Val di Fassa
Ski Resort

Val di Fassa is a pretty valley in what many regard as the most beautiful part of the Alps, the Italian Dolomites. For skiers the valley’s main resorts are Canazei, (which includes two outlying hamlets called Alba and Penia), Campitello di Fassa, Sen Jan di Fassa (which includes Pozza and Vigo) and Moena. Between these lie two other small villages – Mazzin and Soraga – which don’t have any pistes or lifts of their own, but are only a short bus ride away from the villages that do.

The main ski area area can be reached by lift from either Campitello or Canazei, and is called Belvedere-Col Rodella-Pordoi. This includes the 2,950m Sass Pordoi lift, Val di Fassa’s highpoint, but there are no pistes down and most of the skiing in Val di Fassa consists of short runs below 2250m.

At Canazei’s outlying hamlets of Alba and Penia, skiers can cross the valley to the Buffaure-Ciampac sector. This stretches along the other side of the valley all the way to Pozza. You then have to cross the valley again to another sector called Vigo di Fassa-Catinaccio. And there are more sectors at Moena (‘Moena-Alpe Lusia’), Passo Costalungo (‘Carezza’) and Passo San Pellegrino (‘San Pellegrino-Falcade’). None of these are large but they all have enough skiing for at least half a day and it’s easy to commute to them by car or bus.

For keen skiers however, this is just the start of what is available, because the Belvedere-Col Rodella-Pordoi sector connects into the Sellaronda. This is a series of lifts and pistes which enable skiers to circulate in both directions around a huge limestone massif called the Gruppo del Sella, and links Val di Fassa with three other ski areas: Val Gardena, Arabba (which includes the 3000m Marmolada glacier) and Alta Badia.

The combined Sellaronda ski area is truly massive, with hundreds of lifts and pistes (far more than anyone could ski in a week) and lots of restaurants and cafes to take a break in. The natural snowfall is erratic, but the artificial snowmaking on the main circuit is superb. And everywhere is covered by the Dolomiti Superski pass, which also extends to other resorts within driving distance, including fashionable Cortina d’Ampezzo.

The combination of endless ski slopes, fine food, unspoilt villages and spectacular scenery, makes Val di Fassa a cult winter holiday destination that some skiers rave about. But not everyone, because this is no area for experts who like challenging runs. There are very few steep pistes, and whilst there are some off-piste itineraries like the famous Val Mezdí from Sass Pordoi, overall the potential for freeride is very limited: the jagged peaks of the Dolomites are wonderful to gaze up at but often impossible to ski down.

Val di Fassa Pros & Cons

+ Choice of a mid-sized ski area (Val di Fassa) or an enormous one (Sellaronda)
+ Beautiful mountains and pretty villages
+ Good choice of restaurants, from pizzerias to haute cuisine
+ Main Sellaronda circuit is snowsure due to artificial snow-making
+ Lots to do and plenty for non-skiers

– Val di Fassa’s ski sectors are scattered around  a large valley
– Few challenging pistes
– Little off-piste/freeride
– Relies on artificial snowmaking instead of natural snow