International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) Hills to visit after Cortina

[Nicad]

Hello, going on a road trip next week with my daughter. Picking up a car in Munich and hoping to ski at Cortina and check out the Italian side of things. If anybody has any suggestions of other resorts to hit along the way, that would be much appreciated. Maybe hit one place before Cortina in between Munich and Italy. I'd like to drive about two hours after skiing and switching to the next mountain or resort. My dates on the slopes are between the 13th and 20th of March. Hoping for great weather, food and seeing Italian ski culture. Ciao!
Thanks in Advance.

 

[Beach Bum]

Austrian resorts are very close to Munich. Can get to Kitzbuhel rather quickly, several trains a day to St Anton dropping you off next to the chairlifts. Did that the last two years after work trips.

 

[Jacob]

Hello, going on a road trip next week with my daughter. Picking up a car in Munich and hoping to ski at Cortina and check out the Italian side of things. If anybody has any suggestions of other resorts to hit along the way, that would be much appreciated. Maybe hit one place before Cortina in between Munich and Italy. I'd like to drive about two hours after skiing and switching to the next mountain or resort. My dates on the slopes are between the 13th and 20th of March. Hoping for great weather, food and seeing Italian ski culture. Ciao!
Thanks in Advance.

If you're coming from North America and you've already got some sort of commitment to going to Cortina, then I wouldn't recommend stopping anywhere along the way to ski.

First, you'll be jet lagged, so you probably won't be in any shape to ski that first day. Second, Cortina is part of a huge ski area that should keep you entertained for you're entire trip.

Any resort hopping just means more packing/unpacking and checking in/out, which is unnecessary if you're already going to be visiting a gigantic ski area with enough terrain to keep you happy your whole trip. The only reason to do it is if you have some need to check names off of a list.

If I were you, I'd spend the first day taking your time getting to Cortina and getting settled in, and then I'd spend the rest ot the time skiing the whole area around there.

 

[Swede]

Depending on how long you spend in Italy, Sella Ronda is just next to Cortina and is one of the larger ski areas in the alpes. You can basically ski for a couple of weeks without repeating runs there. 4:30ish drive to Cortina from Munich and you could stop by Kitz or Saalbach in Austria which is about halfway. Classic Austrian ski towns. Innsbruck if you chose another route, which has skiing from the city. Olympic heritage.

 

[sbooker]

Hintertux Glacier in the Ziller Valley just north of Innsbruck would be a great choice. High and north facing.
There's other resorts in the valley. Mayrhofen, Zell am Ziller, Kaltenbach.
The extra 500 to 1000 metres over Kitz, Saalbach etc really helps with snow quality.
They've got wonder Zillertal Beer too. Bonus!

 

[Choucas]

Jacob has it right. Go straight to Cortina. Get settled and rested. Ski in Cortina and then explore as much of the rest of the Dolomites as you like. You're at the far east end of the range when in Cortina, but with a little planning you can cover dozens of great areas using Cortina as your base.

 

[Nicad]

Thanks fo the tips. I know I won't be able to figure out the hill in the short span, but I like moving around somewhat on vacation, so was thinking of also going to val Gardena and perhaps revisiting Ishgl on route back to Munich. Anyone skied Val Gardena?

 

[GNARpts]

I don’t want to hijack the thread, but does anyone have good resources for reading about an overview of resorts in the Alps? It looks extremely likely I’ll have two weeks to kill next season while working in Genoa, so obviously I will go ski instead of flying back to the US.

 

[sbooker]

Thanks fo the tips. I know I won't be able to figure out the hill in the short span, but I like moving around somewhat on vacation, so was thinking of also going to val Gardena and perhaps revisiting Ishgl on route back to Munich. Anyone skied Val Gardena?

Yes. Very similar in terrain and snow conditions to Cortina. The same jaw dropping scenery too.

 

[DanishRider]

Just returned from Kitzsteinhorn near Zell am See (2 hours from Munich), and if you are into freeriding in a controlled area, then don't miss it! I was blown away, and i usually go to the big areas. I AM IN LOVE ! It is a small glacier resort on the same liftpass as Zell, but it is pure awesomeness!

