Alta Badia Opens For Winter Season

The long wait is finally over. In Alta Badia, in the heart of the Dolomites a UNESCO World Heritage site, everything is ready for the start of the winter season. On Saturday 3 December, alpine skiing enthusiasts will finally be able to test themselves between one curve and the next on the most beautiful slopes in the area, including those of the Sellaronda.

THE GOURMET SKISAFARI KICKS OFF THE CULINARY SEASON ON THE SLOPES

It will be an itinerant journey, the one that will take skiers participating in the ninth edition of the Gourmet Skisafari, from one hut to the next in search of new dishes and internationally renowned chefs. The culinary creations can be tasted on Saturday 10 December from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Norbert Niederkofler (Executive Chef at Restaurant St.Hubertus at Hotel Rosa Alpina, 3 Michelin stars and 1 green star), Simone Cantafio (Restaurant La Stüa de Michil, 1 Michelin star, at Hotel La Perla) and the food director, for a long time Italy's best chef for critics, Fulvio Pierangelini (Rocco Forte Hotels), will bring gourmet cuisine to the slopes of Alta Badia at 2000m. There will, of course, be the opportunity to meet the chefs in person and be told the story of their dish. Each dish will be accompanied by a South Tyrolean wine, chosen by a South Tyrolean sommelier.

Tickets for participating in the Gourmet Skisafari can be purchased for €60 in advance and up to the day of the event at the tourist offices in Alta Badia, or directly at the participating huts. Places are limited. The event is organised with the support of the South Tyrol Wine Consortium.

ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP ALTA BADIA: THE WORLD'S BEST ATHLETES ON THE GRAN RISA 

Only a few weeks to go until the traditional appointment with the men's ski races, scheduled on the Gran Risa slope and valid for the Ski World Cup. Challenging each other on 18 and 19 December on one of the most technical and challenging slopes of the entire Ski World Cup circuit, there will be the best athletes at international level. And at last, fans of the ski-sport will once again be able to support their favourites live, on the grandstands at the parterre, or from the three hospitality areas (Leitner VIP Lounge, Red Bull Energy Lounge and Gran Risa Chalet), which after a break of two years can once again welcome their numerous fans. In addition to the races, the programme includes the bib draw open to the public, scheduled for Saturday 17 December at 19.00 in the centre of La Villa, while on Sunday 18 December between one run and the next there will be a fly-over by the P.A.N. Frecce Tricolori at 12.30 p.m., followed by the parterre performance by violinist Andrea Casta. Monday, 19 December starts at 07.15 with the opening of the ski lifts in San Cassiano and Corvara, allowing ski enthusiasts to take part in SunRisa, the event that gives skiers the chance to ski before the sun rises, and then continues with a rich breakfast, devised by sports nutritionist Elena Casiraghi, served in the participating huts.

Those who do not have the chance to follow their favourites directly from the finish area can cheer them on from home, thanks to the worldwide broadcast of the races, at 10 a.m. for the first run and 1 p.m. for the second one.

TEST THE BEST

During the two days of the Ski World Cup there will be the opportunity for those who wish to test some of the best ski and sports equipment on the market. The testing will take place at the specially set up village at Piz La Villa. The materials can be tested free of charge on 18 and 19 December from 9 am to 3 pm. A number of ski instructors will be on hand to advise interested parties on how best to use the various materials on the piste.

SKIPASS PURCHASE: 5% DISCOUNT ON ONLINE PURCHASES

New this year is the Dolomiti Superski online shop, where it will be possible to buy almost all types of ski pass. Those who purchase a day or multi-day ski pass online at least two days in advance of the date of use will receive an immediate discount of 5% on the list price. This effectively halves the inflation-induced increase in ski pass prices.

Ski passes can be collected at the new Tickets Self-Service points, real automated stations, where it is possible to buy ski passes via touch screen and issue them via special machines, without having to go to the ski pass sales point. This saves money and time, so you can go directly to the piste.

SPECIAL OFFERS IN DECEMBER: DOLOMITI SUPER PREMIÈRE

A free day's holiday from 4 booked days onwards, to sample the first snow in the Dolomites. This offer is now a classic, with a free day at the hotel and free ski pass to experience an unforgettable start to the season from 26 November to 24 December 2022, at establishments participating in the promotion (last day of ski pass purchase: 21/12/2022; last day of ski pass validity: 24/12/2022).

