7-Day Ski-In Ski-Out Ski Safari in the Dolomites

Day 1: Arrival in Cortina d'Ampezzo
Skiing: none | Overnight: 4-star hotel

Arrive in Cortina at your own pace and check in. If you land early, a walk along Corso Italia with the Tofane towering above town is the right way to switch into mountain time. In the evening you receive your briefing and route maps.

Day 2: Tofane and Cinque Torri
Skiing: Cortina d'Ampezzo ski area | Overnight: rifugio (mountain hut)

The Freccia nel Cielo cable car lifts you in minutes to the base of the Tofane, the sector that hosted the women's alpine events of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. Mornings are for the high red and black runs, groomed every night, and for the Olimpia delle Tofane with its famous schuss. In the afternoon you move over to the Cinque Torri, where rock towers rise straight out of the snow and the pistes turn quieter and mellower. You end the day right there, at a hut below the towers, with the last light on the walls.

Day 3: Lagazuoi and the Armentarola, then Alta Badia
Skiing: Lagazuoi – Alta Badia | Overnight: rifugio

Today you ski one of the most photographed runs in the Alps. From the Lagazuoi summit at 2,730 m (8,960 ft) the Armentarola unrolls for 8.5 km (5.3 mi) past rock walls, frozen waterfalls and larch forest to 1,660 m (5,450 ft) at San Cassiano. On the flat final stretch a horse-drawn ski tow pulls you back to the lifts, the way it has been done for decades. From there you enter Alta Badia: a broad, sunlit plateau of wide groomers, Ladin hay barns in the meadows, and the Sella, Sassongher and Fanes peaks on every horizon. In the afternoon you ski straight to the door of your hut.

Day 4: Arabba, Marmolada and Passo Pordoi
Skiing: Arabba – Marmolada – Canazei – Buffaure | Overnight: rifugio

You follow a stretch of the Sellaronda to Arabba, where the pitch steepens and the runs off Porta Vescovo are long, fast and north-facing. Then the high point of the week: Marmolada. From Punta Rocca at 3,200 m (10,500 ft) a continuous 12 km (7.5 mi) descent drops first across the glacier, then into wide open bowls. You ski back to Arabba, ride up to Passo Pordoi (2,200 m / 7,220 ft) and cross into Val di Fassa on the Canazei pistes. The day ends at Buffaure, a small, quiet sector where your hut looks out over the valley to the Catinaccio.

Day 5: Val di Fassa, Passo Sella and Ciampinoi
Skiing: Belvedere – Col Rodella – Passo Sella – Val Gardena | Overnight: rifugio

You restart on the Belvedere – Col Rodella slopes, with direct Sellaronda links and wide, immaculate groomers. On skis you reach Passo Sella and the Città dei Sassi, a boulder maze at the foot of Sassolungo where the pistes get more technical but stay broad and perfectly groomed. Over the pass you enter Val Gardena via the Ciampinoi: the skiing turns sporty and below you lies the Saslong, the men's World Cup downhill course, plunging toward Santa Cristina. Night in a hut with the Sella, Sassolungo and the Odle spires in view.

Day 6: Val Gardena, Seceda and Alpe di Siusi
Skiing: Val Gardena – Alpe di Siusi | Overnight: 4-star hotel

The final ski day is a full tour of Val Gardena. In the morning you ride the sunny side to Col Raiser and Seceda and ski the Longia, more than 10 km (6.2 mi) and 1,200 m (3,940 ft) of vertical down to Ortisei. From there you cross to Alpe di Siusi, the largest high-altitude plateau in Europe, where the pistes turn wide and flowing and the skiing becomes contemplative, with the quiet Monte Pana sector as a side trip. Legs left? Push on toward Passo Gardena on the Sellaronda. Otherwise ski back to the hotel in the early afternoon for the spa. Dinner and overnight in the hotel.

Day 7: Departure
Skiing: none | Overnight: none

Breakfast, check-out and departure from Val Gardena. Transfers to the station or airport can be arranged on request.

The program may be adjusted by the local team or the mountain guide according to snow and weather conditions, keeping the structure and goals of the trip unchanged.

Tour formats

Self-guided: you travel independently, solo, as a couple or with friends. Our partner team on the ground books hotels and huts, organizes luggage transport, hands you maps and a stage-by-stage route, and stays reachable 24/7.

Private guided: a guide dedicated exclusively to your group for all five ski days. They choose the best pistes for the day's snow and weather, manage the timing, and tell you the story of the mountains you cross.

Group departures: you join a small group of 4–6 skiers led by a UIAGM-certified mountain guide. Two fixed dates: January 22–28, 2027 and March 6–12, 2027.

