READY TO RESTART, SAFELY

There is a fervent desire to return to the pistes and to enjoy the beauty of the Dolomites and the extensive blanket of snow. The mountains can be enjoyed again once more - as early as the end of November. Trentino is ready for its new winter season after cableways have transported thousands of guests over the last two summers up to high altitudes while remaining compliant with the relevant health provisions and protocols.

800km of slopes, most of them distributed between two large ski areas, the 350km Dolomiti Superski and the 400km Skirama Dolomiti-Adamello Brenta follow social distancing measures and have 229 fast and comfortable ski lifts, which significantly shorten travel times.

The ski pass can be purchased online, without queues
Cableway companies in Trentino have been strongly committed to introducing new contactless tools with the help of new technology. The possibilities for purchasing ski passes and season tickets online have been considerably expanded, so as not to have to queue at the ticket or ski pass offices, and with the possibility of direct collection at the hotel desk.

The Dolomiti Superski ski pass can now be purchased online from dolomitisuperski.com. Once loaded on the MyDolomiti Skicard, or collected at one of the ticket boxes in the various ski areas, visitors can directly access the lift turnstiles. Furthermore, with a focus on sustainability, the cards are now made using recycled paper. In all stations that have introduced the Kcards, the daily or multi-day ski pass can be loaded online and riders can directly access the ski lifts.

Among the solutions adopted to guarantee controlled access to the ski facilities, there are also apps that place riders in a virtual queue, so that they can show up at the turnstile at certain times. The apps also manage the access to mountain huts, restaurants and self-service on the slopes. The Skirama Consortium ski areas have adopted QODA, an app created to simplify the daily use of many services. It allows skiers to book their own starting ski lift and show up at the valley station at the allocated time. It is an innovative queue virtualisation tool that can also be used in more than 60 mountain huts along the slopes, to reserve tables and access self-service facilities. The new Dolomiti Superski App, on the other hand, offers an innovative Skiers Map which quantifies the influx of skiers at each individual ski lift.
New features in the ski areas
As facilities prepare to reopen, some completely renovated cableways will come into operation in Val di Fassa and Madonna di Campiglio with increased capacity, making social distancing easier, and travel time shorter.

The new six-seater detachable chairlifts are becoming the new standard in state-of-the-art ski areas; one of such systems will come into operation in Val di Fassa, in the Belvedere area, above Canazei. The new Kristiania chairlift will reach Col dei Rossi in the proximity of the arrival station of the cableway system that climbs up from Alba di Canazei; the Pecol-Belvedere cableway has been retrofitted with new cabins.

In the Carezza ski area, a modern 10-seater detachable gondola lift, named König Laurin, will connect the Frommeralm Lodge Hotel with the Fronza alle Coronelle hut, replacing two cableway systems. It covers more than 1,800m in length, with an intermediate station, in just six minutes. Greater safety, but also more attention to sustainability: this cableway system features a new mountain station that disappears as if by magic, becoming one with the surrounding environment.

In Val di Fassa, in the Pozza di Fassa - Ciampedìe ski area, improvements have been made to the “Vajolet 1” and “Vajolet 2” slopes, while the final stretch of the “Fiamme Oro 1” slope in the Alpe Lusia - San Pellegrino ski area has been improved.

In San Martino di Castrozza Passo Rolle, in addition to enhancing the online ski pass sales system, three new ticket boxes will be available to issue daily or multi-day ski passes purchased online on sanmartino.com or dolomitisuperski.com.

At the foot of the Brenta Dolomites, the Madonna di Campiglio cableways are also continuing to invest in improving the skiing experience of their guests on the slopes of the Campiglio Dolomiti di Brenta ski area. A highlight of the upcoming winter season is the new Class D - Line 10-seat Fortini - Pradalago gondola lift; which offers low-energy impact, limited emissions and lower vibrations. 102 new cabins with heated seats, adequate spaces and an attractive design ensure a travel experience of total comfort.

In the Campiglio Dolomiti di Brenta ski area (Madonna di Campiglio, Pinzolo and Folgarida-Marilleva), winter 2021/2022 brings with it the “skipass revolution”. The prices of ski passes are no longer fixed, but dynamic, meaning that visitors only pay for as much as they ski, thanks to a new sales/purchase system. The “pay-per-use” formula is thus introduced to the ski world and the seasonal pass becomes a “Starpass”. To receive a Starpass, visitors can simply register on the app, MyPass Ski, or on the mypass.ski website and request the MyPass card for €10. It can be used in the Campiglio Dolomiti di Brenta ski area. Starpass also gives visitors a 3% - 8% discount applicable to skiing trips throughout the winter season. The daily pass, bought online prior to the intended day of use, is always affordable compared to passes purchased at the ticket booth for same-day use. It also guarantees guests access to the slopes in the event of access quotas. For more information, see: www.ski.it.

