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Visitor reviews for Val Gardena Ski Resort

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• February 13, 2011
  Angie from United Kingdom
  

  We were in Selva from 21st December to 4th January. What a strange little place. We had a great time, although their idea of Apres ski seemed more like apres dinner! Everyone went back to hotel etc for dinner (the food was a-maze-ing!) then went out at 10.30! We're used to Austria - Mayrhofen and St Anton where everyone enjoys apres ski while still in their boots!! Our favourite bar was Yellos. Great service, wine, complimentary nibbles.. (chocolate brownies on a couple of occasions) and music classy, modern decor. Great New Year's eve DJ. Louis Kellar was lively and typical euro music but they had the best shots! Great big paddles with 12 different schnapps in. Quite icy in places and Very cold. Hats were needed but the sun shone for the last 9 days and it's breathtakingly beautiful. Can't wait to go again as we never quite got up early enough to do the full Sella Ronda circuit - too late to bed each night!! Recommend Ortesei - winter wonderland, with easy cruisers, sleigh rides, tobogganing etc. Perfect when you have the flu like me at the end of our holiday and couldn't cope with too much.

• Val Gardena Ratings

  Based on 4 votes. Vote

  Access: 3.0 (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Val Gardena.	Public Transport: 2.8 (1) There are no buses or taxis to Val Gardena, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 5.0 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 4.0 (1) No places to stay in/near Val Gardena, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 3.0 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 3.2 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Val Gardena.
  Ski in/Ski out: 3.8 (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.	Childcare: 4.0 (1) There are no child care facilities at Val Gardena, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 3.5 (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Val Gardena is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 4.5 (1) Val Gardena relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 4.0 (1) There are no snow groomers at Val Gardena, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Val Gardena are groomed daily.	Shelter: 3.8 (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Val Gardena is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 3.2 (1) If snow conditions are poor at Val Gardena, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.	Regional rating: 3.5 (1) Val Gardena usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
  Lift Staff: 4.2 (1) The staff at Val Gardena are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Val Gardena are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 2.8 (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
  Ski Schools: 4.0 (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.	Hire and Repairs: 4.2 (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
  Variety of pistes: 4.2 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Val Gardena has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 4.8 (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
  Intermediates: 4.5 (1) No intermediate terrain at Val Gardena, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 3.8 (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
  Snow Park: 3.2 (1) Not even a kicker at Val Gardena, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 2.5 (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
  Cross-country: 3.8 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Val Gardena, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 2.2 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Val Gardena has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 4.2 (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.	Eating: 4.2 (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
  Apres-Ski: 3.8 (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.	Other Sports: 3.2 (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
  Entertainment: 2.8 (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.	Winter Walks: 3.2 (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
  Ski Pass Value: 3.5 (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.	Value (National): 3.2 (1) Overall, Val Gardena is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
  Value (Global): 3.8 (1) Overall, Val Gardena is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

  Based on 4 votes. Vote

• December 02, 2009
  Christine from Belgium
  

  Val-Gardena is like coming home for my husband and I. We have been there several times in December and March. In December we go always the week before the holidays and it is super. Not so many people to do the Sella Ronda, good snow, sunny but it can be very cold. I'm counting the days now ..

• March 20, 2009
  Ben Bland from United Kingdom
  

  Now I know why the Italians have kept this one (Val Gardena) secret. Superb, huge skiing area in the most beautiful mountain range I have skied in. Equipped with a modern lift system and promoting the concept of a tour from one area of the Dolomiti Super Ski to another. All of a sudden skiing has a purpose and is not just about clocking up miles of piste up and down, up and down.
  I took my wife here this year. We were blessed with the best snow conditions in 20 years (they say), even if we weren't, I noticed more snow making cannons at Val Gardena than I have ever seen before. My wife is a timid intermediate skier and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves touring the Sella Ronda in both directions, going on the Santa Croce ski tour and the highlight was probably the Lagazoi tour past a frozen waterfall and the most charming take on a drag lift I have ever seen. About 100 skiers where pulled across a valley by two huge horses at a cost of 2 Euros per person.
  The idea of these tours is to ski on a route which starts and finishes at the same place, taking you through eye wateringly beautiful scenery and if required, a delicious lunch and half a bottle of local wine - just wonderful.
  I decided that my treat for the week would be the Val de Mesdi, which is one of the more well-trodden off-piste routes in the Dolomiti. I won’t say too much about it other than it ranks up there as one of my best days on skis.

