Ski Italy

Welcome to the Ski Italy page, providing a regular round-up of the skiing conditions and current snow reports for the main ski resorts in the Dolomites and Italian Alps. Over recent years some of the most favourable piste conditions throughout the season have been reported at Cervinia, Cortina, Val Senales, La Thuile and Livigno although in any given week or season the best slope conditions may be found at any of the other high Italian resorts or at lower elevation ski stations among the trees in poor weather.

For off-piste powder, resorts such as Selva Gardena, Livigno, Chiesa, Madesimo, Arabba have proven among the most consistent either for fairly regular snowfalls, northerly aspect or for not getting tracked out quickly but check out the reports below for the latest news. Although there is excellent terrain for skiing and snowboarding in Italy, the scope for freeriding is a little limited because going into forbidden areas can land you with a €50 fine plus it is illegal to go off-piste without an avalanche beacon and rescue equipment. This policy means that secret snow spots are very well guarded but check out friendly snowboard shops for some useful advice.

While the snowfalls experienced by most Italian ski resorts are generally no match for those resorts on the northern side of the Alps they feature strongly in the record snowfall events for most seasons. Snowfalls of up to about 1m (3ft+) often occur during single storm events late in the Italian season and resorts including Cervinia, Madonna di Campiglio, La Thuile and the Monterosa ski stations (Gressoney, Alagna) commonly figure in those records. Italy is more temperate than its northern neighbours and the tree line often reaches over 2000m, which is great skiing or boarding in flat light.

Italy has one of the most diverse selections of ski areas of any country in the world with Italian ski resorts ranging from Courmayeur in the country’s North West by the slopes of Western Europe’s highest mountain, to ski areas on the slopes of Mount Etna on the southern island of Sicily in the Mediteranean.

You can ski Italy in almost every part of the country too, with resorts offering cross-border skiing in to Slovenia in the North East, as well as ski areas inland from Rome in the south of the central mainland and in the Apennine mountains further north.

There is a great variety in the types of resorts you’ll find when you’re skiing in Italy too.  One of the most famous areas, the Via Lattea, or Milky Way, in the North West of the country, was host to most of the on-snow events for the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. It includes cross border skiing to Montgenevre in France, is home to Sestrière (Via Lattea), which was one of the world’s first purpose built ski villages, created by the family than ran the Fiat car company in the 1930s, long before the first French purpose-built ski areas were constructed, and only a few decades after the first Italian ski resort started at Claviere (Via Lattea), another part of the Milky Way only a few kilometres away.

In the north eastern side of the country the Dolomiti Superski region contains more than 50 individual ski villages spread between a dozen valleys which together offer more than 1,200km of piste.  These resorts are however more like traditional Austrian villages on the whole, as much of the pass, which takes 25% of the entire Italian ski market on its own, is in an area called the South Tyrol which was once part of Austria.

The Dolomiti Superski area is one of the largest passes in the world and remains the biggest to offer a fully inter-changable lift pass from day one (larger coverage areas that have developed recently in Austria have more usage restrictions). It also contains the world’s second largest lift/piste inter-connected ski region after the 3 Valleys – the Sella Ronda. This is a famous 23km circuit around the huge Sella mountain massif from which valleys radiate off, such as the famous Val Gardena, as well as Badia – famous for its gourmet food, and Fassa. Altogether more than 500km of piste is linked, putting it ahead of the Milky Way.

Italian skiing is also famous for its value – typically 10 or 20% below the average price for resorts in each size category, and even more so for dining out and drinking on and off the mountain. The price saving is most marked on the shared ski area of Cervinia in Italy and Zermatt in Switzerland which can be skied for substantiually less if you buy your pass on the Italian rather than the Swiss side. You’ll also pay up to 75% less for a nice handmade espresso on the Italian side than for a self service machine produced beverage in Switzerland.

