Winter vacation in a stunning World Heritage Site

Val Gardena presents Dolomite classics


Spectacular World Cup downhill events on the famous Saslong piste, romantic sunsets at Col Raiser or the legendary Sella Ronda ski tour. Winter in Val Gardena – experience the beautiful Dolomites, awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO, at their best. Gardena offers imposing, classic mountainscape and the world's greatest ski carousel as well as lots of history, culture, gastronomic delights and plenty of room for solitary excursions into the quiet, snowy landscape. A winter vacation for everyone.

One of the best skiing areas within one of the world's most beautiful mountain regions. The fascination of this dream landscape is underlined by the fact that UNESCO has recently awarded the Dolomites the internationally renowned title of World Heritage Site. Val Gardena with its three charming valley communities of Ortisei, S. Cristina and Selva conveys the whole splendor of this World Heritage Site landscape: a winter sports resort within a mountain range which also features one of the world's premium skiing areas. There are 175 kilometers of ski slopes in Gardena alone. An absolute novelty in the winter of 2011 is the cable railway of Ortisei on Raschötz which replaces the chair lift, providing an alternative route to the Seceda gondola and the ski carousel of “Gherdëina skiring”. We have the full range – from gentle hills for relaxed pleasure-seekers to steep slopes to challenge serious skiers. But that is not all: the link to the famous Sella Ronda, complete with lifts and slopes all around Sellastock, offers 500 kilometers of interconnected pistes including directly accessible neighboring skiing areas. A giant ski circuit, only surpassed by the world of Dolomiti Superski which had its origins in Val Gardena and offers skiers over 1,200 kilometers of slopes. 115 kilometers of cross-country skiing round out the package. The ultimate skiing pleasure. This is also confirmed by test results on Germany's largest winter sport portals such as snow-online.de which conducted an extensive community-wide check of skiing regions, placing Val Gardena first overall as well as awarding it maximum ratings in the categories "Extent of skiing area", "Piste grooming", "Service and signage" and "Attractions for advanced skiers"; another portal, skigebiete-test.de, rates Val Gardena as the TOP skiing region for beginners and families.

At the end of an exciting day in the mountains the valley offers attractions of its own. The ski resorts have traffic-free zones with a variety of shopping and leisure opportunities: vinotheques, boutiques, cozy cafés and galleries presenting examples of the arts and crafts which Val Gardena is also famous for. The ART 52 exhibition in Ortisei, open all year round, shows carvings and paintings by 52 born-and-bred Val Gardena artists. The UNIKA gallery presents individually crafted works of local sculptors as well as daily carving demonstrations.

At Christmastime, the Christmas market with nativity exhibition invites you to taste some delicacies from South Tyrol and presents an opportunity to shop for typical Ladin Christmas presents. Toboggan runs, sleigh rides or a visit to the Mardolomit water park in Ortisei offer plenty of entertainment, and the Val Gardena cuisine has its own attractions: traditional inns with local specialties as well as Italian gourmet restaurants, all serving top-quality South Tyrol wines. Here, you are sure to find everything your heart desires.

A top skiing area, beautiful landscapes, cultural and sporting highlights, a choice of attractive leisure activities and gourmet cuisine: Val Gardena is fast establishing itself as a mountain village with lifestyle appeal, without losing its culture, language and cozy charm. Guaranteed snow despite climate change, above-average sunshine hours, skiing for all levels of difficulty, easy access and new traffic-calmed zones in all three villages make Val Gardena the perfect choice for a great, stress-free winter vacation for all the family. It is hardly surprising that Val Gardena is a member of "Leading Mountain Resorts of the World" – a network of resorts renowned for exceptional quality.

Val Gardena and the Dolomite classics, ingredients of a dream vacation

Sella Ronda

A skier's paradise and pure enjoyment. This is Sella Ronda, the world-famous skiing and snowboarding circuit all around the Sella massif. A skiing tour with breathtaking views of the Dolomites, with 26 kilometers of slopes, romantic huts and spectacular viewpoints – all with a single Skipass. Sella Ronda is accessible via Selva, S. Cristina and Ortisei, and the circuit can be easily completed in a day. Passo Gardena, Passo Sella, Cir peaks and Sassolungo are just some of the spectacular highlights awaiting you on this tour.

Saslong

The Saslong is one of the great legends of alpine skiing. Each year, a few days before Christmas, it provides the setting of one of the world's most important and spectacular downhill skiing events. Starting point is the mountain station of Ciampioni above Wolkenstein. Wide, well-groomed slopes invite you to follow the tracks of all-time skiing greats like Bernhard Russi, Hermann Maier and Bode Miller, down across the famous "camel humps" and the Ciaslat, ending at the valley station of St Christina. With a total of 3.4 kilometers and an altitude difference of 839 meters this one is a must – and thanks to well-groomed pistes not just for expert skiers.

Col Raiser and Seceda (2518 meters)

The mountain viewpoint of Val Gardena. The marvelous broad southern slope with its wide, open pistes is reached by cablecar from Ortisei or S. Cristina. Pure skiing enjoyment awaits. The special attraction of Col Raiser/Seceda is the almost omnipresent panoramic view of Val Gardena and the peaks Sassolungo, Sassopiatto and Sella. And if you just cannot get enough of these spectacular views, why not stay at Hotel Col Raiser, a luxury wellness hotel situated in immediate vicinity of the cablecar mountain station. You will be right next to the pistes and experience spectacular sunsets high above the valley.

Grödnerjoch & Dantercepies

The journey on the Dantercepies cablecar up from Selva to Passo Gardena (at 2,121 meters) is not just part of the Sella Ronda experience. It is also one of the most beautiful locations of the entire valley. Here, embedded between the Sella massif in the south with its bizarre rock faces and the Cir peaks in the north, you can enjoy spectacular views across the valley, with Sassolungo opposite. The run leading back to Selva has historic connotations. Over 100 years ago, this was the venue for the world's first skiing event in Val Gardena. Right from the start, this Dolomite valley has led the way with its ski lifts, slopes and winter sport attractions.

Gardena Skiring World Cup 1970

Follow the tracks of skiing aces Rosi Mittermaier and Gustav Thöni. Over 40 years ago history was made in Val Gardena, at the Skiing World Cup. In a day tour, starting off at either Ortisei, St Christina or Selva, you can follow the tracks of the 1970 World Cup competitors and feel like one of the all-time stars of the skiing world.



Highlights

From 4 December, the first day of the season, right through to late spring, Val Gardena offers top-level events and attractions, from the Downhill World Cup on the Saslong on 17/18 December to the snow-sculpting competition in Selva from 27-30 December, the ice-sculpting competition from 10-14 January, the snowshoe race on Monte Pana on 23 January, leading up to the grand season finale – the South Tyrol Gardenissima, the longest giant slalom (6 km) race in Europe, on 3 April 2011.



Dolomiti Superskipass, perfectly groomed runs, state-of-the-art lifts, new hotel complexes as well as family-run guest houses, an attractive après-ski scene, wellness facilities, a generous amount of sunshine days, and all within easy reach - it is hardly surprising that Val Gardena is one of the most popular winter sport resorts in the entire Alpine region.



Further informations

Val Gardena / Gröden Marketing

Str. Dursan, 80/c

I-39047 St. Christina, Gardena

Tel. +39 0471 777777

Fax +39 0471 792235

info@valgardena.it

www.valgardena.it