We booked a self catering apartment through Colletts who I can thoroughly recommend. The apartment was spacious, sleeping 5 even though there were only two of us, well equipped and central (~5 minutes walk in ski boots to either lift). Transfers from Venice were included in the price of the holiday, though we arranged our own flights.
Despite the conditions throughout most of Europe being far from perfect this year we were extremely lucky with the weather. We had a massive snowfall the day we arrived so skied in about a foot of powder on our first day. Whilst this would be a bonus for many, I have the problem that I can just about ski in powder when I can see where I'm going, and can manage in bad weather on a groomed piste but am useless with the two combined :oops:. We were lucky to be skiing with one of the Colletts' reps as a 'guide' so headed to Corvara for some easy blues amongst the trees to try and improve the terrible visibility. All in all, a knackering day but fun non the less.
Day two dawned with clear blue skies so we headed out to explore the areas of Alta Badia we had not previously skied. There are so many great reds in this area but personal favourites were those down into San Cassiano and La Villa. There is also a fabulous red down from the top of the Col Alt gondola but this is part of the Orange Sella Ronda so gets busy and is best first thing on a morning.
Sitting with our afternoon beer outside Micky's Bar we watched as a helicopter pilot landed on the adjacent black run to pick up an injured skier. The helicopter was so close that we were caught in a blizzard - an impressive piece of flying and hopefully the skier in question made a full recovery.
Day 3 we also woke to bluebird conditions so decided to do the Orange Sella Ronda route. Whilst I enjoyed it and there were without doubt so some great runs, there were too many cruisey track sections for my taste so not sure it is something I would do again. Sadly forgot the camera so no photos. The signposting in and around Selva leaves a lot to be desired and the link down into the village is a black run, the alternative being a short side step up to the Gondola which will take you down. Next to this is the Sasslong Men's downhill which we ended up doing by accident. The run starts off black (and rightly so) then splits into red and black forks. We took the red route and it's fabulous, well worth doing.
Day 4 more heavy snow and poor visibility so kept to the tree lined runs and easier slopes.
Day 5 Perfect conditions and headed in the direction of the Marmolada glacier and the slopes around Passo Pordoi. Red 1 from the top of the gondola is a great run though the pistes in this area are more challenging, particularly those down into Arabba itself. The Marmolada glacier is well worth doing, however we decided not to this year due to knee problems on the part of my OH. It's worth noting that the slopes in this area are very exposed so not advisable in poor weather (speaking from a whiteout experience last year!)
The final day also gave us perfect conditions and we covered a huge area over the course of the day. The tree-lined Dantercepies run into Selva is a must do (there is also a nice looking black running parallel to this which is on my list for next year).
The Colfosco area also has some great reds.
Overall the Dolomites has something for everyone, from the easy blues and tree-lined reds of Corvara to the steep reds and blacks of Arabba itself. We have been twice and have still only explored a fraction of what's on offer. The lift pass also covers areas such as Cortina which are a short drive away, giving even more variety should you get bored with the hundreds of km of lift-linked pistes. Looking forward to ten days in January to explore more of this beautiful area.