Around the world Sella Ronda, Italy. Sella Ronda - ski carousel Italy villages Ronda mountain peaks

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Features of the “around the world” Sella Ronda

Sella Ronda- a popular circular route about 40 km long. It goes around the mountain range Sella and connects four valleys in the Dolomites at once: Val di Fassa, Val Gardena, Alta Badia And Arabba with a total length of routes of 510 km. You can visit four resorts in a day and return to the starting point before the lifts close.

Traveling along the route Sella Ronda, It should be remembered that:

It is possible to move both clockwise (orange signs on the routes) and counterclockwise (green arrows). The “green” route (38.5 km) is simpler; there are also tracks for cross-country skiing. The “orange” circle (36.5 km) with more difficult tracks is preferred by snowboarders, since it allows the use of only one drag lift;
free card Sella Ronda with the heights marked on it will help you navigate;
The time to complete a full circle is 3 hours, but you need to calculate your strength. If the athlete is insufficiently experienced or if the skiing is measured, they may not have time to pass the last pass before the trails close. You will have to wait a long time for the bus, but a taxi will take you to your “home” valley for a lot of money.

Sella Ronda is called many things - a carousel and a round the world tour. But this does not change the essence, since in fact Sella Ronda is a stunning circular route, covering four magnificent resort Dolomites: Val di Fassa, Val Gardena, Alta Badia and Arabba.

The uniqueness of this combined ski area is that you can visit all four in one day. resort areas and by the time the tracks close, return “home” to the starting place. The clockwise route is marked with orange signs, and the counter-clockwise route is marked with green signs.

For those skiers who simply love varied skiing, Sella Ronda allows you to diversify the route as much as possible and get to the most favorite slopes of not only the “home” resort, but also all the surrounding ones in different ways. But even more adventurous skiers like Sella Ronda: not every vacationer dares to challenge himself, because a complete revolution around the Sella mountain range is a long way! The total length of the "green" route counterclockwise is 38.5 km (the minimum length of the routes is 23 km). This part of the circumnavigation is easier in terms of elevation changes, but in some places skiers have to remember their cross-country skiing skills, which is not very pleasant.

The “orange” circle (clockwise) is 36.5 km - the trails here are more interesting, varied and challenging. However, if you avoid too steep descents, taking the “blue” routes will noticeably increase the length of both routes. Snowboarders also usually prefer the "orange" circuit, as this way they can avoid almost all drag lifts, except one - in Passo di Campolongo.

Before you set off on the carousel of Sella Ronda, you should soberly assess your strength. Second important point The thing to keep in mind is time. It is believed that an experienced athlete can complete a full circle in 3 hours. However, with measured skiing, occasionally allowing yourself to stop in cozy cafes for a cup of hot chocolate and turning aside to ride on other interesting slopes of neighboring resorts, there is a risk of simply not having time to return to your valley: There is nothing wrong with this, but in the evening you can take a bus the wait is long, and a taxi will go through the pass from one valley to another for very serious money.

You can see the map of Sella Ronda in more detail. In PDF format, it is best to view the routes.

How to get to Sella Ronda

Nearest airports: Bolzano - 40 km, Innsbruck - 120 km, Verona - 190 km, Venice - 250 km, Milan - 300 km.

You can view the availability and cost of tickets by clicking on the link below:

By bus. Every Saturday there is a bus from Munich Main Station to Ortisei Bus company Silbernagl. There are regular buses from the railway stations of Bolzano, Bressanone and Chiusa. From Bolzano the bus goes through Ponte Gardena (an hour's drive), and from Bressanone it goes through Chiusa, where you need to change buses to Val Gardena. Bus schedule here www.valgardena.it/?pagid=162&artid=710&lang=eng

By train. Trains stop in Bolzano, Bressanone and Chiusa, from where regular buses run almost every hour to Val Gardena. Some hotels can arrange transfers. www.trenitalia.it

By car. The best way to get to Val Gardena is via the A22 motorway (Brenner Motorway). If you are coming from the north, follow Innsbruck-Brennero-Chusa; if from the south, then Verona-Trento-Bolzano. You need an exit to Chiusa and Val Gardena. Then, following the signs, in 20 minutes you will find yourself in the first village of the valley - Ortisei.

