Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships

Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up and getting ready for a great winter season and for the 2021 Ski World Championships.

The ski pistes of the Tofana Area, where the Ski World Championships will be held are being improved for the ski season: the Olympia and Vertigina pistes have been enlarged and slightly modified in their slope and bends to respond to requirements for the World championships.

Wherever you look at, the views are amazing in Cortina D'Ampezzo. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships. Photo: www.bandion.it - Cortina Marketing.
Wherever you look at, the views are amazing in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships. Photo: www.bandion.it – Cortina Marketing.

Snowmaking facilities are being upgraded, three tunnels were dug to enhance the access to the slopes, and work to prepare the finish area of the Rumerio is ongoing. These improvements will be completed prior to the 2019 Female Ski World Cup (19th-20th January) and will provide world class slopes to Cortina’s guests for the rest of the season.

The Tofana-Freccia nel Cielo cable car has reached its 50th year anniversary. On this occasion, the lift managing company presented a project to renew the first stretch of the cable car, from the centre of Cortina to Col Druscié, venue of the slalom competitions in 2021. The project includes the substitution of the current 70 cable cars with a new lift with 10-seat gondolas, increasing the transport capacity from 700 to 1800 skiers per hour. With a new intermediate stop at Colfiere, the gondolas will also substitute the current chairlift serving the A and B pistes of Col Druscié.

Cortina da Cojana. Photo: Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.
Cortina da Cojana. Photo: Cortina Marketing. Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.

Considering the upcoming start of the work for the new road of the Col Druscié and Rumerio areas, the gondolas will also serve as a convenient and environmentally friendly way to reach the Finish Area of the Ski World Cup and 2021 Ski World Championships.

The base station will be completely renewed, with new spaces and services for skiers and a new après-ski bar in a hedgy design building. The new stations will guarantee more comfort and a better accessibility for clients.
Construction work is due to start in spring 2019.

The accommodation sector too is experiencing a feverish activity: the announced upgrading and restructuring work on several hotels is continuing as expected. Many properties are renewing their rooms, doing structural work or adding new facilities for their guests. A good example and much anticipated re-opening for the 2018/19 winter season is the Faloria Mountain Spa Resort, offering from December a new SPA area with a 25m swimming pool, refreshed rooms and a new lounge bar and restaurant, in an effort to obtain the 5th star. Another property that will have its renovation completed by December is the Hotel Cortina: the improvements include new suites with Turkish bath, restructured rooms, a renovated wellness centre, a new meeting room and other structural improvements.

Cortina. Ski Lagazuoi 5 Torri. Photo: www.bandion.it - Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.
Cortina. Ski Lagazuoi 5 Torri. Part of the Super8 Ski Tour. Photo: www.bandion.it – Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.

How to Enjoy Cortina this winter

Ski on the slopes of the 2021 Ski World Championships

Any good Alpine destination has some famous or very nice pistes. Cortina is no exception, with the Olympia delle Tofane being the venue of the 1956 Winter Olympics, the first to be broadcast on TV, and hosting every January a competition of the Ladies’ Alpine Ski World Cup. However, considering the Olympia a good slope in a good ski resort would be a great understatement. Cortina’s slopes are extremely diverse, from long and difficult runs to easier ones for beginners; from couloirs to runs overviewing the beautiful valley. All of them are highly panoramic, and it is not by chance if many consider that some of the most scenic skiing in the World are located here. Add top class cuisine on the slopes and you will get a unique skiing experience.

Cortina in Winter. Photo Alessandro Ghinato. Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.
Cortina in Winter. Photo Alessandro Ghinato. Cortina Marketing. Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.

Some of the improvements on the slopes for the 2021 Alpine World Ski Championships will be ready from this ski season: there is a more technical, panoramic and larger version of the A and B slopes of Col Druscié, and there are some improvements on the legendary Olympia and Vertigine and the brand new Scoiattolo in the Faloria area.

Fat biking

The array of sports activities one can try in the Dolomites is vast, ranging from the more traditional skiing and ice-skating to alternatives such as ice climbing or ski touring. Among them, something everyone should try at least once is fat biking. Fat bikes are bicycles with larger wheels that make them ideal to be used on snow, as well as easy to ride and control.

