Italy
The Zermatt Cervinia World Cup Downhill race will start in Switzerland and finish in Italy
Ed Mannix of the Zermatt-based Matterhorn Chalets talks to Iain Martin about the World Cup Downhill races taking place in Zermatt and Cervinia in October and November – the first time in FIS history a cross border competition has taken place
The winter season may be over but the Italian resort of Livigno opens for the summer on 11 June with a whole host of activities to suit individuals, groups and families, whether you are looking for competitive activities or simply fresh air, long walks and enjoyable picnics in the beautiful mountains surrounded by nature.
Keen runners and cyclists can choose between four events taking place in Val Gardena this summer.
The Italian resort, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has three main villages – Ortisei (1,236 m), Santa Cristina (1,428 m) and Selva di Val Gardena (1,563 m) – in the heart of the Dolomites. Between them they offer more than 600km of bike trails.
Cervinia has announced plans to open for summer skiing on the weekend of 25-26 June and then daily from the following weekend from 2 July to 4 September 2022.
Skiers and snowboarders have summer access to the year-round ski slopes of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise above Zermatt.
The Südtirol Gardenissima, which claims to be the most demanding Giant Slalom in the world, is back. It returns to the slopes for the 24th time, along with the Gardenissima Kids race, on 2 and 3 April 2022.
Recent new snowfalls have covered the valleys of Trentino in northern Italy. The Western ski resorts such as Brentonico, Monte Bondone, Paganella, the Madonna di Campiglio-Folgarida-Marilleva ski area, Passo Tonale and the eastern side of Trentino: San Martino di Castrozza, Val di Fiemme, Val di Fassa and Alpe Cimbra have all had new snow.
Courmayeur Mont Blanc will be hosting the 7th Mountain Gourmet Ski Experience from 17 to 20 March 2022.
The event, which is being run in collaboration with Grand Hotel Royal & Golf, was created by Momentum Ski’s Amin Momen and celebrity UK chef Heston Blumenthal. It has built up a reputation for attracting top chefs and this season’s line-up includes Michelin star chefs Tom Kerridge, Paul Ainsworth and renowned local-chef Paolo Griffa.
With covid travel restrictions now easing, more couples, friends, and families will be looking to go away together. But what do you do when there is a split between those who do ski and snowboard and those who don’t? Courmayeur Mont Blanc, in the Italian Alps has come up with some exciting suggestions.
New lifts will be among the improvements skiers and snowboarders will find in Cortina d’Ampezzo this season. The famous Italian resort in te Dolomites will open its lift system on 28 November 2020 and the last ski area on its piste map to close will be the Faloria on 5 May 2021, making once more Cortina the destination with the longest ski season in the Dolomites.
Skiers and snowboarders who love to visit Italy’s Alta Badia region during one of its food festivals, or just simply for great meals on the slopes, will be pleased to hear they are still on the menu this season with all the necessary measures needed to meet covid requirements.
With life being slower than usual and while we are not travelling yet, why not start getting inspired and take a look at the resorts which make Aosta Valley in Italy a skier’s paradise.
The Aosta Valley boasts spectacular scenery, world-class skiing and snowboarding, food of the highest quality and a history stretching back to Roman times. At the heart of the Alps and bordered by France and Switzerland, Aosta valley is surrounded by some of the highest peaks in Europe: Cervino, Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso and the king of them all, Mont Blanc.
The recently formed Mountains 4 All group, which advocates inclusive, accessible mountain tourism, has teamed up with Courmayeur to offer adaptive skiing with trained, specialist ski instructors at the Courmayeur Ski & Snowboard School and the Mont Blanc Ski School.
Trentino, the region of northern Italy that stretches from Lake Garda up into the Dolomites mountains, becomes a winter wonderland during the ski season with several ski resorts offering hundreds of kilometres of piste for beginners through to experts.
SKI 2 is offering Adventure Ski Weeks in Italy for youngsters who might think that they are too old for ski school.
Champoluc specialist ski tour operator Ski 2 is running the courses to those who ski very good parallel and are looking some high energy ski tuition.
AS THE season in Cortina d’Ampezzo draws to a close, skiers and snowboarders can still make the most of the fresh snowfalls which have created fabulous spring skiing conditions.
Anyone making last minute bookings to the Queen of the Dolomites, which claims to be Italy’s most fashionable resort, will be well rewarded.
DID you know that virtually all the mountain restaurants in Val Gardena offer visitors waiter service?
Try a bit of speck mit glas on the slopes of Val Gardena.
The sight of skiers and snowboarders trying to find a table while balancing a tray of self-service food and drink is very rare in this Italian resort located in the heart of the Italian Dolomites and Christina Demetz, from the tourist office says: “It’s a remarkable feature of the Val Gardena slopes. All our wonderful mountain huts have table service, which we believe somehow reflects our philosophy of giving our guests the most relaxing and enjoyable experience possible.
Each summer, the Sounds of the Dolomites music festival is held in the beautiful Trentino Dolomites in Italy. The event features an eclectic and wide-ranging musical programme and this year includes the 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker, singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti, and jazz legend Chick Corea.