Ski pass prices you can watch by following the link

Rent equipment you can follow the link

The Dolomites are beautiful. The Val Gardena valley is an excellent place for skiers with an intermediate level of skiing and above (beginners will find it difficult at first). It is worth noting that the descents to all three cities of the valley are red and black (and broken by the end of the day) trails! The choice of accommodation in the valley depends on the company: if the priority for skiing is Santa Cristina (the smallest town in the valley with access to both Ciampinoi and Seceda) and Selva (they say it is more fun here, and there is a larger choice of places); if there are beginners - Ortisei (with access to the Alpe di Siusi area). In my opinion, the trip should take two weeks - one week is clearly not enough for such a large region! In addition, then there will be an opportunity to go to Cortina, Venice, Verona, the Outlet or somewhere else. Both round-the-world routes are overloaded and take place away from the most interesting routes (or rather, on the contrary - the most interesting routes take place away from the around-the-world route). But here you will do great sightseeing tour and a colossal amount of a wide variety of photographs. I would recommend the orange direction. Fans of active skiing will have to be patient in the northern part of the green circumnavigation. If possible, be sure to visit the Cortina D'Ampezzo ski region.

Car enthusiasts can rent a car (wheel chains and diesel additives are a must) and drive along the Davos - Stevio route (voted the most beautiful by Top Gear). You should definitely climb Marmolada in sunny weather. For the experienced, there are pistes in the Arabba region with Porto Vescovo (but there are places to ride even without them!).

For any city this event is like the Olympics for Sochi. Moreover, for such a place favored by tourists as Ortisei. In which the number of visitors is many times greater than local population. This was not the last sporting event in the city that we attended, but more on that later

In the morning, stretching, we went out onto our balcony and saw the pink Sasalunga mountain in the rays rising sun. Yesterday's roofs and church spiers looked just as beautiful in daylight as they did when illuminated at night. We were glad that we didn’t dream it and went to the kitchen to drink coffee.

We made a small upgrade to the Italian tradition of finishing coffee with one sip. That is, they extended the event over time. Not because they were going to drink a bucket of coffee and eat all the supplies in the house. I just wanted to prolong the pleasure of being in warmth and comfort with a stunning view of the mountains.

Our small but cozy kitchen was equipped with all the latest design ideas. It’s immediately obvious that this is the main place in the house for Italians. It was just right for the three of us. Along one wall there was kitchen furniture, including a refrigerator.

In the middle there is a table with two comfortable sofas. The second wall was occupied by a flat-screen television, which continuously broadcast the temperature and thickness of snow at the ski stations in the area. Our favorite channel, only music and mountains.

No matter how much you stretch out the pleasure, no matter how much you enjoy the view of the pink Sasalunga, but the coffee is drunk, the cookies are eaten, you have to stomp open it ski season. Otherwise in comfortable conditions You'll relax and lose your fitness.

Only many years of practice and muscle memory prevent it from finally turning into an interior design. We need to develop the need for daily physical activity. At first we drag this habit on ourselves, and after some time, it will drag us down. All that remains is to crack the whip.

Go ahead, put on your knight's armor. Such boots and helmets would have suited our medieval ancestors on horses with swords and spears. Those who switched from skis to snowboards feel incredible relief in terms of walking with equipment.

Firstly, light and soft boots, in which you can not only walk, but also dance. Secondly, there is no need for sticks, which always tend to slip out when carried. And finally, instead of two separate skis, there is only one, wide one. Envy snowboarders, they get the same pleasure with fewer resources.

