7-Day Gourmet Peaks Ski Safari in the Dolomites

7-Day Gourmet Peaks Ski Safari in the Dolomites

  • Sciatori sulle piste del Dolomiti Superski durante il Gourmet Peaks Ski Safari
  • Piste della Val Gardena in inverno ai piedi del Sassolungo, tappa del Gourmet Peaks Ski Safari
  • Il Gruppo del Sella innevato visto da Campitello di Fassa, Val di Fassa
  • Il Sassolungo innevato lungo il circuito del Sellaronda, tra Val di Fassa e Alta Badia
  • Cime innevate al tramonto sopra Vigo di Fassa, Val di Fassa, Dolomiti
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  • Sciatori sulle piste del Dolomiti Superski durante il Gourmet Peaks Ski Safari
  • Piste della Val Gardena in inverno ai piedi del Sassolungo, tappa del Gourmet Peaks Ski Safari
  • Il Gruppo del Sella innevato visto da Campitello di Fassa, Val di Fassa
  • Il Sassolungo innevato lungo il circuito del Sellaronda, tra Val di Fassa e Alta Badia
  • Cime innevate al tramonto sopra Vigo di Fassa, Val di Fassa, Dolomiti

Itinerary

Day-by-Day Itinerary

What's Included

Getting There

Stay & Meals

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Val Gardena
Skiing: none | Overnight: 4-star hotel in Val Gardena

Make your own way to Val Gardena and check in. Pick up your lift pass, sort out rental gear if needed and enjoy a first dinner in the valley. If you arrive early, a walk through Ortisei or Selva is the best way to settle into the Ladin rhythm.

Day 2: Gardena Ronda and the first starred dinner
Skiing: Val Gardena / Alpe di Siusi (about 175 km / 109 mi of pistes) | Overnight: 4-star hotel in Val Gardena

The Gardena Ronda links Selva, Santa Cristina and Ortisei in a loop of pistes beneath the Sassolungo. The highlight is the Saslong, the World Cup downhill: 3.4 km of fast red run with the famous Ciaslat jumps. If you want space and quiet, head up to Alpe di Siusi for wide groomers with views of the Sassolungo and the Sciliar. In the evening a private transfer takes you down-valley to a Michelin-starred restaurant for a multi-course tasting menu that rethinks local flavors.

Day 3: The Marmolada glacier
Skiing: Marmolada / Arabba (about 62 km / 39 mi of pistes) | Overnight: rifugio, private en-suite room

A three-stage cable car climbs to Punta Rocca at 3,265 m (10,712 ft), just below the Marmolada summit (3,343 m / 10,968 ft). From here starts the longest descent in the Dolomites: about 12 km (7.5 mi) of continuous piste from the glacier to the larch woods at Malga Ciapela. Conditions permitting, the afternoon continues toward the Serrai di Sottoguda, the rock-and-ice gorge at the foot of the mountain. Luggage is moved for you. Dinner and night in a mountain hut.

Day 4: Ski Civetta and Passo San Pellegrino
Skiing: Ski Civetta (about 72 km / 45 mi of pistes) | Overnight: rifugio at Passo San Pellegrino, private en-suite room

Breakfast in the hut, then a transfer to Ski Civetta, the quietest area of the trip: long, well-oriented runs between Alleghe, Zoldo and Selva di Cadore, with Pelmo and Civetta always in sight. In the afternoon a short private transfer brings you to Passo San Pellegrino; from there a snowmobile carries you to a hut in a bowl closed off by the Costabella ridge, with the Pale di San Martino in the background. Wood interiors, a stove, refined cooking. Dinner and night in the hut.

Day 5: Buffaure, the Sellaronda and the second starred dinner
Skiing: Val di Fassa – Buffaure and the Sellaronda | Overnight: 4-star hotel in Alta Badia

Transfer to Val di Fassa and first runs on Buffaure, a small area above Pozza with views from the Catinaccio to the Sassolungo and the Marmolada. Then you join the Sellaronda clockwise: Passo Pordoi, Arabba, Passo Campolongo and into Alta Badia with skis on your feet. In the evening a private transfer takes you to a Michelin-starred stua for a six-course tasting menu. Your luggage is already at the hotel.

Day 6: Alta Badia with a ski instructor and a sommelier
Skiing: Alta Badia (about 130 km / 81 mi of pistes) | Overnight: 4-star hotel in Alta Badia

A day devoted to the wine tour on skis. With a ski instructor and a professional sommelier you tour the most scenic huts of Alta Badia around Corvara, La Villa and San Cassiano; each stop is a tasting of local wines explained on the snow. Wide, sunny groomers, and a free afternoon for the Gran Risa if your legs still have it. Dinner and last night at the hotel.