Snowshoeing in Cortina. Photo www.bandion.it. Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.
Snowshoeing in Cortina. Photo www.bandion.it. Cortina Marketing. Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.

Imagine biking down a snowy slope in the Dolomites: definitely a different way to experience winter and the great beauty that Cortina has to offer.
Cortina offers a couple paths especially conceived for fat biking and specialised instructors to help anyone, from beginners to experts, make the most of this different experience.

Gourmet experiences

Cortina’s restaurant scene is mouth-watering. The all-encompassing love for food and for what’s good, typical of the Italian culture, is deeply rooted here; while the cuisine has elements of the two sides of the Alps, namely Veneto and Tyrol. This means local delicacies are not the same one can find in other areas of the Alps.

Cortina by night. Photo: www.bandion.it. Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.
Cortina by night. Photo: www.bandion.it. Cortina Marketing. Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.

Game is usually cooked according to the Venetian traditions, while goulash and spätzle are a tradition common to Austria and Hungary. The most local dish is probably the casunziei, moon-shaped ravioli with a beetroot filling served with melted butter and poppy seeds. Just by writing this, my mouth is salivating!

Some of Cortina’s restaurants are specialised in other regional cuisines of Italy, so a holiday in Cortina is a good chance to get a taste of the variety of the Italian culinary tradition.

Canederli in Cortina. The gastronomy in Cortina is amazing, combining the food of the Veneto and the Tyrol. Photo: www.bandion.it. Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.
Canederli in Cortina. The gastronomy in Cortina is amazing, combining the food of the Veneto and the Tyrol. Photo: www.bandion.it. Cortina Marketing. Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.

Good food is not limited to restaurants in town: mountain huts serve some of the best delicacies in town! Do not let yourself be misguided by the simple and traditional look: some mountain huts are real gourmet spots on the slopes.

Shopping in the town centre

If you ask a regular guest what makes Cortina unique, you would probably receive two answers: the Dolomites and the town centre. Cortina is a small town, yet its centre is very lively and has a diversified offer.

Shops, hotels, bars and restaurants line up in the pedestrian Corso Italia and on Via Cesare Battisti. Whether you are looking for the latest of your favourite big fashion brand or for some unique detail to be found in a corner of a boutique shop, Cortina is the place for you.

Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.
Sledging at night in Cortina, an amazing experience if you can do it! Photo: www.bandion.it.
Cortina Marketing. Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.

Italian and International brands stand next to shops offering niche brands, local artisan products and souvenirs or household goods mixing Alpine and Italian design.

Special landscapes

The Ampezzo Valley, where Cortina is located, is the widest of the Dolomites. This means there isn’t just one famous panorama or peak, but a 360° view on the magnificent Dolomites from virtually any corner of Cortina. Nonetheless, there are some special places that offer an unparalleled peek on Cortina’s beauty.

Nestled on the Tofane, Ra Valles is Cortina’s highest ski area. From here, one can enjoy a breath-taking view of all the peaks surrounding Cortina and of the town centre from 1,300m above it. The slopes of the area are a haven of peace, as even in the most crowded periods, not many skiers come all the way to the top.

The famous 5 Torri in Cortina. Photo: www.bandion.it- Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.
The famous 5 Torri in Cortina. Photo: www.bandion.it- Cortina Marketing. Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.

Son Forca, in the Cristallo ski area, is a place of wonder. Immerse yourself in a snowy landscape just above the woods, from which you can take in the relaxation of nature and a mesmerising view of the Tofane, feeling a 1000 miles away from everything else.

The Averau slope, in the 5 Torri ski area, lies in a fairy-tale setting. Going down the piste, you will have the Lagazuoi on your left, the Lastoi de Formin on the right and the Tofana di Rozes in front of you. But as the name of the area suggests, the real protagonists are the 5 Torri, a group of menhir-like, giant rocks standing in the middle of your view.

First snow in Cortina. Photo: Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.
First snow in Cortina. Photo: Cortina Marketing. Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.

