Val Gardena and Alta Badia ski holidays

Val Gardena and Alta Badia meet on the Sellaronda, a 44 km loop around the Sella Group with 23 km on skis and 21 km by lift, skied clockwise on orange signs or anticlockwise on green (Val Gardena). One Dolomiti Superski pass covers 1,200 km of slopes and 450 lifts in 12 valleys (Val Gardena).

Val Gardena adds La Longia, 10 km from Seceda down to Ortisei with 1,273 m of vertical, and the Saslong World Cup run (Val Gardena). Alta Badia counts 130 km of slopes on 54 lifts (Alta Badia), with the Gran Risa World Cup slope and mountain huts where lunch is taken seriously.

The same pass reaches the rest of the Dolomites, including Cortina, for a day away from the circuit.

Groups who want long, scenic days more than one steep line. The tourism board calls the Sellaronda ideal for skiers with average skills, as long as you start by 10 a.m. to close the loop before the lifts shut (Val Gardena).

Strong skiers find their challenge on the Saslong and the Gran Risa, nearly 500 m of World Cup giant slalom (Alta Badia). For a family we book private instruction by level, so the children learn near the village while the adults ride the circuit, and everyone meets at the hut. Our guide to family ski lessons explains the split.

Any week from December 4, 2026 to April 4, 2027, the scheduled 2026/27 season in both valleys (Val Gardena, Alta Badia). The week before Christmas is World Cup week: Super G on the Saslong on December 18 and the Downhill on December 19 (Val Gardena), and the Gran Risa giant slalom event from December 19 to 21 (Alta Badia).

That week is a spectacle to plan around, and the valleys fill. Christmas, New Year and February fill first; read when to book a ski trip for the timing.

Bolzano Airport is 40 km away, about 35 minutes by local transfer, with winter 2026/27 flights from cities including Paris, Rome, Copenhagen and Prague (Val Gardena). Verona is 190 km, Venice and Bergamo 270 km, Munich 300 km (Val Gardena).

This winter the route matters. Because of renovation work on the Lueg Bridge on the Brenner Pass motorway, the Val Gardena tourism board suggests Italian airports over routes through Austria (Val Gardena). We plan flights and the transfer around it, and arrange a helicopter or private charter when the schedule calls for it.

Val Gardena has three villages, Ortisei, Santa Cristina and Selva (Val Gardena); Alta Badia has six, Corvara, Colfosco, La Villa, San Cassiano, Badia and La Val (Alta Badia). Selva and Corvara sit on the Sellaronda loop; Ortisei is where the Seceda lifts and La Longia begin and end.

We do not sell from a fixed list of hotels. We look at who is coming, how each of them skis and how they like the evening, then tell you which valley and which village, and why.

Everything between the flight and the last run: where you stay, a private instructor for each level, the Dolomiti Superski pass, transfers, equipment and a concierge on the ground, with one point of contact from the first message to the flight home.

Patagonia Living is a ski travel agency based in Patagonia and operated worldwide, and skiing is all it plans. The full list is in what a private ski trip includes. Plan your next trip with us.