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-   -   Cross Country in the Dolomites: Ortisei/Val Gardena - Alpe di Siusi,Val Lunga, Montepanna (http://www.skibanter.com/showthread.php?t=28486)

Andrew Hofer April 1st 15 11:49 PM

Cross Country in the Dolomites: Ortisei/Val Gardena - Alpe di Siusi,Val Lunga, Montepanna
 
We spent the last week in February in Ortisei nordic skiing. I see the last reviews of this location are really old, so I'll record a few thoughts:

We stayed at Hotel Gardena Groednerhof, which is a five star facility. While it was wonderful, there appear to be many nice choices in town - cheaper hotels, and apartments to let for a week at a time. Staying near the center of Ortisei is charming in the evenings. The groceries/delicacies choices are amazing and my wife and I wished we had a kitchen. So we may do it differently next time.

Groednerhof has very limited rental equipment. I'm a big guy (6'3", 200lbs) , and 189 Fischer touring skis, shaped or no, are not optimal. The rental shop next to the municipal pool has a slightly better selection (Salomon), but rental equipment is a bit of an issue throughout. I was surprised at how little local interest/expertise there was in Nordic generally. The Alpine skiing here totally dominates the town and hotel clientele. It is incredibly beautiful but really lame from my point of view. If you are going to "panorama ski", I think XC is the way to do it.

The ski trails in the three locations above are beautifully groomed and have just incredible scenery. I find it difficult to pick a favorite. I'll try to post some of our photos in this email.

If you go up the Gondola to the Alpe, you need to buy a round-trip Gondola AND lift ticket, taking the lift down into the valley. Then you have to pick your way (0.25 miles or so) down to the trails and you are off. Don't miss the red trail heading north up the valley, the views at the far end - a big chunk of the Sella Ronda peaks - are breathtaking. There's a wicked climb as you come back into the main part of the valley. They check your pass near the south end of the valley (where the black trails connect). Cash only, 5 euros per person. I didn't have euros handy that first day, which was awkward.

In the middle of a sunny day, you want to go to Val Lunga/Langental. The peaks are really steep on both sides of this gorgeous up-and-back trail, so it's nice to have the sun on some of the trail. The black trail is very easy - a bit of switchback descent, and it's a steady uphill on the outbound side.

Montepanna is more of a prepared race course built into the side of a hill, alongside an alpine area. It's very well-maintained, and the higher points also have gorgeous views. All the trails are pretty easy - the black has one short extra climb and descent.

In all it was a wonderful trip. Next time I think we will look for an apartment in Ortisei or St. Christina so we can buy and consume all the wonderful meats, cheeses, breads, honeys and jams that we found in town.

Photos he https://picasaweb.google.com/1148441...eat=directlink


[email protected] April 2nd 15 04:29 AM

Cross Country in the Dolomites: Ortisei/Val Gardena - Alpe diSiusi, Val Lunga, Montepanna
 
On Wed, 1 Apr 2015 16:49:11 -0700 (PDT)
Andrew Hofer wrote:

We spent the last week in February in Ortisei nordic skiing. I see
the last reviews of this location are really old, so I'll record a
few thoughts:


Very nice report and photos. Most of the trails look great, with one
shot looking a little sketchy, with some dirt. Problem winter? If you
had taken your own skis would there have been a place to wax? I'm
guessing you were there a week. Was there enough to keep you busy?

Gene

Andrew Hofer April 2nd 15 09:59 AM

Cross Country in the Dolomites: Ortisei/Val Gardena - Alpe diSiusi, Val Lunga, Montepanna
 
The ski shop in the hotel was equipped, but of course they use it to fit rental skis, so I don't know if one might have borrowed it. I saw no other place for waxing other than the great outdoors.

That one turn in Montepanna had lost some snow. We ran into maybe one or two other spots like that in Montepanna and Vallunga, but there was a lot more snow up on the Alpe di Siusi.

Yes, I think our record winter here was matched by a dearth of snow in the Dolomites.


gr[_4_] April 3rd 15 02:43 AM

Cross Country in the Dolomites: Ortisei/Val Gardena - Alpe diSiusi, Val Lunga, Montepanna
 
On 4/1/2015 7:49 PM, Andrew Hofer wrote:
We spent the last week in February in Ortisei nordic skiing. I see the last reviews of this location are really old, so I'll record a few thoughts:

We stayed at Hotel Gardena Groednerhof, which is a five star facility. While it was wonderful, there appear to be many nice choices in town - cheaper hotels, and apartments to let for a week at a time. Staying near the center of Ortisei is charming in the evenings. The groceries/delicacies choices are amazing and my wife and I wished we had a kitchen. So we may do it differently next time.

