Skiing advice
 

My husband and I (46 &47 years old) with our 4 children (21, 19, 17,16) are planning to go on our first skiing trip. We want to take lessons and do it for the first time, duration: 10 days. We need help in choosing the country &resort and ski school. I have researched Austria's Arlberg (Lech-Zurs-St Anton) and Italy's (Dolomiti's Selva Gardena- Ortisei)but can't decide since both seem nice. Can anyone help? We really need a place with lots of coffee shops and restaurants and night life and other activities. One more advice needed: What kind of shoes and clothes do we need for that? I understand that we can rent out the salopettes/ski outfits, but since we live in a hot country I have no idea what kind of shoes, gloves, hats are needed. Thanks

Hi HAD - I don't think you can go far wrong with Val Gardena.

For scenery it's spectacularly beautiful, has some of the best lifts in Europe, a good choice of coffee shops/ristos, plus other activities.

There are ski schools in Ortisei, Selva and S. Cristina as well as up on the Alpe di Siusi - they will advise on ski/clothes hire.

Of the Val Gardena villages I prefer Ortisei as a base - but they all have something to offer :)

www.valgardena.it

Steve

I've skied a few times in both locations, and I strongly agree with Steve's recommendation. The Arlberg has its advantages - primarily appreciated by more advanced skiers, but Val Gardena is a much better area for never-evers.

I would ordinarily recommend Selva or Corvara as a base for their easier access to the Sella Ronda, but as beginners I don't think you're going to be ready for that this trip, unless you catch on very quickly. Alp di Suisi is the perfect area for you, and it's accessed most easily from Ortisei or Santa Cristina.

If you haven't already, you may also want to take a look at Grindelwald, Switzerland, which also has a wide variety of gentle slopes and superb scenery, along with reasonable night life, an ice/curling rink, and toboggan runs if you want a break from skiing.

Just curious - what "hot country" are you coming from?

Thanks Steve, I was seriously thinking of taking the family to Val Gardena. I need to research Grindelwald, Switzerland first as per FlyFish's advice.

Thanks FlyFish,I will research Grindelwald, Switzerland to check it out. BTW the hot country we come from is Bahrain, its a small island next to Dubai.

A good resource for most resort questions is the Ski Club of Great Britain website (www.skiclub.co.uk) which has a huge archive on every European settlement with a ski run.If you don't want to join, there's great information for free at the Readers' Reviews section of each resort's listing

I'm puzzled about your wanting "coffee shops." Practically nowhere has anything that really compares with Vienna: the town part of most Austrian resorts have cafes that are a bit more atmospheric than average. But you're going to be spending the day on the pistes: what matters more than what's down in the town is the quality and density of the mountain restaurants and bars - essential for that mid-morning and mid-afternoon mix of alcohol and caffeine that does far, far more for your skiing skills than any amount of bending zee knees.

I'm not sure how easy it is to hire salopettes. Skis and ski boots just get hired locally: you need to buy everything else: apres-ski shoes (waterproof and with good grip), ski gloves (I like silk inners as well), a simple woollen hat and thermal underwear. These are extortionate in resort. Try to organise your travel via a big Central European city for a branch of C&A, where most sensible people buy ski basics, and sometimes Damart (who may be on line), Europe's leader in thermal underwear. If your plans don't include a C&A city (they've pulled out of the UK, and don't operate in Italy), any major hypermarket (like Carrefour, Merkur in Austria or Auchan in Italy) will be good too.

In the German-speaking world (or Britain, if you're changing planes here) look for Tschibo coffee shops in town centres. Bizarrely, they do a remarkable range of odds and ends, which in winter always includes astonishingly cheap ski clothing. It'll probably be cheaper to buy a proper ski jacket from them than hire it for a week from a ripoff place in the mountains.

