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snowy resort
Lat Long: 46.43° N 10.55° E
Ski Italy

Santa Caterina Valfurva Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Santa Caterina at 2304 m altitude

Issued: 7 am 07 May 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Santa Caterina Valfurva: 0.6 cm on Thu 7th  (after 11 AM)

Visitor reviews for Santa Caterina Valfurva Ski Resort

Santa Caterina Valfurva Ratings

Overall: 4.3. Based on 25 votes and 16 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 4.9

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Santa Caterina Valfurva is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.3

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Santa Caterina Valfurva has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 4.2

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.7

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 3.7

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Santa Caterina Valfurva

Public Transport: 3.7

  • There are no buses or taxis to Santa Caterina Valfurva
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.8

  • No places to stay in/near Santa Caterina Valfurva
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 4.4

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 3.8

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Santa Caterina Valfurva

Ski in/Ski out: 4.6

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 4.1

  • There are no child care facilities at Santa Caterina Valfurva
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 4.6

  • Santa Caterina Valfurva relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 5.0

  • There are no snow groomers at Santa Caterina Valfurva
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Santa Caterina Valfurva are groomed daily

Shelter: 4.2

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Santa Caterina Valfurva is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 4.3

  • If snow conditions are poor at Santa Caterina Valfurva, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.9

  • Santa Caterina Valfurva usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 4.7

  • The staff at Santa Caterina Valfurva are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Santa Caterina Valfurva are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 4.6

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.5

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.5

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.4

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.8

  • No intermediate terrain at Santa Caterina Valfurva
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 4.3

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 2.9

  • Not even a kicker at Santa Caterina Valfurva
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 4.8

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Santa Caterina Valfurva
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 2.8

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Santa Caterina Valfurva has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 4.6

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 4.5

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 3.3

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 3.2

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 3.9

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 4.1

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 4.0

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 4.6

  • Overall, Santa Caterina Valfurva is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 4.7

  • Overall, Santa Caterina Valfurva is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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December 08, 2006
James Cooke from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Im 19 years old and this is my fifth year going. Its a brilliant family resort, but not very lively night life, but that doesnt mean its not good. It still supplies cheap beer and friendly locals as well as guests. The skiing is very limited and the big problem is that the red slopes are up the mountain where only a black run goes down to the village, although it is labeled a red it is far more for the experienced skiers. Another negative is that it is heavily used with only one chairlift up the mountain meaining when the locals are skiing ques can be huge, but with the new cable car, queuing times have been minimized. I really enjoy skiing here, but look to use other places as well. Great family resort.
November 20, 2006
valodja from Ski Czech Republic Czech Republic
I have been there 4 times in last 5 years. So I can say, that really a lot has changed. In 2002´s late March I remember having one 2km slope having all the morning just for myself and my RC40s :-) Yes, it used to be a reaaaaally calm place, something of old-school. Now, after the WorldChampionships, there are new cable-cars with nearly a one-km ascent in ten minutes, so you can ski yourself to death if you want :-) But the fact is, that there is also a lot more people, but still nothing compared to some comparable Austrian/French resorts. It is still a small resort, but he who loves intimacy of high-mountain nature and the challenge of going long and sometimes quite steep runs with over km of descent one after another (like me), he will probably love this place. If you go to the newly opened high plateau in the back part of the resort will be amazed by the beauty of the >3000m mountains all around you. What next to say. SC has some problems with natural snow - all around are mountain crests well over 3500m with extensive glaciers, so the majority of snow falls there and until the Italian guys started up a system of snowmaking, there was sometimes a problem at the beeginnig of the season. And there is still what to improve :-) Yes, but after the snow falls onto to the pistes, it remains well to late April. Probably the best time to go there is the classical main season, because the majority of slopes are real north-north-western, so the slopes are dark for a major part of the day until mid Feb or so. But yes that this resort has some potential for gorgeous week all around the season. And the few lifts? Nobody will really force you to use them ;-) The gondolas do their work perfectly.
November 21, 2005
Richard Heart from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
too quiet, not enough skiing, no nightlife, cold, long transfer, lousy drag lifts...........
October 31, 2005
Harold Blair, Grimethorpe from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Small village with intimate atmosphere. Many Brits return year after year - particularly at half term (feb). Skiing somewhat limted - but more to be had at Bormio (1/4 hour away by skibus). Nightlife limited to a couple of lively pubs aimed at the younger market and the hotel bars - but this is a QUIET RESORT. Difficult to pin-point the precise appeal of the place other than it has an indefinable charm, friendly locals and reliable snow at non-rip-off prices. Even the mountain bars are not expensive. Wherever you are in the village is going to be no more than 5 mins from a lift to take you up the mountain. A new gondola lift added in 2004/5 made a significant differnce to the lift infra structure. There is one chair lift and the rest of the ski area is served by drag lifts. Because the ski area is so small this is not really a problem but I can imagine it would put many off. Not a place for anyone wanting a quick airport transfer (4 hours), with a taste for riotous nights out or those in search of expansive ski areas. Good for those who want quiet nights, friendly locals, reliable snow and charming small resorts at reasonable prices
October 19, 2005
Monique De Vitalis from Ski France France
S.Caterina is a very nice mountain village. I have been there in March 2005. The lifs are ok: it was built a new cable car that it goes up from the town until the top of the mountain; in the ski area there are slopes suitable for every type of skier and the snow is perfect (also at the end of March!) The people are friendly and the food is execellent. S.Caterina is a very nice and quite place for holiday!
November 26, 2003
John Lancashire from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Santa Caterina is a charming alpine village where you happen to be able to do a bit of skiing. It's very friendly; very Italian; very unpretentious. So many people return to the place that it's very unusual not to bump into someone you've met there in a previous year; they'll remember you as will many of the locals. If you're looking for wild apres-ski, this is definitely not the place for you and your teenage children will probably prefer lively Livigno. You'll be happy they're here. The ski area may be small and the lift system a little antiquated, but there is enough variety here to satisfy the intermediate leisure skier especially if you're one those who tends to say 'let's try that one more time, but better', rather than 'right that's that piste ticked off, on to the next'. Being a compact resort, nowhere is very far from the lifts and because there is only really one run down to the village it's unlikely that you're going to lose your friends and family at the end of a day's skiing. This is a perfect family destination. If Faliraki, Benidorm or Blackpool is your bag, look elsewhere, however if your looking for the alpine equivalent of a Cornish, Breton or Costa Brava fishing village then you've found it.