Between the last week of November and the first of December, many ski resorts begin to open, officially launching the year’s ski season. With mild temperatures still prevailing, many will require artificial snow, but winter sports lovers are eager to get on the slopes.
The top ski resorts, such as Dolomiti Superski, Via Lattea, Matterhorn Ski Paradise and Adamello Ski, are still the preferred choice for those looking for quality, innovation, variety and enough snow to ski, be it natural or artificial.
In recent years however, new trends have begun to emerge: for example, the number of people who do not necessarily want to practice a sport, but still want to enjoy the mountains has increased. These visitors are more interested in doing some walking, relaxing at an alpine hut, enjoying wellness treatments, trying the local delicacies and experiencing local traditions.
Another trend is the search for smaller and cozier ski resorts, with fewer crowds. Some of these are Col de Varda on the Misurina lake, Padola in Val Comelico, Rienzo in Dobbiaco, Passo Oclini in the ski area of Lavazé in Val di Fiemme, and Ciampedie, between Vigo di Fassa and Pera di Fassa.
And one trend we very much like is environmentally-friendly “sci a km zero”, where skiers reach their mountain destination by train and look for hotels right by the slopes so they never need to use a car. You can find such locations in Val di Sole (Trentino), Plan de Corones (South Tyrol), Pila (Aosta Valley) and Versciaco above Bolzano.
As for sports, the most popular this year are expected to be those that allow closer contact with nature, such as snowshoeing, Nordic walking and cross country skiing.
A new fun trend that is catching on is night skiing and sunrise skiing, this is available in Ravascletto Zoncolan-Sella Ronda, Alta Badia and Trentino, and Valtellina.
Now we can’t wait to get on the slopes!