Another palce to consider is Val'Disere in France. It has fantastic skiing for all abilities and loads of great restuarants etc. the ski schools are great and cater for all ages.
There are pl;enty of ski hire shops etc

I've been to Lech (2004) and found the skiing very challenging and although I hadn't been on skis for a few years I certainly wasn't a first timer. I was talking to some other people who found Val Gardena more to there liking because of easier access to blue trails. Lech is a pleasant town with bars, cafes and shops.

since this is your first time skiing, be prpared for a lot of work. it is fun, but you may be a bit frustrated until you hit the slopes.

getting children ready in ski gear and lugging equipment to the lifts, etc. can be quite a challenge. all said, skiing is the most wondeful famiy vacation.. and i am sure you will become addicted to it also.

i suggest you try to get on slope lodging to help alleviate what can be tedious transfers from slopes to home. the distance your accmodation is from the slopes will be very important to you. or equally, the distance to the ski bus.

it is worth paying a bit more for this comfort, IMO.

put the kids in ski school right away ( sometimes you must reserve this way before you go in high season) and do the same for yourselves. you will learn so much more, and a good teacher can make all the difference.

we have only skiied in france and part of switzerland. I am not sure which of the resorts we went to were best suited for beginners, but that is important. those websites will certainly help you clear that up.

One resort we enjoyed in france was "les arcs". But i suggest you focus on one that is also easiest to get to.

can you hook up with a ski club? we found that very helpful when our children were young. they arranged everything.

enjoy your holidays!

flanneruk you rock, thanks you've been very helpful with all the details and the clothing advice, I am really grateful. I will check out the ski club it seems like a good idea. I really need their help.

You see! thats why I need your advice, now I know that mountain restaurant and bars are more important than down town life, and now I know what clothes to buy and what we are able to rent.

If I was to choose a city to fly through for a couple of days for my ski purchases, which one do you think is the best?

smeagol thanks for the advice I will research Val'Disere.

Trish i agree with you, my research has led me to this conclusion as well. Thanks

lincasanova your advice has made me look at accommodation with a different perspective. Getting a slope lodging will be a priority now, I read about some hotels with direct access to the lifts, I didnt realize it would make such a difference. I will check them out again.

I agree with you about ski schools, I have been researching some. Some hotels also offer guides free of charge.

I will definitely research "les arcs".

You mentioned a ski club? flanneruk also mentioned a ski club. I will check the link flanneruk sent me.

Thanks everybody

Seriously Val D'isere is PERFECT for all ABILITIES and the apres ski is perfect too!! about 2.5 to 3 hours from Geneva airport and a fairly easy run. I would recommend this for all......

Here some considerations:

- Austria is pretty snow-safe, it is affordable and it is cozy.

- Italy (Dolomiti) is quite sunny, but not so snow-safe and very expensive.

- Switzerland has some of the steepest slopes, but is also very expensive.

- France (Val d'Isere) is perfect for skiing but expect high-rise concrete hotel buildings.

In any case, do some thorough research. Lift passes are outrageously expensive.

Renting skiing equipment is possible but pretty expensive. When you are going to ski for 10 days it will be cheaper to buy equipment than to rent it.

Especially clothing can be bought in department stores; in the German-speaking world look out for C&A or H&M (they are not so expensive).

Skiing equipment can be VERY, VERY expensive. At least half of the price goes for fashion. Take special offers and buy equipment from the last season at discount rates.

What you need:

for skiing:
- skis
- ski sticks
- ski boots
- ski goggles
- ski gloves
- ski cap
- ski jacket
- salopettes
- jumpers
- heavy socks
- sunblock
- lipstick with sunblock (also for men!)
- Vaseline (to avoid skin cracking)

After skiing, you will be soaking wet. Then you take off your clothes and let them dry overnight. Therefore, you need additional clothing for apres-ski.

for apres-ski:
- snow boots (be aware to walk through deep snow)
- heavy socks
- a second water-proof jacket
- a second pair of salopettes
- gloves
- hat
- scarf
- sweater
- sunglasses

- at least 2 sets of thermal underwear

You will find ski schools everywhere.

Be aware to spend a fortune for equipment, clothes, accomodation, ski school and especially lift passes.

Perhaps it helps if you specify the time when you will go.