It's not a long walk, but in full gear, even a hundred meters is a challenge. Having reached the lift, we find that the ticket office only has single tickets. To get a subscription you need to go to the city center. And the organizers took care of this. We have forgotten what it means to care about people. A tunnel has been built right into the city center, and there is a moving walkway in it.

Thousands of people before us came to the ski lift in the morning, saw the red arrow and walked dejectedly along it. They were ready for the fact that pleasure had to be suffered. And maybe the right decision would be not to make life easier for athletes. This way you won’t become an Olympic medalist. On the other hand, for most it is not a sport, but outdoor fitness. That is, improving the overall physical fitness of the body.

We went into the office that sold ski passes, and a line immediately formed behind us. You must always arrive on time. And this is only possible if you are not in a hurry. We decided not to deny ourselves anything and bought each of us a weekly super ski pass. It affected the entire Val Gardena region, including Sella Ronda. It was expensive, but in the end, it was worth it.

In fact, only one of us was able to use the full power of the ski pass. The rest turned on the economy mode. To roll it out to the fullest, we need to have more time than we had with us

The first day was dedicated to the local hill Secheda. We climbed to the very top a couple of times on two lifts, one to the middle of the mountain, then the next. For many, half a mountain was enough. From the top began a ten-kilometer descent to our Ortisei. Somewhere in the middle of the descent there was a cafe. We arrived there already quite tired. We rested and drove further down.

At the very top there are bare rocks covered with a thick layer of snow. A beautiful forest began from the middle. In one place there was a frozen waterfall where everyone was taking pictures. Some posed for so long that many photo albums were replenished with the same unknown skier against the backdrop of frozen water.

We had enough until evening. It's still the first day. And before that there was a break of a year. We must take this into account. Therefore, the early evening was devoted to a walk around the town. The streets were filled with vacationers as soon as the city's lights came on.

Then tired skiers hung their equipment on a nail and went out to look at the shop windows, at the ice sculptures, and at the chicly dressed public. Soft music sounded from open cafes, and snowflakes swirled in the air.

Beautifully decorated shop windows, colorful lighting, and ice sculptures created a festive mood. The holiday atmosphere was everywhere. Every house glowed with a joyful light. Hotels and restaurants twinkled their lights invitingly. Cavalino Bianco (White Horse) especially stood out. Located in the very center, all pink, it resembled a birthday cake decorated with cherries.

We had a bonus ticket to the water park. More precisely, from our friends who lived in another hotel, a little further from the center, and received a compensation bonus for this. They shared with us. We enjoyed devoting the evening to saunas, slides and lying in hot water under the night sky. Here for the first time we enjoyed the heartbreaking screams of children in their native language. As the classic said, we only dream of peace.

The next morning one of us went on reconnaissance to Sella Ronda. It's such ski paradise. Equipped luxury trails surrounded mountain range along the perimeter. A square with a side of ten kilometers, where the towns of Selva, Alta Badia, Arabba and Canazei are located in the corners. Familiar names for those who regularly watch Eurosport.

You can go around in a circle in any direction. The signs are orange and green. If you stick to one color all the time, then after forty kilometers you will finish at your starting point. The most convenient thing in terms of variety. It’s a completely different feeling than methodically ironing one line. This is not even a sports training, but an adventure.

Before this, we studied the features of circular routes on the Internet. The place turned out to be a little different. I was worried about whether I would have time. The point is that everyone is sharing their experiences. Everyone's level of preparation is different. In theory, you can’t guess how long a full circle will take.

When darkness falls, the lifts stop working. Then there is a risk of being left alone at night in an unfamiliar area. With a lot of questions about transport and overnight accommodation. This didn't happen.

Everything turned out to be simpler. The whole circle one way took about two and a half hours. First you climb the mountain and look for the green sign. Having gone down, you look for the lift along the green arrow. And thus, going up and down in one direction, you arrive back where you started.