• November 06, 2008
  Oded from Israel
  

  I ski in Val Gardena for 22! years. The last 15 year - twice: the 2nd week of January and the first week of March. In all these years I missed not more than 10 days of ski because of a bad weather.The ski runs were always in good conditions either by natural or artificial snow. All the efforts were done by the local staff to enjoy a comfortable skiing. Chairlifts to minimize walking. Reduce waiting time for lifts. Good restaurants on the mountains and much more. Best recommendations.

• March 13, 2008
  Mooler from United Kingdom
  

  What can I say...speechless! This was just the best ski resort I have been to for a ridiculously long time! The snow was just amazing and it complemented the magnificent runs, that in some cases just seemed to go on forever; 20km run, say no more! The Sellaronda was again just the most exciting series of ski runs I have done since leaving Canada! Exciting because we gave ourselves 1.5 hours to get half way round it, where we skied like Spartans. We didn't quite make it as lifts were shut due to avalanches, but it was still amazing, just like our fearless taxi driver who took us back to La Gardena along closed roads, hero!
  Brilliant days on the slopes, literally 9-4, and only skied the same runs twice out of choice, like the World Cup Black run, for example. In the evenings we had mega nights out in Goalies, where a big hello to Lucy is owed as well as the 'Shot Stick'....Grappa drinkers only!
  Great, great, great fun! I can't actually wait to go back, same time, same place! 1m of snow fall in 2 days...cheers!
  Dolomites, Dolomites, Dolomites, Super Ski, over the Milkyway everytime! This is for Ooh Jheffo, Marshenhoff, Boozenhiem, Goonz and Schnitezel, who all made it possible!

• November 30, 2007
  Ian M from United Kingdom
  

  Wow, the Dolomites. Stunning part of Italy and normally blessed with good skiing weather. Think of Val Gardena or Selva as a base for ski exploring and you won't go far wrong. The Sella Ronda is an excellent Ski Circuit and we had two day trips out from Gardena to Cortina (where the pretty people of Italy ski, or top their tans up).

• December 21, 2006
  Ray Thain from United Kingdom
  

  Response for Tina, We went last Christmas(to Canazei) with a 6 & 2 year old. The 6 year old came on really well in the local ski school. Shame it was only half days for him. The 2 year old was quite happy "bum boarding" Instructors spoke very good English and were excellent with the kids. We are heading over to Val Gardena this year but have opted to organise the tuition privately. For £200.00 he will get the whole package, equipment, ski pass, tuition ALL day and lunch too. Fantastic area I'm sure you and the kids will have a great time

• August 01, 2006
  alexander from Netherlands
  

  We spent our holiday here last winter (2006) at the end of January. The weather was excellent,6 days of sunshine. The snow was more than enough, however the quality of the snow was below average. I don't know whether this was due to the amount of artificial snow or the lack of fresh snow. Skiing itself was very good although I have experienced better in the past in Zermatt and Val Thorens. We made long trips along different valleys with beautiful scenery but most pistes are only short distance. It is a pity that you always have to ski a part of the Sellaronda before you reach the next valley. The Sellaronda was very, very busy!!
  We stayed in an EXCELLENT hotel, I keep the name for myself. This is a reason for me to come back, as well as all the good food, the nice atmosphere and friendly people. Prices are more than reasonable!!
  

• February 10, 2006
  Keith Anderson from United Kingdom
  

  First time to this resort....
  HOTEL
  Went with Crystal to the Hotel Ingram, a small family run hotel. The welcome from the owners made us feel like family. The food and service were wonderful. Heated racks in the bootroom. Recommended
  LOCATION
  The nearest lift is about 70 metres from the front door of the hotel! Its a 10-15 minute walk down to the town in the evening but the bus stop is right outside the hotel(ski bus pass 3 euros for the week from hotel reception)
  PISTE
  It snowed the day before we arrived and then it was clear blue skies all week. Just the best! There are more runs than you can shake a stick at-with some of the nicest 'motorways' I've encountered. Skied the 40km 'Sella Ronda' circuit - easy even for a 'low' intermediate. Lunch half way 'round - just magnificent.
  SUMMARY
  The superb hotel, amazing ski conditions with the backdrop of some simply awesome scenery made this one of the best ski holidays I have ever been on.
  DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED!

• January 23, 2006
  robert binning from United Kingdom
  

  Just a quick comment in response to Tom Travis: the Dolomites may experience less snow, but a combination of cold, snow making and good piste management mean I've never been disappointed with the snow conditions.