Hi Traveller1959,

You've supplied some great advice but I don't agree with everything:

"When you are going to ski for 10 days it will be cheaper to buy equipment than to rent it."

Not true. In Switzerland, a ten-day rental costs about SFr. 370.-- for boots and premium skis per person. Economy and budget skis are cheaper.

See Intersport rent prices:
http://www.intersportrent.com/switzerland/de/#

Of course, outfitting a whole family will be very expensive no matter if you rent or buy.

When searching for a hotel, get one with a swimming pool. Good skiing weather that lasts 10 days is a rarity in Austria and Switzerland.

Personally, I think 10 days is very long for a skiing trip, especially the first time. I'm usually worn out after two days and I've been skiing for years.

You might want to think about breaking up your skiing trip between skiing and sightseeing.

It's simply not true that buying skis, ski poles and ski boots is cheaper than hiring them for ten days in a resort.

Not only is buying a great deal pricier than hiring, it's also an extremely foolish thing for absolute beginners to do. Even if by a miracle you select the perfect ski length, your skills will develop very quickly, meaning you need longer skis. Actually, the converse is more important: especially for the grownups, it's really important to start skiing with a shorter ski than the manuals recommend, since the faster speed of the "right" length is seriously intimidating for most adult beginners (and, IMHO, downright lethal for testosterone-laden male teenagers and any poor sod standing in their uncontrollable way)

You've absolutely no idea how comfortable the boots will be till you've actually worn them in anger - and nothing matters more to a novice than comfortable skiboots (not even being warm, since nervous tension will soon warm you up).

Renting basic equipment means you can change what you've rented repeatedly. And you will. At least twice in ten days: the first time because what feels right in a shop will feel different on the pistes, and the second time because you'll be putting different pressures on different bits of your lower leg once you've got the first hang of things.

There's absolutely no need for two waterproof jackets.

agree with Flanner and you dont need 2 pairs of Sallopettes. 1 is fine.
When i go on holiday i am hopeless at packing light. But when we go skiing i find it easy to pack light. You really don't need to take that much with you.

Agree also with the poster that yes there are high rise in Val but mainly in La daille, and there are some very cute low level chalets, hotels etc. We stay around the rond point area and can ski onto the slopes from there and dont get any noise from the town.

What is the optimum number of days for a skiing trip. I mean to learn skiing and enjoy the new adventure. We are planning to go on this trip between the 10th and 15th of December. Shall we cut it down to 6 days of skiing and then sightseeing? or shall we make it less? What say you?

Hi HAD - In Val Gardena you can combine skiing and sightseeing :)

Ortisei is probably your best choice IMO as it has lift access to Alpe di Siusi for beginners skiing - and easy access to Bolzano, Bressanone, Castelrotto, Chiusa - or further afield to Merano, Trento, Vipiteno, Cortina, Innsbruck and other pleasant towns for sightseeing, Christmas markets etc.

There are also organised excursions from Ortisei e.g Munich Xmas market.

December in the Dolomites is a good time to go cost-wise - many hotels and ski-schools give a 20-30% discount for the opening of the ski season (1-23 Dec). The lift pass is also reduced.
http://www.valgardena.it/?pagid=&art...6&lang=eng

Have a look:

http://www.valgardena.it/?artid=730&...1&lang=ita

http://www.val-gardena.net/ski/ortisei/

http://www.val-gardena.net/ski-schools.htm

Ortisei swimming pool is also free for guests at a number of hotels.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

The German magazine "Focus" has tested 25 ski areas in the Alps. Here are the top 4:

1. Zillertal/Tux (Austria)
2. Ischgl (Austria)
3. St. Moritz (Switzerland)
4. Val Gardena/Grödnertal (Italy)

Val Gardena is risky in December - there might be no snow. It is snow-safe after mid-January, but then, indeed, weather is best.

Rent or buy:

I forget to mention Decathlon as a store for sports and skiing equipment.

www.decathlon.com

Currently they offer Rossignol skis for 139 Euros, boots for 79.90 and sticks for 10 Euros. These models are sufficient for beginners. That makes 229 Euros totally or 350 SFR. Compare it to the costs of rental.