Therefore, before the evening we managed to drive around Sella Ronda twice, in one direction and the other. Moreover, the routes there and back were not repeated. These were different slopes, although of the same mountain. Accordingly, different lifts.

It is impossible to know everything. Only on the last day of skiing did we find out that it was possible to get to Sella Ronda directly from our town without taking off our skis. There was a tunnel for this. And we went twice by bus, which did not run that often. True, our ski pass covered bus service between the towns of the Val Gardena valley. In the meantime, there were enough ski lifts nearby our villa.

All the towns of Val Gardena and other valleys have approximately the same structure. Among the mountain peaks there is usually a flat area the size of the Principality of Monaco. It's easy to spot a town or village at the bottom of the valley. The surrounding slopes in the immediate vicinity are used for skiing. All famous ski resorts are designed this way.

Sella Ronda – The horses ran in a circle.

Preface…..prefazione
Moscow was sedately trying on winter outfits, wrapping itself in white lace, already during the day the store signs were lit up with New Year's lights, and I got ready to go to Italy. Or maybe to France... My soul was yearning for the mountains and something had to be done about it. . And since my daughter also flew to New Year holidays, I realized that I wouldn’t be bored. And the wife? And the woman is on the farm.
But, New Year was planned in Moscow and the flight back was supposed - well, at least on the 30th. Calling my friend who provides for me package tours for skiing (because it turns out cheaper), I asked to organize a trip for eight days. Somewhere in the rocky Dolomites of Italy, in Val Di Fassa. Budget up to 1500 euros, with sauna and breakfast, preferably.
Naturally, until now I have read something about this amazing ski area called Dolomiti Superski.
And the experience of Italian resorts was present, for example Bormio and Courmayeur. Great places by the way... especially Bormio. Very steep and well-trained slopes.

A little history... un po "di storia, per favore..
Dolomiti Superski. There are twelve major cities and villages: Val di Fassa, Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Arabba, Kronplatz, Val di Fiemme, Alta Pusteria, San Martino di Castrozza, Tre Valli, Valle Isarco and Civetta with a total length ski slopes 1200 km and 496 ski lifts. The length of the “black” routes is 120 km, “blue” – 360 km, “red” – 720 km. All together – Sella Rondo/ Mountain carousel. 1200 km.

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Yes, gentlemen... the numbers are like enchanting music, and imagining such a volume of slopes and lifts is incomprehensible, impossible... attractive...
Help your native economy - somewhere in the depths the creaky voice of Uncle Scrooge was heard - Sochi, Rosa Khutor, 7 ski lifts and ... I slightly strangled this bastard, so as not to spoil the perception of beauty - with my unfounded objections.
Although I also love the Sochi Mountains, and in February, following a new tradition, I flew for the weekend, but they can’t combine three ski areas with 10 lifts into one ski pass...
It’s sad, but nothing, our grandchildren will have every chance to see the greatness of these resorts, or they won’t, because weather are changing - it is not clear in what direction.
I’ll write more about Sochi...later.
Returning to Italy, I periodically had a question - who are the owners of these resorts? How was this organized? And I read how this region developed.. It really will be over 100 years old.. The owners of the slopes today are the descendants (2-3rd generation) of those shepherds who owned the pastures. In the 1900s they began building hotels in the mountains. Ski lovers climbed the slopes on foot and simply went down.. /In 1930, the first semblance of ski lifts appeared. In the photo, the booths of those times look like open barrels in which people sit and hold onto a metal stick in the center. The stick is attached to the rope.. And just by the way, recently, in 1974, the owners (12 people) sat down in a bar and agreed to merge the resorts. The latter joined in the 1990s. Handsome guys - we use them and enjoy them. By the way, the first skier circled the Sella Rondo in two days.

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So….
During the trip, everything turned out a little differently... It turned out that our operators have been importing packagers since December 26th. And so I had to urgently buy tickets to Verona and book a car. My friend, through the Italians, grabbed a hotel for 8 days with breakfast, dinner, sauna, and parking for 1300 euros. We chose Canazei. I looked in surprise at the booking, which offered it at a slightly different price.. O.K. Let's fly.