 

[Swede]

Thanks fo the tips. I know I won't be able to figure out the hill in the short span, but I like moving around somewhat on vacation, so was thinking of also going to val Gardena and perhaps revisiting Ishgl on route back to Munich. Anyone skied Val Gardena?

Selva is the best place to stay there inmo. Great, classic piste skiing.

 

[Nicad]

So I am back. Had a great time. Loved Cortina as a ski town. Very nicely done. Friendly. The conditions were a little hard as in icy, so was familiar to an Ontario skier. The area certainly is pretty. Ended up driving north after and went to Kronplatz on my way to Innsbruck. It was a an excellent hill. great lifts, fast terrain with trees as you got lower. Never heard of this place but I'd go back for sure. Next stop was Ishgl. Amazingly large ski hill. Tons of terrain and we had fresh snow there. Final stop was two days at St Anton. Great off piste skiing there. I'd like to have a guide next time. We also did a day trip from Cortina to Venice for a day off. Only a two hour drive. Best time of the year to visit Venice as it will be swamped beyond any chance of being pleasant come summer. Italy is way cheaper than Austria when it comes to accomodations. I love Euro road trips, so will probably head back on a motorcycle one day to wander around with little plans.

 

[Swede]

So I am back. Had a great time. Loved Cortina as a ski town. Very nicely done. Friendly. The conditions were a little hard as in icy, so was familiar to an Ontario skier. The area certainly is pretty. Ended up driving north after and went to Kronplatz on my way to Innsbruck. It was a an excellent hill. great lifts, fast terrain with trees as you got lower. Never heard of this place but I'd go back for sure. Next stop was Ishgl. Amazingly large ski hill. Tons of terrain and we had fresh snow there. Final stop was two days at St Anton. Great off piste skiing there. I'd like to have a guide next time. We also did a day trip from Cortina to Venice for a day off. Only a two hour drive. Best time of the year to visit Venice as it will be swamped beyond any chance of being pleasant come summer. Italy is way cheaper than Austria when it comes to accomodations. I love Euro road trips, so will probably head back on a motorcycle one day to wander around with little plans.

Kronplatz is well known for anyone interested in ski racing, as it has hosted a women’s World Cup GS the latest years. It’s in the Sella Ronda system which is one of the largest interconnected lift systems in the world. Marmolada is one of grander experiences in the area (bit if a schlep from KP) and going top to bottom is some 1900 vert metres, (5700ish feet). Can be crazy crowded sometimes. Closest resort is Arabba.

 

[Goran M.]

Kronplatz is on Dolomiti Superski Pass but it is not on Sella Ronda circuit nor it is lift connected with other Dolomiti Superski resorts. Short bus ride is required to join Sella Ronda circuit (15-20 minutes bus ride) in AltaBadia/Corvara. Bus runs every 20 minutes and it is free.

Dolomiti Superski is one of the largest ski areas accessible with one lift ticket but not all areas are interconnected with ski lifts. It is rather a collection or co-op of various ski resorts working together to market themselves as the largest ski area in the world. Over 1300kms(800 miles) of prepared pistes and limitless "off piste" possibilities !

And not less important - this ski area has the largest snow making system in the world and because of cold and dry micro climate (ideal for large scale snow making) skiing is almost guaranteed even in lean snow seasons. Groomer heaven !!!

 

[Lofcaudio]

So I am back. Had a great time. Loved Cortina as a ski town. Very nicely done. Friendly. The conditions were a little hard as in icy, so was familiar to an Ontario skier. The area certainly is pretty. Ended up driving north after and went to Kronplatz on my way to Innsbruck. It was a an excellent hill. great lifts, fast terrain with trees as you got lower. Never heard of this place but I'd go back for sure. Next stop was Ishgl. Amazingly large ski hill. Tons of terrain and we had fresh snow there. Final stop was two days at St Anton. Great off piste skiing there. I'd like to have a guide next time. We also did a day trip from Cortina to Venice for a day off. Only a two hour drive. Best time of the year to visit Venice as it will be swamped beyond any chance of being pleasant come summer. Italy is way cheaper than Austria when it comes to accomodations. I love Euro road trips, so will probably head back on a motorcycle one day to wander around with little plans.

Thanks for the report. Cortina is WAY UP on my bucket list and would love to combine it with a day or two in Venice. It would seem flying in and out of Venice would be the easiest way there.