Clothing:
It depends on the time of year and weather. In April, you do not need salopettes for apres-ski, but in January or February you may encounter deep snow and snowfall even in the valleys and then you need water-proof pants.

I remember, once in Livigno (which is, admittedly, a high-altitude valley) in March, when we had more than 1 meter snow and -20 C° in the valley. Jeans were not exactly comfortable then.

Two more points:

1) Since you are six persons, it might be wise to hire an English-speaking instructor just for your family. It will be more effective than participating in a larger group. You may book skiing lessons for two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon in the first days in order to learn quickly.

2) At least 8 weeks before departure, start your exercise - at least one hour two times a week. Include cardio training (very important) and strength training. Training the thigh is very important for skiing, but you basically need a whole-body workout.

Some thoughts in response to recent comments and your recent questions.

A 10-day ski vacation is fine, but for most people 10 straight days of skiing is not, particularly for beginners. We usually go to Europe for about 10 days, but only ski for 6 of them. Both my wife and I have been skiing for over 30 years and we're pretty good at it. We work out diligently all year, 3-4 days per week, and increase our lower-body workouts in the fall. We typically go to Europe in early March, at which point we've had a whole season of skiing in New England to improve our conditioning. I only mention all that because at the end of 6 days of skiing we've had it, and our skiing friends feel the same way. As beginners you're all going to be using and straining muscles you never even knew you had - do yourself a favor and plan on a few non-skiing days of sightseeing on either end, or if you really want to stay in the resort for 10 days, plan on doing a little tobogganing or ice skating (which of course will bring its own aches and pains!).

I think it's difficult to generalize about countries - e.g., the skiing in Country X is more difficult, Country Y is more snow-sure, etc. The major ski countries (which I would categorize as France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy) all have resorts that are easier/more difficult and less/more snow-sure. In addition, there is a wide range of prices both across countries, within countries, and within individual resorts. You're doing it right, it seems, by looking at individual resorts rather than focusing first on a country. All the prices, and just about everything else worth knowing, are available on line, so you know exactly what you're getting into.

Now that I know you're planning to go in mid-December, one thing that is going to be very important for you is to pick a resort that is more snow-sure. In general, altitude is the most important factor in determining that - higher is better. Both Val Gardena and Grindelwald are a bit "iffy" that early in the season, but there will almost certainly be some skiing, and as beginners you may not be as concerned about the extent of terrain that's open. You can get an idea of snow depths historically at the various resorts on the Ski Club of Great Britain web site, though you will need to become a member to see anything other than last year.

I agree with those who recommend renting rather than buying equipment, by which I mean the skis and boots - we've always had our own clothing so I can't comment on that part. For a full 10 days the cost of buying a very, very cheap set of gear and renting a good set may be comparable, but that comparability will disappear if you cut the actual skiing down to a more reasonable 6 days or so. You'll be happier with good equipment anyway - as beginners, not so much the skis, which will likely feel all the same to you, but the boots. Ski boot fitting is more black magic than science and it's impossible (again, especially for beginners) to really tell in the shop how boots will feel when you actually ski on them. We have taken novice skiers with us who have gone through 6 or more pairs of boots before they found a pair they could ski in without agony. Rental shops will gladly let you swap out boots (and skis as well). Obviously if you've bought a pair you're stuck with them (or as a worst case, you end up at the rental shop anyway).

I would encourage you not to get too carried away with "apres-ski" clothing. Other than a pair of waterproof boots, our apres-ski clothing is exactly the same stuff we wear normally at home. Coming from a hot country you may not have the warm clothing you're going to need when not skiing, but it's simple enough to wear your ski jacket, which is what we do, and we haven't yet found a need for any other specialized clothing when not actually skiing. That's us, however - winter in the Alps, even at altitude, is very mild compared to what we're used to in northern New England - and your mileage may vary. Modern ski clothing fabrics to not get wet, at least not the good ones.