Arrival... Arrivo. Piacere!
Verona. Arrived in the afternoon. They took the car. We walked around the city.

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Pre-Christmas Verona is certainly charming. The city creates a wonderful mood.
We drove 170 km to Canazei. The roads are toll (17 euros – 170 km), of course, but of excellent quality. When we turned off the main road into the mountains in the evening, I realized my biggest mistake. I didn't rent chains. The navigator is his own, but the chains went wrong. It saved me, to be honest – it was a miracle!!! There was no snow either in the mountains or in the city until January 6 (as I later found out).
For the first time in the last 40 years, the Dolomites remained without snow cover for Christmas and New Year. Italians shed tears, opened champagne on Christmas Day and, filling their glasses, shyly apologized for the cataclysm.

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At that moment, I still didn’t know that there would be no snow at all, and I started thinking about where to buy chains and whether the rental company would buy them, at least for half the price of the cost.

TOURIST! WHEN RENTING A CAR IN THE MOUNTAINS - DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CHAINS.
I remember a very similar case in Andorra. The truth is that no miracle happened. Having taken the car, we went somewhere to the ski lifts, and there was waist-deep snow around... the road suddenly went uphill - and that’s all. I had to turn around with great difficulty - buy chains down in the village and spend another hour trying to put them on. (they stopped filming). The rental company bought the chains for 20 euros, and thank you for that.

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What is it called in Italian? ……….Come si chiama questo in italiano?
Hotel Il Caminetto 3* turned out to be of impressive size, but completely on the outskirts. I knew about it. They took us to the ski lift in a minivan and took us back. It's a bit far to walk, about thirty minutes... one evening we took a walk. But the machine solved these problems at once.
The hotel had a sauna with a swimming pool - and I was NOT surprised when they asked for 17 euros per week per person. This is only in Austria - everything is free, in Italy - any sneeze for your money. Parking is free and that’s a blessing, but WIFI is 10 euros for 40 hours... This is also a common phenomenon in Italy.
But how they fed! If you gentlemen are food lovers, you are welcome to Caminetto. But honestly, it’s unrealistic... It’s impossible to eat so much, sorry for the rudeness... and the Italians, after the third, fourth plate, also went for sweets. ...surprisingly... amazingly delicious cakes were served by these bad Italian chefs. And people don’t get fat...And why, the question arose in my mind, are so many delicious things served at dinner? Give them in the morning and the tourist will say a special thank you...

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The hotel also organized mass celebrations for Christmas in its nightclub (at Caminetto - night club still attached). Without any additional payments, everything was included... Various artists performed and carried champagne. They say they buzzed until late at night.
The Italians, the people, you know, are noisy and emotional, but quite peaceful. But in this hotel We encountered the ignorant manners of the natives. We get out of the elevator - and they enter without letting us through - we are in shock... but they don’t care... We are standing on the street in line for a minivan, the Italians left the hotel - straight ahead, shamelessly sat down and turned their faces away. We come to the drying room in the morning - oops, our shoes are on the floor... (then in the evening I went to check whether the shoes were drying or they had been thrown out again). Although anyone could have done this already. Well, there were some funny moments...
Canazei is a town. It is neither low nor high, the village is big in one word...

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There is an aqua center and shops - just like everywhere else in the mountains. Ski and board repair service is affordable and high quality. Finding equipment for a snowboarder is unrealistic, it simply isn’t available, and any equipment in general is obscenely expensive. Canazei is skiers' territory throughout. And with parks for borderers - it’s tense. They said Val Gardena is more interesting, and Cortina, of course, well, I don’t know, we never got there. But I got to the outlet, somewhere near Verona.
(Via M.Biagi, Bagnolo San Vito. 46031 Mantova) – in my opinion this one. Everything is as usual at the outlet, they have decent discounts from 04.01. But my baby was satisfied and that’s good.

