Situated in the heart of the majestic Dolomitic Alps, Cortina d’Ampezzo is a quaint town in an alpine valley teeming with opportunities for adventurers of all tastes. While its winter sport resort and high-quality skiing trails enjoy an enviable reputation, the backcountry options are readily available as well. With seemingly endless valleys, dazzling peaks, stunning bowls, steep-sided couloirs, and dizzying limestone cliffs, this alpine off-piste area captures the imagination of every backcountry skiing fanatic! Aside from the fantastic terrain, the backcountry around Cortina is strewn with comfy mountain huts offering well-deserved rest after shredding top-notch powder. Get away from the urban buzz and experience this tranquil area while soaking up the unbeatable vistas all around you. Join your knowledgeable guide and let them show you the ins and outs of this backcountry heaven!
Get your skis ready and head into the magnificent backcountry area around Cortina d’Ampezzo. Skin up to the lovely rifugios, mountain huts scattered all along the way, and rest up for your upcoming backcountry adventures. Shred the quality snow and enjoy the snow-dusted peaks, towering limestone cliffs, steep couloirs, never-ending valleys and much more. Join your professional guide, avoid the crowds and tracked-out snow and have this backcountry haven all to yourself!
On the first day of your adrenaline-fueled backcountry adventure, you’ll arrive in the heart of the Dolomites–the picturesque town of Cortina d’Ampezzo. After that, you’ll check into your hotel. This alpine resort town is encircled by dazzling peaks and is a popular destination for all thrill-seekers year-round. In the winter, it offers some of the best skiing in Europe, while in the summer it draws in hikers and climbers who wish to conquer the Dolomites’ rocky terrain. The valley offers amazing scenery and is an ideal place to experience the Dolomites to the fullest. You’ll spend the night in a hotel in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
In the morning, you’ll meet your guide in the lobby of the hotel for a trip briefing and equipment check. Before departing, you’ll need to prepare your backpack with your personal belongings for the next three nights.
You’ll then take a private transfer to Ponte de Ru Curto and from there skin up to Rifugio Palmieri Croda da Lago (2,042 m / 6,699 ft), where you can rest up and grab a bite. From Lago Palmieri, you’ll ascend to Forcella Ambrizzola (2,277 m / 7,468 ft) and remove your skins for a brief descent to a lower plain. Revel in the towering peaks and vertical rock faces at the foot of Croda da Lago. Put your skins back on and continue to Forcella Giau on a gentle uphill (2,360 m / 7,740 ft) and enjoy the marvelous views over Mount Nuvolau (2,575 m / 8,448 ft). There is an option to summit Picco de Mondeval (2,504 m / 8,214 ft). You’ll descend in powder snow from Forcella Giau and get to the main road, where a private transfer will take you to your mountain hut (rifugio) for the night where you’ll have dinner.
Total length: 11 km / 6.8 miles
Ascent: 825 m / 2,706 ft
Descent: 521 m / 1,710 ft
Mondeval summit (additional 1.5 hours):
Ascent: 2.2 km / 1,37 miles
Descent: 164 m / 540 ft
After enjoying a hearty breakfast, you’ll skin up to the foot of Mount Averau (2,649 m / 8,688 ft) and ski down to the bottom and skin up to Passo Falzarego. From there, you’ll ride the cable car up to Rifugio Lagazuoi (2,752 m / 9,029 ft), one of the highest rifugios in the Dolomites. This wonderful mountain hut allows you to feel like you’re sitting at the edge of the world with its 360° views of the surrounding mountains, including the two highest peaks of the Dolomites. Located near the summit of Mount Lagazuoi, and set just above the Lagazuoi gondola, it’s the ideal lodging for skiing. You’ll then set off from Rifugio Lagazuoi with an exciting descent on the famous Armentarola slope. Test your skills on kick turns as you ascend to Forcella dal Lago (2,486 m / 8,156 ft) where the views from the top are breathtaking. Descend into Val di Fanes and skin on flat terrain, with soft ups and downs for about 2 hours to your mountain hut for tonight, where you’ll have your dinner.
Total Length: 15 km / 9.3 miles
Ascent: 656 m /2,153 ft
Descent: 1,166 m / 3,825 ft
Extending across 25,680 hectares and offering superb views of the surrounding peaks, Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park is one of the largest nature parks in the region. Depart your mountain hut after breakfast and ski down to Rifugio Pederü (1,548 m / 5052 ft). From there, skin on a fairly steep uphill section to Rifugio Sennes (2,126 m / 6,975 ft), also a part of the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park. From here you’ll have an amazing view east on the Croda Rossa Massif (2,818 m / 9,245 ft). Taste delectable Ladin dishes, served in the comfortable wooden stuben (traditionally the room in a farmhouse where the stove was located and cooking took place). The menu abounds in various handmade pasta dishes, as well as Tyrolean specialties such as dumplings and diverse meat dishes. You’ll spend the night in a mountain hut.
