The longing for snow does not wait for winter. When the Dolomite peaks turn white and the air becomes sharp, there is a place where the ski season starts earlier and starts better: Arabba, a little gem at 1,602 metres, nestled between the Pordoi and Campolongo passes, at the foot of the Sella massif.
For the first to return to their skis, those who want to leave their tracks on freshly groomed snow in the morning, Dolomiti Superpremière Arabba has arrived: Dolomiti Superski’s «first snow» promotion turns the season’s debut into a gift. From early December, enjoy four nights and four days of ski passes for the price of three, or, for anyone reluctant to leave the slopes, the 8=6 offer, with two complimentary days. Ski school and equipment hire are also available at preferential rates.
Then, on 4 December, the Sellaronda opens and the ski season truly begins. Boundless skiing in an area that is a genuine paradise for skiers with a capital S!
Because skiing is serious business in Arabba, and you feel it from the very first turn. Here, snow is always present, the slopes are beautifully groomed and the lifts comfortably take you to the ski area’s most panoramic locations.
Arabba is the heart of the valley in the Arabba-Marmolada ski area, part of the great Dolomiti Superski network, with more than 1,200 kilometres of pistes and an endless variety of places to experience snow at its most authentic and exciting. With more than sixty kilometres of long, technical runs (480 when the ski connections with neighbouring valleys are included) and twenty-eight lifts, there is something for every skier. More than a starting point, it is a true base for different skiing experiences every day, amid truly spectacular scenery.
But it is in its technical terrain that Arabba expresses its most authentic identity. Skiing here is not only fun: it is a challenge. The runs, often steep, fast and never ordinary, are designed for experienced skiers, for those seeking precise movement, perfect carving and the thrill of speed. Here are the Dolomites’ four most adrenaline-fuelled black runs: Fodoma, among Italy’s ten most beautiful, with a gradient reaching 56%; Sourasass, the «black pearl», plunging across open terrain before entering the forest; Burz, created in 1956 for athletes’ training ahead of the Cortina Olympics; and Variante Ornella, a steep, relentless wall.
Two of the Alps’ most spectacular ski itineraries also start here: the Sellaronda, the «four-pass circuit», forty kilometres on skis around the Sella Group, which can be travelled in either direction; and the Great War ski tour (opening in late December), seventy-four kilometres tracing the Dolomite front where, between 1915 and 1917, Austrian and German Kaiserjäger faced Italian Alpini: a journey through history on skis.
Arabba is not for everyone. That is precisely its strength: a place where the mountains remain centre stage, where skiing returns to its essence, effort and freedom. A small Alpine gem that continues to evolve without ever losing its truest soul.
Getting to Arabba
For visitors arriving from the south, the recommended route is to leave the A27 at Pian di Vedoia, heading towards Belluno. Once in the town, follow signs for Agordo, then Alleghe, Caprile and Livinallongo del Col di Lana.
From the Cortina area, take the Falzarego Pass and continue towards Arabba. Journey time: approximately fifty minutes.
From Bolzano, travel via the Gardena or Pordoi Pass and then follow signs for Arabba. Journey time: approximately one hour and fifty minutes.
Further information
Arabba Fodom Turismo – Tourist Association
Via Mesdì Arabba 66, 32020
Livinallongo del Col di Lana BL
+39 0436 780019
info@arabba.it
Instagram (@arabba_dolomites)
Facebook (Arabba Fodom Dolomites)
Sources and images: Arabba Fodom Turismo / Pizzinini Scolari ComunicAzione press release. Complete editorial text in English translation; photographs supplied with the release.
