Dolomites Gourmet Ski Safari

Day 1: Arrive in Alta Badia, Dolomites

Arrive in San Cassiano, Alta Badia on your own (private transfer available on request). Alta Badia is located between 1,400 and 2,700 meters (4,593-8,858′) above sea level. This altitude ensures optimal ski conditions throughout the winter, and offers breathtaking views of the most beautiful peaks of the Dolomites. Fast and comfortable ski lift connections, miles of wide, well-groomed slopes (130km / 81 miles), and the spaciousness of the ski area allow you to enjoy pleasant and safe skiing days. Charming mountain huts and first class mountain restaurants round out the appeal, making Alta Badia a ski area for connoisseurs.

Day 2: Sellaronda Ski Tour

In the morning, you’ll meet your UIAGM/IFMGA ski guide for a trip briefing and equipment check (and rent any equipment if needed), and pick up your 4-day Dolomiti Superski Skipass.

Enjoy a full day of skiing today, on one of the most spectacular ski tours in the world! The Sellaronda Ski Tour circumnavigates the majestic Sella Massif. Considered somewhat of a “merry-go-round” for intermediate level skiers, this unique circular connection of lifts and runs was once the only way the ancient inhabitants of the Ladin villages could maintain a connection with each other. Nowadays it’s a modern day carousel that connects four Dolomite passes and four Ladin valleys (Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Val di Fassa, and Fodom). You will ski part of the Sellaronda to Val di Fassa and enjoy the variety of slopes thoughout the day. From Val di Fassa, a private will take you to Passo San Pellegrino, where a snowcat will pick you up and bring you to your rifugio for tonight (1,980m / 6,496′). Set in a magnificent group of isolated old huts, this charming rifugio is immersed in the marvelous silence of a wide valley, with a view of the Pale di San Martino (1,467m / 4,813’).

Day 3: Passo San Pellegrino

Today may well be the visual highlight of our skiing this week, with anticipated emotional responses to some of the most stunning views of the Veneto and Trentino Dolomites: the group of the Pale di San Martino, Monzoni, Catinaccio, and Marmolada. Discover the San Pellegrino and Col Margherita ski areas: more than 60 kilometers (37 miles) of slopes spread out at altitudes between 1,918 and 2,513 meters (6,293-8,245′), all equipped with 26 cutting edge lift systems.

Return to your rifugio for the night. You will get to taste delicious dishes typical of the Trentino region, combining Ladin, Italian, and Austrian cuisine. This renowned and traditional restaurant, mentioned in several culinary guides, will be appreciated not only for the quality of the food, but also for its warmth and welcoming hospitality. Specialties include ravioli alle pere selvatiche (ravioli with wild pears), fagot da mont (tasty tortelli-pasta with black mirtillo and braised deer), and la zuppa di porcini e patate (soup with mushrooms and potatoes). The rifugio also features an extensive cellar, laboriously dug up into the mountain side to create just the right environment for the storage and ageing of wines.

Day 4: Civetta Ski Resort

Take a private transfer to Alleghe and ski in the Civetta area. Today may well be the visual highlight of our skiing this week, with anticipated emotional responses to some of the most stunning views of the Veneto and Trentino Dolomites: you’ll ski into the Civetta ski resort, passing by little romantic towns set between impressive mountains, magnificent valleys and silent forests: this is the ski area between the peaks of the Pelmo and the Civetta, in the heart of the Veneto Dolomites. Take a private transfer from Pescul to Fedare to reach your rifugio (2,413m / 7,917′) for the night.

While known for its beautiful vistas of Monte Civetta (3,220m / 10,564′) and the Marmolada Massif (3,343m / 10,968′), meals are where the rifugio truly shines. The cuisine is of the highest standard, and includes expertly re-worked traditional dishes from the valleys of the Dolomites, exquisitely prepared and served. You may discover antipasti featuring a bowl of juicy caper berries, plump green olives, and tortilla chips to dark bread perfumed with fennel seeds; house-made spinach ravioli, stuffed with chopped walnuts and topped with a sauce of coarsely chopped tomatoes to an aromatic, slightly smoky plate of rough-cut pappardelle noodles with porcini, chopped parsley and tiny slices of speck; grilled venison steak, served with a pile of tangy-sweet cranberries to juicy roasted lamb chops, served with a large lemon wedge and a healthy portion of polenta; and speck-fried potatoes to spinach salad topped with even more speck and fat chunks of Parmesan; and many other culinary delights!

Day 5: Cinque Torri – Armentarola to Alta Badia

Ski in the area of Cinque Torri, reach Passo Falzarego and take the Lagazuoi cable car, which arrives at an altitude of 2,800 meters (9,186′) in just three minutes! Once you reach the top, stop to enjoy the breathtaking panorama from the terrace of the Rifugio Lagazuoi, famous throughout the world for its spectacular views of the Dolomite peaks. When you’re ready to descend, you’re in for a treat!

The Armentarola slope unfolds along the foot of the imposing Fanes mountain, in an enchanting fairy-tale valley surrounded by majestic castles of rock and frozen waterfalls, making this magical descent an endless flow of thrills and surprises. And just like in the fairy-tales, the run ends with a horse-drawn lift from where you can do it all again, or move on to another fabulous adventure. There are several lunch opportunities during this tour: Rifugio Lagazuoi, at the arrival station of the cable car, Rifugio Scotoni, along the slope and where you can taste one of the best grilled meat of Alta Badia, and Capanna Alpina, a typical restaurant just before the horse-drawn lift. Enjoy your final dinner this evening at a Michelin-star-rated restaurant.

Day 6: Depart

Breakfast and departure on your own (private transfer available on request).