Included

• 1 night in a 4-star hotel in Cortina d'Ampezzo before the tour (3-star on group departures), double or triple room
• 1 night in a 4-star hotel in Val Gardena after the tour (3-star on group departures), double or triple room
• 4 nights in mountain huts, shared room with shared bathroom
• Half board (group departures: half board in huts, bed and breakfast in hotels)
• 5-day Dolomiti Superski lift pass with mandatory ski insurance included
• Luggage transport between all accommodations
• Maps and travel documentation
• 24/7 assistance
• Dedicated guide (private guided) or UIAGM mountain guide (group departures)

Not included

• Local tourist tax in hotels and huts where applicable
• Drinks, lunches and extras
• Solo traveler supplement (self-guided)
• Private room in huts: € 20 per person per night, on request
• Single hotel room on group departures: € 300 total
• Ski rental, available on request
• Cancellation and medical/baggage insurance
• Anything not listed as included

Prices per person, 2027 season

Valid January 9 – March 27, 2027 (self-guided and private guided), subject to availability.

• Self-guided, 2 participants: € 3,650 per person
• Self-guided, 4 participants: € 3,370 per person
• Self-guided, 6 participants: € 3,200 per person
• Private guided, 2 participants: € 6,200 per person
• Private guided, 4 participants: € 4,650 per person
• Private guided, 6 participants: € 4,100 per person
• Group departure (January 22–28 or March 6–12, 2027, min. 4 – max. 6): € 3,995 per person

Hotels and huts may be replaced with equivalent properties on request or when necessary, with a corresponding price adjustment.

Where it starts and ends. The ski safari begins in Cortina d'Ampezzo (Veneto) and ends in Val Gardena (South Tyrol). It is a point-to-point traverse: you do not return to the start, so it is easiest to arrive without a car or have it moved.

Airports for Cortina. Venice Marco Polo (VCE) is the most convenient, about 2 hours by car or transfer; from the US, connect via a European hub or fly nonstop to Venice seasonally. Treviso (TSF) is 2 hours, Innsbruck (INN) 2.5 hours, Verona (VRN) 3 hours, Milan Malpensa (MXP) 4.5 hours. From Val Gardena at the end of the trip, Innsbruck is 1.5 hours, Verona 2 hours, Venice 3 hours. Open-jaw tickets (into Venice, out of Milan or Innsbruck) work well.

By train. For Cortina the nearest station is Calalzo di Cadore, linked by local bus (about 1 hour). Alternatively take a train to Venice or Bolzano and continue on the direct seasonal buses. For the return from Val Gardena, the reference station is Bolzano (bus, or bus plus train via Ponte Gardena) or Bressanone.

Transfers. On request we arrange private airport transfers in both directions, and can have your rental car moved from Cortina to Val Gardena if you prefer to drive. Ask when you book.

Parking. Hotels in Cortina and Val Gardena have parking, but a car left in Cortina has to be collected later: in winter the simplest link is the bus via Bolzano or Venice, or a private transfer.

Arrive the day before. Day 1 is arrival only. If you fly from the US we recommend landing in the morning or spending a night in Venice, so you reach Cortina rested for the first ski day on day 2.

Travel insurance. We ask you to travel with medical and baggage insurance that covers on-piste alpine skiing (standard "winter sports" cover is enough: no off-piste or mountaineering extension is required). Check that it includes medical expenses abroad, medical repatriation and third-party liability. The lift pass covers on-piste rescue, not the treatment that follows.

Cancellation. We strongly recommend a cancellation policy, purchased within days of confirming your booking: it covers your costs in case of injury, illness or other obstacles before departure.

Documents for US citizens. Italy is in the Schengen Area: no visa is needed for tourist stays of up to 90 days. Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned departure from Schengen; we recommend 6 months. The ETIAS electronic travel authorization is being phased in from 2026: check the current status before you travel.

EU citizens: a valid ID card.

Night 1 – Cortina d'Ampezzo: 4-star hotel (3-star on group departures), double or triple room with private bathroom.

Night 2 – Cinque Torri: mountain hut at the foot of the towers, reached on skis. Shared room with shared bathroom.

Night 3 – Alta Badia: hut on the plateau, up on the slopes. Shared room with shared bathroom.

Night 4 – Buffaure, Val di Fassa: alpine hut in a small, quiet sector, facing the Catinaccio. Shared room with shared bathroom.

Night 5 – Val Gardena: hut at altitude in the Val Gardena ski area. Shared room with shared bathroom.

Night 6 – Val Gardena: 4-star hotel with wellness area (3-star on group departures), double or triple room.

In every hut a private room can be requested for a small per-person, per-night supplement, subject to availability. Property names are confirmed with your travel documents; hotels and huts may be replaced with equivalent properties when necessary.

Half board throughout (group departures: breakfast in hotels, half board in huts). Breakfast is a buffet in the hotels and simpler in the huts: bread, butter, jams, cheeses, cured meats, coffee and tea, often yogurt and muesli.

Dinner in a rifugio is the meal you will remember: a set multi-course menu cooked in-house. Expect canederli (bread dumplings) in broth, polenta with melted cheese or goulash, casunziei (beet ravioli), apple strudel or krapfen, and a list of South Tyrolean and Trentino wines longer than you would guess. In the hotels dinner is à la carte or a good daily menu.

Lunches are on your own and not included: Dolomiti Superski is famous for its on-piste huts, from a quick panino to full Ladin cooking on a sunny terrace. We suggest eating early, around noon, to skip the line and make the most of the daylight.

Dietary needs: vegetarian, gluten-free and intolerances are handled without fuss if flagged at booking. Vegan options exist in the huts but are more limited.