• January 09, 2006
  neil kelly from United Kingdom
  

  Just come back from Selva on Saturday (7th Jan 2006)and had a super week with a party of 12, staying at the hotel Flora via Neilsons.

  HOTEL
  This is the first year Neilson have offered Selva and the first year the Flora has been open to the British. And the service from both was brilliant. The hotel served up 5 courses every night, (7 on NY's eve) the rooms, bar and restaurant are lovely Tyrolean design and warm. Heated racks in the bootroom. The hotel offers free entry to the weekly Ice Hockey games at the ring next door.

  LOCATION
  Note - Its a 10 -15 minute walk up to the Main gondola station in town, so get a ski bus pass (3 euros) from the Tabac or the Information Centre in town. Though we didn't as found the walk a good warm up for the days skiing.

  PISTE
  First two days, the weather was cloudy and the snow came down in bucket loads, this caused a few problems for the bashers as the snow mounded up into moguls on the busy runs and left the ice layer exposed in places, you had to have your wits about you. But once it stopped snowing and got well compacted, conditions were second to none.

  The pass covers a huge ski area, and a trip to the hidden valley is well worth it, if you get tired of the Val Gardena. (Which you wont). Also , the Sella Ronda is excellent.

  Amazing scenery everywhere, though not the most border friendly resort as the blues in places require poleing along as are very gentle. The Reds are better and the Blacks are only really crimson. Nothing too hard even for me, and intermediate. Steep runs are often very wide so cause only a few problems. I honestly found some of the Reds harder than the Blacks, as the mounds of snow grew from the numbers of people passing over them.

  APRES
  The only place we found that was lively was the Luis Keller, even for NY's week most places were quite. The Luis Keller is busy, and plays some terrible music, but you'll sing along to anything if theres enough of you and you've had the odd beer.

• January 07, 2006
  Tom Travis from United States
  

  I spent an enjoyable week skiing Selva and the ski stations around it. The scenery is fantastic, with romantic, gorgeous views of the spires and cliffs of the Dolomites. The skiing is mainly easy, consisting of a multitude of cruisers, with little challenge for experts. The only ski stations with some challenge is Arabba. However, I liked the opportunity to explore the various valleys, each with distinctive, glorious scenery, via the Sella Ronda. It takes most of a day to complete this tour and I did it twice. Due to a foot of new snow the first two days of our stay, the snow conditions were very good, but ordinarily, the Dolomiti ski stations do not receive as much snow as the Alps in France, Switzerland or Austria.

• October 31, 2005
  robert binning from United Kingdom
  

  Visited Selva in Feb 2004, one of my best ski holidays, good snow on piste (Limited off-piste) and a ski-pass that covers 1200 km of piste! Can't comment much on apres-ski, chalet holiday with 2 young children, but food on the hill was excellent. Ski school were great with my 4 year old's first lessons. Would go back if I could fly from Scotland (missed easyjet home from Gatwick due to delayed flight from Innsbruck).

• January 08, 2005
  Bob Small from United Kingdom
  

  Spent Xmas/New year 2004 in Selva.

  Pistes are very well groomed and definately on the intermediate side (reds are on the easy side IMO, blacks weren't overly steep) - although we had a dump before we arrived, the base of artificial snow meant that all pistes were open immediately after the first snowfall in a month!

  As mentioned above, the Luis Keller in Selva is a good laugh - but the apres ski is definately on the quiet side for someone used to St Anton! The Umbrella Bar in St Cristina is a good laugh - don't be put off by its smallish size (a good blast down the downhill course prepares you for the WeissBeir!)

  On the downside, we experienced the worst hostility to boarders that we've seen for a good few years.

• November 23, 2003
  bob from United Kingdom
  

  i traveled to this resort in 92 on my third ever week in the mountains and i was not dissapointed, the scenery is second to none and the pistes were perfect for an early intermediate. The sella ronda was the highlight of the week as it was easily within my ability and gave a sense of achievement when completed. We met some good people and shared some good laughs (one skier was unlucky and broke his hip on the first day) the bars are tremendous fun the best being Doug and Dagies and go to the Luis keller to watch mad dancing Austrians still in their ski boots at 11pm ! The only drawback of this resort is its snow reliability but the snow making and piste grooming are very good. It is worth a trip to enjoy the scenery as the dolomites are among the most stunning mountains you will ever see.