In this Winter Olympic/ Paralympic year Snowaction’s Dave Windsor and family headed to the host country, Italy, and the magnificent UNESCO World Heritage area – the spectacular Dolomites – to visit the sensational Südtirol ski areas of the vast Val Pusteria in northeastern Italy. First up was 3 Zinnen Dolomites ski resort– voted Italy’s Best Ski Resort, for two years running, by the World Ski Awards.
A Warm Welcome to Sexten/Sesto
The moment we arrived at sensational Sexten/Sesto at 1,310m we were greeted with smiles, a hug and the warmest of welcomes from our delightful hosts – Manuela & Marion Egarter at Rudla & Rudana Apartments. Our travel agent, Tania Peccedi from SkiItaly.com.au, recommended we stay in Sexten/Sesto due to its charm, central position and easy access to the heart of the ski area – the Monte Elmo Plateau. It also happens to be tennis champ Yannik Sinner’s home town.
Everything in these parts is named twice – in German & Italian – on account of its Austro-Italian heritage, culture and historically changing borders. English is widely spoken – but it was handy and polite being able to communicate in both Italian and German if need be. Likewise, the cuisine and après ranged from gnocchi to spaetzle, pizza to goulash, and grappa to schnapps – the best of both worlds.
Access to the uncrowded slopes from our ski-in ski-out apartment via the 10 person Helmjet gondola was quick and easy as. Once on snow the views, runs and family friendly vibe is sensational. 3 Zinnen Dolomites ski resort has a massive 115km of slopes spanning 5 mountains served by 31 lifts – most of which are heated. 100% of the slopes are served by snow-making – with zero chemicals, just pure water. 3 Zinnen is part of the Dolomiti Super Ski and Ikon Pass family so depending on your pass you can access the other 11 Dolomiti resorts along with 70+ worldwide resorts including Thredbo, Buller, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Mt Hutt.
“This is my first time here”, said Luigi from Verona, “it’s really nice and one of the best places for skiing.” I totally agree. The blue skies, perfect pistes, great food and friendly folk made for a great holiday.
From Fairytale Forests to the Top of the World
Our daily routine comprised a couple of warm-ups on the perfectly groomed slopes down to the ‘Mittelstation’ high speed 6. Jack would jet down the racetrack for a speed check – whilst Mariola and I would cruise alongside. We’d then venture to the highest lifted point – Helm Monte Elmo at 2,225m – and take in the spectacular 360° panorama above the tree line. Austria and the Alps are to the west and north and Dolomiti di Sesto / Parco Naturale Tre Cime to the east and south. From here it’s possible to ski over 5km top-to-bottom through 1,095 vertical metres down to Vierschach/Versciaco village. There’s a heap of wide open blue, red and black options on the way down, with the lower half descending through fairytale forests of larch, pine and fir.
Just above the base we’d take a break at the fantastic Rauthütte for a Pear Williams, Bombardino, Hot Chocolate and game of ‘Hammerschlagen’ – the objective of which is to drive a 2+ inch nail into a waste high log. The hammer head is a super thin circular bar that’s very challenging to hit a nail with. Patience, perseverance and technique (or luck) is all it takes.
The ‘Helmissimo’ gondola would fire us back up to Helm and from there it’s simple to access the adjacent Stiergarten and Rotwand Croda Rossa areas via a series of cruisy blues, racing reds and blistering blacks. Enroute it’s possible to glimpse 2 of the 3 ‘Tre Cimi di Lavaredo’ – being the iconic three peaks namesake of 3 Zinnen.
“The snow is always really great in the Dolomites,” said Francesco from Bolzano, “I’ve been here a few times. You know the runs are so long, and base is deep and the panorama is beautiful. I think it’s the best place to ski.”
Testing the Limits: Italy’s Steepest Slope
One of the highlights and a major drawcard is one of Italy’s steepest slopes – the breathtaking and thigh burning ‘Holzriese’- specifically run 3b – which maintains a 71-72% gradient for much of its 700 metres length through 300 vertical. In my mind’s eye I tackled it with technical precision – thankfully there’s no video evidence to suggest otherwise. Needless to say the first turn was the hardest. It’s steep, long and scary – but perfectly prepared, so we felt naively safe.
