Arabba-Marmolada
Ski Resort

The local Arabba-Marmolada ski area might be small (about 25 lifts, 60km of ski slopes and 40 different runs), but it’s on the Sellaronda. This two-way circuit of lifts and pistes connects Arabba to Alta Badia, Val di Fassa and Val Gardena, giving skiers based in Arabba access to one of the world’s largest lift-linked mega areas, with about 200 lifts, 500km of ski slopes and 400 different runs.

And for strong skiers, Arabba has some of the best terrain. The resort lies at the bottom of 2500m Porta Vescovo, a steep north-facing mountainside with a vertical drop of about 900m that’s spanned by a testing top-to-bottom red slope and three excellent black runs, which are more challenging than the average Italian black piste, and quite a shock if you’ve grown used to the short gentle blue slopes that predominate in the rest of the Sellaronda.

Behind Porta Vescovo is the Marmolada glacier. There is only one lift up (a 3-stage cable car that slowly ascends to an altitude of 3269m) and just two pistes down (a long north-facing red run with an optional black variant), but Marmolada gives Arabba the big vertical drop and reliable natural snow cover that the other Sellaronda ski resorts lack.

Marmolada was the site of fierce fighting during the First World War and is part of the bus connected Grande Guerra ski circuit that links Arabba to the Ski Civetta and Cortina d’Ampezzo, opening up yet more ski slopes to explore.

Located at 1,602m elevation, Arabba is traditional and relatively unspoilt but not as picturesque as the Dolomites that surround it. And Arabba does not try to be either a gourmet destination or a party resort. Instead it’s an unpretentious mountain village in a beautiful part of the Alps with fast access to challenging ski slopes – and that’s more than enough to justify a visit.

Arabba Marmolada Pros & Cons

+ Part of the massive Sellaronda lift-linked mega area
+ Challenging black runs in Arabba’s local ski area
+ Marmolada’s long red run and huge 1823m vertical drop
+ High north-facing slopes with the best snow in the Dolomites
+ Good views and amazing scenery
+ Enough treelined runs for poor visibility days
+ Grande Guerra circuit provides useful back door way into Cortina

– Arabba’s local ski area is small
– Very few blue runs so not recommended for beginners
– Once you leave Arabba, there are few steep ski slopes on the Sellaronda till you reach Val Gardena
– Lift queues can be a problem on Marmolada and the main Sellaronda circuit
– Arabba’s apres-ski and nightlife may be too quiet for some