Day 7: Departure
Skiing: none | Overnight: —

Breakfast, check-out and departure from Alta Badia. The program may be adjusted by the team on the ground according to snow and weather, keeping the structure and goals of the trip intact.

What's Included

The formulas

Self-guided: you ski on your own with your group. Our partner team on the ground books hotels, huts, restaurants and transfers, hands you maps and a stage-by-stage program, and stays reachable 24/7.

Private guided: a ski guide dedicated exclusively to you on every ski day. They pick the best runs for the snow and conditions, manage timing and links, and tell you about the places you ski through. In this formula the second gourmet dinner is a starter, shared main course and dessert, and the program includes one hut night.

Included

  • 2 nights in a 4-star hotel in Val Gardena, double or triple room
  • 2 nights in a rifugio (1 in the private guided formula), private en-suite room
  • 2 nights in a 4-star hotel in Alta Badia, double or triple room
  • Half board, including 2 gourmet dinners in Michelin-starred restaurants (à la carte with 3 courses + dessert; 5-course tasting menu + dessert in the self-guided formula)
  • 5-day lift pass with the mandatory ski/snowboard insurance
  • 1 day with ski guide and sommelier (wine tour)
  • Ski guide on every ski day (private guided only)
  • Private transfers: days 2 and 5 for the dinners, days 4 and 5 between ski areas
  • Luggage transfer on days 3, 4 and 5
  • Maps, documentation and 24/7 assistance

Not included

  • Local tourist tax in hotels and huts
  • Drinks and extras
  • Ski rental (available on request)
  • Cancellation and medical/baggage insurance
  • Travel to Val Gardena and from Alta Badia
  • Anything not listed above

2027 prices per person (valid January 9 – March 27, 2027)

  • Self-guided, 2 participants: € 6,080 per person
  • Self-guided, 4 participants: € 5,490 per person
  • Self-guided, 6 participants: € 5,200 per person
  • Private guided, 2 participants: € 8,350 per person
  • Private guided, 4 participants: € 6,590 per person
  • Private guided, 6 participants: € 6,000 per person

Hotels and huts may be replaced with equivalent properties, with a price adjustment, if requested or necessary. Departures on request.

Getting to the start

The ski safari starts in Val Gardena (Selva, Santa Cristina or Ortisei, 1,200–1,560 m / 3,900–5,100 ft) and ends in Alta Badia (Corvara, La Villa, San Cassiano), about 40 minutes by car from the start.

Airports: Innsbruck (INN) is about 1 h 45 min away; Verona (VRN) and Venice (VCE) about 2 h 30 min; Milan Malpensa (MXP) about 3 h 30 min; Munich (MUC) about 3 h 30 min. From the US the most convenient connections run through Venice, Milan or Munich, with one stop in a European hub.

Train: the reference station is Bolzano on the Brenner line (linked to Verona, Innsbruck and Munich). From Bolzano, public buses reach Val Gardena in about 1 hour, or take a private transfer. For the return, buses run from Alta Badia to Brunico or Bolzano.

Transfers: on request we arrange private transfers to and from any airport and, at the end, from Alta Badia back to Val Gardena if you left a rental car there. All transfers within the program are included.

Car and parking: hotels have parking; winter tires or chains are mandatory on Dolomite roads in winter. An automatic rental car is worth booking early.

Arriving the day before: strongly recommended if you fly from the US. An extra night in Val Gardena lets you collect your pass and rental gear calmly and start day 2 rested.

Insurance & Visas

Insurance: the lift pass includes the mandatory ski cover (on-piste rescue, third-party liability). We ask you to take out a travel policy with medical, baggage and cancellation cover, which we can offer at booking. Starred restaurants and huts have strict cancellation terms: cancellation cover is genuinely useful.

Documents: EU citizens need only an ID card. US, Canadian, UK and Australian citizens enter the Schengen area without a visa for stays of up to 90 days; you need a passport valid for at least 3 months beyond your departure date. The ETIAS electronic travel authorization is being introduced from 2026: check its status before you travel.

Cancellation: full booking, payment and cancellation terms are sent with your quote.

Accommodation

Six nights, three different styles, all in private rooms.

  • Nights 1 and 2: 4-star hotel in Val Gardena, double or triple room, half board (dinner on day 2 is at the starred restaurant).
  • Night 3: mountain hut in the Marmolada area, private en-suite room, dinner and breakfast.
  • Night 4: hut at Passo San Pellegrino, reached by snowmobile, private en-suite room, dinner and breakfast. In the private guided formula one of the two hut nights is replaced by a hotel night.
  • Nights 5 and 6: 4-star hotel in Alta Badia, double or triple room, half board (dinner on day 5 is at the starred stua).