Mountain scenery is another Italian forte – from the rugged Alpine mountains of the Aosta Valley in the West to the spectacular pink precipices of the Dolomites, now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
And there’s also that famous Italian sense of style epitomised by the country’s more exclusive resorts including Madonna di Campiglio and Cortina d’Ampezzo, but visible almost everywhere. read more...

Italy: latest snow conditions round-up

Ski resorts of Italy, alphabetically

Resort	Webcam (click to zoom)	Top and bottom snow depth	On-piste	Off-piste	Forecast snow in next 3 days (click for forecast)	Weather forecast for 3 days ahead Weather report	Last snow
Abetone					0 cm	Mostly dry
Ala di Stura					0 cm	Light rain (total 5.0mm), mostly falling on Thu night
Alagna					0 cm	Light rain (total 2.0mm), mostly falling on Fri morning
Alba di Canazei					2 cm	A dusting of new snow
Alleghe					1 cm	A dusting of new snow
Alpe Devero					0 cm	Some drizzle, heaviest during Fri morning
Alpe Di Siusi					2 cm	A dusting of new snow
Andalo					0 cm	Some drizzle, heaviest during Wed afternoon
Antagnod					0 cm	Light rain (total 4.0mm), mostly falling on Fri morning
Anterselva/Antholz					2 cm	A dusting of new snow
Antey Saint Andre					0 cm	Light rain (total 4.0mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon
Aprica					0 cm	Mostly dry
Arabba					2 cm	A dusting of new snow
Asiago					0 cm	Mostly dry
Auronzo Di Cadore					0 cm	Some drizzle, heaviest during Wed afternoon
Avelengo/Merano 2000					4 cm	A dusting of snow on Wed afternoon. Freezing level rising with drizzle on Fri afternoon
Badia					2 cm	A dusting of new snow
Bardonecchia					0 cm	Light rain (total 9.0mm), mostly falling on Thu night
Bellamonte Alpe Lusia					1 cm	A dusting of new snow
Bormio					4 cm	A dusting of snow on Wed afternoon. Freezing level rising with drizzle on Fri afternoon
Borno					0 cm	Mostly dry
Brentonico					0 cm	Mostly dry
Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche					0 cm	Light rain (total 3.0mm), mostly falling on Fri morning
Bruncu Spina					0 cm	Mostly dry
Bruneck-Olang-St Vigil					4 cm	A dusting of new snow
Brunico/Bruneck					4 cm	A dusting of new snow
Brusson					0 cm	Light rain (total 2.0mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon
Camigliatello Silano					0 cm	Mostly dry
Campitello					2 cm	A dusting of new snow
Campo di Giove					10 cm	Mild with moderate rain (total 10.0mm) on Wed afternoon, Becoming colder with a light covering of snow, mostly falling on Wed afternoon.
Campo Felice-Rocca di Cambio					2 cm	Light rain (total 5.0mm) at first, then becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed afternoon
Campo Imperatore					9 cm	A light covering of new snow on Wed afternoon turning to drizzle on Fri night
Campo-Catino					0 cm	Light rain (total 8.0mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon
Canazei					2 cm	A dusting of new snow
Capracotta					2 cm	Moderate rain (total 17.0mm) heaviest on Wed afternoon, then becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed night
Carona					0 cm	Mostly dry
Caspoggio					1 cm	Mostly dry
Castelrotto/Kastelruth					0 cm	Light rain (total 2.0mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon
Castione Della Presolana					0 cm	Mostly dry
Cavalese					0 cm	Some drizzle, heaviest during Wed afternoon
Cesana Torinese (Via Lattea)					0 cm	Light rain (total 7.0mm), mostly falling on Thu night
Champoluc					0 cm	Light rain (total 3.0mm), mostly falling on Fri morning
