Ski holidays in Arabba - Italy

Ski holidays in Arabba - Six lifts depart in two groups of three from Arabba making queues almost unheard of. A two stage gondola and a single span cable car head up to Porta Vescovo and access both the Marmolada glacier and the 26km (17 mile) Sella Ronda circuit heading clockwise via the Passo Pordoi. The third lift, a chair, reaches Portados at the top of the treeline. The runs back down to Arabba from this sector include some steep reds and blacks. Above the village two chairs and a drag serve gentler wide sunny slopes protected by snow making. The chair to Bec de Roces accesses a run down to Passo Campolongo from where you can carry on to Alta Badia's Corvara and San Cassiano on the anti-clockwise route around the Sella Ronda.

For beginners the nursery slopes are right by the village and, thanks to snow making, high elevation and an overall good snow record, this area is normally open throughout the winter. Intermediates inevitably have the most to enjoy, with few areas in the world able to offer the wonderful sense of lift-served touring right over to Selva in Val Gardena and back so long as you ensure you start out early and don't leave your return too late. Both this epic journey on skis and the Sella Ronda circuit all the way round can be completed in a day by a reasonable intermediate skier on blues (mostly) and a few reds.

An interesting new route, the 'Great War Tour' takes in places in the area of significance to the Italian Resistance of World War One, including the beautiful natural gorge of Serrai. Apart from the huge choice of skiing lift linked around the Sella Ronda, the Dolomiti Superski Pass covers yet more skiing a short bus ride away, including the 80km (50 miles) of mixed terrain above neighbouring Alleghe. Experts have some of the best skiing in the Dolomites in Arabba. The north facing Porta Vescovo runs have legendary snow conditions after a good fall, with a particularly challenging long black beneath the cable car.

The World Cup run on the other side of the area down to La Villa is another on most good skiers' 'must do' list and the trip over to Selva also gives access to the Val Gardena World Cup downhill if not closed off for training. The Marmolada glacier is another option, and off piste routes such as the famous Hidden Valley run from the top of Sella down Valmesdi to Colfosco is not for the faint hearted.

If all that's not enough there's always the heli-skiing offered through the ski school.

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