Val Gardena

The main villages of the region lie in the valley: Selva Gardena (Wolkenstein), Santa Cristina (St. Christina) and Ortisei (St. Ulrich). Selva Gardena, set picturesquely at 1,563 m at the foot of the majestic Sella massif, has a reputation as one of the leading ski resorts in the Alps. It has the best snow conditions in the whole of Val Gardena. You can literally ski to your hotel door. From Selva you can reach the famous Sella Ronda, a 26 km scenic circuit around the Sella massif that can be skied either clockwise or anticlockwise. Selva Gardena has kept the character of a mountain village, although modern hotels and apartments stand next to the traditional buildings. Its après-ski scene is probably the liveliest in the valley. Santa Cristina and Ortisei are somewhat quieter. Santa Cristina (St. Christina) lies on a sunny terrace at 1,428 m, at the foot of the Sassolungo. Its position right next to the Monte Pana, Ciampinoi, Col Raiser and Seceda lifts gives easy access to the slopes. Ortisei (St. Ulrich), at 1,236 m, is a pretty mountain town with a trading tradition and a rich history, and it is the cultural centre of the valley. Its skiing is somewhat more modest than in the other villages. From Ortisei a chairlift takes you to the longest piste in the region, the Seceda (9 km long). The old centre, with its pedestrian zone, is a pleasant place for a stroll and some shopping. There is also an interesting local museum. A free ski bus runs between the villages of the valley, and they are now also linked by the "Gardena Ronda Express", an underground railway more than a kilometre long running from the Saslong slope in Santa Cristina to the Col Raiser and Seceda areas on the other side of the valley. Thanks to this investment you can get from Ortisei to Selva Gardena and then onto the Sella Ronda pistes without taking a bus or car. The railway has a capacity of 2,000 people per hour. The Val Gardena ski area has excellent infrastructure. The variety of pistes can make anyone's head spin, whatever their ability and skiing preferences. Thrill seekers are drawn to the challenging slopes on which Alpine champions battle for victory in races. There are also many pistes for purely leisurely skiing. One of the most picturesque is the 3 km run known as the Dreier, which starts from Ciampinoi. The famous skiing highlight is the Sellaronda. Skiing the 26 km of this exceptionally scenic circuit takes a whole day, and you need to plan your stops carefully so as to make the last lift in time. The circuit runs in two directions: clockwise and anticlockwise. Skiing the Sellaronda is a must for most of the more competent skiers who visit Val Gardena. For snowboarders, besides dozens of kilometres of pistes of varying difficulty (including freeride terrain), there are boardercross courses on Passo Sella (Grohmann-Cavazes chairlift) and in the Comici/Piz Sella area, and natural halfpipes by the Sotsaslong lift and in the Alpe di Siusi area (Laurin chairlift). Val Gardena also offers excellent cross-country skiing (100 km of trails of varying difficulty). The trails with the finest views are Vallunga near Selva Gardena, Monte Pana near Santa Cristina, and Alpe di Siusi. Just as the skiing here is plentiful, so is the choice of other sports (including ice climbing, paragliding, horse riding, skating, tennis, squash and swimming).