our newly acquired French QR Codes, we zapped our passes and phones at a nearby kiosk and we were set for the day. Off to the lift queues.
Of Dolomite Lifts and Lines
For years, Diana and others have told me horror stories about ski lift lines in Europe, or rather the lack of lift lines. I was told getting on a lift was a crush of skiers just trying to push their way to the front, usually by putting their skies on top of yours. Not something I was looking forward to.
What I found was more orderly than I expected. Every lift now has a pass reader that every skier must go through individually. While there is still a bit of a crush before the readers, the behavior after them is not as aggressive as expected.
In addition to the aforementioned gondolas, most of the lifts are long, high speed, detachable 4- and 6-person chairlifts with safety bars and footrests. Some even have plastic bubbles to temper strong winds and snow. There are, of course, some surface lifts, which drag you up the mountain, but not many.
About the Campiglio Dolomite Ski Runs
When we arrived, it hadn’t snowed for a while. Still, each lift has at least one well-marked, groomed run (piste) we could follow. Often, there was only that one groomed piste, but that could be because of the sparse snowfall. The maps are worth mentioning. Each of the lifts and runs is numbered and there were frequent signs indicating run difficulty and directing you toward various lifts/gondolas. For this area, the most difficult runs seemed to be groomed but really steep and icy.
The lifts and runs are seldom short, so any given lift can service quite a number of skiers at one time. This is good because the weekends can draw a large number of skiers.
Off-piste, there are very few markers of impending rocks, cliffs, or other dangers. Safety is left to the user.
Majestic, Stunning, Awesome – Dolomites
I was told the Dolomites were majestic and they certainly delivered on the promise. We were surrounded by towering granite escarpments and palisades, everywhere we looked. I kept stopping to take a picture or simply drink in the view. Truly beautiful. Diana says “drop dead gorgeous.”
It had not snowed for some time before our arrival in Campiglio, providing some stark contrasts between runs with manmade snow and the surrounding terrain. However, a storm packing 10 inches of snow changed that, giving us views and snow we more commonly expect in February. Either way, the mountains loomed large in the experience.
Dolomite Food and Rifugios
The land used by the ski operators doesn’t seem to be under their exclusive control. There are numerous independent bars, restaurants and even lodges, called rifugios, spread out over the slopes. Each place provides its own unique services and some degree of competition. Some patrons weren’t even skiing, just enjoying the day. These places are also popular with a summer hiking crowd, making for year-round use.
The Dolomite area of Italy was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire until the second half of the 1800s. As such, there is a (un?) healthy mix of dishes from northern Italy and Austria, just to the north. In addition to fine pasta dishes and pizza, Diana and I enjoyed sausages, schnitzel, and goulash dining on the mountain.
Comparison to the US
One can’t help but compare this experience to what we are used to from North America.
In the US, lifts, and runs tend to be shorter, with more runs per chair. The lifts themselves are generally not as up to date (think more 2- and 3- person chairs) and US operators are certainly less fond of investing in gondolas. The US ski areas more densely use their land and there is less need to cover vast distances to get around.
The ski hill concessions in the US typically have less variety and quality and cost more. The ski stations in Italy seem to have grown organically, so they have more lodging and dining options close to a lift. Apres-ski (aka after ski drinks) goes all day here, everywhere, on the hill and off.
The common ground includes a desire to get out and enjoy. We even heard American Pie playing on the slopes in Italy. Some things are universal. Ultimately, each resort-style has its strengths and weaknesses. Come to the Dolomites for the views and everything else it has to offer. You won’t regret it.
What appeals to you about visiting the Dolomites in winter?
5 comments
Good to know that the lift lines are a bit more orderly now. The melee to board the lift was a bit unnerving at first. But like driving in India, you get eventually get the hang of it.
Yes, the land below the lifts are owned/leased to the farmers who graze their cattle in the summer. Those same farmers operate the concessions in the winter.
The last time I skied Europe I too compiled a list of the differences and came to many of the same conclusions as you did. The limited marking of hazards really struck me (not literally !). In the USA, a hazard as small as a rock is marked with a cane pole. In Europe about the only time you see fancy marking with poles and orange fence are the cases were if you pass the hazard marking you WILL die. I remember peering past such a marker to see that the terrain funneled over a 150′ tall frozen ice fall. Yikes!
Another difference I noticed was a lack of tap water anywhere on the slopes. My second day on the slopes was warm and I drank down the bottle of water I brought before noon. I spent a lot of time looking for a drinking fountain in various chalets and could not find anything other than bottles mineral water for sale at the concessions. Unfortunately I had not brought any money with me so that was not an option. In the afternoon I suddenly lost all energy and could barely ski. Leaving the slopes early to take some rest in bed took forever given how weak my knees were. Back at the hostel I guzzled water and within an hour my energy was restored. Lessons learned !
Oh, and thanks for those photos of the mountains. Really nice !
Beautiful! Can’t wait to get back to Dolomites!
WRT to drinking fountains, I’m not surprised. I wonder if the concessions are even required to make toilets available. Having said that, our approach to skiing here has been more like tourism. We traipse around the mountains and periodically stop for a vino brulee or something like it and grab some water at the some time.
The Dolomites will move up on our bucket list! Greta pics!