Free Ski in Maso Corto over the May Day weekend: ski pass included, free kids' equipment and an ice cave trip
At the end of the season you can ski in Maso Corto practically for free. The spring Free Ski offer means that when you book a stay, the ski pass is included in the package price. Children up to 14 can also use ski equipment free of charge, and the programme includes a trip to an ice cave on the Val Senales glacier.
The Alpin Arena Senales ski resort in Maso Corto in the Val Senales valley is one of those places in the Alps where the ski season lasts exceptionally long. In spring, when many resorts have already closed, you can still ski the high pistes on the Hochjochferner glacier here. This year a Free Ski offer has been put together, valid from 11 April to 10 May. Book a week's stay at the Aparthotel Maso Corto and you get a seven-day ski pass included in the package price. Extra attractions are planned for guests during this period too, including a trip to an ice cave.
Ski pass included in the aparthotel stay
The Free Ski offer in Maso Corto works on a simple principle. Book a week's stay at the Aparthotel Maso Corto and you get the ski pass included in the package price. In the 2026 season the promotion runs from 11 April to 10 May, practically until the resort closes. Prices start at €590 per person and cover seven nights and a seven-day ski pass. This is an important detail, because in many Alpine ski packages the ski pass covers only six days of skiing. Here you can use the lifts on the last day of your stay as well and only set off home in the afternoon.
The Free Ski offer in Maso Corto also includes something that will particularly interest families with children. During the promotional weeks children up to the age of 14 can use ski equipment free of charge. A complete set of skis, boots, poles and helmet is available on site.
The end of the season on the Val Senales glacier has a character of its own. In the morning the pistes are hard and fast, there is more sunshine during the day and the slopes are noticeably quieter than during the winter school holidays. That is exactly why many skiers choose Maso Corto in spring, treating the trip as a symbolic end to the season.
A trip to an ice cave on the border of Italy and Austria
One of the more interesting attractions prepared for guests during the Free Ski weeks is a trip to an ice cave in the glacier. It lies on the Austrian side, near the border with Italy, and can be reached from the upper part of the Val Senales resort. The trip is guided and is open to guests staying in Maso Corto while the promotion runs.
The route crosses high-alpine glacier terrain. Depending on conditions, participants can go on touring skis or snowshoes, and if the spring sun has already melted some of the snow, it is also possible to walk in ordinary hiking boots. The way there takes about an hour and is not very demanding, so families with children often choose it too.
At the cave there is time to rest and take photos, because the cave itself is very impressive. The inside of the glacier has a distinctive blue colour, and the light coming in through cracks in the ice creates natural illumination. The whole trip usually takes a few hours and can be treated as a break from skiing or as a quieter day during a week on the Val Senales glacier.
May Day on the glacier and a training piste for the world's top skiers
The end of the season in Maso Corto has one more advantage. In spring the resort is calmer than in midwinter, while you can still ski very well groomed pistes on the Hochjochferner glacier. For many skiers this is the moment to simply ski without the crowds and finish the season in full sunshine.
Maso Corto is, in fact, well known in the world of competitive skiing. Right next to the lift station is the Leo Gurschler piste, where national teams and the world's best racers train before the season. The Norwegian and United States teams come here, among others, and names such as Marco Odermatt and Mikaela Shiffrin appear at training sessions. Polish racers also use the glacier to prepare for World Cup races.
For skiers coming over the May Day weekend it is a nice thought that they are skiing where the world's best racers trained a few months earlier. That is why Maso Corto has long been regarded as one of the major training centres in the Alps. Combined with the spring Free Ski offer, this gives the end of the season on the Val Senales glacier a unique character, and for many people it becomes their traditional last ski trip of the year.
Agnieszka Kaszuba / skionline.pl