Property names are confirmed at booking. Hotels and huts may be replaced with equivalent properties if necessary.

Meals

The tour is on half board: breakfast and dinner included every day, lunch on your own.

The two starred dinners. Day 2: a Michelin-starred restaurant down-valley in Val Gardena, a multi-course tasting menu that reinterprets Ladin and alpine flavors. Day 5: a Michelin-starred stua in Alta Badia, six courses built on ingredients chosen that morning. In the self-guided formula one dinner is a 5-course tasting menu plus dessert and the other a 3-course à la carte plus dessert; in the private guided formula the second dinner is a starter, shared main and dessert. Wine is not included.

Hut dinners are mountain cooking done with care: canederli dumplings, casunziei ravioli, game, alpine cheeses, strudel. Generous portions, wood and stove atmosphere.

Lunches are on the slopes, in the huts along the way: on day 6 they are part of the wine tour with the sommelier.

Tell us about allergies or dietary needs at booking: restaurants and huts handle them easily with notice.

Pista da sci soleggiata in Val Gardena con le Dolomiti sullo sfondo
Sciatori sulla pista del ghiacciaio della Marmolada, Canazei
Le Cinque Torri innevate sotto il cielo blu, Cortina d'Ampezzo
La Marmolada, Regina delle Dolomiti, con il ghiacciaio innevato in pieno inverno
Pistes
Difficulty
Stay
Crowds

Pistes & ski areas

Six ski areas, all within Dolomiti Superski on a single lift pass, each with its own character.

  • Val Gardena / Alpe di Siusi: about 175 km (109 mi) of pistes, modern fast lifts. Wide, well-groomed red runs, the Saslong as a test piece, Alpe di Siusi for panoramic blue cruisers.
  • Marmolada: the glacier, a run of about 12 km (7.5 mi) from Punta Rocca to Malga Ciapela. Sustained red, colder and drier snow, north-facing. The upper section can be windy.
  • Ski Civetta: about 72 km (45 mi) between Alleghe, Zoldo and Selva di Cadore. Long runs through the forest, few people, a couple of serious blacks.
  • Passo San Pellegrino: sunny pistes at 1,900–2,500 m (6,200–8,200 ft) in the Tre Valli area; steep pitches on Col Margherita.
  • Buffaure (Val di Fassa): small, scenic, ideal for warming up before the Sellaronda. The Sellaronda is a loop of about 40 km (25 mi) over four passes: red and blue pistes, but long, with lift connections you must keep to.
  • Alta Badia: about 130 km (81 mi) of wide, sunny groomers, with the Gran Risa World Cup run as an optional challenge.

Every area has extensive snowmaking: the main pistes are guaranteed from December to the end of March. Piste colors follow the European scale: blue, red, black (roughly green, blue, black in US terms).

Difficulty factors

The Gourmet Peaks Ski Safari is rated technical level 3 of 4 and physical level 2 of 4. What actually makes this tour demanding:

  • Length of the descents: the Marmolada run is about 12 km (7.5 mi) without a break; your legs must hold up without long stops.
  • Timed itineraries: the Sellaronda on day 5 has to be completed within lift hours; you need a steady pace and confidence on red runs even when they are busy.
  • Black or steep sections: present on Civetta and San Pellegrino, and optional on the Saslong and the Gran Risa. Some are unavoidable to complete a link.
  • Changing snow: glacier in the morning, south-facing pistes in the afternoon: you go from firm to soft snow in the same day.
  • Navigation (self-guided): changing ski area every day means reading the map well and respecting lift connection times.

No off-piste is required. Physical effort is moderate: 4–5 hours of skiing a day with breaks, and transfers split the days.

Hotels & mountain huts

The 4-star hotels in Val Gardena and Alta Badia are well-run family properties: en-suite rooms, a wellness area or sauna in most cases, heated ski storage, buffet breakfast. They are the right place to reset legs and gear after long days.

The two rifugio nights are the heart of the trip. A winter rifugio in the Dolomites is not a spartan shelter: you sleep in a private en-suite room with heating, hot water and, in many cases, a kitchen worth the journey on its own. But it is still a mountain hut: compact spaces, total silence in the evening, a starry sky outside the door and the piste to yourself in the morning before the lifts open. At Passo San Pellegrino you arrive by snowmobile.

