Bormio: the back story

About Bormio: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Ski Resorts Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Bormio has been known for its thermal waters since Roman times, kept a degree of independence for centuries as the ‘Magnifica Terra’, and became a name in world skiing when the Stelvio slope opened in 1982. In February 2026 it staged the Olympic men’s alpine races and the first Olympic ski mountaineering events.

Waters the Romans knew

Pliny the Elder wrote about Bormio’s hot springs in the first century AD, and Leonardo da Vinci seems to have stayed at the baths in 1493, later mentioning them in his Codex Atlanticus. The Bagni Vecchi, carved into the slope of Monte Reit, still have their Roman baths and a natural sweat cave, and with the Art Nouveau Bagni Nuovi and Bormio Terme in town they give Bormio a rare mix of skiing and thermal bathing.

A town with its own laws

Bormio kept a degree of independence and autonomy through the Middle Ages, and the 14th and 15th centuries were its artistic golden age. Its old town still has the Kuerc, the covered square where justice was once done, a medieval clock tower, frescoed churches and the stone Combo bridge. Under Via Roma lie the cellars where Amaro Braulio has been made since 1875.

Ski 1,800 vertical metres from Cima Bianca into town, then soak in pools the Romans knew.

The Stelvio slope

The Stelvio piste opened in 1982 for the World Series, hosted the World Championships in 1985 and 2005, and has staged the men’s World Cup downhill since 1993. It runs 3,442 metres with a 1,023-metre drop, starting at a gradient of 63%, through the La Rocca jump, the Carcentina diagonal and the San Pietro jump, a leap of more than 40 metres. The World Cup returns on 28 and 29 December 2026.

The Olympic winter

From 7 to 21 February 2026 the Stelvio hosted the men’s downhill, team combined, super-G, giant slalom and slalom of Milano Cortina 2026, and ski mountaineering made its Olympic debut here with the sprint and the mixed relay.

Every budget

One Bormio Skipass covers 110 km in three areas, linked by a ski bus included with the pass, and multi-day prices are dynamic: buy online in advance to save up to 25%. Santa Caterina Valfurva brings night skiing on the Deborah Compagnoni slope, and Cima Piazzi–San Colombano is the gentle, sunny family area.

Our advice: ski Bormio 3000 early while the snow is firm, keep a late afternoon for the Bagni Vecchi’s outdoor pools, and taste pizzoccheri, sciatt and a glass of Sforzato in the old town.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Bormio: the back story before you go.