J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Wanderer

In my view, you can not do better than Selva. It is a fantastic vast area. Absolutely beautiful with great food and lovely people. The area has nearly 100% snowmaking and great maintenance so pistes should be good almost regardless of when it snows. Possibly not great for off-piste but I am not sure your other options are any better.

Had a week in Passo Tonale at the end of January/early February. IT had not snowed for a while but pistes were in good condition - hard packed for nice fast cruising.

On the first day, we pretty much skied all the runs in Passo Tonale itself. This is a high bowl with mainly nice wide reds but one nice black. Red 20 is a lovely long red but, be warned, there is a short steep narrow bit near the end that can catch out the more timid.

On day 2 we headed down to the linked Ponte de Legna area. Its a long road run down to the area. We skied to an old 2-man chair which brings you up the mountain but from there the only option is a (not too difficult) black. There are other options to get you to the main area, e.g. take the gondola down from the top or mid-station. This is a lovely area with a nice variety of mainly red and black tree-lined runs. The views are beautiful. It was also very quiet any time we were there - I am guessing that its lack of blues makes it unattractive for beginners.

The village in Passo Tonale is not terribly interesting. There are a few loud disco bars and little else outside of the hotels. We did find one lovely little bar - Cafe Monticello - which became our base for apres-ski weissbiers most days.

Crystal organised a day trip to Madonna di Campiglio. It was about an hours drive but was well worth doing. Its a much larger area and we found loads of vert nice skiing over there.

Overall, Passo is not the biggest area and you will have to be happy repeating runs. It is also quite exposed so wind can be a problem slowing down or even closing some of the higher lifts. The resort also seemed to allocate a significant amount of the mountain to ski clubs for race training. However, it does have a nice mix of runs which are a pleasure for high speed cruising for intermediates. Not a lot of challenging runs.

Hi. I have been a regular out of Dublin to the Dolomites for several years. We have flown into Munich, Venice and Bergamo on different occasions, usually hiring a car or booking a taxi. However, as you have correctly noted carhire is currently much more expensive than in past years as are taxi transfers. Crystal do package trips via Verona and offer some nice hotels in Selva. Provided you are not travelling at mid-term, these can be a good and fairly priced option.

The skiing in the area is magnificent, particularly for intermediates who love cruising. However, please note that Selva is not a brilliant option for beginners.

Nightlife is a bit more sedate that, say, Austria or even France. However, there are a few places in Selva with a bit of life. On the other hand, food is generally excellent and very reasonably priced and the people are lovely. I would highly recommend the area.

Skied there a few years ago around that time. The snow around Zell was fairly soft and not great especially later in the day or on south-facing slopes. However, it is a fairly short hop to the glacier in Kaprun where you should be guaranteed good conditions. Zell is a lovely town so I am sure you will enjoy your trip.

Just back from Val Gardena. Flying from Ireland so no test required either direction. Covid Cert and PLF required for flights in both directions. Green Pass (vaccination cert or recovered) still required (and asked for) in hotels, restaurants, bars, etc. Also required to buy lift pass with daily validation required - easy via the Dolomiti App. FFP2 masks are required on flights, public transport. They are also required on enclosed lifts - cable cars, gondolas or covered chairs. Lift staff were stopping people without masks or without the right type of mask, though enforcement on chairs seemed pretty relaxed (possibly stricter if the covers were being routinely used due to bad weather). The mask requirement on lifts was a bit of a nuisance but, in my opinion, a small price to pay to get skiing again.

The Italian Ministry for Health has now confirmed that, with effect from 1 February, there is no longer a requirement for a pre-arrival test when arriving from EU countries. However, no mention of UK so presumably this still applies in the case of arrivals from the UK.

https://www.salute.gov.it/portale/nuovocoronavirus/dettaglioNotizieNuovoCoronavirus.jsp?lingua=italiano&menu=notizie&p=dalministero&id=5780

I have also seen reports that Italy is dropping the pre-arrival test requirement if you are coming from another EU state but this does not appear to be reflected on the official websites yet. This will save us a few quid and a lot of hassle coming from Ireland :thumbup: .

Not at all clear whether this relaxation of the rules will apply to UK visitors :roll: .

Irish Department of Foreign Affairs is currently indicating that everyone over the age of 6 needs all of the following to enter Italy:

1. Passenger Locator Form: EU Digital Passenger Locator Form.
2. Covid-19 'green pass' or EU Digital Covid Certificate based on vaccination or recovery.
3. A negative antigen test (taken within 24 hours prior to arrival) or PCR test (taken within 48 hours prior to arrival).

FFP2 masks required on flights in/out and on public transport in Italy (and I think on gondolas and some lifts).