Groednerhof has very limited rental equipment. I'm a big guy (6'3", 200lbs) , and 189 Fischer touring skis, shaped or no, are not optimal. The rental shop next to the municipal pool has a slightly better selection (Salomon), but rental equipment is a bit of an issue throughout. I was surprised at how little local interest/expertise there was in Nordic generally. The Alpine skiing here totally dominates the town and hotel clientele. It is incredibly beautiful but really lame from my point of view. If you are going to "panorama ski", I think XC is the way to do it.

The ski trails in the three locations above are beautifully groomed and have just incredible scenery. I find it difficult to pick a favorite. I'll try to post some of our photos in this email.

If you go up the Gondola to the Alpe, you need to buy a round-trip Gondola AND lift ticket, taking the lift down into the valley. Then you have to pick your way (0.25 miles or so) down to the trails and you are off. Don't miss the red trail heading north up the valley, the views at the far end - a big chunk of the Sella Ronda peaks - are breathtaking. There's a wicked climb as you come back into the main part of the valley. They check your pass near the south end of the valley (where the black trails connect). Cash only, 5 euros per person. I didn't have euros handy that first day, which was awkward.

In the middle of a sunny day, you want to go to Val Lunga/Langental. The peaks are really steep on both sides of this gorgeous up-and-back trail, so it's nice to have the sun on some of the trail. The black trail is very easy - a bit of switchback descent, and it's a steady uphill on the outbound side.

Montepanna is more of a prepared race course built into the side of a hill, alongside an alpine area. It's very well-maintained, and the higher points also have gorgeous views. All the trails are pretty easy - the black has one short extra climb and descent.

In all it was a wonderful trip. Next time I think we will look for an apartment in Ortisei or St. Christina so we can buy and consume all the wonderful meats, cheeses, breads, honeys and jams that we found in town.

Photos he https://picasaweb.google.com/1148441...eat=directlink


Europe really knows how to take care of xc ski trails!

Terje Henriksen April 5th 15 12:44 AM

Cross Country in the Dolomites: Ortisei/Val Gardena - Alpe di Siusi, Val Lunga, Montepanna
 
On Thu, 02 Apr 2015 22:43:39 -0400, gr
wrote:

On 4/1/2015 7:49 PM, Andrew Hofer wrote:
We spent the last week in February in Ortisei nordic skiing. I see the last reviews of this location are really old, so I'll record a few thoughts:

We stayed at Hotel Gardena Groednerhof, which is a five star facility. While it was wonderful, there appear to be many nice choices in town - cheaper hotels, and apartments to let for a week at a time. Staying near the center of Ortisei is charming in the evenings. The groceries/delicacies choices are amazing and my wife and I wished we had a kitchen. So we may do it differently next time.

Groednerhof has very limited rental equipment. I'm a big guy (6'3", 200lbs) , and 189 Fischer touring skis, shaped or no, are not optimal. The rental shop next to the municipal pool has a slightly better selection (Salomon), but rental equipment is a bit of an issue throughout. I was surprised at how little local interest/expertise there was in Nordic generally. The Alpine skiing here totally dominates the town and hotel clientele. It is incredibly beautiful but really lame from my point of view. If you are going to "panorama ski", I think XC is the way to do it.

The ski trails in the three locations above are beautifully groomed and have just incredible scenery. I find it difficult to pick a favorite. I'll try to post some of our photos in this email.

If you go up the Gondola to the Alpe, you need to buy a round-trip Gondola AND lift ticket, taking the lift down into the valley. Then you have to pick your way (0.25 miles or so) down to the trails and you are off. Don't miss the red trail heading north up the valley, the views at the far end - a big chunk of the Sella Ronda peaks - are breathtaking. There's a wicked climb as you come back into the main part of the valley. They check your pass near the south end of the valley (where the black trails connect). Cash only, 5 euros per person. I didn't have euros handy that first day, which was awkward.

In the middle of a sunny day, you want to go to Val Lunga/Langental. The peaks are really steep on both sides of this gorgeous up-and-back trail, so it's nice to have the sun on some of the trail. The black trail is very easy - a bit of switchback descent, and it's a steady uphill on the outbound side.

Montepanna is more of a prepared race course built into the side of a hill, alongside an alpine area. It's very well-maintained, and the higher points also have gorgeous views. All the trails are pretty easy - the black has one short extra climb and descent.

In all it was a wonderful trip. Next time I think we will look for an apartment in Ortisei or St. Christina so we can buy and consume all the wonderful meats, cheeses, breads, honeys and jams that we found in town.

Photos he https://picasaweb.google.com/1148441...eat=directlink


Europe really knows how to take care of xc ski trails!


Some better that others. Up here (almost 70 north) the municipality
rarely do any work in the ski trails outside normal working hours.
Earlier some trained drivers from the ski clubs were allowed to use
their equipment outside working hours, but that do not seem to be the
case now. Other places, the trails are taken care of almost round the
clock.

