Val Gardena and Alta Badia: the back story

About Val Gardena and Alta Badia: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Ski Resorts Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Val Gardena and Alta Badia lie on either side of the Sella massif in South Tyrol, where the Ladin language and culture are still alive. They are linked on skis by the Sellaronda and share the Dolomiti Superski pass, which covers 1,200 km of slopes in twelve areas.

Ladin valleys

Alta Badia’s villages grew from the ‘viles’, clusters of houses and stables built close together between 1,200 and 1,700 metres, sharing ovens, granaries and water troughs. In Val Gardena, Ortisei, Santa Cristina and Selva line the valley under the Sassolungo, and the craft of woodcarving still fills workshops and galleries.

The Sellaronda and Dolomiti Superski

From Selva and from Corvara and Colfosco you can ski straight onto the Sellaronda, the circuit of lifts and slopes around the Sella group. Alta Badia alone has 130 km of slopes and 54 lifts between 1,300 and 2,800 metres, groomed every night by more than 90 snowcats. Dolomiti Superski links twelve ski areas, 450 lifts and 1,200 km of slopes on a single pass, valid from 28 November 2026 to 2 May 2027 for the season pass; Alta Badia’s own season runs from 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027.

Ski round the Sella in a day, eat a chef’s dish in a hut at 2,000 metres, and watch the World Cup twice in one week.

Two World Cup classics

Every December the World Cup comes twice. The 59th Saslong Classic in Val Gardena runs a super-G on 18 December and a downhill on 19 December 2026; the Gran Risa in Alta Badia, a steep giant-slalom slope with nearly 500 metres of drop, hosts its races on 19–21 December 2026. Alberto Tomba won four times on the Gran Risa and Marcel Hirscher eight.

Huts and stars

Alta Badia turned mountain huts into a gourmet circuit: every winter ‘Sciare con Gusto’, A Taste for Skiing, pairs a chef with a hut, and for 2026/27 the theme is the plant world. In the 2026 MICHELIN Guide, La Stüa de Michil in Corvara and Porcino in Badia hold a star, as do Anna Stuben in Ortisei and Alpenroyal Gourmet and Suinsom in Selva.

Every budget

Both valleys are full of family-run garni B&Bs and apartments, and Alta Badia’s Kids on Ski package covers lessons, hire, pass and accommodation for children aged 3 to 5. Many hosts include the South Tyrol Guest Pass, which covers local buses and Alta Badia’s ski buses (except the Badia ski bus) and regional trains.

Our advice: ski the Sellaronda early in the week before the crowds, book the World Cup grandstands ahead, and leave room for a long lunch at a hut on the Sciare con Gusto menu.

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