Aparthotel Maso Corto: new features and a familiar atmosphere beneath the glacier
Maso Corto is an address that needs no introduction for skionline.pl readers. This is where we always start the season. It is set at the foot of the glacier in the Val Senales valley. Nor does Aparthotel Maso Corto need any introduction: in the 2025/26 season it offers new apartments, an improved ski room and the tried and tested atmosphere of a place where everyone feels at home.
A familiar place, a new season
Maso Corto is an address our readers have known for years. The skionline team comes back here regularly: for ski tests, during the winter school holidays, at Christmas and for the first runs of the autumn. It is here, in the Val Senales valley, that the season starts earlier than in other resorts, and the snow holds out until the May Day long weekend at the start of May.
Right in the centre of the village, just below the glacier cable car, stands Aparthotel Maso Corto, a family hotel run by the Platzgummer family, who have put their hearts and their daily work into the place. This season brings a few important changes. The hotel has new family apartments, and the modern ski room, open since last winter, has been adapted even better to guests' needs. Add to that the familiar features: the Skifactory rental shop, a sauna, a swimming pool and a restaurant.
New apartments: more space, light and comfort
The biggest novelty of the 2025/26 season is the new family apartments, which the hotel designed with skiers staying for longer in mind. More space, a practical layout and better soundproofing. The interiors are simple and modern, with plenty of wood and natural fabrics. The bathrooms now also feature natural stone from the valley. The hexagonal windows typical of the hotel open onto views of the forests and snow-capped peaks of the Val Senales valley. The lighting and furniture layout have also been changed, so the rooms are brighter and more family-friendly. It is an important step towards a modern standard while keeping the character of the place.
A new outdoor sauna: mountain views and quiet after skiing
A novelty that regulars are sure to like is the outdoor sauna with mountain views. It stands right next to the main building, in a quieter part of the hotel grounds, away from the entrance and the bustle. From the outside it looks like a small wooden hut, but inside it smells of cedar, and a panoramic window looks out over the slopes and the Val Senales valley.
It works best in the late afternoon. Inside it is warm, quiet and cosy. You can sit on the top bench, look out through the glass and watch the piste bashers heading out onto the slopes. The sauna is open late and must be booked in advance.
The hotel also has a new gym. The equipment is simple but sufficient: treadmills, bikes, dumbbells, a small multi-gym, a functional training set and a few pieces of stretching equipment. It is ideal for a short morning warm-up before heading to the slopes or for a relaxed workout in the afternoon.
The restaurant: tried and tested flavours and an atmosphere that needs no change
Nothing has changed here. And that is a good thing. The hotel restaurant and pizzeria have run to the same rhythm for years, with the same team in the kitchen. This is one of those cases where no change is the best news.
Guests can still count on solid Italian classics: pasta, gnocchi, risotto and local South Tyrolean dishes such as dumplings, polenta and venison goulash. The pizzeria serves thin-crust pizza from the oven, made to the same recipe as for years. Local wine and homemade tiramisu round off the evening after skiing.
In the evenings the restaurant has a friendly buzz. Skiers from Poland, Germany and Italy meet here, swap opinions about the pistes and plan the next day. The staff know most guests by name, and the atmosphere is more like a mountain home than a hotel dining room.
Skifactory and the ski room: equipment, servicing and convenience
Since last season Aparthotel Maso Corto has had a completely new ski room. It is a large, heated space with a modern boot-drying system, direct access to the slopes and a separate entrance from the Skifactory side. For families and groups this makes life much easier, because you can leave your equipment, dry it overnight and set off in the morning without chaos or carrying skis halfway through the hotel.
Next to the ski room is the Skifactory Maso Corto rental shop, which stocks the latest Blizzard ski models. In the 2025/26 season it will also have test skis from next year's collections. That is an option for those who want to try new equipment before its launch. Skifactory also has longer opening hours at weekends, as the service desk is open until late in the evening, so you can have your equipment adjusted after dinner without rushing.
After skiing: yoga, snowshoes and mountain stories
When the skiing is over, hotel life does not slow down. This season Lisa’s Mindful Place is open again, a space created by the owners' daughter, Lisa Platzgummer. She runs yoga, relaxation and sound bath sessions with Tibetan singing bowls. Participants meet in a small room with a view of the mountains, and when the weather allows, the sessions take place outdoors.
The owners' son, David Platzgummer, runs winter activities for guests: snowshoe outings, technique training and group walks in the valley. It is an excellent option for days when the weather on the glacier is unpredictable, as you can then discover the area from a different angle.
Everyone here knows Sepp Platzgummer. The host and former ski instructor is at the hotel every day. He takes guests on gentle walks in the valley and the mountains: he shows them old shepherds' tracks and places that are safe in bad weather, talks about how the glacier is changing and where to climb to see it from a different angle. He also has plenty of interesting stories to tell about the history of the region.
Who Maso Corto suits this season
New apartments, a refined ski room and an unchanging atmosphere make Aparthotel Maso Corto in the 2025/26 season a place for anyone who values comfort, simplicity and being close to the slopes. Families get space and convenience, skiers get quick access to the gondola and well-organised facilities, and everyone gets reliable snow and a friendly atmosphere.
It is a place without needless frills, but with people who truly love the mountains. For years this is where skionline.pl has started its season, and this year nothing about that tradition has changed.
Agnieszka Kaszuba / skionline.pl