Arabba 6 Day Snow Forecast

asca from Luxembourg writes:

No place can beat the Dolomites when it comes down to the combination of scenery, ambiance, food and skiing.. oh, skiing. And within the Dolomites, Arabba is by far the best place to make a base from which to explore Sella Ronda, Marmolada, Val Badia, Fassa, Gardena and Lagazuoi/Armentarola.
Cherz Hutte (or Rifugio Cherz), above Campolongo, organizes dinners on Thursday nights and major holidays. Book and they'll come and fetch you at Campolongo, taking you up with a snow cat. Unforgettable.
Arabba is THE place in the Dolomites. Snowsure and always a couple of degrees colder than villages in the neighbouring valleys.
Only drawback: in December-January, the village, deep down the valley (shielded to the south by the Porta Vescovo/Marmolada massif) receives 30 minutes of sunlight. Not a good base if you have kids or non skiers waiting for you. Better option is to make a base for the day at Campolongo Pass, some 5km on the road to Corvara. The Dolomiti Superskipass doesn't come cheap, but if you consider what it has to offer (modern lifts and 1200km of pistes, of which a good 250km fully interconnected with Arabba) it still rates highly in terms of value for money.
Food in Arabba: pretty good everywhere, great prices. The Tyrolean stube at the Pordoi Hotel restaurant in the main square is my fave. You must book.
One final tip, a must do for those with a car and who haven't had enough after a day on the slopes: perhaps the best night skiing in the Alps is at Zoldo Alto/Pecol (Civetta Ski within Dolomiti Superski network) 42km from Arabba across the Staulanzia Pass. It's a beautiful drive across Livinallongo, Selva di Cadore and the pass between Pelmo and Civetta. The slopes for night skiing at Pecol are groomed again between 5pm and 7pm opening time. If you are there early and are among the first to go up at 7pm you are in "carving paradise".

2011-02-09