We have skied every area mentioned so far in this thread, most of them more than once, with the exception of Val d'Isere. The guide books I use for trip planning caution that the beginner terrain there is limited and that the pistes can be considerably more difficult than marked. As I've never been, I hesitate to contradict the opinion of someone who has, but that alone would be enough so that I would not take a beginner to the area, particularly as there are so many other areas (Val Gardena and Grindelwald being two) that have wonderful extensive terrain for beginners.

I am a pretty useless skier and my BF is even worse (we have been many many times) and i have found Val D'isere to be great. the slopes are very wide and there are plenty of them so i don't feel hemmed in by the borders or skiers.... unlike say somewhere like Zermatt which i found hugely difficult and limited ski in ski out unless you like black runs.

Opps meant to add will check out Val Gardena as we have never been and there certainly are a lot of recommendations

Thanks guys, ok, Austria is now out.Its between Val Gardena, Val D'isere and Grindelwald. I couldn't really get good websites for Val D'isere and Grindelwald any ideas there? Val Gardena has the best website.
Val Gardena looks like a good option, as per Steve's input, there are many places for sightseeing around it as well as easy slopes.
Smeagol kindly let me know if there are any sightseeing around Val D'isere.
flyfish would you please let me know if there are any sightseeing around Grindelwald.

I am sorry to come into this trend a bit late but I have the feeling that you are heading to the must expensive-challenging-crowded ski resorts in Europe.
It is obvious that Vald'isere in France, St-Moritz in Switzerland and Valgardena in Italy are great Ski resort but I will not recomnend them for beginers. You will hardly take any advantages in the high and difficult slopes but you will sure have all the incoviniences of fashion and demanded areas.
I will rather start in ski resorts such as Megeve or Morzine in France, Villars sur ollon or les Diablerets in Switzerland.
Regarding clothes and ski equipement
you have lots of information in the trend.
Rgds

HAD
I would probabaly suggest sticking with Val gardena as you are able to find loads of info. I generally only Ski when we go to Val D so don't really know about the sightseeing and would hate to give you a "bum steer"

HAD -

The Grindelwald web site is www.grindelwald.ch and you'll find lots of information there. Please note that I'm not necessarily recommending it over Val Gardena, only suggesting it as an option you may want to consider - I think either would work out well for you.

That said, there are a number of sightseeing opportunities in the Grindelwald area. Probably the best known is the train trip up through the Eiger to the highest train station in the world, the Jungfraujoch. Most of the trip is inside the mountain, but the train stops twice to let passengers look out through 'windows' cut into the rock. The views from the top are really amazing. You can get a good idea of what this area looks like by renting the Clint Eastwood movie "The Eiger Sanction" which was filmed on location.

The ski area actually encompasses the towns of Wengen and Murren in addition to Grindelwald itself. Over on the Murren side of the ski area you can take the cable car up to the revolving restaurant, Piz Gloria, made famous in the James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," which was also largely shot on location. Advanced skiers can ski down from the restaurant on the ski run known as "The Inferno" which also figures prominently in the movie.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, you have the option of ice skating, tobogganing, curling, or hiking in the area - of course, at least some of those activities are available in other resorts as well. There is also some limited cross-country skiing, parasailing, and sightseeing flights.

A bit farther afield, you can take the train down to Interlaken or even all the way back down to Bern, though those places would be better visited either before you head to the resort, or after.

The big attraction in the area is unquestionably the scenery, however, and it ranks with just about any on earth. Val Gardena is also spectacular, but the Jungfrau region is like a picture postcard everywhere you turn.

I was a bit surprised to see Val Gardena described by an earlier poster as trendy and overcrowded - I was just there last year (and two years prior to that) and it didn't seem that way at all. If you end up there, be sure to spend a bit of time in Bolzano, and especially visit the archaeological museum to see the "Iceman."

Car - I have to disagree with you about Val Gardena. If HAD and her family are beginners, obviously they are not going to be tackling Saslong or Ciampinoi.

But there are plenty of beginners slopes up on the Alpe di Siusi - reachable in 3 minutes by cable-car from Ortisei.

That's why I suggested Ortisei rather than Selva as a base. It's also more convenient for sightseeing days elsewhere as I said ...

