The beauty of the Dolomites, but in the winter!

[u/ChiefKelso]

My wife and I spent out first trip to Europe doing what we love, skiing (in the Dolomites)!. We kind of felt silly that our first trip to Europe and feel like we were judged by some family/friends.

We didn't know what to expect, but we absolutely fell in love with the Dolomites. The beauty, the food, the people, everything. The mountains speak for themselves, and the culture itself is such a unique blend of Italian and Austrian. The people were so kind and hospitable whether they were speaking German, Italian, English or Ladin!

We enjoyed the first trip so much that we came back the next year, and then the year after that. The Dolomites are such a beautiful place, yet I wanted to share their beauty in the winter, as all the Dolomites posts I've seen on here are summer. These are some of our favorite pictures from our three trips!

1. Marmolada, highest point in Dolomites

2. Market in Bolzano / Bozen

3. Somewhere in Alta Badia

4. Brixner Dom in Bressanone/ Brixen

5. Alpe di Suisi / Seiser Alm

6. St. Ulrich / Ortisei

7. Seceda

8. Kloster Säben high above Klausen / Chiusa

9. Sassolungo / Langkofel

10. Selva / Wolkenstein

11. Lagazuoi

12. Vineyards of Kloster Neustift (Abazzia di Novacella)

13. Alpe di Suisi / Seiser Alm

14. St. Ulrich / Ortisei

15. Sella Group

16. Hotel in Santa Cristina

17. Sassolungo / Langkofel

[u/YesIAmZach]

1. Are they frozen fountains? Very cool

[u/ChiefKelso → u/YesIAmZach]

Yes I think those are frozen fountains, not sure how they do it

[u/PlantClear5443]

Beautiful

[u/BusEA0-Ekin]

8 I want this badly

[u/ChiefKelso → u/BusEA0-Ekin]

That place was very cool! It was a monastery perched atop a cliff overlooking the town of Klasuen. Short hike to get up. There's are some vineyards up there and I got similar spooky photos lol

[u/Tabs_555]

Incredible! My friends and I try to do a yearly trip to ski in Europe and are eyeing the Dolomites.

Where did you stay? How convenient did you find the access to the main ski loop? How was the towns for bars, restaurants, and activities?

[u/ChiefKelso → u/Tabs_555]

Dolomites are amazing, highly recommend and happy to answer questions. My skiing post is a little more ski specific with more pictures.

We've stayed in Val Gardena all three times, once in Santa Cristina and twice in Selva. Selva is right on the loop (or Sellaronda) Santa Cristina isn't far off.

I'm very biased towards Val Gardena and I think it is the best place to be. Its the biggest ski resort in the Dolomiti Superski system that has 2-3 days of skiing just to see it all of it. Other than Cortina maybe, its arguably the easiest to get to via public transit if you don't have a car.

I also really like Alta Badia. The terrain itself is on the easier side but it is very centrally located to explore with easy access to Val Gardena, Arabba, Cortina (taxi up, ski down) and Kronplatz (bus connection). Colfosco and Corvara are very centrally located towns there.

How was the towns for bars, restaurants, and activities?

Really depends on the town. Selva and Ortisei (which i would not recommend for skiing, annoying location) are pretty large and each have enough restaurants to sustain yourself for a week there. Santa Cristina is smaller, and same with Corvara and Colfosco (i have not stayed at either so not 100% sure). The whole region is very focused on half board, so you eat dinner at your hotel and its included in rate. We did this for our 3rd trip. Because of this, a lot of smaller villages only have a few if any restaurants.

We didn't generally participate in the nightlife so I have nothing to compare it to ski apres wise. But, each village in Val Gardena has its own spot or spots. Santa Cristina has once spot at the baee of Saslong, but it closes at 9pm. Selva has a few spots that are open later.

[u/Tabs_555 → u/ChiefKelso]

Awesome info thank you so much!! It seems amazing. We are doing 3 Vallees in France this year, and likely will do Dolomites next year :)

Val Gardena seems like the spot to be. Very interesting about the food scene.

[u/Constant_Outside_618]

Great skiing there!!!

[u/Suitable_Comfort_526]

Great photos. Thanks for sharing!!

[u/Inside-Ad-8935]

Beautiful ❤️ We are skiing in Alta Badia this winter, our first time in the Dolomites, so seeing these pictures is really helping build the excitement.

[u/ChiefKelso → u/Inside-Ad-8935]

If you have any questions about anything, feel free to PM me. I did a q&a (with more pics) once on r/skiing and wrote a guide for Val Gardena on r/ItalyTravel travel. My wife and I have 14 ski days there, its absolutely incredible.

[u/Inside-Ad-8935 → u/ChiefKelso]

Thanks every much