In the nearby ski area of Pinzolo, the innovations are linked to the electronic sale of ski passes. The Ice Music Festival, known for its ice instruments and its location, returns to the Presena glacier, above Passo Tonale. It is held in a mega-igloo at 2,600m above sea level and with the beautiful glacier in sight.

The first toboggan run in the Paganella district will be accessible by the Santel-Meriz chairlift, which starts near Fai della Paganella. Once at the Meriz mountain hut, it is possible for skiers to use the two-seater chairlift that already serves the Rolly Marchi skischool field, to reach the start of the new track, which ends at the foot of the ski slope for beginners. Built and managed by Paganella 2001 S.p.A., the track is 880m long, between 3 and 5m wide and has an average gradient of 10% and a maximum of 20%.

…and new spaces to accompany the first steps on skis

In the Paganella ski area, the Prati di Gaggia area, where the Polo Primi Passi Eskimo, the Biblioigloo, the Chalet Forst and the Kids Gaggia Park playground are located, will be further expanded towards the Brenta Dolomites by approximately 5,000 square metres in order to give more room to children and skiers.
The Polo Primi Passi Eskimo has been enhanced with a new easy slope suitable for beginners and is called “Orsetto bianco” (White Bear Cub). The “Pingu” First Steps Camp with two moving walkways, new easy “White Bear Cub” and the blue “Teresat” slope served by a chairlift are perfect for beginners. The new slope is 160m long, 70m wide with an average gradient of 22%.

The Salare blue slope will be expanded as part of the investment to improve the slopes for beginners. The slope in question is part of the circuit of blue high-altitude slopes for beginners: 5km of dedicated slopes, served by three chairlifts. New possibilities are available to beginner skiers also on Monte Bondone: these are two new 180m moving walkways on the Cordela slope. In total, there are now three moving walkways, which cover a height variance of almost 100m. A new online sales system for rechargeable ski passes was introduced in this area too making it no longer necessary to make a stop at the ticket booth. The pass can also be used for further ski pass purchases. The online purchase of the ski pass also provides a 5% discount on the list price.

From the airport directly to the ski slopes with the FlySki Shuttle
In the 2021/22 winter season, starting from 8 December 2021 and until 3 April 2022, the main ski resorts in Trentino will be connected by direct transfers with the airports of Verona-Valerio Catullo, Bergamo-Orio al Serio, Milan-Linate, Milan-Malpensa, Venice-Marco Polo, Treviso-Antonio Canova, and Bolzano, and with the railway stations of Mestre, Milano Centrale (new for 2021) and Trento. The FlySki Shuttle service is active to reach the towns in Val di Sole, Val di Fassa, Val di Fiemme, San Martino di Castrozza, Madonna di Campiglio/Pinzolo and the Trento railway station for other destinations. Information and details of connections: visittrentino.info/fly-ski-shuttle.

Sustainable snow
Four huts in the Passo Tonale and the Presena Glacier area are involved in a new environmental, social and economic sustainability project promoted by the Val di Sole Tourist Board and the Pontedilegno-Tonale Consortium, whose purpose is to increase the environmental awareness of guests and focus on good practices at high altitudes, where the consequences of climate change are more strongly felt. Capanna Presena, Panorama 3000 Glacier, Passo Paradiso and Malga Valbiolo are destined to become “green” mountain huts, which will only use energy from renewable sources, do away with plastic, rely on Ecolabel products and offer organic food and wine harvested locally and bearing certified quality labels.

In Primiero, taking a ski lift, turning on the light in a room, heating an apartment, moving around on an electric car or simply recharging a Smartphone means respecting the environment since this area relies on the exclusive use of energy from renewable sources. In the San Martino di Castrozza-Passo Rolle ski area, in winter as in summer, gondola lifts, cableways and chairlifts are operated by hydroelectric energy, which is also used to operate snow cannons.

The ski areas have long been committed to renewing and improving the energy efficiency and sustainability of scheduled snowmaking systems, but also to becoming independent when it comes to water resources by constructing storage basins. In this way, it is possible to rely on the necessary amount of water to cover the slopes in snow in just a few nights, as soon as the right temperature and humidity conditions allow, while also optimising costs.

Further information: visittrentino.info/en/experience/ski-and-fun