December in the 3 weeks up to Xmas is uncrowded (- with the exception of the holiday weekend of Dec 8). That's why many hotels, ski schools etc. offer a discount at the start of the season.

Steve

P.S. As for 'trendy' - I agree with FlyFish.
If you want a trendy resort, the posers and fashionistas go to Cortina, not Val Gardena.

I didn't start skiing until I was in my mid-40s, and now go every winter with my teenagers (despite my bad knees!). We go to Bulgaria because it's very cheap, but not necessarily best for first-timers as it can be a bit hit-and-miss with the instructors.

We always take advantage of a 'ski-pack' which you can buy through tour operators - it's more expensive in resort - and this includes your lift-pass, lessons, boots and skis. Also this often includes an invitation to a party on the last evening where you get a medal and/or certificate and a kiss from your instructor! Actually this can be a great fun evening. Although I now have my own boots I still buy a ski pack because it is the cheapest option for the rest.

I don't have a lot of money to spare buying loads of clothes we only wear once a year and my teens are still growing, so we have learnt to do with the minimum.

We pack as light as possible and what we take is...

One jacket and one pair of salopettes/ski pants per person.

One pair of heavy shoes or hiking boots for walking around town in the evenings. It is important for the soles to have good grips as you will be walking on ice some of the time. Some people wear moonboots, my teenage boys wear trainers. Definitely no high heels!

2 pairs of thermal underwear per person. This is a long-sleeve vest and long-johns. You can wear each for a couple of days, rinse out and they dry quickly. They don't really get smelly as they are 'wicking' - that is they allow moisture to flow through while staying dry next to the skin. We get these from a local camping/hiking shop or from various shops that sell them. Matalan, Primark and M&S all sell them in the UK.

3 pairs of proper ski socks each. Again wear, wash out, and they are dry by the time you need them again 3 days later!

Forget heavy sweaters/jumpers. Lightweight fleeces are the way to go. They dry in minutes, and again do not retain moisture. We have 2-3 per person, and also wear them in the evenings.

Gloves - quality counts for a lot here. My children all prefer mittens with liners. I wear gloves and do not need liners. I find one pair of gloves is fine for me, skiing daughter has one pair of mitts, but the boys snowboard (therefore have their hands and wrists in the snow quite a lot)and need 2 pairs each.

Headgear - I cannot stress enough the importance of wearing a helmet, even if you are pottering on a nursery slope and think you don't need one. My children have worn helmets since they started as it was compulsory for U14s, and as my boys snowboard they do realise it is necessary. I didn't bother with a helmet for myself as I am slow and careful and being little more than a green-run-gal I thought I didn't need one, but last winter I was gliding gently down a blue and was totally wiped out by an out of control boarder. I never heard her coming, just felt this incredible blow to the back of my head, saw bright lights, stars and infinity before coming to to about 50 metres down the mountain. The rest of my group couldn't believe I got up from it, the impact made such a noise and I was knocked so far down. I did have a concussion, but was back on the slopes the next day though much shaken by it and very sore. I will definitely be buying myself a helmet before I go skiing again in February! No doubt about it.

I also have a fleecy tube thing that goes round my neck. I can pull it up over my mouth and nose for warmth and like it very much. You can buy these in resort.

Sunglasses and goggles. I carry both, wear sunglasses most of the time - not fashion sunglasses, but the wraparound kind worn by sportsmen so they stay on, but you do need goggles when it is snowing or quite gloomy. Yellow or orange lenses are best, and preferably double lenses because they fog up less.

Have a look on ebay for a lot of this stuff, especially goggles and gloves and the outerwear. There are some good bargains to be had, and often the stuff is brand new if you get it from one of the ebay shops. It is where I get a lot of stuff for my kids.

As for apres-ski clothes, boots, trousers/jeans, and a warm top. You really don't need a lot of fancy clothes unless you are somewhere like St Moritz! Apart from the boots, I take a pair of slip-on loafers to wear in the hotel going down to breakfast, and one pair of black pumps for dinner or going to the bar. Next year we are renting an apartment so I'll just need boots and slippers!