Champorcher					0 cm	Light rain (total 2.0mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon
Chiesa					1 cm	Mostly dry
Cimone					0 cm	Mostly dry
Civetta					1 cm	A dusting of new snow
Claviere (Via Lattea)					0 cm	Light rain (total 8.0mm), mostly falling on Thu night
Cogne					0 cm	Light rain (total 6.0mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon
Colere					0 cm	Mostly dry
Colle Isarco Gossensass					4 cm	A dusting of snow on Wed afternoon. Freezing level rising with drizzle on Fri afternoon
Comelico Superiore					1 cm	Mostly dry
Conco					0 cm	Mostly dry
Cortina		70 cm 5 cm	Good	Varied	2 cm	A dusting of new snow Overcast skies	10 cm on 24 Apr
Corvara					2 cm	A dusting of new snow
Courmayeur					0 cm	Light rain (total 7.0mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon
Crissolo					0 cm	Light rain (total 4.0mm), mostly falling on Thu night
Cutigliano					0 cm	Mostly dry
Dobbiaco/Toblach					1 cm	A dusting of new snow
Enego					0 cm	Some drizzle, heaviest during Wed afternoon
Entracque					0 cm	Some drizzle, heaviest during Thu night
Falcade					1 cm	A dusting of new snow
Folgaria					0 cm	Mostly dry
Folgarida-Marilleva					1 cm	A dusting of new snow
Fondo					0 cm	Light rain (total 2.0mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon
Foppolo					0 cm	Mostly dry
Formazza					0 cm	Some drizzle, heaviest during Fri morning
Forni Di Sopra					0 cm	Mostly dry
Frabosa Soprana					0 cm	Mostly dry
Frassinoro Piandelagotti					0 cm	Mostly dry
Gallio					0 cm	Mostly dry
Gambarie in Aspromonte					0 cm	Mostly dry
Garessio 2000					0 cm	Mostly dry
Gitschberg-Jochtal					4 cm	A dusting of new snow
Gran Sasso					6 cm	Light rain (total 6.0mm) at first, then becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed afternoon
Gressoney-la-Trinite					0 cm	A dusting of new snow
Gressoney-Saint-Jean					0 cm	Light rain (total 3.0mm), mostly falling on Fri morning
Haider Alm					6 cm	A dusting of snow on Wed afternoon. Freezing level rising with drizzle on Fri afternoon
Klausberg					4 cm	A dusting of new snow
Kronplatz					2 cm	A dusting of new snow
La Magdeleine					0 cm	Light rain (total 4.0mm), mostly falling on Fri morning
La Thuile		180 cm 0 cm	Closed	Fresh	0 cm	Light rain (total 7.0mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon Hot spring sunshine, t-shirt weather	0 cm on 10 May
La Villa					1 cm	A dusting of new snow
Laceno					1 cm	Light rain (total 2.0mm) at first, then becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Wed night
Laces					2 cm	A dusting of snow on Wed afternoon. Freezing level rising with drizzle on Fri afternoon
Lana-San Vigilio					2 cm	A dusting of snow on Wed afternoon. Freezing level rising with drizzle on Fri afternoon
Latsch					1 cm	A dusting of new snow
Lavarone					0 cm	Mostly dry
Lavazèjoch/Passo Lavazè					1 cm	A dusting of new snow
Levico Terme Panarotta					0 cm	Mostly dry
Limone Piemonte					0 cm	Mostly dry
Livigno		250 cm 0 cm	Excellent	Varied	6 cm	A dusting of snow on Wed afternoon. Freezing level rising with drizzle on Fri afternoon Clear skies providing great views	5 cm on 25 Apr
Lizzano in Belvedere/Corno alle Scale					0 cm	Mostly dry
Lizzola Valbondione					0 cm	Mostly dry
Lorica					0 cm	Mostly dry
Lurisia					0 cm	Mostly dry
Lusiana					0 cm	Mostly dry
Macugnaga		210 cm 0 cm	Closed	Varied	0 cm	Some drizzle, heaviest during Fri afternoon Changeable weather today	5 cm on 24 Apr
Madesimo					2 cm	A dusting of snow on Wed afternoon. Freezing level rising with drizzle on Fri morning
Madonna di Campiglio					1 cm	Mostly dry
Malcesine					0 cm	Mostly dry