SNOW MAN: IN ALTA BADIA THE SNOW IS SMART E GREEN ORIENTED

Snowmaking is always made with rainwater that is turned into snow, and then back to the earth, in an eternal natural cycle. Technology helps: Skicarosello has adopted SnowMan (or Snow Management), developed at the Polo Tecnologico of Rovereto by BPEng. A system that acquires data such as the amount of snow produced by the cannons, relating it to the amount of snow on the ski slope and detected by the sensors on the snow cats, which are also able to assess the conformation of the terrain. This information, geolocalised thanks to the GPS signal, is used to decide which snowmaking systems to operate, and for how long, until the amount of snow needed is reached. All this results in considerable savings of water and electricity, reducing the waste of these resources to zero. SnowMan is currently active on all the slopes of Skicarosello Corvara.

Technology also comes to the aid of tourists and skiers, who often find themselves choosing which resort to go to based on the 'snow factor', the driving force of the season. Skicarosello has opted for the utmost transparency and fairness: people, via snowreport.skicarosello.it, can check in real time, hour by hour, the progress and snow conditions of each slope at the beginning of the season and thus assess the condition of the slopes and their preparation.

NEW 2022: MOVI FAMILY APART-HOTEL, BADIA HILL AND CRËP DE MUNT

In December, Alta Badia boasts three openings, including the first family hotel in the valley, a four-star hotel and a mountain hut on the Sellaronda.

Movi Family Apart-Hotel:

The first 'family-oriented' apart-hotel in Alta Badia, specialised in welcoming children and designed around their needs and those of their parents, will be opened on 2 December. The complex features 33 flats, a two-storey Acqua Fun World, a 250-square-metre playroom, a family sauna and an adults-only wellness area, a breakfast room and a garden with playground. In addition, the facility has made sustainability its priority: it is a Climate House A and NZEB (nearly zero energy building). The hotel's flagship are the services, care and attention, the ability to imagine everything a family with children might need, and the desire to make it easily accessible, such as a full fridge on arrival, a delivery service and a children's entertainment programme.

Movi Family Apart-Hotel offers the possibility to order groceries in advance, even before arriving at the hotel. So families, after travelling to their destination, can find everything they need to start their holiday in the fridge. This service is offered in cooperation with Conad supermarket in Corvara, which for the first time also opens up home shopping to the hotel industry: it is a nationwide pilot project, centred on an App developed especially for MMH (Movimënt Hospitality). The dinner delivery service works in the same way, through the App, in collaboration with two restaurants in the area. www.movifamily.it<http://www.movifamily.it>

Badia Hill:

Located in the village of Badia, the new boutique hotel Badia Hill has 33 rooms in six categories, each with a private balcony. In addition, the hotel features a restaurant, bar and wellness centre with a rooftop pool.  Each room offers a spectacular view of the Santa Croce mountain, while dining options include the wine bar or fine dining in the hotel's Ristorante Porcino, where owner Marco directs the kitchen, while Michaela takes care of the wine list, which contains fine labels from selected small producers and fine wineries. www.badiahill.com<http://www.badiahill.com>

Crëp de Munt:

The first construction of the Crëp de Munt mountain hut dates back to 1953, when it started with Germano Costner. The hut soon became famous for its 'eggs, bacon and potatoes' dish and the secret recipe drink called 'Gamsmilch' (chamois milk). During the summer of 2022, the Crëp de Munt hut was completely renovated and will present itself in December in a new guise. Located just below the Boé lift station, directly on the Sellaronda circuit, it can be easily reached from Corvara and the Campolongo Pass. The hut will be open throughout the winter every day for lunch and every Tuesday evening for dinner. www.crepdemunt.it<http://www.crepdemunt.it>

ALTA BADIA AND AUDI: PARTNERSHIP RENEWED

The German car manufacturer Audi and the Dolomite ski resort, Alta Badia, continue together the path started six years ago, renewing the cooperation contract for a further four years. There are many shared values between the two brands, first and foremost the quest for excellence, the love for sport and major international events. Underlying this is the commitment to the environment with unprecedented investments that make Audi today the only brand with an electric range produced exclusively at carbon neutral plants. A commitment that finds perfect correspondence with the district's initiatives aimed at making the processes of using the territory sustainable, thanks to digitalisation, attention to performance and safety, in the amplification of local excellence.

COLMAR AND ALTA BADIA TOGETHER... IN CASE OF MOUNTAINS

A long-standing partner of the Alpine Ski World Cup Alta Badia, Colmar this year also becomes a sponsor of Alta Badia Brand in a union of shared values and a common vision of the mountain world. The company, which will celebrate 100 years in 2023, could not have chosen a better companion for this birthday, because Alta Badia is a destination of excellence for an increasingly international tourism with its kilometres of interconnected slopes, the superlative hospitality of its hotels that mix tradition and design, and the experiences they offer their guests every season.

Like Colmar, Alta Badia is strongly anchored in its traditions, but also has a keen eye on the future, a perfect union for an area, the mountains, that has always been in the DNA of the Italian company.