Dom Killinger, Author at InTheSnow

Ski areas come in all shapes and sizes and each has its own allure, yet few can compete with one very special, very different ski region in Italy – the Sellaronda – which you ski in South Tyrol. It may not be a name you have heard of. You’ll perhaps be familiar with some of the great Italian ski resorts famous for their competitive slopes, such as Val Gardena; or perhaps resorts famous for their accessible gourmet cuisine, such as Alta Badia. You will almost certainly have heard of the mighty Dolomites, one of the world’s most visually spectacular mountain ranges, which since 2009 has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Well, the Sellaronda is a skiable circuit that links all these great assets together. A network of modern high-speed lifts, running through the South Tyrol, and groomed runs encircle the vast Sella Massif, some 5km across, in a loop that totals around 40km, of which you ski about two-thirds, and ride the lifts for the remaining third. In fact, although it is rarely promoted as such, the Sellaronda’s circuit acts like the hub of a giant wheel, with ski valleys like Alta Badia and Val Gardena radiating off it. This means ultimately that you can ski much, much more on inter-connected runs; some estimate as much as 500km of piste are connected making it world top two for size. The whole area is covered by the Dolomiti Superski pass making all the connections seamless. The entire route is also covered by one of the world’s most comprehensive and effective snow-making systems, which means snow cover isn’t normally an issue from the very start to the very end of the season. But the main attraction focus, the main achievement sought by skiers or boarders based in one of the resorts on the Sellaronda, is to ski the circuit – a task that usually takes about 5 hours for an average skier enjoying themselves, rather than going at breakneck speed. That would hardly be in the spirit of the thing when you are skiing through such spectacular scenery, with the massive precipices of pink granite towering thousands of metres above you, it’s important to spend time enjoying that awe-inspiring scenery, and of course stopping half-way round for a relaxed lunch at one of the many affordable, high-quality, mountain restaurants that are dotted around the route. One famous fan of Sellaronda is former British Olympic skier, and current Ski Sunday presenter Graham Bell, who, despite his reputation as one of the country’s greatest skiers, takes that lunch stop very seriously. “The most important decision of the day is the lunch stop, as the region prides itself in having some of the best mountain restaurants in the Alps. The Alta Badia valley, which includes the towns of Colfosco and Corvara, has developed a network of Michelin-starred restaurants, which offer fabulous food on the mountain,” says Bell. “A favourite stop is the Ütia Jimmy, homemade grappa is a specialty of the house, but remember to you still have the long descent of the Dantercepies gondola to ski. Heading back to Selva in the other direction is the Rifugio Emilio Comici, run by the family of an old ski racing friend of mine, a larger than life character, Ivan Marzola. His family have been bringing fresh fish from their farm in Grado on the Adriatic coast to the refuge at 2154m since they opened in 1955.” When Bell talks about ”directions” around the Sellaronda he alludes to the main options of clockwise or anticlockwise. You do, of course, need to take different lifts depending on which way round you go, as while you ski down in one direction you ride up in the other. This can sometimes affect which restaurants you ski past, Ütia Jimmy is, for example, most easily accessed on the anticlockwise route. “The clockwise route, signposted orange, is generally considered quicker with more challenging slopes, but the green anticlockwise route, offers some stunning views and is often quieter,” advises Bell. “Part of the charm of the region is the mix of languages and cultures, Südtirol was part of Austria up until WW1 so German is spoken widely still in the region, however the old mountain language of Ladin is still used mostly by the locals. Signposts in the region are big, with three names for each town, Selva is also called Wolkenstein or Sëlva, Ortisei/St Ulrich or Urtijëi, and Val Gardena/Gröden, in Ladin Gherdëina.” The good thing is that as it’s a circuit you can base yourself anywhere on the Sellaronda, and start and finish in the same place. Because people are starting from different villages on the route each morning, and because you don’t have to set off at crack of dawn to make the circuit and all the lift connections to get back, there are not the usual bottlenecks experienced on some other famous runs, with everyone trying to ski the same route at once. “Over the years I have been lucky enough to stay in many places along the route of the Sellaronda, although my most regular stop is Selva in Val Gardena, home of the World Cup downhill race notorious for the legendary Camel Bumps (a challenging 70m jump for the pro-ski racers),” says Bell, who also highlights the fact that the Sellaronda’s route can be modified to suit your personal preferences. “The Saslong race piste is not actually part of the Sellaronda, but can be easily added to spice up the day, as can a detour back down to Selva from the top of the Ciampinoi mountain.” “It is possible to ski the whole route of the Sellaronda in both directions in a single day, but that defeats the purpose, which is stop and admire the stunning views on the way round. Massive craggy peaks of sheer rock dominate the skyline, rising seemingly impossibly from lower gentle foothills, the Dolomite mountain range is like nothing else in the Alps,” concludes Bell. “Just be careful you do not get a stiff neck from gazing upward too much when riding the chairlifts!”

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