Hope this helps, and have a really great time. It is a wonderful family holiday. You will all have such fun learning together, though don't be at all surprised if after the 3rd day your kids are all way ahead of you and whizzing off! I only see my lot in the evenings apart from the occasional late afternoon when they reluctantly agree to accompany me on a slow run and then they moan because they have to wait at the bottom for ages for me! But it is fun and we love going.

wow Julia thanks a lot, very informative and to the point. I really appreciate your help. You are an angel, I will definitely check ebay , didnt cross my mind before, I hope to find bargains.

We decided to go to Ortisei. We will go to Milan first for few days. Can anyone tell me whether its better to take the plane to Ortisei. If a car is a good idea then what is the best route? Thanks

Kindly tell me which towns are worth a visit on our route to Milan.

Hello again HAD -

I think you'll really enjoy Val Gardena. We've been through that area a few times, and I'd highly recommend driving from Milan, if you enjoy driving vacations as we do. It's a relatively simple trip and most of it is very picturesque.

The towns we've spent a bit of time in and enjoyed very much include Sirmione at the southern end of Lake Garda - already a highly regarded resort in Roman times. From there, the drive up along the west side of Lake Garda is very interesting, passing through numerous tunnels as it winds along high above (and sometimes right alongside) the lake.

My wife and I like Riva, at the northern end of the lake as it was the first place we stayed on our two-week honeymoon in the area. There's a fascinating drive through a series of tunnels up from Riva to Lago Ledro, site of a prehistoric lake dwellers community, with a small museum at the site.

We also stayed in Bolzano, which is a very comfortable smallish city. If you go there be sure to visit the archaeological museum and Oetsi, the ice man. The museum is worth a visit even without him, but the iceman exihibit is unique in the world. I understand Trento is also worth a stop, however we have no direct experience there.

From Bolzano, if the weather and road conditions are amenable, you might want to consider taking a bit longer route to Ortisei via the western part of the Great Dolomites Road through Canazei, eventually looping back through Passo Sella and then into Ortisei via Selva. It's a wonderfully scenic route and the last part runs very close to a number of the pistes dropping down from the pass into Selva.

Thanks FlyFish, how many days shall we provide for the drive? Or do you mean a night in each of these towns? I'm confused.

Sorry, HAD, didn't mean to confuse you. I wasn't necessarily suggesting that you stay in all, or any, of those towns, only recommending them as places I think are worth seeing, depending on your schedule.

Depending on how comfortable you are with driving after a (presumably) long flight, you could drive straight through from Milan to Ortesei in perhaps 4 hours or so. That wouldn't leave any time for real sightseeing, of course. Not knowing how many days you have planned for doing things prior to arriving at the resort, or when your flight arrives, I can't recommend where and how often to overnight. One option would be to do a single overnight at Bolzano, taking your first day to get there, then spend the morning in town before driving to Ortesei. Or you could add an overnight in Riva and spend additional time exploring Trento, etc.

FlyFish I appreciate your advice and I'm depending on the advice I get from you guys since we've never been to Italy. I was thinking of spending 3 nights in Milan to buy hiking boots and warm clothing since we can't find those in Bahrain, then from there I can schedule 2 nights for the towns on the way to Ortisei since I didnt book the airline yet. I booked 4 nights in Ortisei on 14th Dec. for skiing so we will have to leave Ortisei on the 18th. I was thinking maybe drive to Venice for a 3 day visit through Cortina, and other towns, then back to Milan. Any suggestions?

HAD - Why not save your clothes shopping till you get to Ortisei? There are some excellent clothes shops there and in the other Val Gardena resorts.

Steve

I know I'm very late in on this thread, but I just wanted to say that the Val Gardena area is wonderful and my husband and I are going back in January for our second ski trip (although we stay in Selva).

Definitely spend a night in Bolzano/Bozen and check out Osti the ice man. We stayed at the Hotel Figl and really liked it.

Have a great trip!