--
Terje Henriksen
Kirkenes

gr[_4_] April 5th 15 05:19 AM

Cross Country in the Dolomites: Ortisei/Val Gardena - Alpe diSiusi, Val Lunga, Montepanna
 
On 4/4/2015 8:44 PM, Terje Henriksen wrote:
On Thu, 02 Apr 2015 22:43:39 -0400, gr
wrote:

On 4/1/2015 7:49 PM, Andrew Hofer wrote:
We spent the last week in February in Ortisei nordic skiing. I see the last reviews of this location are really old, so I'll record a few thoughts:

We stayed at Hotel Gardena Groednerhof, which is a five star facility. While it was wonderful, there appear to be many nice choices in town - cheaper hotels, and apartments to let for a week at a time. Staying near the center of Ortisei is charming in the evenings. The groceries/delicacies choices are amazing and my wife and I wished we had a kitchen. So we may do it differently next time.

Groednerhof has very limited rental equipment. I'm a big guy (6'3", 200lbs) , and 189 Fischer touring skis, shaped or no, are not optimal. The rental shop next to the municipal pool has a slightly better selection (Salomon), but rental equipment is a bit of an issue throughout. I was surprised at how little local interest/expertise there was in Nordic generally. The Alpine skiing here totally dominates the town and hotel clientele. It is incredibly beautiful but really lame from my point of view. If you are going to "panorama ski", I think XC is the way to do it.

The ski trails in the three locations above are beautifully groomed and have just incredible scenery. I find it difficult to pick a favorite. I'll try to post some of our photos in this email.

If you go up the Gondola to the Alpe, you need to buy a round-trip Gondola AND lift ticket, taking the lift down into the valley. Then you have to pick your way (0.25 miles or so) down to the trails and you are off. Don't miss the red trail heading north up the valley, the views at the far end - a big chunk of the Sella Ronda peaks - are breathtaking. There's a wicked climb as you come back into the main part of the valley. They check your pass near the south end of the valley (where the black trails connect). Cash only, 5 euros per person. I didn't have euros handy that first day, which was awkward.

In the middle of a sunny day, you want to go to Val Lunga/Langental. The peaks are really steep on both sides of this gorgeous up-and-back trail, so it's nice to have the sun on some of the trail. The black trail is very easy - a bit of switchback descent, and it's a steady uphill on the outbound side.

Montepanna is more of a prepared race course built into the side of a hill, alongside an alpine area. It's very well-maintained, and the higher points also have gorgeous views. All the trails are pretty easy - the black has one short extra climb and descent.

In all it was a wonderful trip. Next time I think we will look for an apartment in Ortisei or St. Christina so we can buy and consume all the wonderful meats, cheeses, breads, honeys and jams that we found in town.

Photos he https://picasaweb.google.com/1148441...eat=directlink


Europe really knows how to take care of xc ski trails!


Some better that others. Up here (almost 70 north) the municipality
rarely do any work in the ski trails outside normal working hours.
Earlier some trained drivers from the ski clubs were allowed to use
their equipment outside working hours, but that do not seem to be the
case now. Other places, the trails are taken care of almost round the
clock.

I was at Chamonix a couple years ago and was very impressed with the
care of the snow for the xc trails. A crew with leaf blowers first to
remove debris, piles of snow where trails cross roadways (auto traffic
was secondary!), and lots of nice big groomers.


runcyclexcski April 10th 15 01:01 PM

Cross Country in the Dolomites: Ortisei/Val Gardena - Alpe diSiusi, Val Lunga, Montepanna
 
Nice to see this group still going. I have moved to the UK about a year ago, no skiing here. :( But we were able to go skiing in Geilo, Norway, for 10 days. It was my first time in Norway, and first time vacationing w/o a car.. We flew to Bergen (50 GBP round trip), took a bus to the train station (30 min), then took a 3 hr train to Geilo.

Very impressive XC skiing scene in Norway, what can I say! But it was mostly glacier type skiing (very exposed, windy, cold). Norwegians did not seem to care, I preferred to stick around in the woods.

Terje Mathisen[_3_] April 10th 15 05:02 PM

Cross Country in the Dolomites: Ortisei/Val Gardena -Alpe di Siusi, Val Lunga, Montepanna
 
runcyclexcski wrote:
Nice to see this group still going. I have moved to the UK about a
year ago, no skiing here. :( But we were able to go skiing in Geilo,
Norway, for 10 days. It was my first time in Norway, and first time
vacationing w/o a car. We flew to Bergen (50 GBP round trip), took a
bus to the train station (30 min), then took a 3 hr train to Geilo.

Very impressive XC skiing scene in Norway, what can I say! But it was
mostly glacier type skiing (very exposed, windy, cold). Norwegians
did not seem to care, I preferred to stick around in the woods.

Heh! :-)

We spent Easter in our mountain cabin at the south end of the mountain
plateau that starts (more or less) by the railway line between Finse and
Geilo.

It was indeed a more windy Easter than normal, but conditions were
pretty much perfect: Swix VR 45 every day. :-)

Terje

--
- Terje.Mathisen at tmsw.no
"almost all programming can be viewed as an exercise in caching"


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