The Skiers' Guide to Val Gardena - Gröden

Set within the stunning scenery of the Dolomites, Val Gardena is a great ski holiday destination for riders of all levels. Located in the centre of South Tyrol, it is known for the Saslong World Cup slope, a demanding downhill famed for its challenging ‘camel hump’ section and for athletes regularly exceeding the 100km/h mark. Despite this extreme jewel in the crown, the resort is also a great choice for families, with more than half of the runs suitable for beginners.

All set within a cosy and convenient radius of 8km, Val Gardena is divided into the three resort towns of Ortisei, Santa Cristina and Selva Gardena, which ascend gradually from 1236m to 1563m. Conveniently close together, the three villages in Val Gardena each offer something slightly different. Ortisei is the prettiest, with charming old buildings and covered wooden walkways, while the slightly higher villages of Santa Cristina and Selva have a little more going on. If you want to be in the middle of it all with decent connections to all villages, opt to stay in Santa Cristina, the central village.

Thanks to its proximity to the Dolomiti Superski ski area and the nearby Alpe di Siusi, Val Gardena forms part of the world-famous network of 12 ski areas which can be accessed all by one ski pass, offering a seriously wide range of terrain and scenery to explore.

Val Gardena’s unique setting forms part of the Seiser Alm or ‘Alpe Di Siusi’ area, the largest in the Dolomites. There are 181 km of slopes serviced by 79 lifts, which ensure that absolutely everyone will be satisfied with what’s on offer.

In the Val Gardena area, you’ll want to experience the longest ski slope in South Tyrol, La Longia, which is more than 10 km long, features 1,273 m of elevation gain and stretches from Mount Seceda to Ortisei on both blue and red-graded piste. You’ll journey through a natural canyon, a forest section and a gully with a frozen waterfall. Skilled skiers looking for something technical should try to box off Saslong, Cir and Ciampinoi no.3 while mixed groups and less confident riders will love the scenery of Falk and Bravo.

The Sellaronda, although prone to bottlenecks, is also an unmissable part of any ski trip to the Dolomites. It’s a 40km round trip encircling the Sella group of mountains and is a bucket-list experience for any snowsports enthusiast. Advanced skiers and boarders can complete it in around 3 hours with no breaks, while most people prefer to make a day of it and spend a full 6 hours on the mountain with plenty of stops to refuel and enjoy the insane views. If you’re going to do this, it’s recommended to set out before 10 am.

Val Gardena has a great reputation for its large number of hospitable mountain huts, making eating out on the slopes a breeze. Starting up high, the Sofie Hut at the top of the Fermeda chairlift (2410m) has the largest cellar of fine wines in the Dolomites and serves both South Tyrolean specialties as well as the more gourmand Mediterranean dishes. The Comici Hut located on the Piz Sella very impressively serves daily fish dishes caught fresh from the Adriatic, while the Piz Setëur, Daniel and Panorama Huts all offer spacious sun terraces to enjoy your food and drink in good weather.

In terms of evening meals, it goes without saying that you can get some seriously phenomenal pizza - Cascade Restaurant in Ortisei is regularly highlighted for great wood-fired pizza and risotto dishes, as are the Turonda Bistrot in Ortisei and Medel Restaurant in Selva, which also serves mouth-watering chocolate fondue.

In Santa Cristina, both L Fudle and Ristorante La Posta offer indulgent Italian fare, while the Chalet Gerard in Selva and Ristorante Tubladel in Ortisei both appear in the Michelin guide.

There are plenty of places for unwinding after a day on the slopes in Val Gardena. Book a spot on the balcony in Selva’s La Stua to enjoy heated seating, fireplaces and a private bartender above the crowds, before venturing to the nearby Luislkeller for a legendary après party in the ‘basement.’

There’s a party every single day at the bottom of the Saslong World Cup Run (and you definitely deserve to celebrate if you’ve made it down) at Ruacia in Santa Cristina, with both indoor and outdoor seating so you can choose based on the weather conditions. There is also a convenient bus stop right outside the entrance.

For both families and non-skiers, Val Gardena has a calendar of events catering to holidaymakers, including torch-lit walks and snowshoeing hikes in amazing scenery. Other than this, there is the usual choice of sleigh rides and tobogganing experiences, but ultimately not a great deal of choice for those who aren’t skiing.

Mar Dolomit is an extensive wellness venue in Ortisei, with a huge range of indoor and outdoor thermal pools, steam rooms, saunas, experience showers, slides and a dedicated children’s area. There are also quite a few spa hotels which also offer state-of-the-art facilities and menus of treatments to enjoy.

Each village in the Val Gardena area has a wealth of hotels and accommodations on offer, ranging from sleek adult-only mountain hideaways with incredible views to cosy and quaint traditional guesthouses in a ski-in, ski-out location.

For indulgent stays, both the Alpin Garden Luxury Maison and La Cort My Dollhouse bring a very luxurious, adults-only vibe with crushed golden velvet headboards and impressive spa facilities, while the Granvara Relais & Spa Hotel and Hotel Uhrerhof-Duer are known for their amazing views. The Residence Villa Stella offers self-contained apartments in a convenient location.

The resort is making some effort to drive sustainable practices, including encouraging all tourists to make use of the free in-resort buses, drink pure mountain water rather than buying bottled products and separating all trash into recycling.

Pros

• A huge ski area - connected to Dolomites Superski
• Plenty of hotels, restaurants and mountain huts
• Varied mix of terrain

Cons

• Not that much to do for non-skiers
• Popular routes such as the Sella Ronda can get very crowded