For a peek into the beauty of Cortina’s slopes and magic landscapes, you can find the ones described above and many more at the Virtual Ride section below:

http://tm3.co/96Axu1   

 

More info: https://www.dolomiti.org/en/cortina/

The-Ski-GURU TRAVEL can plan your holidays including booking your Eurotunnel trip, lodging, lift tickets, rentals, ski school, and all you need for an excellent vacation. Go to https://www.the-ski-guru.com/traveland upload your information – this page will be updated soon with more travel ideas.

You can start thinking about your trip, by reading the articles on the Planning your Ski Trip tab.  Or how to pack for your family ski trip. Take advantage now of having one kids ski pass for free, courtesy of MySwitzerland. If taking your furry friend abroad to the continent, read about the new Pet Travel Scheme update from DEFRA. Or our last news on equipment as seen at the London Ski Show. Also, the new range of skis of Black Crows, one of our favourite brands. Lots of snow makes you wonder how the resorts deal with the avalanche danger. Here you can read the interview to Coco Torres, former Head of Operations of Las Leñas, in Argentina, as how they dealt with avalanches at the resort. 

Rifugio Lagazuoi. A special place in paradise. View of the sauna with a view. Photo: Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.
Rifugio Lagazuoi. A special place in paradise. View of the sauna with a view. Photo: Cortina Marketing. Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.

Or perhaps you may choose to read the Ski Resort NewsSki Passes News, and the Must-Read Guides to Zermatt,  CourmayeurVal di Fiemme and Crans-Montana. Coming soon will be the guides to Lech and St Anton. Or see an amazing heli flight over the Mont Blanc Massif. Also see tips on how not to be scammed when booking a ski chalet.

You can also read what’s new at Les Trois Vallées and the last article on what is new at the Tirol ski areas,  in 3 Zinnen Dolomites ,  in Gstaad, in Chamonix,  in Georgia’s Gudauri Resort and in the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn. And how the US Ski Team has chosen Alpe Cimbra to train for the following four ski seasons as their European home.

Or check how Cairngorm Mountain might not run its funicular this coming season and how that can affect the region. And the terrible storms and gails that provoked havoc to Trentino Alto-Adige and Belluno provinces in Northern Italy. 

Photo: www.bandion.it - Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.
Lagazuoi Cable car. Photo: www.bandion.it – Cortina Marketing. Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.

Thankfully Val di Fassa is ready for opening December 6 as stated here. And the roof of the Rifugio Comici has been fixed in no time and is ready for the start of the ski season in Val Gardena on 6th December. Sudtirol ski areas are ready to start soon and their famous Christmas markets will kick off too.

Also, you can read how Grandvalira will be staying together as one lift ticket company and how they are adding Ordino Arcalis to  this offer. And also read how someone tried to sabotage some lifts in Vallnord’s Pal Arinsal.  Or read about the latest investments in Whistler Blackcomb. Or see how Taos is going against the industry trend, and instead of merging with the two biggest oligopolies in skiing at the moment, it goes and buys an airline to get more bums in resort. Or how Jackson Hole is appealing to families and beginners – it is not only a resort for expert skiers anymore.

An apple strudel in Cortina D'Ampezzo. Photo: www.bandion.it - Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.
An apple strudel in Cortina D’Ampezzo. Photo: www.bandion.it – Cortina Marketing. Cortina D’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.

If you want to salivate and think of snow, see our snow report from last weekend here. Or see how Aspen Snowmass has started its snowmaking operation.  They are planning to open Aspen Mountain early. You can keep up to date on how are the sales for the EPIC and IKON passes are doing here. Read how Emma, the first Digital Mountain Assistant, is launched in Keystone now and will be rolled to eight other resorts this season. And even read about the new incorporation to the IKON Pass: Valle Nevado. Here is also a post on the South American resorts. 

Featured Image: Having an outdoor evening time in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Photo www.bandion.it – Cortina Marketing. Cortina d’Ampezzo is gearing up for a great winter season and the 2021 Ski World Championships.

 

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