Ride…. Buon viaggio!
I’ll say right away that all eight days are sunny. It was cool in the mountains, down to minus 4-5. The lifts were empty in the first days... We paid 108 euros for two ski passes and went into the cable car.

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And so every day with a break to go to the outlet. The people arrived only on the 28th, but so many arrived at once... Only our two buses arrived; there was really no crowding on the slopes.

And the trails are excellent. There was no snow, and the tracks were super.

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Yes, you can’t ride off-piste, because you can’t ride on rocks. But we weren’t worried at all. Sella Rondo - amazing place, in its beauty, service and technical equipment.

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Imagine, in the center there is a huge mountain range - to the right there is a green sign for Sella Rondo (38 km of descent), to the left there is an orange sign (37 km)

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To the right - more than 5 hours to go, to the left about five. It's a whole journey. Down, up - the slopes change, the landscape changes, villages, small towns, restaurants slip by. ADVENTURE – in one word. It's hard to get lost - there are signs everywhere with reinsurance signs, if God forbid you go to the wrong place...
Driving to the left will actually be more difficult, but not everywhere, in SOME places

The ski area, famous in Italy, is a closed circular route that goes around the mountain range of the same name, which can be passed in both directions by a chain of numerous interconnected cable cars and tracks with a total length of about 500 km. It covers such popular resorts The Dolomites, such as Val di Fassa, Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Arabba Marmolada, are considered one of the most interesting areas for amateur skiing.

The combined zone is unique in that you can visit all four in one day. ski centers and when the tracks close, return to the starting point. This route has long been appreciated by skiers and snowboarders who prefer varied skiing and a harmonious combination of difficult and easy slopes. Its length, taking into account the climbs, is about 40 km, if you move “in a straight line”. The route takes on average 3-4 hours.

You can move around the Sella Ronda area, which is often called the “around the world” or “carousel”, either clockwise or counterclockwise. This allows you to get to different routes not only to the most popular routes of the “internal” resorts, but also to the adjacent ones. The markings of the local trails are recognized as one of the best in the Alps.

The anti-clockwise circular route, marked in green on maps and signs, involves 13 ascents and 10 descents. Its total length is 38.5 km. The “green” route is considered easier in terms of elevation changes, and in some places sports fans even have to remember their cross-country skiing skills.

The clockwise circuit, marked with orange signs, includes 11 ascents and 8 descents. The 36.5 km long pistes here are more interesting, varied and challenging - for example, the breathtaking "black" pistes from the top of Porta Vescovo!

One of the resorts in the combined zone, Val di Fassa, is called the “pearl” of the Dolomites. This prestigious ski area has all the conditions for sports and active rest. There are also trails for cross-country skiing, and dog sledding and snowmobile rides are also organized. Hotels and residences, bars and restaurants, pizzerias and cozy cafes, numerous shops and boutiques are available for vacationers.

Another resort, Val Gardena, is recognized the best part Sella Ronda area. The maintenance of the trails is impeccable. The longest slopes are located here, there are large differences in elevation, snow cannons are constantly working, and competitions of the highest level are held annually. In addition, Val Gardena has a vibrant resort life.

In another beautiful place of the ski “carousel” - Alta Badia - mainly blue slopes predominate. And the most difficult and interesting descents The Sella Ronda, with a total length of 52 km and with a height difference of 1636 to 2550 m, can be found in the resort of Arabba. Just look at the “black” slopes from the top of Porta Vescovo!

The resorts of the joint zone offer many sports and entertainment facilities for children. There are winter parks, slopes equipped with special lifts, and playgrounds for training with an instructor.

The developed infrastructure of the resorts, stunning mountain landscape, excellent snow cover, a wide choice of ski routes, and a well-functioning lift system make the Sella Ronda area attractive for both beginners and experienced skiers and snowboarders.