Total Length: 10 km / 6.2 miles
Ascent: 637 m / 2,090 ft
Descent: 570 m / 1,865 ft
On the penultimate day of this backcountry ski tour, you’ll explore a new area of the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park, one of the most popular lakes in South Tyrol, Lake Braies. In summertime, you can see the reflection of the surrounding mountains on its green surface. In the wintertime, it is completely covered in snow and ice. Skin up to Forcella Cocodain and immerse yourself in the off-piste descent in powder over to Lake Braies for your private transfer to Cortina d’Ampezzo, where you’ll spend the night in your hotel.
Total Length: 10 km / 6.2 miles
Ascent: 297 m / 9,750 ft
Descent: 957 m / 3,140 ft
On the last day of this adventure, you’ll have your breakfast and depart on your own.
Thank you for a trip of a lifetime! We did a 6 day ski safari, 3 nights in rifugios. Our guide was outstanding, not only professional, but engaging and knowledgeable about everything from the geography, history, food, and culture. We always had a well laid out plan, lunch reservations, and perfect timing for transfers. The skiing and sightseeing was amazing and we learned so much about the area. When it was windy one day and we could not go to one area, he easily adjusted the schedule mostly without us even knowing. All the accommodations were great! The trip exceeded my expectations in every way. Besides our amazing guide, the team at Dolomite Mountains took care of all other details of our trip and again, we could not have had an easier or better time. I can’t wait to go back!
Dolomite Mountains provided us with an all around amazing trip experience! From the start, they were quick to respond to messages, detailed in the information they provided, professional and courteous. Everything about the trip was amazing: the mountains, the accommodations, the detailed maps and instructions that were provided to us, and the last minute weather conditions updates (we were self-guided). THANK YOU all who made this trip possible for us!
Included:
Not included:
To enjoy this backcountry adventure, you need to be in very good physical shape. You will be on your feet for multiple hours per day for 4 full days, covering 6-10 miles (10-15km) of terrain every day as well as ascend and descend steep terrain. You will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging blue or black-level resort runs and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain.
For the enjoyment and safety of everyone involved, participants must be approved to participate in advanced backcountry skiing tours either through a previous trip with the guiding service or through recommendations.
To participate in this tour, you need to have previous powder skiing experience. You will be skiing, touring, and summiting on glaciated terrain for multiple hours every day, covering up to 10 miles (15 km) of terrain. Your guide will take care of the planning, oversee your technique, and teach you how to better manage the terrain. They also have the experience and avalanche training necessary to keep you safe.
For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent:
Most resorts have ski shops that rent ski equipment. Ski rental locations are in Cortina d’Ampezzo and should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
Group sizes and pricing:
Ski touring in the Cortina d’Ampezzo area can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
If your group has skiers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to Cortina d’Ampezzo, most people fly into Venice-Treviso Airport or Venice Marco Polo Airport, both 2 hours away from Cortina d’Ampezzo. From there, you can rent a car or take a train and bus. The major airport is Milan Malpensa Airport, about 5 hours away from Cortina d’Ampezzo. From there, you can rent a car or take a train and bus.
Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, you will arrive in Cortina d’Ampezzo and check into your hotel. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.
Booking will be confirmed upon receipt of a 30% deposit. Payment of the balance is due no later than 60 days (2 months) before departure for Italy. For “last minute” bookings (trips booked 45 or fewer days before departure), full cost is due at the time of booking.
In case you need to cancel your trip, the following fees will apply:
– 91+ more days prior to departure: 20% loss of trip cost & 10% transfer to a future trip (within one calendar year)
– 46 to 90 days prior to departure: 100% loss of deposit
– 31 to 45 days prior to departure: 50% loss of full amount
– 30 days or less prior to departure: 100% loss of full amount
These charges are a percentage of the total cost of the booking. The days indicated are from the trip departure date. All cancellations must be made in writing.
I would just like to say a big thank you to Marco and Massimo who guided our group last week. They were thoroughly professional both from a safety point of view but also in ensuring that we all had a great holiday. We stayed in some great places and dined in some excellent restaurants. They are both rightly very proud of the Dolomite skiing area and their passion for the skiing and the history of the area came across with enthusiasm. They are both great company and have a great sense of humor.
I would recommend them without hesitation.