Another highlight is the 5km Croda Rosa ‘sledge’ (toboggan) run through 600 vertical metres down to the town of Bad Moos. Sleds are available to hire at the base – so you can ski/sled-in and gondol-out.
Noticeably, nearly all black runs, including the ‘Holriese’ have blues or reds running alongside giving everyone the option to ski easy or harder pistes – all of which are expertly groomed – which is something we’ve come to expect in Italy. The focus on family friendliness is evident everywhere – on the slopes, on menus and in the hearts of the locals – Italians love kids. Hitting funparks, taking the local alpaca herd for a walk, and even yak feeding is available for the kids (and mum & dads) to experience.
Tyrolean tastes and the Hugo Spritz
There’s plenty of tremendous lunch & snack spots on mountain, including the Helm Restaurant with both fine dining and self-serve options, cosy dining rooms or a panoramic terrace; the sun-drenched Lärchenhutte nestled in the forest; or, the popular and bustling Rudi Hütte – to name but a few. Offering amazing Tyrolean fare from superb salumi platters to venison steaks, cheesy polenta with homemade sausage to penne ragu, and tempting tiramisu to apple strudel. And for something new we discovered the Hugo Spritz a refreshing concoction of prosecco, elderflower liqueur, soda water, and mint – though our favourite go to remains the good ol’ Campari Spritz.
Marion and Manuela recommended, reserved and even drove us to some fantastic restaurants for dinner. A highlight was the nearby agriturismo Kinigerhof dating its origins back to the 13th century and serving award winning paddock to plate dishes and homemade products.
Jack and I hit night skiing and sledging (tobogganing) on Tuesday and Friday nights on the Monte Baranci slopes above the lovely historic town of Innichen/San Candido. It was only 15 minutes from Sexten/Sesto on the local bus, which is free with a Südtirol Alto Adige Guest Pass, which is also free from participating accommodation – such as ours.
“That was unreal. It was so long and there were heaps of turns – I like the turning and going fast” said my son Jack after his first toboggan run, “It was completely pitch black and no people around me, so it was just an open run all to myself. I got snow in my boots, it was a bit of shock, but so much fun.”
Innichen/San Candido is a decent sized town with plenty of shopping and dining options and definitely worth a look see for an evening or two.
Beyond the ski edge: Ice climbing and alpinism
We also had a ripper morning ‘come-n-try’ ice climbing session with Christian from Alpin Schule Drei Zinnen – an experienced mountain guide since 2007. “My uncle is a mountain guide and he taught me to climb at the age of 10,” explained Christian, “I did some competition climbing over the years and became Italian junior champion. After my climbing career, in my mid-twenties, I became a professional mountain guide – it takes about 3 years to do the courses to get the diploma.”
The climbing was surprisingly easier than I expected – not that we climbed terribly high. But with the right gear and a great guide it was a fabulous experience to climb / scramble up a frozen waterfall.
Another great experience is the impressive Reinhold Messner Haus – curated by the famous alpinist Reinhold Messner in partnership with 3Zinnen AG Dolomites. The Haus is in an old cable car station which has been repurposed into an amazing multi-level exhibition space at 2,000m. Incredible mountain gear, memorabilia, works of art, spectacular views and history adorn this amazing space. It’s one of the best and most inspiring museums I’ve had the pleasure of visiting – and well worth it for anyone with a love and respect for the mountains.
3 Zinnen Dolomites ski resort is the best in Italy for a reason – amazing vistas, uncrowded runs, wonderful people and charm abound. Nature, snow and sun converge to create a tranquil picture-perfect landscape and wonderful family holiday.
Next stop, the ever-popular Italian granddaddy – Kronplatz / Plan de Corones.
The Lowdown:
We flew to Munich then trained down to historic Bolzano for a few days of site seeing to get over jetlag. From there we had a private transfer with Peer Shuttle. We stayed in a fully serviced one bedroom apartment at Rudla & Rudana Apartments. Lift passes are available from Dolomiti Super Ski.
Related articles:
https://snowaction.com.au/kronplatz-ski-resort-guide-dolomites/
