Arabba (and Corvara)

It took me about 10 hours to travel to the location. That's with all the breaks, and I like to stop for coffee and lunch. With coffee to go and sandwiches in hand, they say you can make it in 9 hours. The road is straight until the last 80km when the ascent up the mountain begins. The hotel was between two ski resorts, Arabba (good) and Corvara (top-notch), which are 10km apart and belong to the Dolomites.

Ski pass, 6 days - €363

Ski pass, 3 days - €206

Ski pass, 1 day - €72

The regular ski pass covers an area of 1200km of slopes, including the famous Sella Ronda tour. It's a circuit around the mountain and totals 42km of intertwined red and blue slopes. This mileage includes lifts, so it's not that daunting. Around Arabba, there are a decent number of blue slopes, and Corvara has even more, making the area suitable for beginners.

Ski instructor for one person per hour in Arabba - €45. (Corvara is slightly more expensive)

Ski instructor for two people per hour in Arabba - €64. (Corvara is slightly more expensive)

At some places, you can also get a half-day ski pass. At the Passo Campolongo (near my hotel), it costs €25, and it's valid either from 9 am to 1 pm or from 12 pm to 4 pm, but it only applies to the slopes belonging to that part of the mountain. It's ideal for me when I know I won't ski all day. I ski until 12:45, then go back up to the top and have coffee, lunch, read, and around 2 or 3, I come back down. On most lifts, there's also a price for a single ride ticket, which is €5-7. Gondolas are more expensive (up to €17). It's useful if you don't feel like skiing that day but would like to have coffee in the clouds with a view of the scenery.

Ski equipment for 6 days (skis + boots) - €80

The slopes are groomed, wide, there are no narrow passages, they're decently marked, and there are plenty of them, so it's not crowded. My impression is that people are polite and excellent skiers. I had one spectacular fall on my face, with the tip of the ski stuck in the snow, after which a kid about 4 years old, who skis like he was born on the snow, approached me and asked if I needed help. A gentleman. My hotel was 800m from the lift, which is not an easy task with boots on and skis in hand, but the hotel has a shuttle minibus that runs from the lift to the hotel continuously from opening to closing, except for lunch break from 11 am to 1 pm, but even then, it's available upon request. Hats off to the hotel and condolences to the driver who drives 800m back and forth for 6-7 hours.

Accommodation is like anywhere else. It depends on how much you pay. My hotel, Sella Ronda Apart Hotel, is on the main road. I won't go into prices and room appearance; you can find all that on booking.com. In short, I liked it. There's also a ski room in the basement, decent, spacious, with boot warmers, everything. Breakfast and dinner are optional, at an extra cost. I don't eat breakfast before hitting the slopes, and for dinner, I planned to explore the local cuisine (you'll read why), so I don't know how the hotel food is.

I know there's a spa. The spa has two saunas, two hot tubs, two cabins with jets of either cold or hot water, as you wish. Everything you need. The only thing is, I can't shake off the feeling that it was designed by a former pro skier who knows very well what's needed for recovery after a full day on the slopes but doesn't value relaxation and hedonism too much. Everything is functional, but it's not a place where I wanted to spend a few hours, read a book, have coffee, and I usually like that. Plus, it only opens at 3 pm, so even if it's snowing all day, and there's no skiing, you have to wait until the afternoon. The loungers are okay, there aren't too many, and it's pretty dark. As soon as I complain about this, it means I had a good time.

I advise that you book the accommodation in advance, which I didn't do, then you'll have the opportunity to be right in the center of one of the two villages, which means a lot. Arabba is good, but if you can choose, go for Corvara. It's nestled in the valley, everything is made of wood, there are many restaurants, shops, markets, it's lively, and you can walk everywhere. A true mountain town. It might be a bit more expensive, but if you can afford Arabba, you probably can afford Corvara too. When you're not in town center, after 6 pm, you're dead, unless you start the car. It took me 3 minutes to get to one village, 10 to the other, but that's not the point. The problem is that after skiing, spending time in the spa, and having a hearty meal, the only impulse you have is to lie in bed and munch on tons of chips, which is a shame because picturesque Corvara is just around the corner. Not to mention if someone in the group doesn't ski, or if you have small children.