HAD -

I'm happy to share my thoughts with you on what I'd do and see in that area, but please bear in mind that they're just that, thoughts, and not even necessarily recommendations. We tend to gravitate toward the country and mountain scenery, history & archaeology, and with a few exceptions (Venice being one) we tend to avoid cities, so if that sounds somewhat like you then these suggestions might work out for you.

I would second Steve's suggestion not to spend the first few nights in Milan buying ski clothing. I've been to Milan and, while others may disagree, I don't think there's much to see. If you're planning to, e.g., take in a performance at La Scala or view The Last Supper, then fine, but otherwise just go directly from the airport. The resorts are full of ski shops and they're going to be much closer to each other so you won't waste time running around.

With the time you have available, you might want to first consider heading north from the airport to either Lake Maggiore and/or Lake Como. I have not been to either but they seem to get great reviews here and elsewhere, with Bellagio on Lake Como being mentioned frequently. I’d then head east toward Lake Garda. Again, with the time you have, a visit to Verona might we worthwhile. You could then drive up along either side of the lake – I’ve only driven the west side, and it’s a spectacular drive, but I understand the east side is very scenic as well. As an alternative, consider going further east from Verona toward Vicenza and then taking the S46 through the Passo Pian di Fugazze to Rovereto before continuing north. If you don’t mind very narrow and winding mountain roads it’s a spectacular drive – be sure to leave extra time. Riva, at the north end of the lake, is a pretty little town with a nice little harbor area but not necessarily worth a stop otherwise.

We haven’t been into Trento, but again I understand there are things worth seeing and doing there. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we really liked Bolzano and I can’t recommend the archaeological museum strongly enough. If you don’t spend the extra nights in Milan, you’d be enough ahead of schedule to hop over the Brenner Pass from Bolzano to Innsbruck and spend a night there. The old downtown area is very interesting. If you don’t do that, then consider taking the Great Dolomites Road route into Val Gardena as I mentioned earlier.

After skiing, I think your idea of heading to Venice via Cortina is great. You could take the Passo Gardena over to Corvara and then from there to Arabba where you’d rejoin the Great Dolomites Road for the trip down into Cortina. If you do that, you’ll have driven most of the Sella Ronda ski route. There’s a fantastic view down into Cortina from the road, just as it turns sharp left to enter a tunnel – be sure to stop for that. From Cortina, you can take an alternate route out of town on S48 over Tre Croci to the east, then rejoin the highway to Venice at Pieve de Cortina.

Be sure to leave enough time to explore Venice. I’m not a head-over-heels mad about it as some, but there really is no other place in the world like it. I’d recommend getting a good tour guide for the entire area and looking at what there is to see and do in the various towns and locales I’ve mentioned, then map your own course and decide from that where it makes sense to overnight.

We’re skiing in Grindelwald this year – well, next year in February/March, but all this thinking about Italy and Val Gardena has been reminding me what a special place it is. You’re going to have a great time.

BTW, you might want to consider starting a new thread for suggested itineraries with a more general title. There may be many regulars here who know the area well but aren't skiers so haven't read through this thread.

Lots of good suggestions from FlyFish.

The drive over the passes from Val Gardena to Cortina is spectacular - especially the San Cassiano route.
But these passes are at 2000m - so you'd need to check whether they're open.

(The same applies to the Canazei/Sella Pass detour to Ortisei which FlyFish mentioned).

If the passes are closed you could route to Venice from Ortisei via Val Pusteria/Dobbiaco/Cortina (- still through the mountains but no high passes) - or take the autostrada via Verona if you're in a hurry.

Steve

HAD where do you live? For first timers, I think the ski school and village is more important than the slope as you will spend most of your time on runs that can be found anywhere. If you are living in North America, I would suggest Grey Rocks in Quebec or Smugglers Notch for a beginning ski week.

If we can get all our clothing from Ortisei then thats much easier. The kids however want to see Milan so maybe we can spend one night.
FlyFish I like your suggestion about starting a new thread. I will do that.
Steve very good remarks about the passes, Is there a way to check if they are opened before we leave on the day?