Your main luggage travels with the transfer service on days 3, 4 and 5: to the hut you carry only a small pack with what you need for the night.

Crowds & quiet corners

The route alternates busy ski areas with corners that stay quiet even in high season.

Val Gardena and Alta Badia are among the most popular areas in Dolomiti Superski: on weekends and during Carnival week (mid-February) the main pistes and the Sellaronda links get crowded. Starting early and skiing the Saslong or the Gran Risa on the first lift makes all the difference. Alpe di Siusi stays calmer.

Marmolada on January and March weekdays is surprisingly empty, especially in the morning. Ski Civetta and Passo San Pellegrino are the quietest corners of the tour: no lift lines, wide pistes, huts without a crush.

The two hut nights give you what no hotel can: an empty piste when the lifts open and an evening with nobody around.

Quietest periods: January 9–31 and from March 8 onward. Busiest: Carnival week and weekends.

Pista da sci soleggiata in Val Gardena con le Dolomiti sullo sfondo
Sciatori sulla pista del ghiacciaio della Marmolada, Canazei
Le Cinque Torri innevate sotto il cielo blu, Cortina d'Ampezzo
La Marmolada, Regina delle Dolomiti, con il ghiacciaio innevato in pieno inverno
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FAQ

Safety

Insurance & Visas

Safety on the slopes

The whole ski safari takes place on groomed, patrolled pistes within Dolomiti Superski; no off-piste sections are planned. Pistes are staffed by piste rescue and close at fixed times: respect them, especially on the Sellaronda.

Ski guide: in the private guided formula the guide chooses routes according to conditions, manages timing and steps in if problems arise. In the self-guided formula you have maps, a detailed program and an assistance number active 24/7.

Insurance included in the lift pass: the Dolomiti Superski pass includes the mandatory ski insurance covering on-piste rescue and third-party liability. It does not replace medical or cancellation insurance.

Emergencies: the single emergency number is 112, which works anywhere in Italy even without coverage from your own carrier. Always give the number of the nearest piste and lift.

A helmet is strongly recommended (mandatory for under-18s in Italy). Follow the FIS rules of conduct on the piste.

Clothing & Gear

Five days of skiing in different areas, with two hut nights, calls for a well-thought-out pack. The detailed list arrives with your travel documents; here are the essentials.

  • Base layer: merino or synthetic top and bottoms, 2 sets
  • Mid layer: fleece or light down jacket
  • Shell: waterproof, breathable ski jacket and pants
  • Helmet (mandatory for minors, recommended for everyone), goggles with a sunny lens and a flat-light lens
  • Warm gloves plus a spare pair, neck gaiter, beanie
  • Ski socks, 3 pairs; snow boots for evenings and the hut
  • 20–25 liter backpack for hut nights: change of clothes, toothbrush, power bank, water bottle
  • High-SPF sunscreen and lip balm: March sun at altitude is strong
  • One smart outfit for the starred dinners: no tie required, but put together

Rental: skis, boots and helmet can be rented in Val Gardena on request and returned in Alta Badia. Send us height, weight, shoe size and level at booking.

Weather & Snow in the Dolomites

From January to March the Dolomites have a dry, often sunny winter climate: they are drier than the western Alps and high-pressure systems bring long runs of clear days.

Temperatures: in the valley villages (1,200–1,600 m / 3,900–5,200 ft) from about 18 °F (-8 °C) in the morning to 37 °F (+3 °C) in the afternoon; up high (2,500–3,300 m / 8,200–10,800 ft) between 5 °F and 23 °F (-15 °C to -5 °C), with wind chill that can feel much colder on the Marmolada.

Snow: the route runs between 1,200 and 3,265 m (3,900–10,700 ft). The main pistes are guaranteed by snowmaking; natural snow is deeper from February on. The glacier keeps cold snow well into March.

Risks: heavy snowfall can temporarily close passes or Sellaronda lifts; the team on the ground adapts the program while keeping its structure and goals. Strong wind can stop the Marmolada cable car for a few hours.

Insurance & Visas

Insurance: the lift pass includes the mandatory ski cover (on-piste rescue, third-party liability). We ask you to take out a travel policy with medical, baggage and cancellation cover, which we can offer at booking. Starred restaurants and huts have strict cancellation terms: cancellation cover is genuinely useful.

Documents: EU citizens need only an ID card. US, Canadian, UK and Australian citizens enter the Schengen area without a visa for stays of up to 90 days; you need a passport valid for at least 3 months beyond your departure date. The ETIAS electronic travel authorization is being introduced from 2026: check its status before you travel.

Cancellation: full booking, payment and cancellation terms are sent with your quote.