Not everyone, but almost everyone in the villages works two shifts. So, if by any chance you're not on the slopes and think you'll grab coffee at a café or have a late breakfast/early lunch, it won't happen unless you sit in a hotel. (now that one lift for €5 makes more sense)

That's it regarding the basics. Highly recommended.

Skiing from a different perspective

Arabba belongs to the Veneto region, but if you were to explore Corvara, which is in northeastern Italy, you would find out that it belongs to South Tyrol. Tyrol is in Austria. I'm not giving geography lessons; I'm just showing how much influence Austrian culture has on the region. Whether the locals view it positively or not, I don't know, but I know it contributes to serious diversity in food and drink, and I love both.

Pizzas and pastas are commendable, no need to waste words. It's said that at least one Buffalo margarita is eaten daily. Whatever they are, pasta can never impress me as much as meat, so I'll switch to specialties I'm more competent to talk about.

UThe Austrian influence brought dumplings. These are bread dumplings that can be served in soup, which is okay, but it's incomparable to when they're served with goulash. They come in various flavors: cheese, spinach, ham. On the first day, I ordered them with ham and ate them until the end of the trip. People say that cheese and spinach are equally good. Back to goulash. Goulash came through the influence of Hungary, through Austria, to this part of Italy. Thanks for traveling so far. It's beef, made with paprika, onions, and other spices. The meat is so tender it can be cut with a fork. It's served with polenta, bread, or dumplings. Take the dumplings and try this Austro-Hungarian specialty in Italy. You won't go wrong. When you're having goulash, try Lagrein with it. It's a local variety of red wine that is full-bodied enough not to overshadow the intense flavor of goulash. On the contrary, they go hand in hand fantastically.

As for dessert, as someone who mostly doesn't like sweets, I didn't explore much. I just wanted to try apple strudel because it's listed everywhere as one of the most famous local desserts. It's great. Soft, juicy, sprinkled with cinnamon, and usually served with vanilla sauce. Some places offer sauce, some ice cream. So, ice cream. With strudel, they offered me white wines, Gewurztraminer and Riesling. They described Gewurztraminer as sweeter, which pairs well with strudel, and Riesling as less sweet, bringing a mix of flavors. I chose Riesling.

Speck is local smoked ham. It's everywhere, in all forms, and it's very good. In a piece at the market, plastic-wrapped at the market, with scrambled eggs, in dumplings, in pasta, on pizza. The only dessert with speck I haven't seen, but if I had, I would try it.

Il Bombardino! It's not from the region; it's from Lombardy, but everyone on the slopes drinks it. As you can see, it's interestingly looking, and the story of how it originated is even more interesting. Supposedly, in the seventies, a group of skiers who were freezing burst into a bar and asked for a drink to warm up. The bar owner was a decent guy, so he didn't make them tea but mixed what he had on hand - whiskey, zabaglione (egg-based cream), and milk. He heated everything nicely and served it. The skiers tried it and exclaimed "una bomba". Il Bombardino was born. It's served warm, topped with whipped cream, and there are variations like Kalimero (with a shot of espresso), Pirata (rum instead of brandy), and Scottish (with Scottish whiskey, smoky flavors). Honestly, I don't like it, but it's worth trying because of the story.

As for apres-ski activities, I mostly stuck to food and drink, but I didn't miss going to Moritzino, they say it's the most famous bar in the valley. I arrived around 3pm when the party was starting and left around 6:30pm when it was already dark. Lots of cheerful people, good drinks, energetic DJ, and the feeling that you're at a party at 2100 meters. Not bad. If you overdo it, you don't have to ski back; the gondola runs until 7 pm.

I went on this skiing trip in mid-January. In other words, it happened that the temperature dropped to minus 15, and yet, sometimes, when I was at a slope café, I would drink coffee outside because the sun was scorching. January is tricky also because of snowing, but I was lucky in that regard. One day it was snowing, and it was terrible because it started around 4 in the morning, just when the snow groomer finished grooming the slopes. By around 10, the slopes looked like there was a giant molehill every meter and a half. I spent the whole morning in the café watching people fall.

That's it. Next time, Corvara.